Foiled. Again.

The outfits of one of the bands I saw Saturday (the Neanderthals), drying out after their set, backstage.

This is the weekend of cancelling Poptart's plans, apparently.

Despite a massive hangover from Thursday night, I had a great lunch Friday with M, who it seems is for real moving to the neighborhood from the burbs (yea!!!). Then I worked, and then took off to walk Lois, shower and change, and maybe lie down for a few minutes for my "dinner and drinks" date - sushi, supposedly - with W. I did all that, and then he called at the appointed time, and he sounded as tired as I was, and he said he hurt his back sorta, and we talked on the phone for an hour and a half, and he cancelled the date and asked if I could change to the next night. (Nope.) So then we tentatively said we'd do something today. Hmmm. But, I had plans for today to go canoeing on the river with my friend R.



So it was a free Friday night, and I lay in bed for a couple hours petting Lois and then went to see my friend/former coworker Liam's band, The New Black, play at the Beat Kitchen at midnight, and it was fun. Liam moved to NY almost 2 years ago and this is the first time they've played since then, so it was excellent to see him. He was, in turn, really glad to see everyone who came out. It was a love-fest. (Sidenote: when people move to NY, they inevitably lose weight, I've noticed. Maybe I should consider it...)

Saturday was gorgeous. Walked Lois, put on my swimsuit and headed over to the pool for many eagerly anticipated laps, and damn if the pool wasn't CLOSED for some dumb cleaning emergency. It was way too hot for me to run, and I was really ready for a good long swim - I need the exercise! I was so mad that I said "THAT SUCKS!" kind of loudly on the way out of the fieldhouse. I felt like I was one of those people for a minute. Funny.



Instead, I took Lois to the dog beach, and was hoping to go in myself a little, but the lifeguards weren't letting people into the water because of high e coli in the water (ick!) so I let Lois risk it because she was loving it, as you can see. Then my friend R called me to say he was in a bike accident Thursday (he's OK, the cat probably isn't) and had to cancel canoeing for Sunday, and that it'd be too hot and gross to canoe anyway. Then it was time to go out to Fitzgeralds with my friend T for Exotica fest.



It was fun, interesting, some really good music and peoplewatching, but it was just Way. Too. Long. There were vendors selling vintage clothing and cool tiki accessories, and the food, from Wishbone, was great. Plus, natch, there were tiki drink specials, and everything came with a little paper umbrella in it. In a crazy, uncharacteristic in ALL respects for Poptart shopping moment, I spotted a great 1950s halter dress, tried it on, it fit like a glove, and since it was MADE for me, I purchased it for way too much money on the credit card I just put my digital camera on. Ugh. But honestly, vintage stuff almost never works for me, 50s dresses especially, and this dress is just - awesome. So after that initial magic moment, I was there, and on my feet, for 10 hours. And I love the surf guitar stuff...I can only take so much of it. Plus, my take on the tiki/surf/exotica fest people is that basically THEY ARE ALL MARRIED PEOPLE. So being me, like an alien in that crowd for too long, was - let's just say it - annoying.


Wall of vintage dressing music peeps - or as my old roommate used to call them, "the hair gang"

Luckily I did have a role, which was to be the handler/designated sane person for T, who was in charge of the Go-Go dancers, and it's her last hurrah with them, and she was, well, on a sort of binge of craziness. I think she had a good time. I had to dole out the drink tickets and be the voice of reason and drive her home and all that. It was good that I had something to do.



By the time the last band, a Los Straitjackets cover outfit from Indiana, was playing, I was cleaning out my purse and sitting outside, alone, trying to telepathically make the stage clock go faster and wondering what it would be like to be a rat and have everyone be bigger than you but also terrified of you.

SO. Now it's Sunday, and it's 95 degrees, and I taught my art class and cleaned up in time to FINALLY get in a fabulous, full hour swim!! Then I got online and found an email from W that he's cancelling aGAIN for today, because he's sick, and now I am free to lie here and moon about why I don't have anyone to lie here in the fan and do nothing with (well, besides Lois). I guess I'll have to keep dating to find him. Hmmph.

Maybe I'll go to a movie later. The cinema is always my backup true love, and rarely disappoints. I could always clean my place and do my bills, but then what will I have to freak out about as I try to sleep tonight and for the rest of the week?