A post in which I spend way too much money*

I had taken the day off today to recover from the Hat Party, but after the last couple of days, I really needed it!

I woke up about 5:30, had some more pie and ice cream, and went back to bed. I woke up about 10 or so, and started shifting around. I had some stuff I wanted to get done today, but then I got on the internet and ended up having a buddy come by.

After that, I had some lunch, and did some stuff around the house. I finally got ready to go out about 2:30. I was running errands when it occurred to me that I could go by Red Ribbon Resale today, the AIDS charity shop over near my house. I love going in there, but they are only open during the week when I’m at work. I did notice today that they are open a half Saturday each month now. I did a good rummage there, and at another thrift shop across the street, but didn’t find anything.

Being out bumping around made me think about my old friend Michael, so I called him. He was working, surprisingly. I didn’t think anyone cut hair on Mondays. He said for me to come on by after work and we’d go to dinner. I ran through the Chinese Market to pick up some stuff, but when I got it home, it didn’t seem I needed any of it, except for tamari and rice wine. I had enough rice wine left to do one batch of Korean Pickles, but after that I would have been out. Since summer is coming, I know I’ll be making those pickles – they’re one of his favorites – so it’s just as well. I now have 5 bottles of oyster sauce though. I have to quit buying that stuff.

By the time that I put all that away, fixed my hair (I wasn’t wearing any product), and thought wistfully yet again that my shelf paper in the kitchen desperately needs changing, it was time to head for Mauldin to meet Michael.

The little salon he works in is tucked kind of back. Thank goodness for GPS.

We ran by the Mauldin produce stand first. I hadn’t been by there in a long time when they were open, and they were supposed to have some lime/pepper jelly, but they didn’t have it. I got a jar of plain pepper jelly. But that’s not as good. We both got some tomatoes, since they actually smelled like tomatoes. The last ones I got from the flea market were chewy! I’d never had a chewy tomato before. They were about as appetizing as they sound.

From there we went on to Garden Ridge. The one thing I wanted to do today was to get a glass trap frame for my Koko Taylor flier and ticket stub. We got it there. I also found a couple of other things I had been looking for for the house. I’ve gotten to the age now that when something wears out; I want a replacement exactly like the one I’m used to. Sometimes that’s tricky. New throw pillows for the sofa continue to elude me, however.

By the time we got out of there we were hungry. We ran by Target and I got a couple of things. Then we went on to the K&W for dinner. That was fine with me. I had a big plate full of grease and starch, topped off by chocolate pie. It felt kind of like coming full circle after starting the day with pie.

We made a half-hearted run through Old Tyme Pottery, but we were both full and pretty bushed by that point. I spent about $80 today, which I really didn’t need to do. I headed home, put everything away, framed my flier, and put it up in the bathroom. It looks great.

A post in which I attend the Hat Party

I had a nap and was fresh for the hat party. It was cool and overcast, but didn’t rain too much.

Russ was excited about getting his hat there, and was worried about being on time. He and Billy had to go to Billy’s mother’s birthday luncheon today. I called Dan’l and talked to him though, and he said that the judging wouldn’t start until about 5. We were there in plenty of time, and then of course the Parade of Hats was delayed, as always. Which was fine. I was there for the party anyway.

Russ wearing his Sweeney Todd hat during the Parade of Hats - I am in the background in the Carmen Miranda hat. We all look fatter than we really are in this picture. This was a fat camera for some reason.

There were some serious hats there this year. Russ got First Runner Up for Original for his Sweeny Todd hat. It was a great hat. He was a bit pissed about the guy that won. It was his first party. His hat was very tall, with movie stuff like popcorn boxes and balloons all over it. He had a confetti cannon in it, but he didn’t shoot it off until after he had done the parade. It was big and flashy though, and that’s what gets the votes. He got a bit cocky about just walking in and taking a category, and I did have to remind him that he was talking to a twice-throned Most Flawless, and not to get too carried away with himself.

