Tiiiiiiiin Roof! - Rusted.
Happy Birthday to me - yesterday. I took the day off of work, slept in, talked to my parents, and had a mostly really nice day.
The celebrations started last Friday, seeing "Porgy and Bess" done by the Seattle Opera. It was wonderful - really, a fantastic production. The sets were eerily real looking, and the musicians and singers were amazing. The Porgy, guy - Gordon Hawkins - has this beautiful voice, and he played it in a way that I think is probably spot-on, but I hadn't thought of it before. Sort of defeatist and bitter to start with, a very pragmatic and apathetic character in the beginning. Perhaps everyone plays Porgy this way. I haven't seen it since I was 10 or so, and I can't remember how it was played then. I do remember that the Porgy in the Chicago version was on a sort of dolly, or square skate board, and he pulled himself around by his arms. I guess some productions have Porgy on a cart pulled by a goat, but that's ... I don't know, that's weird. Did people really do that? Goats are so hard to train. Anyway, I do remember Dusty and I thought a skateboard to pull yourself around on was a fantastic idea, and Dad's large equipment dollies were even more tempting as toys from then on. (They were kind of down-rent home-made dollies anyway, I don't know why he would get so mad when we'd play on them. Sheesh.)
Saturday was a crazy day. I wanted to go to dance class, but there was just too much to do. The yard guy never showed up, and so Scott was going to try to deal with the weed-infested lawn so that we weren't having an outdoor party walking around thigh-high dandelions. He bought a push-mower, put it together, and ... it did not cut the weeds at all. DANGIT! Stoopid weeds. So he spent 4 hours in the yard, all told, pulling weeds with my garden weasle thingy. (It's a stick, you stomp on it over the weed, it grabs the weed, you pull it up and it yanks the weed out with some, hopefully all, of the root.) Hours, I tell you. Poor man was in pain for days.
The shopping for the party didn't take very long in and of itself, at each store we went to, but we ran all over town to do it. Ballard, for the lavender frosting. Then Target at Northgate for the bulk of the items (I had a gift card - only spent $7 of real monies! Yay) and then home to Fred Meyer for the stuff we couldn't get at the Target. (NG Target has groceries. I know, it's weird.) Then I spent the rest of the day cleaning the house up, and terrorizing the cats, hoping to get done before people came over. I also colored my hair, because it was my party and I wanted to. I probably shouldn't have taken the time, but I did.
Of course, after all this prep, the cats were well and truly terrorized, and Millie decided to disappear. She was nowhere I could find her. And I looked EVERYWHERE. People started arriving. I hadn't made the cupcakes yet. I was terrified she'd managed to get outside somehow, but as she's afraid of everything and everyone, I couldn't figure out what would make her go outside when the DOOR freaks her out. But, well, I couldn't find her. So the party started, me making cupcakes, everyone trying to look around for a seriously freaked out cat, and Scott trying to get the grill to do more than smoke. Gah. Parties. I love parties. I just wish they weren't so much damn work.
BUT - the party itself was lots of fun. Despite many either cancelling last minute, or not showing up at all, we had a lovely time. I got my present - my new iPod speakers - to work and I boogied while I chatted, boogied while I ate, and boogied while I boogied. That last one is harder than you'd think, but I'm a trained professional. Our friends had fun, had food, and most were willing to boogie with me a little, at least. Or chat with me while I was boogying, which counts. We did, by the end of the night, go through all 5 hours of dance music. I tell you, I love all those songs. Paul made fun of some of my choices, but I am not ashamed of any of my music. I have ecclectic tastes, and I like a lot of different kinds of boogie. I will not bow down to pressure from the outside to dislike any of those songs, be they silly, poorly written, cheesy, or whatever. To me they are all completely awesome. I will jump up and down to Oingo Boingo *and* Tom Jones *and* Cyndi Lauper *and* Maroon 5 *and* Donnie Iris *and* Jonathan Coulton, and y'all are just lucky I didn't put "Fish Heads" on there. Is what I'm saying. I can do that voice, too. Don't make me sing it. Really, though, everyone pretty much loved my dance folder. The complaints were few and mild-mannered.
At last around 10 pm we took the remains of the party inside, to the relief of our neighbors, I'm sure. And Millie, who'd had enough apparently, decided to make a break for it about this time. Scott saw her streaking up the stairs, chased and caught her (thus traumatizing her further) and put her in the master bedroom with Medea, who wanted out to see what all the fuss was. And to beg for food and pettings. Millie promptly hid under the bed. I brought up some food for her later, and put it under there with her. I'm not sure if she ate it or Medea did, but she's since recovered, well, as much as she ever does, and seems otherwise OK. We think somehow got inside the lining of our sectional couch, and then just froze for several hours. Poor baby. I swear she's going to give herself cancer with the constant fear she lives with.
