(no subject)
Goddammit. To add to my irate mood, I forgot to reup my eljay subscription, and I only have five userpics to choose from. I could reup now, but I'm posting so rarely, I'm not sure if I should? I'll think more on it. Wish I'd gotten a permanent account, way back in the day.
My crazy March is over. Twelve days in Berkeley, only like eight of them playing Substitute Grandma Taxi, and Coyote was with me which naturally made everything better. I also had a lot more cope, since I wasn't in recovery from Hurricane Laura and the ordeal at last Winter's Fleamarket.
It was almost a vacation! Almost. I am kicking myself for not setting aside time for friends and/or kink, since there's such a wonderful scene in the Bay Area. My brother and sister-in-law stressed me out with their demands, which were up to four rides a day, only a few days off. One afternoon, we went straight from awful traffic in San Francisco's financial district right to awful traffic in Alameda- but then started going up to the hills for like twenty minutes and then turned around a second time when everyone got on the same page. Exhausting.
There was fun, though. On the way to see Zootopia with my niece London, I had her giggling at the thought that London Is Falling was just a bunch of footage of her tripping, over the years. Uncle Coyote and I failed to have time/focus to continue teaching London and Jake our favorite Werewolf roleplaying game, but we did get trashed by Jake in a few boardgames at my brother's store. I really like the game store's new location, it's way less crowded, claustrophobic, and hoarder-looking. It really feels like a place I could comfortably boardgame or roleplay, and even has a nook to hide in when it's time to rest from the others.
We got to see the Charles Schulz museum and the SF Zoo, both of which I'd wanted to do for many years. They were both fantastic, and I'd love to go back. I can't believe how huge Schulz worked- much bigger than Bill Waterson and any other original comics I've glimpsed! His detail work is incredible, up close. Love that there was a skating rink, too- maybe next year we'll go ice skating in that warm, arid place. The best parts were seeing his actual drawing table and desk in a reproduction of his studio, and getting to don an aviator cap and pose with the sopwith camel and Lucy's psychiatric help booth! I hope the pictures came out.
The zoo was lovely too, it really has everything! Even an insect zoo with a Black Widow spider and a petting farmyard with a beautiful palomino quarter horse and a tiger flopped right up against the glass! I won't ever get to see a living tiger's individual whiskers, that was incredible.
More hiking and sightseeing and such next year, hopefully, but we did also do some amazing eating. Coyote and I cooked up some great meals with the superfresh and varied produce. He roasted chicken thighs and sausages over potatoes, which absorbed all the delicious fat. I seared a giant piece of Sockeye salmon with roasted beets and potatoes and edamame. Another night, I made the best wild mushroom pasta dish of my life with something enoki-like, oyster mushrooms, and an abalone mushroom. With lots of butter and dry riesling, those abalone mushrooms were heaven. A little milk and flour, tossed with the curly pasta Coyote and I love, and fresh shrimp; the whole thing was fantastic. I baked chocolate chip cookies for my brother's kids, hopefully Griffin shared them with his siblings.
We also feasted on sushi, Mexican three times (my favorite Mexican joint in Alameda we managed to hit twice, and all it takes is typing that much to make me crave the mole enchiladas and fresh tacos again!), California Pizza Kitchen, Kahlua Pig from the Hawaiian place on Shattuck, and of course Dim Sum with a friend of my Dad's who speaks fluent Mandarin. For Coyote's special birthday dinner, a Spanish tapas place. I had been wary of the concept of tapas, but I was totally wrong. It's little plates of amazing combinations, like the crustini topped with lox and an anchovy. Or quail. Or a small, thin filet mignon with creamy mashed potatoes and balsamic vinegar reduction (not too acidic for me in that form!). Or crispy fried ribbons of potato, with fried sage and fresh aioli. Or jamon, a ham so fine and tender that it reminded me of all those tasty hams I'd sampled in Vienna! Dessert was espresso flans for everyone else and for me, a cheese and poached pear dish with honey drizzled all over. Heavenly!
I went to the Palm Sunday service at the All Souls Episcopal church on Cedar & Spruce, and I'll definitely go back there again. The people were super friendly, the congregation sang along with everything, and it all felt very laid back, warm and welcoming. They even had an in-house folk band who played "Man of Constant Sorrow" as the offertory hymn! Hell yes!
I've been sick since coming back, which made me struggle just to get through Holy Week. I'm very grateful Coyote came to see me sing the last of the marathon of services . . . I didn't bother asking Tiger. I miss his support, but I don't miss his whining. I have to treat church for him like, I dunno, cartoons. There may be a phase of life where some people don't watch them, and then they'll return. Or they won't. Whatever, I'm not his Mom.
