dinner group (the new chapter)

well, that time has come.  the day when i feel so guilty for being such a bad blogger and so desirous to become more consistent that i overcome the total lack of anything meaningful to write about and just start writing.

and the first topic to come to mind?
you guessed it:
dinner group.
the new chapter.

so dinner group is really important to me.
i've spent the last 3 years exploring various types of dinner groups:

there was the oversized group where there were more people than nights to cook, and every night felt like a new but old family that you loved.  i remember hallie's panini sandwiches from that dinner group, and katherine's ripped-out living room floor.

then there was the summer dinner group, with not enough people to cook, but lots of fresh veggies, and lots of corn on the cob, and lots of canceled dinners because errybody was gone barbecuing or bicycling or camping or road-tripping or other such summery delights.

then there was the one that my roommate was in where one night she was fed a plate of french fries with pepperoni and gravy on top.  sorry if anyone thinks this is an acceptable dinner-group dinner.  it isn't!  that's all i have to say about that one.

and there was of course the dinner group from last year, of only people who loved to cook.  my oh my how we celebrated dinner everyday!  ah.  when i daydream, it is only and always about this dinner group.  ran into tucktuck a few days ago on campus and it about made my life to get such a lovely blast from my dinner group past.  i could go on.  but i won't.

so in all these dinner group philanderings (not sure if i spelled or used that word correctally), i've learned a few things about dinner groups.  i shall coach you:

1) you must hand-pick who is in your dinner group.  must, must must.  upon this thing there is no equivocating.  the number one reason why dinner groups fail, why students have bad dinner group experiences, and why people between the ages of 18-25 get the flu is because of poor dinner-groupee choices.  a few tips:

a) choose people who can and will actually show up to dinner.  i would approximate that 72% of the joy of dinner group is in the company.  cute boys are favorable (if you're a girl).  cool girls are favorable (if you're a boy OR a girl.  i mean cool girls are just favorable no matter what you are).
b) choose people that aren't going to make kraft mac&cheese every time their turn rolls around.  don't get me wrong: i love me some good kraft mac&cheese (espesh the spiral kind).  but for dinner group?  no.  no no no.  once you've had lemon mushroom chicken or stuffed peppers or south american smoked rice pilaf, there is no going back to little caesar's five dollar pizzas and frozen burrito dinner groups.  so choose wisely.
c) choose people you might actually want to be friends with in the future.  because dinner group friendships are forever.

and now i have come to a screeching halt in what i have to say about dinner groups.  which means i'll be thinking a lot about them (philosophically, of course) over the next 36 hours, and will most likely have something to add sooner of later.

but for now, know that i'm currently part of a hand-picked dinner group.  tonight we had fajitas on corn tortillas (favorite.).  and i can tell that we are gonna be friends.

*mundane detail that will someday probably be more important to me that any of this other nonsense:  this week i have listened to nothing but bon iver's "towers" on my daily walks to and from campus.  and last night when i was walking home from my class that gets out at 9:40pm (i know, right?!), i sang while i listened and didn't care one bit who was mocking me in their head for being the girl who ipod-sings to herself, i love the song THAT much.*