Kayrin's annual weekend...
This time of year is my and Kayrin's weekend. We don't quite know why, but always around St. Patrick's Day, she's with me. She noticed this last year, and we planned for her to come down this weekend. Typically, we have "tasks" when she's down. Like last year, it was to organize and furnish Six-Foot-Three. This year, I didn't quite know what to do with her. My house is in order, especially after the mania hit before 006 and 006½'s visit. My taxes are even pretty much done. I have most of my furniture. She left the Wii at home.
Despite Kayrin dancing a gig into my little room Friday night, we had nothing to "do."
So, Saturday, we woke up and decided to go off to find tapas in downtown Baltimore. Though it started with breaking into MFNJ's apartment to use her printer ("I have a printer and you have a key, sounds like a song!"), we finally made our way into downtown. Kayrin perused through the Almighty Pooh Planner, laughing at my various ways of documenting and pasting things into it. It's like my own method of scrap-booking.
Sitting and feeling the first sunshine of spring by the harbor, I felt almost totally at peace. I do love this city of mine; it was odd to finally have a sense of belonging. I felt for so long that I "belonged" in the Valley; I think it was this feeling, along with other circumstances, that kept me going back to the Valley so often.
The entire outing was oddly reminiscent of when Kayrin took Smurf and I on a tour throughout Philly, giving us all sorts of history and background information. I could finally do the same.
There was a general fail when Kayrin and I could not find a Kmart to save our life in Glen Burnie (Gigi failed, again, all "Make the next legal U-turn" and "RECALCULATING!"), but this eventually turned into trying to find Rita's since it was free yesterday. We gallivanted up to Woodlawn from Glen Burnie, which is about thirty minutes north, to find the Longest Line that Ever Lined. We traveled South again, my asking Kayrin if she did want to look for furniture. I had been debating getting a wooden coffee table with glass, as mine is currently very contemporary in style. So, we gallivanted back to the store where we bought all of the furniture last year, but alas, found nothing.
In a futile attempt to buy smoke guards for Onyx, we went back onto the Beltway, though taking the LONG way around up to White Marsh to get to Ikea. Now, I have never been in an Ikea. The concept was mind-baffling to me. They have a food court in there! Srsly! And I've always said, "Ikea: Swedish for 'shit'", so I felt somewhat dirty going into a store I had scorned for so many years. But Kayrin took me in and I trusted her, which is usually what leads to fantastic conversations and stories.
Alas, we walked the 1,038,492 miles in Ikea, and this was a Bad Idea. As much as I love interior design, Ikea was bad for me. Ikea is like a Staples; you could lose me for hours. Then there were Swedish meatballs, and I needed to go outside for a cigarette. I ended up smoking one of Kayrin's, because in MY mind, I shouldn't need my cigarettes if I'm going into a department store. I didn't know it was basically the equivalent of a Swedish Disneyland. Which I repeatedly sang. In public. And Kayrin laughed.
"It's a small Sveden after all, it's a small Sveden after all! Here's our meatballs, here's our flag! It's a small Sveden after all!"
I also talked in a bad Swedish accent for a majority of the trip.
After we loaded up our sideways-moving cart (which Kayrin would just randomly drift), we were walking through the various aisles of shopping-yourself or whatever they call it. I had already picked up a couple cheese graters, some Tupperware, and a lint brush (I felt entirely too domestic writing that phrase), when Kayrin said she was both "pleased and befuddled by (my) style." I found the concept odd as well, that my "style" is very modern and abstract. My living room displays this perfectly. I deal with warm colors and modern patterns.
I asked Kayrin why she had mentioned "befuddled" and she said it was because she didn't think I would develop as modern. She thought I would be more Southern. When asked for clarification (since I asked if I should have displayed a Confederate flag somewhere), she stated "Paula Deen but with no white wood." And here I am, modern. Humph.
I had seen a mirror I thought I loved, but looking at the size of it, it was going to be way too fat for what I wanted it for. Instead, since it was the next logical choice, Kayrin and I bought three different mirrors. Let me tell you; driving with a car full of mirrors is a very anxiety-ridden experience.