For the past few weeks, I've been eyeing the 40-and-a-quarter events I put on my calendar. Obviously, it's not happening tomorrow, when I still feel pretty lousy today. I just want to record what I thought up before I delete it from my calendar. Perhaps I'll do 40-and-a-half, or perhaps I'll just, I dunno. Do a pot luck picnic or something, not mention birthday at all? I'm caught between wanting to celebrate bigger than I did with just my two lovers, and not wanting anyone to feel pressured to bring a present.
I was inspired by a friend who usually does a full weekend of activities for her birthday. She does them all back to back to back, and you can come and go as you and your wallet please. I was thinking, with so many introverts amongst my friends, I should spread things out more. So I'd put down Dave & Buster's tomorrow afternoon (I think there's half-price games on Wednesdays), dinner at King's Garden Thursday night, dinner party at silentstephi 's house Friday night, and Zoo on Saturday. A Hidden Flame Saturday yes, but I could start early-ish and it's free for Providence residents the first Saturday of every month.
It's a good list! We'll see if I decide to do it or similar things at the end of June or whenever. I'm thinking now that maybe I should only do three days of things? Maybe also make them two or three-part things? Erf, this is hard! Certainly, if I want to throw a playparty, that should be a totally different venue from any vanilla party. I'm just not sure if anyone would show up to "schoolnight" fun, and weekends in the late Spring/Summer are usually booked up solid.
It's also hard because of the envy I have eating at me. I know someone whose husband took her and their kids on a Disney cruise for their 40th birthday. I know at least three people who will or have turned 40 in DisneyWorld. I know someone else who got thrown a huge party with lots of friends, lots of tasty food and wine. But why am I measuring myself up to them? I bet Bob just did her usual, dinner with friends at one of the two semi-fancy restaurants in her town. I bet a bunch of other college friends threw themselves pity parties, alone or with just a family member. I bet I do know someone who quietly climbed a mountain, or went on a bike ride, or watched the sun rise on their fourth decade of life.
Just because some people make this particular year a big deal doesn't mean I have to . . . yet, I do kinda want to, I'm just nervous about it being a flop.
Well, I have awhile longer to think about it. And I certainly am a Douglas Adams fan, I could do like a friend and make a big huge deal about 42.
Two years of planning might be enough for me to make some decisions!
My crazy March is over. Twelve days in Berkeley, only like eight of them playing Substitute Grandma Taxi, and Coyote was with me which naturally made everything better. I also had a lot more cope, since I wasn't in recovery from Hurricane Laura and the ordeal at last Winter's Fleamarket.
It was almost a vacation! Almost. I am kicking myself for not setting aside time for friends and/or kink, since there's such a wonderful scene in the Bay Area. My brother and sister-in-law stressed me out with their demands, which were up to four rides a day, only a few days off. One afternoon, we went straight from awful traffic in San Francisco's financial district right to awful traffic in Alameda- but then started going up to the hills for like twenty minutes and then turned around a second time when everyone got on the same page. Exhausting.
There was fun, though. On the way to see Zootopia with my niece London, I had her giggling at the thought that London Is Falling was just a bunch of footage of her tripping, over the years. Uncle Coyote and I failed to have time/focus to continue teaching London and Jake our favorite Werewolf roleplaying game, but we did get trashed by Jake in a few boardgames at my brother's store. I really like the game store's new location, it's way less crowded, claustrophobic, and hoarder-looking. It really feels like a place I could comfortably boardgame or roleplay, and even has a nook to hide in when it's time to rest from the others.
We got to see the Charles Schulz museum and the SF Zoo, both of which I'd wanted to do for many years. They were both fantastic, and I'd love to go back. I can't believe how huge Schulz worked- much bigger than Bill Waterson and any other original comics I've glimpsed! His detail work is incredible, up close. Love that there was a skating rink, too- maybe next year we'll go ice skating in that warm, arid place. The best parts were seeing his actual drawing table and desk in a reproduction of his studio, and getting to don an aviator cap and pose with the sopwith camel and Lucy's psychiatric help booth! I hope the pictures came out.
The zoo was lovely too, it really has everything! Even an insect zoo with a Black Widow spider and a petting farmyard with a beautiful palomino quarter horse and a tiger flopped right up against the glass! I won't ever get to see a living tiger's individual whiskers, that was incredible.
