An oxymoron

Who knew that baby showers can, potentially, be cool?!? I begrudgingly attended one the other night, expecting the usual froo-froo fare of tea cakes and petit fours, ooohing and ahhhhing over so-cute-they're-annoying little baby gifts, and lots of cheesy crying and squealing over the guest of honor's belly. I, like Miranda on S&tC, would prefer fried chicken, along with the complete and utter absence of pink or blue storks, in any form or fashion.

What I didn't factor into the equation was that the expecting mother is, quite possibly, one of the coolest folks that I know (here OR in Athens!), and that she most likely wouldn't have stood for all that fluff any more than I would. Sure, there was the opening of gifts that involved lots of the ooohing and ahhing, but Elizabeth and I opted out of that to help in the kitchen, where a FEAST of Beef Burgandy, brown rice, salad, and 3 different types of (hearty) desserts were being prepared.

Confession: In my faulty assumptions about what the fare of the shower would include, I ate before I left. Did that stop me from eating again? No sir.

So -- Julie V., former landlord and friend, you are my icon. Thank you for introducing coolness to the Baby Showering Crowd. My hat is off to you...