The last few people stayed and watched "Despicable Me" with us, and then headed out about 3 a.m. (sober by then). So Scott and I went to bed, and certain cats were heard to meow piteously to each other, finally coming out from hiding. At one point, Millie came up on the bed to make sure I was me, and crawled under the covers for a few minutes. After such a night, she needed comfort more than she was afraid of me killing and eating her. Well, I guess that's something.
The rest of the weekend was quiet. I think. I can't remember that far back. I had too little sleep and some bug bites. And lots and lots of food left over. Sooooo many hamburger buns.
We had unexpected company for my birthday - Scott's friend Edgar and his daughter (whose birthday is today) were in town, and the place they were going to stay ended up not working out. So we hosted them for a couple of nights. I chatted with them yesterday before I left to have lunch with the lovely Lara, and then I ran home after lunch to wait for people to come clean my house for me. A service Scott paid for months back, getting a voucher for me to use when I wanted.
They didn't show up. No call, no email, no nothing. I called today, and they've rescheduled for next week, and are giving us a partial discount, but now one of us has to take off of work early or work from home next week, and I'm really irritated. That was my big birthday present to myself, was that someone else would clean my whole house. We had to do things to prepare for it - the house was mostly clean already, but surfaces had to be cleared off and stuff shoved in the garage and corners cleaned up. And not even a phone call to tell me they were going to be late? I called, and their office was closed, of course. And then today they didn't call me, I had to call them, despite my two rather testy voice messages from yesterday. Not. Happy. With ProLux. Can't say we'll use them again, that's for sure.
But I ate dinner, and went to Jazz class, because I was for dang sure going to boogie on my birthday. Karen was teaching, and it was a great class. My abs are feeling it a little today. And then I went home, ate some cupcakes with our company, and watched "Easy A" again, because that movie makes me happy. "A gentleman caller! Oh, happy day!"
Tomorrow we're having a couple people over to help us eat the rest of the dang food from last week. And Sunday is a going away party for a friend who is moving to Michigan. So it'll be a busy weekend. Tonight, I think we'll just relax in our sort-of clean house, and watch TV. Maybe read. Probably eat some more cupcakes. Mmmm, frosting. Happy Birthday to me. I am the birthday queen. :)
The celebrations started last Friday, seeing "Porgy and Bess" done by the Seattle Opera. It was wonderful - really, a fantastic production. The sets were eerily real looking, and the musicians and singers were amazing. The Porgy, guy - Gordon Hawkins - has this beautiful voice, and he played it in a way that I think is probably spot-on, but I hadn't thought of it before. Sort of defeatist and bitter to start with, a very pragmatic and apathetic character in the beginning. Perhaps everyone plays Porgy this way. I haven't seen it since I was 10 or so, and I can't remember how it was played then. I do remember that the Porgy in the Chicago version was on a sort of dolly, or square skate board, and he pulled himself around by his arms. I guess some productions have Porgy on a cart pulled by a goat, but that's ... I don't know, that's weird. Did people really do that? Goats are so hard to train. Anyway, I do remember Dusty and I thought a skateboard to pull yourself around on was a fantastic idea, and Dad's large equipment dollies were even more tempting as toys from then on. (They were kind of down-rent home-made dollies anyway, I don't know why he would get so mad when we'd play on them. Sheesh.)
Saturday was a crazy day. I wanted to go to dance class, but there was just too much to do. The yard guy never showed up, and so Scott was going to try to deal with the weed-infested lawn so that we weren't having an outdoor party walking around thigh-high dandelions. He bought a push-mower, put it together, and ... it did not cut the weeds at all. DANGIT! Stoopid weeds. So he spent 4 hours in the yard, all told, pulling weeds with my garden weasle thingy. (It's a stick, you stomp on it over the weed, it grabs the weed, you pull it up and it yanks the weed out with some, hopefully all, of the root.) Hours, I tell you. Poor man was in pain for days.
The shopping for the party didn't take very long in and of itself, at each store we went to, but we ran all over town to do it. Ballard, for the lavender frosting. Then Target at Northgate for the bulk of the items (I had a gift card - only spent $7 of real monies! Yay) and then home to Fred Meyer for the stuff we couldn't get at the Target. (NG Target has groceries. I know, it's weird.) Then I spent the rest of the day cleaning the house up, and terrorizing the cats, hoping to get done before people came over. I also colored my hair, because it was my party and I wanted to. I probably shouldn't have taken the time, but I did.