We gallivanted further up into White Marsh to see if their Rita's was rocking, and again, we found the Longest Line that Ever Lined Part Deux. In a joke, I said to Kayrin, "We could always try the one in Essex."
And off we went into Essex! And BEHOLD! We were in and out of Rita's and back on the Beltway in under twenty minutes. Free Rita's Day was a WIN! And in Essex of all places! There were large groups of black men with babies in carriers and little white boys with ragtails. I just kept looking at Kayrin and going, "Esssssssssssssex." We got back into Onyx, now giddy with my banana- and her Swedish-Fish-flavored ices. And Kayrin was glad that Rita's didn't break my Lent, yay!
I decided to take Kayrin over the bridge to get south instead of going through the tunnel, at which point I looked at her and said, "We've done the entirety of the Beltway today."
And we had, through all of the neighborhoods. We again tried to find the Kmart of Fail (but it still failed), then drove further north and ended up going to Target to buy New Moon. Because we're fangirls.
Kayrin nommed hers. Nom nom vampires nom nom!
Then we stopped at a liquidating Hollywood Video, bought good DVDs and really bad ones, and finally, I had to feed Kayrin Real Food, so we ended up at the sushi place that Bluejay found but MFNJ and I inhabit. I sent a text to MFNJ saying I was cheating on her, at which point she demanded WHY? I told her I got lonely, and got more stamps on my Special Person Card.
After good sushi, we came back to Catonsville, hung mirrors, watched most of the New Moon extras (Target's is probably the best edition, btw; you get a film cell from the movie!), and then crawled into bed. I went to Mass this morning (finally presided by Fr. Dracula again!), came home, got locked out of my house where Kayrin had succumbed to the power of the Sherpa, cooked some grub, and then we watched a movie. Kayrin went back North, I called a friend, and I've made my Southern spaghetti. This weekend was very comforting, and ideally what I needed.
I finally saved some of the pictures (i.e. stole from 006's Facebook while hacking Hunny's account) from last weekend when 006 and 006½ were down, so I'll be doing a picture post for that weekend too. I was so excited between getting mirrors for my house and New Moon that I had to post...
... off to showah, see if I have clothes for tomorrow, and plan for another week at the ever-exciting Starship. *wiggles eyebrows*
Despite Kayrin dancing a gig into my little room Friday night, we had nothing to "do."
So, Saturday, we woke up and decided to go off to find tapas in downtown Baltimore. Though it started with breaking into MFNJ's apartment to use her printer ("I have a printer and you have a key, sounds like a song!"), we finally made our way into downtown. Kayrin perused through the Almighty Pooh Planner, laughing at my various ways of documenting and pasting things into it. It's like my own method of scrap-booking.
Sitting and feeling the first sunshine of spring by the harbor, I felt almost totally at peace. I do love this city of mine; it was odd to finally have a sense of belonging. I felt for so long that I "belonged" in the Valley; I think it was this feeling, along with other circumstances, that kept me going back to the Valley so often.
The entire outing was oddly reminiscent of when Kayrin took Smurf and I on a tour throughout Philly, giving us all sorts of history and background information. I could finally do the same.
There was a general fail when Kayrin and I could not find a Kmart to save our life in Glen Burnie (Gigi failed, again, all "Make the next legal U-turn" and "RECALCULATING!"), but this eventually turned into trying to find Rita's since it was free yesterday. We gallivanted up to Woodlawn from Glen Burnie, which is about thirty minutes north, to find the Longest Line that Ever Lined. We traveled South again, my asking Kayrin if she did want to look for furniture. I had been debating getting a wooden coffee table with glass, as mine is currently very contemporary in style. So, we gallivanted back to the store where we bought all of the furniture last year, but alas, found nothing.
In a futile attempt to buy smoke guards for Onyx, we went back onto the Beltway, though taking the LONG way around up to White Marsh to get to Ikea. Now, I have never been in an Ikea. The concept was mind-baffling to me. They have a food court in there! Srsly! And I've always said, "Ikea: Swedish for 'shit'", so I felt somewhat dirty going into a store I had scorned for so many years. But Kayrin took me in and I trusted her, which is usually what leads to fantastic conversations and stories.