Dan’l’s hat was an elaborate diorama of Sunset Boulevard. He had re-created the stairs from the movie, complete with burgundy velvet tasseled curtains and carpet. It was HUGE. He was obviously gunning for Most Flawless again, but got beaten out by a guy with another diorama hat. His was a huge film reel, with a drive-in on top of it. There were little cars facing the drive-in. The screen was set into the Hollywood Hills, with the Hollywood sign across it. He had an iPod mounted into the hill as the screen with a Madonna video playing. It was pretty elaborate.

I don’t remember who won Funniest. I voted for the woman who won First Runner-up. She had an Anna Nicole hat that was pretty damn funny.

I saw both Karens, and was very glad to see them. Of course I saw all the regulars, except for Kimbley and Laura, who were suspiciously absent. I hope they didn’t stay away because of the drama, but then they shouldn’t, since Donnie and I were there. Dan’l was as nice to me as ever, as was Jim. No mention was made of the swing incident, or the drama. I felt a bit uncomfortable about going originally, but when I got there, everything was just like always.

I spent most of the time on the side porch, talking and visiting with people as they came through - although I scrupulously avoided the freshly re-mounted swing. I had a great time. I wore my old Carmen Miranda hat, and was pretty pissed that I was accused of wearing my hat from last year! I mean, it was a recycled hat, but I wouldn’t wear the same hat to two hat parties. That’s tacky. I did feel a bit bad because Eddie Crane showed up in a Carmen Miranda hat too, and although he had made it for the party, it wasn’t as good as mine. We have showed up in similar hats before. He has never won a prize. Dan’l ended up giving him the hanging basket he won for placing.

I did make occasional forays through the house for some lobster dip they had made that was absolutely smashing.

It was a lovely party, as always.

A post in which I disregard any discretion or class*

I got laid so good this morning, we should have named it.

A guy I met on manhunt. And he's funny and good to talk to. We talked about music and went to Gene's for lunch afterwards.

I mean, probably nothing will come of it. But damn, this morning sure was wonderful.

Since it seemed a day for appetites to be sated, I went and got an apple pie too. I've been wanting it for about a week now. Since ice cream was on sale for $1.99 a half gallon, I got some of that too. Caramel Caribou, my favorite. The pie and ice cream was pretty orgasmic as well.

I am such a hedonist.

A post in which I go to the Red Party

dana called me this morning to tell me again how much she enjoyed the concert, which I thought was very nice of her.

I was lazy. Really lazy. I couldn't be bothered to do anything. I was going to the flea market this morning to see if anything struck my fancy as far as hat construction, but then I got up, peed, and slept until 10:30, so that didn't happen.

I slept in. I took a nap. I really needed to clean up pressure-washing stuff, but I didn't.

I eventually did shift my ass to straighten up the house a bit, since Terry was coming to stay tonight. About the time I got out of the shower, though, I had a message from him that he wasn't coming. Apparently his mother had to go to the hospital, but he didn't leave any details. I didn't mind. It was starting to look like Whitney Houston lives here, and it was high time I did some straightening up.

I had talked to dana about going over there tonight, but I called Billy to talk to him because I haven't seen him in about a month. He was in London for two weeks. They were going to Dean and Scott's Red Party tonight. I don't even remember getting a Red Party bulletin this year. I decided to go with them. It had been too long since I had seen them.

When I got to the house, they were working on Russ's hat. He's got a great one this year.

I talked to Mom before we left. Still no change. She's going to the hospital tomorrow - she's been staying with Granny. She told me to just go on with my weekend as I would anyway, and she'd call me if she needed me.

