Sara the Diseased
Welcome to the 6th floor.
Today’s contributors are: Ann, Sara, Tabitha, Frank, Billy and Scott.
Subject: Sara gets Sick
Sara moans, while laying on the couch. “I think I’m sick.”
“Stay away from me, I don’t feel like getting sick this week.”
“What’s the matter? Got a cold?”
“A cough, my head feels all congested and I have a headache, and I’m nauseas.”
“There is Tylenol cold in the bathroom, you should take some. Take some vitamin C and Echinacea too. It’ll help.”
“Okay..” Sara mutters, pulling herself to her feet and heading to the bathroom. Can you pour me something bubbly then?”
Tabitha pours Sara a glass of ginger ale. “I hope she doesn’t get us sick, I have a test next week that I need to study for, and trying to study sick sucks.”
“I have to work, and I need the money. And I’m too lazy to do any writing when I’m sick.”
Sara returns from the bathroom and heads towards the kitchen. “Woah, stay away from me! I put your glass by the couch.”
“Yes yes, I’m diseased, no one wants anything to do with me.” Sara mopes around and plops down on the couch.
“Me and Mark have big plans for Valentine’s Day, I can’t be hacking and sneezing for them. That’d suck.”
“Here, take some Vitamin C with me.”
Frank walks in from his room and sees Tabitha and Ann swallowing pills. “Oooh, popping pills already? Need something to take that edge off before Valentine’s Day dates tonight?”
“Just Vitamin C, Sara’s sick.”
“Diseased! Quick, someone spray her with Lysol!”
“I don’t think spraying me with Lysol is going to heal me.”
“You never know. I’m headed out for an early dinner with a friend, you want me to pick you up some cough drops on the way back?” Frank asks, as Sara start coughing violently.
“That’d be great. Thanks Frank. See if they have the strawberry vitamin c ones. Those are yummy.”
“You got it.”
“Tabitha runs over with a Lysol wipe and wipes down the coffee table in the living room. You can at least cover your mouth if you’re going to hack all over!”
“Oh relax! I don’t think germs can live for long outside the body anyway, especially on a coffee table.”
“Okay okay..I just don’t want to get sick.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine. I don’t think I’m contagious anyway. I’m actually glad I didn’t have any plans for tonight, I’m not feeling up to being romantic anyway.”
“Yeah, hard to feel sexy when you’re coughing and sneezing and generally miserable.”
“That was a Friends episode once. Monica was sick and trying to get Chandler to have sex with her.”
“Yeah, I remember that episode. I just hope you two are snubbed and don’t bring smelly flowers back here. They’d probably aggravate my noise.”
“Roses don’t smell that much, but I can keep any flowers I get in my room if it bothers you.”
“We’ll see. I’m going to lay on the couch and hopefully fall asleep watching chocolate specials on the Food Network.
“Sounds like a plan. I guess I should go get ready to go out and enjoy my Steak tonight. Woo hoo!”
Tags: 6th Floor, cough drops, Date, Dinner, disease, flowers, Friends, lysol, Manhattan, sick, Valentine's Day, vitamin c
Dinner is Served
Welcome to the 6th floor.
Today’s contributors are: Ann, Sara, Tabitha, Frank, Billy and Scott.
Subject: Dinner Time
I realize it’s well past Thanksgiving. Normally I would’ve just let this one slide, but I figure I should at least finish the story since I left it as a kind of cliffhanger. If you need a refresher on what was happening, go here and here. Otherwise, just remember that I bet Billy he wouldn’t eat the potatoes before dinner.
“Dinner is served!”
“Yah! So where are the potatoes? Did Billy get to them?”
“Nope, I never left the ki..” Ann trails off as she opens the dish with the potatoes to see a big scoop missing.”
“Billy! How’d you get in here?”
“I’ll never tell!”
“I was here the whole time!”
“Evidently not. You lost. We can still eat though right?”
“Everyone grab a plate and sit down.”
“It all smells so good!”
