"and I was like 'Um, its her birthday party and she's not here'"
So, while it is not yet quite over, I feel I should start the process of relating the birthday weekend. I like having my birthday on a Friday because then its like the whole weekend is mine! Have I mentioned that I love birthdays? I really really do. And this one was great.
So, my birthday weekend really began on Thursday. As I mentioned, I ran into 4.0 around 11:30 and we went to lunch together (I ran into him right after taking my Intro to Jazz class and getting a 90% without having studied a single bit!). Anyway, after lunch as we were leaving I told him he had to be at blues that night because it was my birthday tomorrow which was basically the same as it being today, so he had to. He said my reasoning was a little shady, but he'd sure try. Then I came home and...did nothing really. Thus began my homework-free birthday time. I think I wrestled with iTunes for a while because it hated me and wouldn't let me buy music. Finally got that resolved. Bought this song, amongst many others, which I am in love with and have posted everywhere I possibly can. Then I went to class (really didn't want to, but I did and discovered that there is a jazz concert on Wednesday at 7:30). After class I came home and continued doing nothing in the form of word search puzzles and sudoku and coloring in my Winnie the Pooh coloring book. Very good use of my time. Then off to blues.
Do you realize that my birthday marks my one year anniversary of blues dancing? My very first dance was one year ago when, after coming to my surprise birthday party, my beloved marianndashwood said to me "Hey, I think you should celebrate your birthday by coming blues dancing!" and I did! And ol' Mad Dog didn't scare me away. I kept going for a whole year so that Thursday night I could be surrounded by friends in my very first birthday jam circle. After I discovered what a birthday jam is I felt so sad that I'd not gotten one and I've been waiting anxiously ever since. And it was great. I started out with Sancho and then danced with all of my favorite people, some of them twice, and was just so happy! This weekend has been a great one to reflect on how many fantastic people there are in my life now. And how well I fit with them. I can't tell you how many times over the last month or so I've had this one conversation with different people, about how they all expect me to know all of these people and all of this stuff because it feels like I've been around so much longer than I have. Anyway, aside from my jam circle I had some really good dances with Lil' Brudder, 4.0, and Dmitri. And while I wouldn't call it a "good" dance, I did dance with Bear a couple of times and it was fun. The boy just doesn't get the idea of blues, bless him. So we just make stuff up that is very Lindy-esque. Ah well, he always dips me in the most epic manner at the end and that is fun...even when we end up on the floor. But oh! The very best dance of the night was most definitely with The Professional. I danced with him once before, waaaaay back when we still danced at Sancho's house, and he was magnificent because he actually knew what he was doing instead of just making things up like we all do. But I am 98% certain we've not danced since then (though he claims we have). But he comes now and then and he's good friends with Orchid so he's often around. He's moving to Colorado soon, so I've been telling him that we need to dance again before he goes, so Thursday we did. And it was lovely! He's the first person to give me a little bit of a head lead that I didn't either feel ridiculous or...slightly uncomfortable. It was a very micro-bluesy dance, which I'm discovering may be my favorite thing of life. Anyway, he took the prize for very best dance of the night. Which was then followed by a ridiculous dance with Lil' Brudder. Oh Lil' Brudder...I've sort of rediscovered my joy in dancing with him. We have had some fantastically awesome and bizarre dances recently. He's just so fun and he never minds when I back lead and do my own thing. We were dancing like crazy people and at the same time discussing something (Denim's new boyfriend I think) and Bear was sitting right behind us laughing his head off. At one point he was like "This is amazing! Not only is it great dancing, but great conversation too! You guys are awesome!" It made me laugh.
After blues we all went to Denny's (even including Robert Sean Leonard, who never comes!) and it was a big loud fun group. Senior West Coast was there as well, and he always gets so odd at Denny's. But I love him. He started singing to me at one point...I can't remember the song :-/. But it was super funny. And then halfway through I look over and there is Sancho, way off in the corner looking at me morosely and then he reaches out his hand and he's like "You're so far awaaaaaaay" and then we both cracked up. Then, when I got up to leave Orchid made me stop so that they could all sing "Happy Birthday" to me. It was seriously off key and impressively loud, but it made me superlatively happy.