Of course Russ had a couple of other people going. Brian and Vince went with us, both sans their lovers this evening. As usual, Dean and Scott always have an interesting mix of people. There was one cute little straight boy that everyone was kind of mooning over. He was very cute, and a nice guy. But hello, he was practically embryonic. Not that that would matter to one of the guys there, who basically came close to confessing to being a pedophile. He said he is strict about obeying the age limit laws because he doesn't want to go to jail, and of course that is a good thing, but he was creepy. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of young guys go for him. He's not that attractive, doesn't appear to be particularly wealthy (it happens), not that entertaining, and he's kind of fat. Most men who are into younger guys are really scrupulous about maintaining their youthful appearance and looking younger than they are. Not this guy. And of course it is a total dysfunctional and hypocritical gay reaction to find it more creepy because he wasn't attractive. That's fucked up, I recognize. But we were all pretty much creeped out.

Billy got TORE DOWN. He was as drunk as I have ever seen him. Between outrageously flirting (well, dry humping to be technical) with Vince, he talked and laughed loudly - even when Brian went into catty mode and said some pretty bitchy joke things about him. That's just Brian's style. We closed the place down (at like 10pm) and headed home. Russ and Billy have a birthday luncheon for his mother tomorrow, and then the hat party is tomorrow afternoon. So it's a big day coming up.

A post in which I see a living blues legend live

Poppy is still hanging in there. Mom and her sister Donna are there. They have been waiting for status, but the doctors say the next 24-48 hours will tell the tale.

I had the house pressure-washed today. It looks really good, but it knocked a lot of paint off the windows and my rockers, so there's a lot of re-painting to do. Which needed doing anyway, of course, only now it's a lot more obvious. Plus my old windows don't seal like they should. When I came in the house, debris and water had shot in the window frames when he washed them. Not good, but it can be cleaned up.

Tonight was the Koko Taylor concert at the Peace Center. I got the tickets for Christmas, so I'd been waiting to see her for months. It was pretty awesome just to be in the same room with her, breathing her air.

It was AWESOME!!!!

But it was also a bit weird. Koko is 81 now (and still performing!!) which is a small miracle in itself. For 81, she put on a helluva show. She's still belting them out. But I think it was easier for dana to get into it than it was for me. I had heard some of these songs from recordings when she was in her prime, but I don't think dana had. Don't get me wrong, I'm taking nothing from the woman - she put on a show - but she of course doesn't have the strength and delivery that she did back when.

It was also odd that she had a Japanese lead guitar. We found out later that he was filling in for a band member who was ill. He was very talented (well, he sang a few songs, and his voice wasn't that great), but once again, it was just odd.

Additional oddness was from the choreography. Cause Koko was out there feeling good - which is what the blues is all about sometimes. She was feeling good, and going with it, and that's great. But still there were moments when I realized afresh that the woman up on stage doing a bit of the hoochie-koo is 81 freakin years old. So while it was very cool to be in a room with a living legend breathing her air, it was at the same time frankly a bit surreal. I was torn between the awesomeness of it and the inherent humor of seeing a woman of her age a-vampin us. Still, it was a very enjoyable evening. She knew that the people there to see her were there because we love her, and she was happy to still be doing what she loved, and happy that people still came to see her. At one point, and enthusiastic audience member yelled "I love you Koko!" She said back "I love you too, baby. I love everyone in this room. Cause everyone in this room is a fan, and paid money to get in that do'. And I love all of you." The concert was as much a celebration of her as it was about the music. And good blues is of course about going with the spirit of the moment - bringing it out and emphasizing it. It was great.

The other oddness came from Greenvillians, who seem to delight in finding novel ways to express their lameness. First, there were like eight black people there. I didn't know there were that many white people in Greenville county who knew who Koko Taylor was. Apparently they didn't advertise in the right places, because they should have been able to fill the place easily. So first of all, this one guy (wearing about a pint of Polo cologne, incidentally) ran up and down the aisles all night taking pictures, after they had specifically said no pictures or cameras were allowed. I don't mind someone snapping a discrete pic for a momento, but this guy was running up and down the aisles stepping on people and went right up to the stage while she was performing, set up his elbows as a tripod, and focused and all. It was to the point that he was annoying people and was pretty obnoxious anyway. During her final number (before the encore) there was a couple up front shagging. Shagging. To Koko Taylor. I turned to dana and said "I have never felt so white in my life." So kudos to the Greenvillians for showing up to see Koko Taylor at all, but their lameness while there takes away some princess points in my mind.

