Happy Mother's Day

It rained this morning, so Russ and I didn't go to Anderson. I really wanted to. But I really didn't need to spend any more money after last night anyway.

I didn't talk to Mother today, as she is headed for the Bahamas on a cruise at the moment, and good for her. I did send her a card, but she'll get it when she gets back.

I did go to see BB at the nursing home, and I guess she is in as good a spirits as can be expected. I was able to find some white tulips, her favorite flower, and took them over to her with a card. BB is all upset about the latest family drama that has been going on. I'm surprised that Eve told her about it, but then I guess she doesn't have that many other people to talk to. BB, of course, has little else to do but stew and worry about the situation. I meant to call Eve (my step-mother), but didn't end up doing it. I don't guess she heard from Cindy. Still I did send a card, and I had just seen her on her birthday. She and Dad leave tomorrow for a NRA convention in Kentucky. It is so weird that my dad is such a rabid gun nut, and I am such a pacifist. Anyway, they should have a good time. She loves to get dressed up and stuff, and has all kinds of tours and things planned for while they're gone.

After I left the rest home, I just did the shopping and came home. I did get the house picked up a bit, and removed the top layer of cat hair from the furniture. I got a bit of laundry done. I didn't get much done today, but I have a very busy week next week. I'll be baking every night, I have to make lunches for the week tomorrow night, and Justin is coming over Tuesday night. I had put him off until next week, because I have so much to do, but I knew he would want to see the glass, and I need to talk to him anyway. He's been kind of ducking me on some stuff lately. So I am going to have to hit the ground running, and I'll go all week next week, straight through to Sunday.

A night out, and a very strange play (for Greenville)

I had coffee on the porch this morning, and went on to the flea market, but it was nothing but junk. I did get some cheap jeans to make cut-offs out of after going through my shorts, but one pair was too small, and the other pair looked pretty good, so I decided just to wear them as jeans. I don't really have a "regular" pair of jeans that look good on me right now. The ones I have been wearing are baggy painter jeans, and you just can't wear those everywere. But I still don't have any cut-offs. At $6 a pair though, I'll just get some more cheap jeans the next time I'm over there.

Just as well I didn't buy any glass today. I got TWO CASES of it today in the mail from Terry E, my friend in Kentucky. I've been talking to him after meeting him online. He emailed me last week, and told me he was sending two boxes. Did he ever! One of them is huge. I still feel kind of like I'm taking advantage of him, but I haven't mentioned them to him since he said he was sending them. I called Justin, he's going to come over Tuesday night to open the boxes with me. He'll enjoy seeing what's in them as much as I do, so it will just be twice as fun.

I was worthless again today, and just read. I finished The Reunion, thank goodness. Maybe I'll get something done around here now.

***

I was running around the house tonight getting ready to go to dinner with Russ and Billy before the play, and locked myself out of the house again. I had no time to wait for a locksmith, and no phone to call one anyway, so I just kicked the door in and finished getting ready. Fortunately, I can still lock the house with the deadbolt until I can get someone over here to fix the sill. I am an idiot for not hiding a key outside after the last time this happened. Sigh. But I had to get going, so I made a decision. I did feel pretty butch. It worked just like it does in the movies too.

Dinner was delicious, if expensive. We went to a place downtown called Takosushi, an odd little Mexican/Japanese fusion restaurant. The food was very good, but very expensive. I had an entree, two cocktails, and an appetizer, and my check was $45 before tip. Not too bad for downtown, I guess, but not something I could do on a regular basis. And I can get excellent chiles rellenos for less than $17 a plate. Still, as I say, it was very good, at least. It really pisses me off to pay big bucks for a mediocre meal.

The play was called Cloud 9, and was a mimimalistic play about jingoism and the fall of the Victorian ideal of the British family. The first act was set in colonial Africa, shortly before the British troops were beaten and ousted in the Zulu Wars. The ultimate failure of the British colonial system was a parallel for the fall of the unrealistic ideals and stereotypical roles of Victorian social mores. A recurring theme was the use of social stereotypes of the time to hide homosexual tendencies. Additionally, many of the roles in the play were acted by people of the opposite gender of the role, and during intermission, the actors changed roles to play each other's characters during a later era. It was a very interesting concept, if a bit outre' for Greenville, I felt. But most of the audience stayed for the second act, surprisingly, after several male-on-male kisses in the first act, which a couple of people obviously felt were quite shocking.

It was interesting to me that members of the audience found two male characters kissing much more shocking than the husband and wife characters kissing, even though the wife (Betty) was played by a man in both acts. Proof of the the fact that the actors who played Betty in both acts did an excellent job of inhabiting the character fully enough to be accepted in the role, even though the actor in the first act had a beard. Additionally, the actor who played the quintessential Britich patriarch in the first act played a young girl in the second act, and was absolutely invested in the character, while playing on the innate comedy of this large man playing a little girl. It was a very unusual entertainment.

Afterwards, we went to Coffee Underground for coffee, and walked around downtown. By the time we got home, it was 12:30, and I went on home for bed. Russ and I are going to the Jockey Lot in the morning, and we both have Mother's Day duties to attend to as well.

Cougar comes over

He got that lawn mower that Mom gave me ages ago. It has never really been used since she had it. Mom got it and then bought a riding mower. She gave it to Michael because he didn't want a self-propelled mower, and then he broke the starter-cord on it. I fixed the starter-cord after he left, and then my friend Jaime gave me the Briggs and Stratton when she moved to Nevada. So I only used it once. Anyway, of course it wouldn't start, but I gave him some tips, and I think he'll be able to get it going again. He didn't take me out, though, he had other plans. He's supposed to take me out week after next (next week I'll be baking all week for the camp out next weekend).