They all sit down and take turns passing around the bowls and platters and filling their plates with food.
“We should all take a minute and go around the table and say what we’re thankful for.”
“Nope.”
“Uh-Uh.”
“Yeah. It’s food time, no more waiting!”
Scott digs in, and everyone else starts in too. It’s silent for a little while as they really get into the meal.
“Thanks for cooking Ann.” Sara says between bites. “Everything really is delicious.”
“Well except for this stuffing.” Ann says, making a face. “I’m not sure If I messed it up, or it’s just a horrible recipe.” Ann slides the rest of the stuffing off her plate back into the bowl.
“Oh good. If you’re not eating it, I don’t have to. I was going to feed it to the dog, but then I remembered we don’t have a dog!”
“Well, sort of.” Sara says, nodding towards Billy, who’s busy filling up his plate a third helping of turkey.
“You said it best. Everything tastes delicious! I’m eating Tabitha’s share.”
“Well gee, ain’t that sweet of you?”
“You know, I’m kind of glad my parents went to Vegas and we’re all here for this holiday. This is fun spending it with you guys.”
“We should definitely do it again. Family be damned!”
“Maybe next year you’ll even be better at guarding the potatoes.”
“I’ll have to go into dinner-guarding training or something. We never really made an official bet though, so what did I lose?”
“Well I was trying to think of something good, but that meal left me satisfied enough that let’s just leave it at you buying me a drink or two next time we go out.”
“Fair enough. How about something with vodka? It is made with potatoes after all.”
“Vodka works for me!”
Then they all finished their meal in merriment, spending the rest of the evening watching sports, eating dessert and having fun. If you’re keeping score, it turns out Sara was the first to succumb and take a nap. She fell asleep shortly after dinner after lounging on the couch and Scott stole her drink. Tabitha thinks she was just trying to avoid helping to clean up.
Tags: 6th Floor Blog, Bet, Dinner, Family, Manhattan, nap, potatoes, Thanksgiving, Turkey
A 6th Floor Thanksgiving: The Potato Wager
Welcome to the 6th floor.
Today’s contributors are: Ann, Sara, Tabitha, Frank, Billy and Scott.
Subject: a 6th Floor Thanksgiving Story, part two
2:15-
“Mmm! Something smells good!” Sara says, as she walks into the apartment after having left for an after-brunch walk with Tabitha and Frank.
“Could it be
“That would be my guess. How’s the game?”
“Brett Farve’s destroying the lions.”
“Nice..by the smell…4 hours until dinner?”
“About that, yes. Good guess.”
“Thy nose never lies.”
“Either that, or because I told you dinner was at about 6:30 earlier.”
“No, it’s the nose.”
“So we having mid-meal appetizers here?”
“Geeze Billy, don’t you ever take a break?”
“Breaks are for the weak!”
“And the thin.”
“Hey now. That wasn’t nice. I just put on my holiday weight preemptively!”
“Of course you did dear. I’ll cook up those appetizers Tabitha bought.”
“You bought appetizers? With me?”
“You were preoccupied with trying to find a smaller turkey. I got us some pigs in a blanket, some jalapeno poppers, some fennel and olives, and the usual chips and dip.”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!”
“Pass the chips and veggies. They should tide us over until the pigs come out.”
“I thought you two were already sitting on the couch?”
“Wow Sara, you’re really on today.”
“Just a little revenge. They’re always like that.”
“These chips are good! What kind are they?”
“Potato.”
“Nice! Good choice Tabitha!”
“Speaking of potato, what kind of potato are we eating with dinner?”
“I’ve got a nice garlic mashed potato recipe going over here. My aunt’s recipe.”
“Mmm…mashed potatoes.”
“Does anyone know what the difference is between mashed and smashed potatoes? You seem them both in restaurants sometimes. Are they the same thing?”
“Maybe how violently they’re prepared? Smashed potatoes are prepared by throwing them at walls and hitting them with hammers?”
“That seems unlikely. I always thought smashed potatoes seemed thicker, but I don’t know why.”
