Red Elephant

All Hallow's Eve-Eve

So much for my Tenenbaum party. All Most of the people who were originally excited about it, and who had costumes in mind either didn't show up, or didn't get costumes. Props to Christian & Megan for coming as Chaz Tennenbaum & his dead wife Rachel, and for bringing the hella-good pumpkin seeds. Did we get a picture of you guys? Anyway, you win a cookie. Or maybe a bottle of Maui.

So, we had a nice relatively un-costumed Halloween party. Whatever. Like so much of my life, it didn't turn out as planned, but it was still a good time. Jenny played guitar. We had hot apple cider. Partied until two a.m., which would have made it one a.m. again. Thank you daylight savings. Thank you extra hour of sleep.

Our neighbor stopped by in full regalia. He does renaissance fairs and the like. He had white contacts and everything. Very ghoulish. Very cool. Other costume highlights included Nico and Tim, who came as 80s girl & Mr. Kotter, respectively. Max and I went on a beer run to the Louis, and took pictures on the bridge. I think I'll start making that a tradition with parties, run up to the Louis for supplies or a drink, take a picture on the bridge on the way back.

Up with the sun today. Things are as they should be. had a little coffee & writing already. And I've still got the whole morning ahead of me. Much different than the past month when I've been watching TMNT on my couch Sunday mornings, waiting for myself to heal. Fixing up an old computer, and cursing mine which won't connect wirelessly anymore. Maybe it is time for a new machine. And a new car. Hold on, let me sell a kidney on the black market first.

Not my kidney.

Operational And Ready

So, apart from having a sinus infection and sleeping upwards of ten hours a night, I've been dealing with laptop repair, and DSL fiascoes at work. Don't ask, boring story. As a result, I haven't blogged the Pixies or Faint shows, Nicole's wedding, or really kept anyone in the loop. Many, many apologies dear friends.

I've also been spending weekends helping my parents fix up their old house to sell. I spend fourteen hours last weekend cleaning, and six of those hours steaming off wallpaper in my childhood bedroom. There were two layers, and it was twenty years too late. Still, the under-layer was kind of interesting. I saved a sample, hoping to re-create it in illustrator & make a background pattern out of it. While I think it was originally brownish, the wallpaper paste, aging process, and steaming process revealed it to be pinkish. The above sticker was my favorite find.

In other news, I won't be going to the Interpol or Pretty Girls Make Graves concerts. Airfare proved to be out of the budget -- I'm living on credit right now, breaking my own rules -- so I'll be in town for the time being. That means the Tenenbaum party will be Saturday 30 Oct 04, 8pm. Prizes for costumes, including most obscure. There will also be party games. Please RSVP w/ intended costume so I can plan accordingly.

Fall is here [hear the yell, back to school, ring the bell], and it's treating me well -- apart from being sick. The leaves are lovely, and downtown has a kind of magical air about it. Yeah, I'm definitely an autumn person.

Costume Party Time

Okay kids, Halloween is coming up and I want to have a rip-roaring good time beforehand since I might be out of town for the actual holiday, seeing Pretty Girls Make Graves if I'm lucky. The last Halloween show I saw was Mazzy Star and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Hope Sandoval wore fairy wings. TJ&MC opened with Snakedriver, the song from The Crow soundtrack. It gave me chills. And it was the second best light show, evar...

Wheh, tangent. Anywho, I want to have a Royal Tenenbaums party, come as your favorite Tenenbaum.

Personally, I'm trying to narrow it down between Royal and Pagoda. Guess it depends on whether I can find a pink suit, or an elevator operator uniform. That's a distinction I'd like to make. While some characters -- like Chaz or Henry -- have pretty much the same clothes on for the entire movie, you could draw some distinctions. For example, wedding-facepaint Eli Cash [like Adam did last year], or any of the kids from Margo's birthday play [wearing animal suits], or recovery room Richie.

I have to give props to Matt, who a couple of years ago went as tennis gear Richie and then shaved himself & cut his hair at midnight. That's dedication...

And, as always, I'll probably have a different costume for every party I go to, just because I love the holiday so freaking much. Any other suggestions for me? I've been dropping my opinions on other people who have asked for them. I thought I'd open up the board here, too.

Oh yes, before I forget. Tenenbaum party will be the Friday or Saturday before Halloween. Decision to be made before this weekend is over. I'll be sending out invites, if not e-vites.

Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago

Debauchery Report. Dateline: Windy City.

Friday. Easy flight into O'Hare, then take the Blue Line to Wicker Park. Get out, start walking up Damen. I get up to Armitage, and i realize: that I am tired, that my trip is long, that I am wasting valuable time. I needed the constitutional, but I call my friend/host Kelly to pick me up. Can't flag a cab for the life of me.

Off to Corcoran's for some catching up with the couple and my friends in town for the weekend. Kumars present: Anchal & Sonali. Rileys: Andrea & Bronson. Various Browns & Jonses -- bride's & bridegroom's families, respectively. At eleven, we had a junior high moment as we debated what to do next. "Well, Bar Louie is packed." "A table just opened up inside." "We could always go back to the hotel."