Alas, we walked the 1,038,492 miles in Ikea, and this was a Bad Idea. As much as I love interior design, Ikea was bad for me. Ikea is like a Staples; you could lose me for hours. Then there were Swedish meatballs, and I needed to go outside for a cigarette. I ended up smoking one of Kayrin's, because in MY mind, I shouldn't need my cigarettes if I'm going into a department store. I didn't know it was basically the equivalent of a Swedish Disneyland. Which I repeatedly sang. In public. And Kayrin laughed.
"It's a small Sveden after all, it's a small Sveden after all! Here's our meatballs, here's our flag! It's a small Sveden after all!"
I also talked in a bad Swedish accent for a majority of the trip.
After we loaded up our sideways-moving cart (which Kayrin would just randomly drift), we were walking through the various aisles of shopping-yourself or whatever they call it. I had already picked up a couple cheese graters, some Tupperware, and a lint brush (I felt entirely too domestic writing that phrase), when Kayrin said she was both "pleased and befuddled by (my) style." I found the concept odd as well, that my "style" is very modern and abstract. My living room displays this perfectly. I deal with warm colors and modern patterns.
I asked Kayrin why she had mentioned "befuddled" and she said it was because she didn't think I would develop as modern. She thought I would be more Southern. When asked for clarification (since I asked if I should have displayed a Confederate flag somewhere), she stated "Paula Deen but with no white wood." And here I am, modern. Humph.
I had seen a mirror I thought I loved, but looking at the size of it, it was going to be way too fat for what I wanted it for. Instead, since it was the next logical choice, Kayrin and I bought three different mirrors. Let me tell you; driving with a car full of mirrors is a very anxiety-ridden experience.
We gallivanted further up into White Marsh to see if their Rita's was rocking, and again, we found the Longest Line that Ever Lined Part Deux. In a joke, I said to Kayrin, "We could always try the one in Essex."
And off we went into Essex! And BEHOLD! We were in and out of Rita's and back on the Beltway in under twenty minutes. Free Rita's Day was a WIN! And in Essex of all places! There were large groups of black men with babies in carriers and little white boys with ragtails. I just kept looking at Kayrin and going, "Esssssssssssssex." We got back into Onyx, now giddy with my banana- and her Swedish-Fish-flavored ices. And Kayrin was glad that Rita's didn't break my Lent, yay!
I decided to take Kayrin over the bridge to get south instead of going through the tunnel, at which point I looked at her and said, "We've done the entirety of the Beltway today."
And we had, through all of the neighborhoods. We again tried to find the Kmart of Fail (but it still failed), then drove further north and ended up going to Target to buy New Moon. Because we're fangirls.
Kayrin nommed hers. Nom nom vampires nom nom!
Then we stopped at a liquidating Hollywood Video, bought good DVDs and really bad ones, and finally, I had to feed Kayrin Real Food, so we ended up at the sushi place that Bluejay found but MFNJ and I inhabit. I sent a text to MFNJ saying I was cheating on her, at which point she demanded WHY? I told her I got lonely, and got more stamps on my Special Person Card.
After good sushi, we came back to Catonsville, hung mirrors, watched most of the New Moon extras (Target's is probably the best edition, btw; you get a film cell from the movie!), and then crawled into bed. I went to Mass this morning (finally presided by Fr. Dracula again!), came home, got locked out of my house where Kayrin had succumbed to the power of the Sherpa, cooked some grub, and then we watched a movie. Kayrin went back North, I called a friend, and I've made my Southern spaghetti. This weekend was very comforting, and ideally what I needed.
I finally saved some of the pictures (i.e. stole from 006's Facebook while hacking Hunny's account) from last weekend when 006 and 006½ were down, so I'll be doing a picture post for that weekend too. I was so excited between getting mirrors for my house and New Moon that I had to post...
... off to showah, see if I have clothes for tomorrow, and plan for another week at the ever-exciting Starship. *wiggles eyebrows*