“I looked it up once. They are generally thicker. The main difference is that smashed potatoes aren’t whipped. Once you use an electric mixer you start to get more of a whipped feel to them and then they become mashed potatoes instead.”
“Maybe I should mix them by hand so they’re smashed potatoes?”
“Whatever’s faster.”
“It doesn’t matter what’s faster, you’re not getting them until dinner time either way.”
“Wanna bet?”
“That’s not a bet you want to take Billy.”
“Oh yes it is!”
Others: “Dun Dun Dun!”
Will Billy manage to eat the potatoes right under Ann’s nose, or will Ann successfully defend the spuds until dinner?
Will dinner turn out alright, or will Ann horribly burn everyone so that we’re vomiting all night?
Who will be the first to fall to the tryptophan and take a nap?
To find out, stay tuned for another episode of “As the 6th Floor turns.”
To Be Continued….
Tags: appetizers, Bet, Dinner, football, potatoes, Thanksgiving, tryptophan, Turkey
Rosemarie
Welcome to the 6th floor.
Today’s contributors are: Ann, Sara, Tabitha, Frank, Billy
Subject: Billy’s New Squeeze
“Billy, where are you going?”
“Out.”
“Out? I thought we were having dinner in tonight?”
“I already told Ann I wouldn’t be here.”
“You’re going out and skipping dinner? Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not, I’m going out to dinner.”
“Alone?”
“Why would I eat alone when I could have the pleasure of your company?”
“You better not all be going out to dinner without me. That’d just be mean!”
“That’s not it. I’m sure they’ll be here soon. I have to go.” Billy walks out and passes Ann, Sara and Tabitha on the way in.
“Billy’s not eating with us.”
“I know, he told me.”
“Well why not? What’s he doing?”
“He’s eating with Rosemarie.”
“And who is Rosemarie? You guys are all being particularly exasperating!”
“Now you know how we feel most of the time.”
“I’m not exasperating! Who’s Rosemarie and why is Billy eating with her instead of us?”
“Rosemarie is his girlfriend, and I imagine he’s eating with her because he’s hungry and it’s dinnertime.”
“Girlfriend? Since when does he have a girlfriend? Why am I always the last one to find out these things?”
“Maybe it’s your completely absurd hours. Sometimes it’s hard to catch you when we’re both awake to tell you anything.”
“And by the time we see you again we’ve forgotten that you don’t know whatever it is that you don’t know.”
“Well gee thanks. Have you guys met her?”
“I met her, but only by accident. I ran into them having lunch one day. I’m the only one. He says he’ll bring her around sooner or later though.”
“Well I’ll have to bug him about it later then. Any other secrets you need to reveal before dinner?”
“The Geico caveman evolved and moved out of their cave and into a tent.”
“That’s a big step for them!”
“Dinner will be ready in a little bit, and Scott should be home by then. Sound good?”
“Definitely, I’m starving! So this Rosemarie girl, she hot?”
Sara rolls her eyes and ignores Frank.
Tags: 6th Floor, Dinner, geico cavemen, Girlfriend, Manhattan, rosemarie, secrets
Shack Shack Snack
Welcome to the 6th floor.
Today’s contributors are: Ann, Sara, Tabitha, Frank, Billy and Scott.
Subject: Shake Shack Snack
I arrived home yesterday in the afternoon to find all five of my roommates home and bustling about in the living room.
“And there’s Ann. Now we have to go!”
“Where are we going?”
“Sara insisted since we all seemed to be around this evening, we should all get dinner together. You just clinch the deal. We’d decided on Shake Shack if that’s okay with you?”
“Sounds excellent, let me just put my stuff down and check my mail.”
“Now remember, behave yourselves on my train.” Billy says as we board the 6 train.
We take an uneventful train ride down to 23rd street and start walking over to Madison Square Park, where Shake Shack is. It’s a nice evening, and lots of people have the same idea. It’s a popular spot anyway, so no one is surprised when we get on line with what looks like at least a 30 minute wait before we can order food.