We opted for Bar Louie, split a chicken quesadilla. Call it a night.

Saturday. Wake up with the sun, do some journal writing, enjoy the early morning light. Enjoy the morning air, take a couple of pics with the new camera phone. Try to figure out a way to get them off the phone & post them here. Chuck [my other host, Kelly's fiancé] is off for a firefighter exam. Kelly and I take Sam [Siberian Husky] to the dog park & drink Starbucks. We talk about writing until it is time for her to run errands and for me to meet the Kumars for Brunch.

Go to the Bongo Room, check that our name is in, and head off to the Renegade Craft Fair for some pre-brunch browsing. Many, many cool items for sale. Handmade cards, screen printed posters, t-shirts that are embroidered, lots of jewelry for the ladies. Kickass apron with a skull & crossbones for $25 -- just outside my budget, I'll steal the idea and file it for later. Eggs florentine for me, pancakes for the Rupi & the Anch, lots of coffee and catching up.

Rupi's friend Molly shows up, as do Sonali & Andrea. Back to the craft fair. Lots of little purchases for friends back home who couldn't make it. Trying to take pictures w/ my phone & send them to Lindsy. Sprint tells me that I can't do it with my plan, so I call them up and upgrade. After much ado, they say I can switch my plan and do that in four hours. It still doesn't work a day later. Get some new fresh kicks at the shoe store where Rupi used to work. Lunch at a little Falafel joint that Sonali loves.

Almost go to a Sox game, but we can't get enough tickets. More errands. Trader Joe's. Back to Anchals for munchies, drinks and planning for the night ahead. Charge my phone on Rupi's charger b/c I forgot mine. [D'oh!] Figure out our next move. Dinner at the noodle bar & drinks at the Holiday bar. Several hours later, I'm taking a cab back to my place. Cabbie and I talk politics, the failure of the current administration, "He is such a liar! The rest of the world hates us. When i came to this country..." Call it a night.

Sunday. Check my mail on Chuck's sexy TiBook, then off to the store. Whip up a little breakfast for my hosts: fresh pineapple and eggs benedict -- smoked salmon instead of canadian bacon & capers to garnish. Whip up some hollandaise sauce for the fourth time in my life and it doesn't curdle this time. Thank god. Nice breakfast w/ Kell & Chuck. Anchal picks me up and we're off to Filter in Wicker Park for some coffee, finally. Pick up one more t-shirt at the Reneg Craft Fair, and call it good.

Anch and I tool around a bit, take some pictures of cool signs. Go for a drive on the lake instead. It's beautiful out again. Get ready for the wedding, then pick up Sonali and Anch gives us a ride to A New Leaf, where the wedding & reception will be. Flower shop & event space, it's beautiful. All finished concrete, bricks, floating candles & greenery. The couple scripted the whole wedding, wrote their own vows, and it's lovely. Will, the bridegroom, is a lot more emotional than Val, at least visibly. All the girls are drooling over the spanish-speaking guitarist & the waiters -- the Hearty boys.

What is up with the Brown girls marrying emo boys? Yes, Bronson, this means you, too.

Okay, sensitive new-age guys -- SNAGs.

Reception is a blast. Dinner is lovely and we get to know a few of their friends. Back downstairs for the cake cutting ceremony, which is civil. No cake smashing in the face. Then there is drinks & dancing. Will has his mp3 player set up with his own playlist. Let's hear it for technology. We end up hauling many heavy gifts & bottles of booze back to the couple's apartment, two blocks down. Catch a cab and call it a night. Cabbie tells me dirty jokes, including: Take the 'L' off 'Louisiana" and put it at the end of the word. What do you get?

Eww.

Monday. Up a little later, maybe eight am, and Kelly's off to work by nine. Notice this sign on the back door. Tool around w/ Chuck a bit and head downtown to check out Millenium Park. Stop at Demon's grill. Get some writing done in the meantime. Decide to paint my kitchen blue while reading the latest Dwell. Catch some sun in the park, and it's about naptime.

Take the Red Line up to Belmont and walk back to the apartment. Stop off to get some Arizona green tea to be kind to my body for a change. Stop in at Paper Boy, a wonderful little paper shop. I make it out of there only spending $42. Trinkets for the kids back home. Never sure what to get my dad. Pack up back at the apartment, watch my phone slowly die, and catch a ride from Chuck back to the Blue Line station in Wicker. Full circle. Good trip.

Flight home sucked. Tired. Middle seat [never again] and much turbulence. And, they're out of ginger ale. Apple juice instead and try and do a little pranayama to keep myself sane, and make it home. Phone officially dies as I try to get my messages to know who is picking me up. Nikki from the office owes my dad an airport ride, so she obliges me instead, and I pick up my car. Call it a night.

Call it a trip.