So I made a sandwich and read. That's really all I've felt like doing for the last couple of weeks. I'm on The Reunion now, which is the last of the Marketplace books. I've been wanting to read them all again before the camp out next weekend. I'll probably be out late tomorrow night anyway, so just as well I'm going on to bed tonight. I haven't been sleeping well this week, and I'm not going to force myself to stay up. I'm tired.

Dinner out

I had a business dinner out tonight with one of the agencies I deal with. It was pretty nice. We went to Larkins on the River, a pretty nice place in downtown Greenville, right on the Reedy River. After dinner, we walked down to the footbridge that runs over Reedy River Falls. It was a nice evening.

One really funny thing did happen. We were talking about plastic surgery, celebrities, etc, and Kirstie Alley's name came up, which led to Valerie Bertinelli. I made the comment that I knew how she got big. She may look like America's Sweetheart, but she's a wild child, and had been married to some rocker dude. I couldn't remember who though. We were all trying to remember, when one of the guys came out with "Isn't it Little Richard?" I thought I was going to die! I found that endlessly hilarious.

When I got home, I called Cougar back. He confirmed that he has a van, and that he's coming tomorrow to get the mower tomorrow night.

Between that, and my evening out planned with Russ and Billy for dinner and the play on Saturday, it should be a pretty nice weekend.

I got confirmation from the doctor's office today that the surgery has been approved for June 11, so I emailed everyone to let them know what's going on. Mom is coming to stay with me, thank goodness, so I can be at home. Actually, several people have said they wouldn't mind taking care of me, since I won't be able to talk LOL.

Mother's Day is coming

I went and got all my Mother's Day cards tonight. I send a good many of them. Both sisters, all three grandmothers, two mothers, and one aunt. So it's a passel o' cards. It was especially important that I send them this year, since I didn't send Christmas Cards last year.

I ended up buying one Godmother card instead of a Grandmother card, but that's easily remedied. I'm probably going to take BB's card to her at the nursing home on Sunday, so I'll have time to replace it. The rest of them have to go in the mail tomorow.

Cougar called tonight and apologized for standing me up on Saturday. I told him it wasn't a big deal, since I was going to be home anyway (it really wasn't a big deal). I do wonder what happened to him though. He didn't volunteer, and it felt nosy to ask. He's supposed to come Friday night to pick up the lawn mower now. Maybe he'll buy me dinner.

Lining up things to look forward to

Man, I am going to be BUSY this month. Lots o stuff coming up.

Saturday, I'm going to a play with Russ, Billy, and a bunch of friends.

Next week, I'm cooking and packing all week for the Spring Camp Out. This year, I'm doing a chocolate eclair pie (with homemade stuff, no Jell-O for me thank you), a pound cake, a flourless Kahlua chocolate cake with ganache and sprinkles, and a lemon cake and marshmallow trifle.

The weekend of the 16th will be the Camp Out.

On the 31st, I have a spa day planned. I got it for cheap through a charity thing. I'll have a manicure, pedicure, etc.

The 6th and 7th will be my River's Edge trip to see Al, Mike, Brian & the gang.

Then the 11th I am supposed to have surgery if the insurance company approves it. I haven't heard back from the doc yet. Mom will be coming that weekend, so the first week of June I'll have to clean house.

I'm thinking with all this going on, I'll be wishing I had a quiet weekend. I'm goint to try to leave he weekend of the 24th and 25th open just to do stuff around the house.

Feeling a bit better

Well hopefully things are looking up.

I made my reservations for my camping trip to the River's Edge today. It will be good to see Al and Mike and Brian again. Brian is supposed to be bringing his new husband this year. This started years ago. I met them down there, and pretty much spent the weekend with them. We liked each other so much I've been meeting them down there every summer since. It did me good just to talk to the reservations guy today. When I started giving him my card number to hold my cabin, I realized that it expired this month. He said "No problem Steve, we know who you are. It's not like you're not going to show up or something." A small thing, but it made me feel good.

Sometimes it does me good just to know that the Edge is out there, even if I can't be there. Who would have thought that a swampy little patch of mud and pines in nowhere Georgia could inspire so much happiness? Makes me feel good just thinking about getting down there again: seeing the regulars, playing some volleyball, having dinner at the Berryman House, and best of all - knowing when I drive through those gates, I can leave the world outside. Whenever I'm out partying on the campground, I make sure to walk back to my cabin by the poolhouse. The road goes over a hilltop, the trees are cleared out, and with the lights off, you just never knew there were so many stars. They go all the way down until they get caught in the tops of yellow pines that look like a fringe of black lace in the darkness. The singing of the crickets and the frogs makes the quiet sound louder.

I like walking around and looking at the mobile mansions the queens have set up down there. You can rent a space year round, and some of the guys bring in beautiful RV's, parking them under custom made shelters, with front porches, lavish elephant ears, comfortable outdoor furniture, fountains, follys, bawdy lawn ornaments, and frequently, perfect little postage-stamp lawns of bright green grass, all lit up with strings of fairy lights. Late at night when the parties are over, it just seems enchanted; so welcoming and delightful that it can't possibly be real. And of course it isn't. You have to go back to the real world at some point. But it sure is nice to pretend you don't have to for a while.