“Burger, or hot dog? So many tough decisions today.”
“Tough decisions? What else did you have to decide today?”
“Well I had to decide whether I wanted to suffer through the View, or get up and find the remote.”
“What’d you decide?”
“I don’t remember. I feel asleep and when I woke up Frank was watching some poker game.”
“Don’t you ever get enough poker?”
“Would you believe me if I said I was studying for work?” Frank says, feigning innocence.
“Where are you going Billy?” Ann asks as Billy suddenly starts walking away.
“Going into the McDonalds to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
Conversation dies down a bit as we continue to wait in line, contemplate what we’re going to order and watch and listen to the people and dogs around us. Many people bring their dogs to this park anyway, and with the weather finally becoming warmer, there are a ton of people taking advantage by walking their dogs.
Man in front of us: “So do you think they’re real?”
Woman with him: “I don’t know. I’m really curious, how do we find out?”
Man: “I know someone at work that could find out.”
Woman: “Okay. We’ll have to arrange something then.”
I have no idea what they were talking about, but just then Billy came back, carrying a large container of fries and I stopped listening.
“Billy! You’re going to ruin your appetite!”
“It’s just a couple of fries. Relax. You want some?”
“OOo, I’ll take some.
“Do I want custard with my dinner?”
“Of course!”
“Well what are you getting to eat?”
“Definitely a Chicago dog, I love those things. And probably a double shack burger.”
“That’s a lot of food. It depends on the flavor then.”
“The flavor’s cinnamon toast, I checked before we left. I’d say go for it, it sounds tasty.”
“Okay, but if it’s too much, I’m vomiting in your bathroom.”
“We’re almost to the front of the line! Yah! Let Sara go first.”
“Why me?”
“Because you eat so slowly. You need the head start.”
“Good idea.”
We ordered our food and found two tables, pushed them together and began eating out food.
“This frozen custard tastes a little like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.”
“Really? I love Cinnamon Toast Crunch! Let me try some!”
“You can have it. I’m full.”
“This was a good idea. Who decided we should go here?”
“I think it was me. One of the customers this morning was talking about it. Put me in the mood.”
“Wasn’t that me? You put way too much whipped cream on my frappachino and then I told you we should goto Shake Shack for dinner.”
“Oh. That was you? I’m so in the zone when I’m baristaing that I don’t notice who I’m serving.”
“Bullshit. I always see you noticing those two hot girls that come in around three on Fridays.”
“I see you know exactly when they come in too.”
“I never said that I didn’t notice them though.”
“Yes Yes, girls are cute. It was Sara that suggested this place for dinner. Excellent choice. Let’s go home now.”
Tags: Cute Girls, Dinner, Frozen Custard, Shake Shack, Subway
When Life Gives You Lemons…
Welcome to the 6th floor.
Today’s contributors are: Ann, Sara, Tabitha, Frank, Billy and Scott.
Subject: Ann and Sara cook dinner
Me and Ann decided we would cook dinner for everyone on Sunday. We have done this before and we usually pull it off without any problems; today we had quite a few. They all stemmed from a weird game of phone tag we were playing. Usually we’re just sitting around doing nothing and decide to entertain ourselves by cooking. Sunday was different because we both had things to do; I had to meet up with a couple of people from work about a project, and Ann needed to go over to her job to get her paycheck.
Ann was watching the Food Network and found a recipe that when she described it to me sounded delicious. Tabitha’s the only one responsible enough to keep the kitchen actually stocked, but since she rarely has money she either drags someone else out to do it, or it doesn’t get done. This means that we have nothing closely resembling ingredients for Ann’s dish, and have to goto the store.
“So, what do we need?”
“Breadcrumbs. And…shoot, I left the recipe at the apartment!”
“Well that was smart. I guess I’ll run and get it, you want to hang out here and pick up what you remember?”
“You don’t have to go back, I think I remember everything.”
“You’re sure? Alrighty then.”