Friday was my actual birthday. Lil' Brudder had been dropping hints all over the place about something that was going on, so I was slightly prepared when I woke up at 8:15 to find him in my apartment cooking me breakfast. That boy...he's such a sweetheart! So, after I got out of the shower and got dressed I came out and ate breakfast with him and Kandy. I also discovered a plethora of signs made by my awesome new roommates explaining all the reasons they love me. They were pretty funny. Breakfast made me about 15 minutes late for my first class, but as I already mentioned, I was barely caring about class at all at that point. So I went to my two classes of the day, and then for the first time this semester, I hit up the Swing Kids booth, where my birthday twin, Sven, danced with me once before disappearing. I ended up dancing with Captain Intense a couple of times and hanging out with Denim, which I haven't done in a long time. Sometime in this span of time I got a call from my best friend from back home wishing me a happy birthday. After about an hour and a half at booth Bunny, who was back in town for the weekend, came and picked me up and we went to the mall so that she could buy me obscene amounts of chocolate. It was nice seeing her, since she's been gone for a few weeks back home in Colorado. She's preparing for a mission and all.
So, my parents just finished with their mission and it ended up working out so that they were going to be coming in to Provo on Friday. Nice! I haven't seen my parents on my birthday in years. But, unfortunately, they didn't take of when they were planning to, so they were much later getting in than they thought they'd be. See, aside from the jazz concert on Wednesday, my professor also told us that we should go and sit in on this master class they have most Fridays for all the people in jazz ensembles on campus. I was later talking to the Fella and discovered that not only was he a member of said master class, but that his ensemble, with two others, was actually going to be performing on Friday and I should come. So the goal was finally to get the parents to Provo in time to come hear him play (needless to say, at this point my mother is deeply interested in meeting the Fella). However, they didn't quite make it in time for that. So it ended up just being Orchid and I (I told her about it, and that my parents were supposed to be there too and she was like "Sure I'll come!") and I was actually kind of glad that the parentals didn't make it. It was much more "class" than "performance" and when we first came in it was horribly uncomfortable. For a couple of reasons actually. Not the least of which being that after the Fella performed with his group the professor got up and basically laid into them all, including the Fella, and told them that they were awful. I've never met such a harsh and tactless professor (my two favorite quotes, actually directed at different ensembles, were "So, I've heard you play well before. What happened?" and "You ended on the root. The dumbest thing you can do is end on the root"). But what I've recently realized about the Fella is that he sort of suffers from performance anxiety (something I never would have suspected) and that it was quite embarrassing to him to have people there who he had invited and then they hear him get roundly chastised. Yes, I think he was mightily embarrassed. Poor guy. Then, after the class I drug him along with Orchid and I back to meet my parents, who were finally arrived. I think he was still embarrassed, as well as feeling awkward about meeting my family (I can totally understand this...but at least Orchid was there meeting them as well) but he came along anyway. I handled things in a beautifully awkward manner, but in the end it wasn't too bad. Of course, my mom--always there to make things more uncomfortable--asked him to play the piano for them. She didn't know that he'd just been shot down not 30 minutes before, but it was just the most perfect thing she could have asked. As I said, he was a sweetheart and said yes and we found a room with a piano and he played a couple of songs for us. My mom also eased things along by saying several times (just to make sure he heard her and knew she really meant it) "I'm so glad to meet you. I've sure heard a lot about you!" Oh thanks mom. Way to make this more ridiculous than it already is. Finally, after the fourth repetition he said "Um, I hope that's a good thing....." and I jumped in and said something about how it was all abuse and then finally she let that little thought go. Oh mother...
Anyway, the Fella left us at that point, and me, the parentals, brother, and Orchid all went out to dinner. Not that I didn't invite the Fella. Well, that was a fun moment actually. Right after I introduced everyone I didn't want The Fella to feel like he had to linger when I knew he probably really didn't want to so I was trying to help him and I ended up saying something really awkward like "Well, Fella, you can leave now...uh...not that you have to. I'd love you to...er....I just know you probably have stuff to do so....uh..........." It was beautiful. His expression was classic. So after he played for us I tried to regain some face by saying something super suave like "Well, you are welcome to come with us to dinner if you want, but don't feel like you have to..." There's just no slick way to get that point across. Anyway, the point is that he chose not. So it was just the family and Orchid. Orchid was super cool. Especially when my parents and brother started discussing how my uncle is bound for apostasy. That was an uncomfortable moment. I don't usually think about how very judgmental my family can be until I'm listening to them from an outside perspective. Like when we're discussing the Fella playing for us and my brother says "Yeah, we can go down to the terrace and you can be That Guy...you know....That Guy who plays the piano on the terrace." and laughed...and then the Fella was like "um...I've been that guy quite a few times" because he often practices on the terrace. Its not even just may parents, either. It is my brother too. Oh well, like I said, Orchid was super cool about it and just let it go.