Of course, after all this prep, the cats were well and truly terrorized, and Millie decided to disappear. She was nowhere I could find her. And I looked EVERYWHERE. People started arriving. I hadn't made the cupcakes yet. I was terrified she'd managed to get outside somehow, but as she's afraid of everything and everyone, I couldn't figure out what would make her go outside when the DOOR freaks her out. But, well, I couldn't find her. So the party started, me making cupcakes, everyone trying to look around for a seriously freaked out cat, and Scott trying to get the grill to do more than smoke. Gah. Parties. I love parties. I just wish they weren't so much damn work.
BUT - the party itself was lots of fun. Despite many either cancelling last minute, or not showing up at all, we had a lovely time. I got my present - my new iPod speakers - to work and I boogied while I chatted, boogied while I ate, and boogied while I boogied. That last one is harder than you'd think, but I'm a trained professional. Our friends had fun, had food, and most were willing to boogie with me a little, at least. Or chat with me while I was boogying, which counts. We did, by the end of the night, go through all 5 hours of dance music. I tell you, I love all those songs. Paul made fun of some of my choices, but I am not ashamed of any of my music. I have ecclectic tastes, and I like a lot of different kinds of boogie. I will not bow down to pressure from the outside to dislike any of those songs, be they silly, poorly written, cheesy, or whatever. To me they are all completely awesome. I will jump up and down to Oingo Boingo *and* Tom Jones *and* Cyndi Lauper *and* Maroon 5 *and* Donnie Iris *and* Jonathan Coulton, and y'all are just lucky I didn't put "Fish Heads" on there. Is what I'm saying. I can do that voice, too. Don't make me sing it. Really, though, everyone pretty much loved my dance folder. The complaints were few and mild-mannered.
At last around 10 pm we took the remains of the party inside, to the relief of our neighbors, I'm sure. And Millie, who'd had enough apparently, decided to make a break for it about this time. Scott saw her streaking up the stairs, chased and caught her (thus traumatizing her further) and put her in the master bedroom with Medea, who wanted out to see what all the fuss was. And to beg for food and pettings. Millie promptly hid under the bed. I brought up some food for her later, and put it under there with her. I'm not sure if she ate it or Medea did, but she's since recovered, well, as much as she ever does, and seems otherwise OK. We think somehow got inside the lining of our sectional couch, and then just froze for several hours. Poor baby. I swear she's going to give herself cancer with the constant fear she lives with.
The last few people stayed and watched "Despicable Me" with us, and then headed out about 3 a.m. (sober by then). So Scott and I went to bed, and certain cats were heard to meow piteously to each other, finally coming out from hiding. At one point, Millie came up on the bed to make sure I was me, and crawled under the covers for a few minutes. After such a night, she needed comfort more than she was afraid of me killing and eating her. Well, I guess that's something.
The rest of the weekend was quiet. I think. I can't remember that far back. I had too little sleep and some bug bites. And lots and lots of food left over. Sooooo many hamburger buns.
We had unexpected company for my birthday - Scott's friend Edgar and his daughter (whose birthday is today) were in town, and the place they were going to stay ended up not working out. So we hosted them for a couple of nights. I chatted with them yesterday before I left to have lunch with the lovely Lara, and then I ran home after lunch to wait for people to come clean my house for me. A service Scott paid for months back, getting a voucher for me to use when I wanted.
They didn't show up. No call, no email, no nothing. I called today, and they've rescheduled for next week, and are giving us a partial discount, but now one of us has to take off of work early or work from home next week, and I'm really irritated. That was my big birthday present to myself, was that someone else would clean my whole house. We had to do things to prepare for it - the house was mostly clean already, but surfaces had to be cleared off and stuff shoved in the garage and corners cleaned up. And not even a phone call to tell me they were going to be late? I called, and their office was closed, of course. And then today they didn't call me, I had to call them, despite my two rather testy voice messages from yesterday. Not. Happy. With ProLux. Can't say we'll use them again, that's for sure.
But I ate dinner, and went to Jazz class, because I was for dang sure going to boogie on my birthday. Karen was teaching, and it was a great class. My abs are feeling it a little today. And then I went home, ate some cupcakes with our company, and watched "Easy A" again, because that movie makes me happy. "A gentleman caller! Oh, happy day!"
Tomorrow we're having a couple people over to help us eat the rest of the dang food from last week. And Sunday is a going away party for a friend who is moving to Michigan. So it'll be a busy weekend. Tonight, I think we'll just relax in our sort-of clean house, and watch TV. Maybe read. Probably eat some more cupcakes. Mmmm, frosting. Happy Birthday to me. I am the birthday queen. :)