We get back to the apartment and start preparing what needs to be prepared when Tabitha returns from class.
“You guys are cooking tonight? I see you went to the store, did you get the groceries we needed?”
“I didn’t know we needed anything, you usually leave a list around here somewhere.”
Tabitha walks over and removes the list from underneath where Ann had stuck the recipe to the fridge.
“I asked you to get the groceries Thursday, I bet we have nothing to eat at all do we?”
I look in the fridge and confirm her suspicions.
“I’ll go tomorrow after work.”
“I’ve heard that one before. I’m going to a friends to eat tonight if someone doesn’t go shopping.”
“Okay, I have to go get my paycheck anyway, I’ll stop on my way back.”
Later I’m working in the kitchen and realize we needed lemons and we don’t have any. Ann’s memory of the recipe having failed us when we were at the store, I perused the rest of the ingredients, checked the cabinets, and called Ann to get the lemons. When she didn’t answer I tried Billy, who I knew was stopping somewhere on his way home later and left him a message asking if he could pick up a couple of lemons. I went back to cooking, until I got up to the steps that required the lemons. I tried Ann again, decided to give her a couple more minutes and went to check my email. When she didn’t answer again a couple of minutes later I decided the best course of action would be to go get the lemons myself. I left Ann a brief note and went to the store again. I was unsure of how many we needed, so I got six.
When I got back upstairs, Ann and Tabitha were arguing. Turns out Ann had forgotten the grocery list, and was trying to call us to read it to her. Tabitha had taken a nap, and I had left my phone on the counter when I went to get the lemons.
“You still have to go out yet right Sara? Or Is that where you’re returning from? Can you stop at the store or maybe I can call Billy.”
“No, I just realized you’d forgotten to get lemons before and went to buy some when you didn’t answer your phone.”
Ann holds up a bag with lemons and I sigh.
“I remembered on my way back, but not how many. So i got eight.”
“I got six, how many do we actually need?”
“Three.”
“You know what that means! Tequila party!!” Scott says as he walks in.
“Any Pseudo-holidays coming up that we can fake celebrate?”
“Earth day?”
“And Tequila comes from the earth!”
“Earth day’s passed. Hey Scott, when was the last time you went shopping? We need groceries.”
“No can do, I’ve got an appointment with the doctor.”
“I’ll go, I have to meet my group anyway. Give me the list.”
I was meeting my group at a Cosi a couple of blocks away, but just as I get there I got a call that it was canceled, so I head to the store thinking about all the work we’re going to have to do at work tomorrow because we didn’t meet and discuss it today. I wasn’t really paying much attention to the shopping, just reading the item and taking it off the shelf. It wasn’t until I was halfway back to the apartment that I realized that lemons were on the list and I’d just bought four more of them. I walk back into the apartment, ready to have everyone laugh at me for buying more lemons.
“It’s like a lemon parade in here!”
“Shit, Please tell me you didn’t get my message Billy?”
“You asked me to get a couple of lemons. I didn’t know what you meant by a couple, so I picked up a whole dozen. I figured we could always make use of the extras, I just didn’t realize there would be this many extras.”
“Well now there are even more, there were lemons on your list Tabitha and I wasn’t paying any attention.”
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, Frank came home.
“Hi Hunnys, I’m home!” says Frank, seeing all three girls in the kitchen.
“I cracked this guy with Aces this morning for a big pot, figured I’d celebrate by buying us some Don Julio anejo. Oh, and lemons of course. I know they were on the grocery list, but I got some extras for the tequila. What? Why are you all looking at me like that?”
Despite the literally dozens of lemons laying around, the rest of the dinner went pretty smoothly. We all sat down and ate together for once, and the meal actually did come out tasty. I didn’t think even a Tequila party would use up all the lemons so Billy called his mother who has a wonderful strawberry lemonade recipe that we started putting the lemons to use on. It’s delicious!
Tags: Cooking, Dinner, Food shopping, Lemonade, Lemons, Tequila, Tequila party