When dana and I got back, we got tore down some more. Afterwards, Justin called me about some great movie he was watching on TCM. That's great and all, but I told him I was just too black to watch that kind of thing at the moment.

A post in which Poppy is not doing well

I found out today that Poppy, my Mom's dad, had a massive stroke last night. They have taken him to the regional hospital. It doesn't look great. But I've learned not to count the old guy out. He's a member of the greatest generation. He grew up on a farm, fought in World War II, lived with Granny for 60 years - I adore her, but that wasn't a picnic. The man is tough. He's 87, and sailed through colon cancer and a bowel resection two years ago. So we'll see.

In the meantime, I took the mature way out and went to Miss Kat and dana's house tonight to get tore down.

A post in which I give in

I had terrible nightmares last night. I was watching a twelve year old sociopath kill his family, one by one, by shooting them. He couldn't harm me, but I couldn't save them. All I could do was watch him kill them. It was pretty awful. I was glad to wake up.

I had a very productive day today, and made All Move To My Will.

I didn't work out today because I decided I felt too tired from allergies. That must be what it is that's dragging me out so badly.

I went to Garden Ridge tonight in search of hat stuff yet again, but I can't find what I want, and I'm sick of fooling with it at this point. I'm either going to be inspired by something a the flea market Saturday and do the hat in a day, or I'm going to just use a hat that I have at the house already. I've said for years that I'm going to take a year off and just wear this particular hat, but have never done it. This is seeming like the year. I just waited too late to get started because I wasn't sure I was going, and now I can't find what I want and it's too late to order anything. I'm going to have to be much more on the stick for desserts for the camp out next month.

They had free lunch at work today, and unusually had something really healthy. Stir-fried vegetables with rice and chicken. By the time I got in there, the chicken and rice were gone because none of the "Ranch Dividians" (as Anna has christened those of the very un-enlightened palate I work with) would eat the vegetables. At issue was the addition of steamed soybeans, called edamame. Half of the office thought they were lima beans, and the other half became horrified that anyone would feed them soybeans. Sometimes I living here just makes me tired. I enjoyed the veggies - good thing since I guess they'll never do that again.

Anyway, there were plenty of healthy veggies left for me, which I bastardized by washing them down with root beer, and eating the dessert, which was sherbet cups in the most neon colors I have ever seen sherbet in. Tasted fine, but looked like a cross between day-glow poster paint and nuclear waste. By the time I got out of Garden Ridge, though, I was ravenous. I succumbed and stopped in at the Ni Hao buffet and stuffed my face with cheap sushi. It was good, but my pants have finally started getting a bit loose, and I'm worried I'm sabotaging myself. Plus it violates my "no eating out without socializing as an excuse" rule.

I went by the library and dropped some things off on my way home, then went to CVS.

By the time I got home, I was exhausted, but didn't want to go to bed so early. I watched a special on Chuck Jones on Charter On Demand. What a sweet, unassuming, and kind man. It was sad when they gave his birth and death dates at the end.

I went on line a bit, to change out my pics on Manhunt to something with a bit more class. I was surprised at the number of nicer-sounding guys on there. Maybe this could be the compromise between the picket-fence fustiness of Match.com and the all out ho-fest that is Craig's List. We'll see I suppose. The same 5 guys in Greenville have been signed onto Bear411 for the last year, apparently. And I know why they're single - at least the ones that are single.

Maybe I don't need to find me a man. Maybe I just need to settle down with a nice woman who understands. Dad would be thrilled anyway. It's not the horny that gets to me, it's the lonely. Andrew Holleran said it in Dancer From the Dance - my heart is horny.