A Cake Named Goo

You learn something new every day.

For example, today I learned no matter how good your intentions are to get up early and get a jump start on the work monster that is your desk, something will ALWAYS come up to quell this independent act of initiative. I'm not talking, "oh no, a tree has fallen on my car" or something large scale, but rather something that is so simple and most likely avoidable that gives you fits trying to evade it. For me, it comes as no surprise. Trying to leave the Random Run, and I can't find something. Big shock, I know. This morning, it was my debit card. My wallet was on the kitchen table, and several other cards were strewn about, but the crown jewel that shall be called Wachovia was nowhere to be found. Wait a minute, why the heck is my wallet in complete chaotic disarray?

Oh. That's right.

The plan was simple. Spud had organized a group of DC's finest (friends, not cops) to go out to dinner for my birthday. And judging from the preparations that took place during the day, we were to end up back at the apartment for some post-ESPNZone cake and revelry (You can't eat revelry, but it does go well with cake.) Dinner was excellent in the 'Zone, where I had a cheeseburger which was much bigger than Tennessee's defense that night (Sorry, RoJo.) And while it took us a while to find parking before the SpudRacer invoked his vehicular karma, it was a smooth sailing evening. Heck, even navigating back to the Casa de Rognik wasn't too bad of a task. We were to drop Shay off, and head back home where the revel-wait.

"Hey Spud, do you have your house key?"

Now sometimes plans have slight miscalculations and errors in tactics that lead to having to take a different end to a mean. And sometimes God doesn't want you to get into your apartment. Period.

I'm not driving, which means my cargo pockets contain only my wallet (with all its cards) and my phone. Spud's parking situation at law school requires him to hand his car keys over to the valet, and thus separates his two sets frequently. Katie has the emergency spare, but in order to clear space for the ESPN Sports Center anchor bobbleheads she planned on winning, emptied much of her purse earlier in the day. That's right, the neccessary key needed to gain entry to our apartment:

1. In the apartment.
2. In the apartment!
3. IN THE APARTMENT! But wait, there's more. (sigh.)

Because our thoughtfulness is so far-reaching, we opted to turn on the A/C before leaving, so that guests could return to a climate controlled abode. Thus, my window was both closed and locked. We also are known to close the slider but not lock it. Saturday, we were known to close the slider AND lock it.

This leaves us with 7 people outside the apartment at 10 pm with no keys or paper products on which to eat the birthday ice cream cake Liz had stopped home to pick up. A bit of a dilemma. Now we could call the apartment complex to send their always friendly maintenance guy, but that would cost us 50 bucks. Instead, we get resourceful. Here was the plan of attack.

1. Liz and Spud at the front door with the "Pen Cap of Hope"
2. Jacques and Barrett high-tailing it to Safeway for some utensils and plates, as the cake slowly melts.
3. Chris and Jon at the slider, using every useless card I have to trip the hook in the door.
4. Katie is on border patrol, making sure our delightful neighbors to the downstairs don't think we're commandeering the building.

After 20 minutes of this (which means the cake is now bordering on gelatinous, I got bored with the "Ruin your Blockbuster Card Op" and decided to drape my leg over our balcony and swing out to the dining room window that we never open. Using keen detection skills (or some maniacal flailing) I knocked the screen to the ground. And then it happened.

I broke into my own apartment.

Through the window, I landed on nothing but chair. Ow. Opened the doors, and had we one, I'd have thrown up the sash, too. Perhaps it wasn't the most conventional way to save 50 bucks, but we were pleased. The night ended with some laughter, recollection, Return of the Jedi, and cake. Sweet, sweet, liquid cake.