In the interest of readability, and so that I can just get it out, I'm going to stop waiting to publish this till its done and just get this part out now. I'll finish later...I promise
So, my birthday weekend really began on Thursday. As I mentioned, I ran into 4.0 around 11:30 and we went to lunch together (I ran into him right after taking my Intro to Jazz class and getting a 90% without having studied a single bit!). Anyway, after lunch as we were leaving I told him he had to be at blues that night because it was my birthday tomorrow which was basically the same as it being today, so he had to. He said my reasoning was a little shady, but he'd sure try. Then I came home and...did nothing really. Thus began my homework-free birthday time. I think I wrestled with iTunes for a while because it hated me and wouldn't let me buy music. Finally got that resolved. Bought this song, amongst many others, which I am in love with and have posted everywhere I possibly can. Then I went to class (really didn't want to, but I did and discovered that there is a jazz concert on Wednesday at 7:30). After class I came home and continued doing nothing in the form of word search puzzles and sudoku and coloring in my Winnie the Pooh coloring book. Very good use of my time. Then off to blues.
Do you realize that my birthday marks my one year anniversary of blues dancing? My very first dance was one year ago when, after coming to my surprise birthday party, my beloved marianndashwood said to me "Hey, I think you should celebrate your birthday by coming blues dancing!" and I did! And ol' Mad Dog didn't scare me away. I kept going for a whole year so that Thursday night I could be surrounded by friends in my very first birthday jam circle. After I discovered what a birthday jam is I felt so sad that I'd not gotten one and I've been waiting anxiously ever since. And it was great. I started out with Sancho and then danced with all of my favorite people, some of them twice, and was just so happy! This weekend has been a great one to reflect on how many fantastic people there are in my life now. And how well I fit with them. I can't tell you how many times over the last month or so I've had this one conversation with different people, about how they all expect me to know all of these people and all of this stuff because it feels like I've been around so much longer than I have. Anyway, aside from my jam circle I had some really good dances with Lil' Brudder, 4.0, and Dmitri. And while I wouldn't call it a "good" dance, I did dance with Bear a couple of times and it was fun. The boy just doesn't get the idea of blues, bless him. So we just make stuff up that is very Lindy-esque. Ah well, he always dips me in the most epic manner at the end and that is fun...even when we end up on the floor. But oh! The very best dance of the night was most definitely with The Professional. I danced with him once before, waaaaay back when we still danced at Sancho's house, and he was magnificent because he actually knew what he was doing instead of just making things up like we all do. But I am 98% certain we've not danced since then (though he claims we have). But he comes now and then and he's good friends with Orchid so he's often around. He's moving to Colorado soon, so I've been telling him that we need to dance again before he goes, so Thursday we did. And it was lovely! He's the first person to give me a little bit of a head lead that I didn't either feel ridiculous or...slightly uncomfortable. It was a very micro-bluesy dance, which I'm discovering may be my favorite thing of life. Anyway, he took the prize for very best dance of the night. Which was then followed by a ridiculous dance with Lil' Brudder. Oh Lil' Brudder...I've sort of rediscovered my joy in dancing with him. We have had some fantastically awesome and bizarre dances recently. He's just so fun and he never minds when I back lead and do my own thing. We were dancing like crazy people and at the same time discussing something (Denim's new boyfriend I think) and Bear was sitting right behind us laughing his head off. At one point he was like "This is amazing! Not only is it great dancing, but great conversation too! You guys are awesome!" It made me laugh.
After blues we all went to Denny's (even including Robert Sean Leonard, who never comes!) and it was a big loud fun group. Senior West Coast was there as well, and he always gets so odd at Denny's. But I love him. He started singing to me at one point...I can't remember the song :-/. But it was super funny. And then halfway through I look over and there is Sancho, way off in the corner looking at me morosely and then he reaches out his hand and he's like "You're so far awaaaaaaay" and then we both cracked up. Then, when I got up to leave Orchid made me stop so that they could all sing "Happy Birthday" to me. It was seriously off key and impressively loud, but it made me superlatively happy.