More hiking and sightseeing and such next year, hopefully, but we did also do some amazing eating. Coyote and I cooked up some great meals with the superfresh and varied produce. He roasted chicken thighs and sausages over potatoes, which absorbed all the delicious fat. I seared a giant piece of Sockeye salmon with roasted beets and potatoes and edamame. Another night, I made the best wild mushroom pasta dish of my life with something enoki-like, oyster mushrooms, and an abalone mushroom. With lots of butter and dry riesling, those abalone mushrooms were heaven. A little milk and flour, tossed with the curly pasta Coyote and I love, and fresh shrimp; the whole thing was fantastic. I baked chocolate chip cookies for my brother's kids, hopefully Griffin shared them with his siblings.
We also feasted on sushi, Mexican three times (my favorite Mexican joint in Alameda we managed to hit twice, and all it takes is typing that much to make me crave the mole enchiladas and fresh tacos again!), California Pizza Kitchen, Kahlua Pig from the Hawaiian place on Shattuck, and of course Dim Sum with a friend of my Dad's who speaks fluent Mandarin. For Coyote's special birthday dinner, a Spanish tapas place. I had been wary of the concept of tapas, but I was totally wrong. It's little plates of amazing combinations, like the crustini topped with lox and an anchovy. Or quail. Or a small, thin filet mignon with creamy mashed potatoes and balsamic vinegar reduction (not too acidic for me in that form!). Or crispy fried ribbons of potato, with fried sage and fresh aioli. Or jamon, a ham so fine and tender that it reminded me of all those tasty hams I'd sampled in Vienna! Dessert was espresso flans for everyone else and for me, a cheese and poached pear dish with honey drizzled all over. Heavenly!
I went to the Palm Sunday service at the All Souls Episcopal church on Cedar & Spruce, and I'll definitely go back there again. The people were super friendly, the congregation sang along with everything, and it all felt very laid back, warm and welcoming. They even had an in-house folk band who played "Man of Constant Sorrow" as the offertory hymn! Hell yes!
I've been sick since coming back, which made me struggle just to get through Holy Week. I'm very grateful Coyote came to see me sing the last of the marathon of services . . . I didn't bother asking Tiger. I miss his support, but I don't miss his whining. I have to treat church for him like, I dunno, cartoons. There may be a phase of life where some people don't watch them, and then they'll return. Or they won't. Whatever, I'm not his Mom.
For the past few weeks, I've been eyeing the 40-and-a-quarter events I put on my calendar. Obviously, it's not happening tomorrow, when I still feel pretty lousy today. I just want to record what I thought up before I delete it from my calendar. Perhaps I'll do 40-and-a-half, or perhaps I'll just, I dunno. Do a pot luck picnic or something, not mention birthday at all? I'm caught between wanting to celebrate bigger than I did with just my two lovers, and not wanting anyone to feel pressured to bring a present.
I was inspired by a friend who usually does a full weekend of activities for her birthday. She does them all back to back to back, and you can come and go as you and your wallet please. I was thinking, with so many introverts amongst my friends, I should spread things out more. So I'd put down Dave & Buster's tomorrow afternoon (I think there's half-price games on Wednesdays), dinner at King's Garden Thursday night, dinner party at silentstephi 's house Friday night, and Zoo on Saturday. A Hidden Flame Saturday yes, but I could start early-ish and it's free for Providence residents the first Saturday of every month.
It's a good list! We'll see if I decide to do it or similar things at the end of June or whenever. I'm thinking now that maybe I should only do three days of things? Maybe also make them two or three-part things? Erf, this is hard! Certainly, if I want to throw a playparty, that should be a totally different venue from any vanilla party. I'm just not sure if anyone would show up to "schoolnight" fun, and weekends in the late Spring/Summer are usually booked up solid.
It's also hard because of the envy I have eating at me. I know someone whose husband took her and their kids on a Disney cruise for their 40th birthday. I know at least three people who will or have turned 40 in DisneyWorld. I know someone else who got thrown a huge party with lots of friends, lots of tasty food and wine. But why am I measuring myself up to them? I bet Bob just did her usual, dinner with friends at one of the two semi-fancy restaurants in her town. I bet a bunch of other college friends threw themselves pity parties, alone or with just a family member. I bet I do know someone who quietly climbed a mountain, or went on a bike ride, or watched the sun rise on their fourth decade of life.
Just because some people make this particular year a big deal doesn't mean I have to . . . yet, I do kinda want to, I'm just nervous about it being a flop.
Well, I have awhile longer to think about it. And I certainly am a Douglas Adams fan, I could do like a friend and make a big huge deal about 42.
Two years of planning might be enough for me to make some decisions!