Welcome to the new design. You like?
Happy Birthday to Betty Woo, a very special lady who turned Elventy-one on Monday. We celebrated this momentous occasion with cocktails at the I.V. Lounge and many hours of frenetic retro dancing at the Dance Cave. I got my funk on so much that my hips were sore coming home. That is the way to celebrate a birthday, friends & neighbors.
Also: I was pleased to meet Bunny Babe & Ale* (who were ver-ee nice). I was delighted to have the opportunity to throw fruit at Q. I very much enjoyed dancing campily to "Swamp Thing" with Josh. And I especially enjoyed seeing the birthday smooching that went on in our booth.
(P.S. Only some of this paragraph is in code. I actually did throw fruit at Q.)
Very good New Year's this year. Despite the fact that we had no concrete plans as late as 7 p.m., we were lucky enough to be invited to two very good house parties and we were able to surf the good vibes until well past 5 a.m. As I've said elsewhere, it's been a really long time since I've wanted to be out that late - and I could've stayed out much later if there had been world enough & time.
This year I decided to continue the princess theme of last year and get done up in my blue ballgown, Stacy's silver jacket and Mom's tiara. Using Stacy as our party locator, we picked her up and started our night at Neil & Laine's potluck dinner. Before leaving the house, I had grabbed the Curry Pork Sausage Couscous leftovers from the night before, expecting to find a number of casseroles and rice dishes. Imagine my delight when we walked in to find a full turkey with mashed potatoes - and they were better than my Grandmother made for Christmas this year. I was very, very pleased that the turkey was my last bit of meat before my vegetarian New Year's resolution kicked in.
As the food flew off the table, we sat down to watch The Fellowship of the Ring DVD on the new widescreen teevee. (So. Sweeeeet.) Instantly, a tsunami of geek washed over the party, and soon we were all discussing special effects, characterization and book vs. movie. It was the polar opposite to A Very Jenky Christmas Party - I was totally entertained and I could get into a thousand interesting conversations without even trying. It felt satiated, I guess, while the atmosphere of the other party was hungry bordering on desperate. The older you get, the more you appreciate satiety. Me especially, since I've been all about enormous appetites lately.
At eleven the Boy & I took off for Little Spider & Spike's party. It was much smaller than I thought it would be, but that just made it better. I felt comforted and cherished at this party; I felt known & loved in a way I haven't felt at a house party in a very long time. We talked about movies & books, about depression and remedies, about music and work and people and memories. Everybody loved the curry, which was both immensely gratifying and immensely useful for as of midnight, I could no longer eat my own cooking. (!)
The Boy & Exodus & I were the last to go, finally leaving at 5 a.m. By this time I had shed my blue princess gown for Little Spider's warm clothes, and I was more than happy to crawl into a soft bed.
Today I took long naps and tested out my new resolution to live Mostly Meatless™. 'Twasn't easy as my mother cooked a nice roast - but Nic and I did rather well with the wide range of veggies and bread. Later he gave me a bunch of vitamins and a quick dose of advice from one veggie to another. I think this is the kind of excitement I felt when he actually started reading books. (Smile.)
The Boy, by the way, has not jumped on the veggie train, as he has yet to summon the will to turn down offered flesh - yesterday it was shrimp; today roast beef. I told him he didn't have to worry about boarding the fabled train, but he insists that he'll swing aboard just as soon as he's done the leftovers from tonight. Oh well - somebody has to finish the meat we've got in the fridge.
My grandparents were also at dinner today, and they've started speaking in hushed tones about the "trouble" I'm going through. I had no idea what the hell they were talking about until I saw the pictures from Christmas. Gulp. I'm pushing through my clothes now. Fabulous. Weighed myself again and I've either gained 5 pounds in a week or the scale at my grandmother's is off. Don't think I'll be eating meat for a long while, not if this is what happens when I stop paying attention to my meals.