Friday was my actual birthday. Lil' Brudder had been dropping hints all over the place about something that was going on, so I was slightly prepared when I woke up at 8:15 to find him in my apartment cooking me breakfast. That boy...he's such a sweetheart! So, after I got out of the shower and got dressed I came out and ate breakfast with him and Kandy. I also discovered a plethora of signs made by my awesome new roommates explaining all the reasons they love me. They were pretty funny. Breakfast made me about 15 minutes late for my first class, but as I already mentioned, I was barely caring about class at all at that point. So I went to my two classes of the day, and then for the first time this semester, I hit up the Swing Kids booth, where my birthday twin, Sven, danced with me once before disappearing. I ended up dancing with Captain Intense a couple of times and hanging out with Denim, which I haven't done in a long time. Sometime in this span of time I got a call from my best friend from back home wishing me a happy birthday. After about an hour and a half at booth Bunny, who was back in town for the weekend, came and picked me up and we went to the mall so that she could buy me obscene amounts of chocolate. It was nice seeing her, since she's been gone for a few weeks back home in Colorado. She's preparing for a mission and all.
So, my parents just finished with their mission and it ended up working out so that they were going to be coming in to Provo on Friday. Nice! I haven't seen my parents on my birthday in years. But, unfortunately, they didn't take of when they were planning to, so they were much later getting in than they thought they'd be. See, aside from the jazz concert on Wednesday, my professor also told us that we should go and sit in on this master class they have most Fridays for all the people in jazz ensembles on campus. I was later talking to the Fella and discovered that not only was he a member of said master class, but that his ensemble, with two others, was actually going to be performing on Friday and I should come. So the goal was finally to get the parents to Provo in time to come hear him play (needless to say, at this point my mother is deeply interested in meeting the Fella). However, they didn't quite make it in time for that. So it ended up just being Orchid and I (I told her about it, and that my parents were supposed to be there too and she was like "Sure I'll come!") and I was actually kind of glad that the parentals didn't make it. It was much more "class" than "performance" and when we first came in it was horribly uncomfortable. For a couple of reasons actually. Not the least of which being that after the Fella performed with his group the professor got up and basically laid into them all, including the Fella, and told them that they were awful. I've never met such a harsh and tactless professor (my two favorite quotes, actually directed at different ensembles, were "So, I've heard you play well before. What happened?" and "You ended on the root. The dumbest thing you can do is end on the root"). But what I've recently realized about the Fella is that he sort of suffers from performance anxiety (something I never would have suspected) and that it was quite embarrassing to him to have people there who he had invited and then they hear him get roundly chastised. Yes, I think he was mightily embarrassed. Poor guy. Then, after the class I drug him along with Orchid and I back to meet my parents, who were finally arrived. I think he was still embarrassed, as well as feeling awkward about meeting my family (I can totally understand this...but at least Orchid was there meeting them as well) but he came along anyway. I handled things in a beautifully awkward manner, but in the end it wasn't too bad. Of course, my mom--always there to make things more uncomfortable--asked him to play the piano for them. She didn't know that he'd just been shot down not 30 minutes before, but it was just the most perfect thing she could have asked. As I said, he was a sweetheart and said yes and we found a room with a piano and he played a couple of songs for us. My mom also eased things along by saying several times (just to make sure he heard her and knew she really meant it) "I'm so glad to meet you. I've sure heard a lot about you!" Oh thanks mom. Way to make this more ridiculous than it already is. Finally, after the fourth repetition he said "Um, I hope that's a good thing....." and I jumped in and said something about how it was all abuse and then finally she let that little thought go. Oh mother...
Anyway, the Fella left us at that point, and me, the parentals, brother, and Orchid all went out to dinner. Not that I didn't invite the Fella. Well, that was a fun moment actually. Right after I introduced everyone I didn't want The Fella to feel like he had to linger when I knew he probably really didn't want to so I was trying to help him and I ended up saying something really awkward like "Well, Fella, you can leave now...uh...not that you have to. I'd love you to...er....I just know you probably have stuff to do so....uh..........." It was beautiful. His expression was classic. So after he played for us I tried to regain some face by saying something super suave like "Well, you are welcome to come with us to dinner if you want, but don't feel like you have to..." There's just no slick way to get that point across. Anyway, the point is that he chose not. So it was just the family and Orchid. Orchid was super cool. Especially when my parents and brother started discussing how my uncle is bound for apostasy. That was an uncomfortable moment. I don't usually think about how very judgmental my family can be until I'm listening to them from an outside perspective. Like when we're discussing the Fella playing for us and my brother says "Yeah, we can go down to the terrace and you can be That Guy...you know....That Guy who plays the piano on the terrace." and laughed...and then the Fella was like "um...I've been that guy quite a few times" because he often practices on the terrace. Its not even just may parents, either. It is my brother too. Oh well, like I said, Orchid was super cool about it and just let it go.
In the interest of readability, and so that I can just get it out, I'm going to stop waiting to publish this till its done and just get this part out now. I'll finish later...I promise