So norabombay is visiting! It's a short visit involving a lot of obligatory Family Togetherness, and apparently a veritable cluster of family-related hilarity.

The original plan was for Nora to come in from the airport on BART to the Mission, hang out there until her brother was off work (he is a bakery minion) and could drive her and her baggage back to his apartment in the company car (his ridiculous midlife crisis blinged-out econobox street racer $2500 Craigslist deal vehicle having been recently stolen and then found totalled with most of the bling missing but his golf clubs still inside untouched) and from then commence the Family Togetherness. He'd take the couch.

The current situation? So I zipped back from work just ahead of rush hour and grabbed her from the airport, bringing with me that sweet fluid of life (for people who are not me) chilled diet coke. We then enjoyed a not-too-crowded trip (gossiping all the way) to the inexpensive parking garage near enough to Borderlands to be a pretty easy walk, even in my gimpy state. We checked out books and chatted further. This was Nora's first visit to Borderlands, and she'd heard so much about it! She met Alan, and the attractive dude behind the counter, and there was further chatter about Scurrilous Internet Goings-On We Have Known including some of the folks gracing the shelves. (Hint: if you say that fanfiction of your stuff is the worst thing ever, with over-the-top distasteful examples of what it's like, it's best not to be caught having written it yourself in the past. This being not one but at least two authors. Being sufficiently WRONG ON THE INTERNET means that some things totally live forever.)

We had a snack. There is a new minion in the café, and she is trying very hard. :D Alan slipped me a coupon later, after I wandered up to check on the process of my hot chocolate to find that the new minion's task process had somehow managed to omit that part. Aww, new minion. She's younger than some of the interns in my Hive.

I pinged verity, and after some back-and-forth we decided to meet up at 8:15 at Frjtz, the Belgian fry house up a ways in the Mission. Good Vibrations was right on the other corner, and we were running a little early, so we popped in there too. One of the staff there was conducting a couple new people around the store and explaining all the things. It was awesome and really sweet. I was able to provide an unexpected testimonial to the true power and longevity of one of the products, as my previous Hitachi Magic Wand had lasted about 10 years. (Note: it turns out that the padded head pieces are in fact replaceable, if the rest of it is doing well. Also, the silicone accessory heads stick to hair in a way the originals don't, if you're using them for neck massage as the packaging indicates.)

We connected with Verity and Tif at Frjtz, and had fries, lemonade, and more gossip. (Nora's bro texted her, first to say that plans had changed and she should take BART to Oakland, and then that he was out drinking with his friends in Oakland rather than in the Mission, and that she should totally come join them. She declined this amazing one-of-a-kind offer.) Then we popped up to their apartment to meet cats and sit down more comfortably, and also watch a few vids. Verity and Nora had never met in person before, so it was very nice to have had that happen.

By unanimous vote of Nora, Verity, and Tif, I am not only the #fishmum, but also the #fistmum.

Eventually, it was nearing bedtime, and also nearing the time when we should go retrieve my car from the garage. So Verity walked back with us to the parking garage. I drove us all back in the direction of their place, dropping off Verity (not walking alone through that part of the Mission at night while female is a bonus) and retrieving Nora's errant cellphone charge cable. Then I drove over to Oakland (still chattering nineteen to the dozen about a number of things, including the concept of a sex toy review blog for the single female-bodied person, including stuff like "does this thing have the sort of handle you can actually *use*", because some things are really no kind of good without a partner to help you operate it) and dropped Nora off at her hotel (which has the unquestionable benefits of not being above a dive bar, not being shared with the bartender and bouncer of that bar, and having sheets whose provenance and cleanliness are not up for any kind of debate, as compared to her brother's apartment).

Then I headed back home, chattering with amberfox the whole way. My life, so complicated.