30th birthday week, it continues
It was a good day to turn 30!
God presented me with a lesson in staying easy: Rosemary and I were picking up some croissants at the French bakery, and this woman was in there raising a big stink over the pie she ordered. The clerk, who neither handled the order nor delivered the pie now in the store, called the owner a few times and did a lot of apologizing-but-not while trying to keep cool. But there's no pleasing a middle-aged Frenchwoman: "Now I don't have dessert! (Now in French.) Impossible! (which sounded like EEM-POS-SEEBL)" She was one sacre bleu short of blowing a gasket. If I ever get that upset over a dessert, please kill me.
Croissants and fruit smoothies in hand (dudes at the smoothie place gave me good what's-ups), we headed off to Mystic for our glorious return to House of 1833 bed and breakfast. The innkeepers, Evan and Robert, had a giant cupcake and birthday decorations awaiting us in our room, a converted library filled with East Asian artifacts, a 19th-century hand-carved Chinese canopy bed, a walk-through shower and bubbly hot tub. And we got to use the fireplace this time, too! We were the only guests in the house (before the Thanksgiving onslaught), so we got extra attention and a ton of extra homemade bread pudding to take home.
Mystic itself was in sleepy offseason mode, the streets sparse and dead-quiet before 8 p.m. We checked out more of the Mystic Seaport, and because it was so quiet we got extra time to talk to the workers. While checking out the shipyard, we talked a ton to an 88-year-old man who was a shipwright at the seaport for the last 50-something years; he was in a bunch of photos and videos from a big ship restoration they did in 1974. That ship, the Charles W. Morgan, is the last wooden whaling ship left, and undergoing another big restoration to be completed by 2012. We saw a shipwright working on the mast in the shipyard, and then climbed aboard the Morgan itself. Inside the ship, we got to hold harpoons, people. Harpoons!
And hanging out at the Seaport is the Gerda III, a lighthouse tending ship that rescued about 300 Jews from Nazi-occupied Denmark! Even crazier? The shipmates would trick the Nazis' dogs with handkerchiefs full of rabbit's blood and cocaine. The blood to attract the dog, and cocaine to numb its nose! It's like some Hogan's Heroes shit.
We also checked out B.F. Clyde's Cider Mill, which is up the street from House of 1883. It's the oldest steam-powered cider mill in the country, started in 1881. Got all kinds of cider and wine and pickled vegetables. And the donuts, of course.
Friday night I did some more birthday stuff, meeting a couple of friends for dinner and then repairing back home for slot cars and Adventure Time cartoons. It was the first time we'd hung out with Gina and Chris since the thing at Michele's house; no me carrying her around, and no Chris holding exploding fireworks with his hands time time, but it was hella fun. Hope to see them again soon.
Saturday the good times kept on rolling! We saw our friends Crystal and Ravi, who were back in town since moving to Singapore. Ate at the famous Rein's Deli in Vernon, and it did not disappoint. Rosemary and I then watched their daughter, Elanor, for a few hours while they did some errands. Rosemary totally fell in love with Ellie! But then, it's easy. Just look at her!
The birthday caravan then rolled down to Brooklyn for a loft party that was pretty rad, all in all, despite the New Yorkiness. The burlesque performances were especially good. Even though CT has the likes of Nikki Le Villain and Lily La Vamp, it's great seeing folks such as Deity Delgado, Dame CuchiFrita and Bird of Paradise. Rosemary and I got out of there around 3:30 in the morning, and got on the road to Philly. Somehow I stayed awake as we got in at 5:30 a.m.
Philly was more good times with family and friends. My brother and I did Mexican-flavored Sunday brunch at Cantina Dos Segundos in Northern Liberties followed by some shopping in Center City. He had to go to Kiehl's.
My mom made a mini-Thanksgiving dinner AND a birthday cake. I know, my mom, I love her. Ham, macaroni and cheese, candied sweet potatoes, green beans, potato salad, chicken wings! It was nice sitting around the table with my parents, brother and Rosemary again.
Sunday night was full of things I miss about Philadelphia. Rosemary and I watched The Walking Dead with the folks at Atomic City Comics on South Street, a place so good that the dude chucked a graphic novel out of my pile of books because he said it sucks. Afterward we rolled up to Bob and Barbara's for our friend Sara's karaoke night, which was overrun by Canadian bike hipsters feuding with the local Philly hipsters, getting sloshed on PBR and tearing up the bar. I sang "Movin' Out" by Billy Joel, and a dude started playing an actual saxophone alongside me.
Monday we hit up the Mutter Museum, full of medical specimens, with Neil and Martha. After reading so much about the museum, it was to finally go and see all the skulls, fetuses and death masks up close. We also went back to Atomic City Comics and got a bunch of stuff.
The birthday week ended with dinner at National Mechanics. A good amount of folks were able to make it, including Danielle from Jersey, Nick came in from Reading with his girlfriend, and Rosemary's friend Dawn. And I got to eat my favorite veggie burger in the world, drink a Yuengling and be happy with life. We went to Sara's next karaoke night after that, at Tabu in the Gayborhood. My rendition of David Bowie's "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" went over pretty well, and no one does karaoke like the gays.
We had a long, traffic-laden drive back to CT on Tuesday, but at least we had the new Kanye West album to keep us company. Happy dirty 30s to me!