Prelude to A Party Post-Mortem 10/8/2001 [An aside for La Chanteuse: You think you needed a nap just reading the countdown? Darlin', my hussy ass needs to sleep for a week! I'se a tired Missy!] It's over. The Social I've been looking forward to for a year is now done. I'm so tired, but in a happy, glowing way. God damn, but I miss everyone already. *sigh* My next several entries will deal with the weekend just past, and will probably take me some time to coherently compose. So much fun, so few words to properly describe it all. Given the sheer number of people who were here that maintain Open Diaries, you might think it was an Open Diary gathering. It was not. We know each other from elsewhere, it's just a happy bonus that we all keep ODs as well. I think the ODs can be traced back eventually to my sister, Goddess Christina. Excellent idea. That we know each other is the fault of one Robert Jordan. Though I'm sorely tempted to kick his ass for taking so long to finish up his story, I think I owe him at least a brief thank you for that same drawn out story - it's what gave me the opportunity to meet the incredible clan of people we refer to as The Darkfriends. I love them dearly, and was really sad to see them all go. It's so quiet here now. After a weekend of revelry, the quiet is unsettling. Have I mentioned I miss everyone? On to the Chronicles. --Missy Friday: Purple Roses and Hussy Britches 10/8/2001 After a year of anticipation, planning, shopping, and more planning, Friday finally arrived - and with it arrived rain and cold. Damn. That looked to make things interesting. For very odd values of interesting, to be sure. Chrissy arrived Friday morning while I was in mid-dash. After events of Thursday night, I was tired and cranky and behind again - to be expected when one has children, but still... We dashed out for a couple last minute errands, then finished off steam cleaning and setting up just in time for the ring of the doorbell. It was time. Mel and Silmaril had arrived, a little chilled, but very excited, and I was absolutely thrilled to see them. They ditched bags, hugs were exchanged all around, and I began setting out munchies: a crudite plate, baklava, tiny little quiches, cheese, crackers and beef stick, salted nuts, Bistro Lily's Magical Mystical Microwave Fudge that just kicks ass on levels unheard of, Rosemary and Olive Oil potato chips. To add to the treats, Mel had brought incredible incredible cookies to share, and I nearly collapsed upon tasting them. Oh, yum. Oh, joy. Oh, chocolate bliss! Mel r00Lz! *grin* Chrissy and Mel disappeared briefly to nab Cedar Point tickets on the cheap, while Silmaril and I chatted for a bit. They returned, and we continued to set out more to nibble upon, while I set dinner fully into motion. We were joined before too long by Publius and Inigo Montoya, both of whom I had just seen two weeks previously - I was doubly pleased to have more time with them, they're both incredibly fun! Somewhere in there, Chrissy left to get Jon, and the phone began to ring in short order: I'm leaving now! I'm on the road! I'm on this state line! I got jumpier and jumpier with each call. Hooray! Everyone is on the road! Hooray! I continued to get progress reports throughout the afternoon and evening, which only added to my feeling of anticipation. Turnberry and Miss Aine were next in the door, bearing half a wine shop and the most incredible thing I've ever seen: Purple roses. Sweet smelling, perfectly shaped, beautifully arranged roses almost the precise shade of purple as my OD background. Oh my. Two of my favorite things, in one lovely bundle, now gracing a crystal vase atop the entertainment center in the living room. (I can't leave them alone. I keep taking them down to bury my face in them, inhaling deeply and with great pleasure.) When they fade, they will be bound with violet ribbon and suspended from the shelf over my desk, to remind me of a wonderful weekend. There was more bustling, many hugs, much laughter. The level of merriment grew, and the occasional Darkfriend wandered into thekitchen to offer assistance. Being something of a whirlwind in the kitchen, I asked only that they set the table, and they very kindly obliged. It was the first time I had ever used the full complement of my good china - all twelve place settings made it to the table! If anyone knows where I can lay hands on a few more "Golden Rhapsody" place settings, let me know. I think I'll need a few more by the time next year's CPDFS rolls around! As I began ladling soup, Anlon and Constantine arrived with mead and a cute little jack-o-lantern, carved with a Dragon's Fang. I howled! Too cute! They had more, but I don't want to get ahead of myself... We gathered around the table, laden with candles and china, wine glasses and flatware, and tucked into a dinner I enjoyed preparing: Black and White Soup Mixed Field Greens with Raspberry Vinaigrette Herbed French Bread (made with fresh herbs from my little "garden") Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Fresh Herbs and Goat Cheese Oven-fried Red Potatoes with Olive Oil, Garlic and Dill Tarragon Glazed Baby Carrots And for dessert? Apple Pie Ice Cream, made on Thursday (I stewed the apples in Goldschlager) or Chocolate-Frangelico Cheesecake. And lots and lots of wine and mead. My Lackey arrived just as salad was making its way around the table, the phone rang several more times as the three still missing Darkfriends checked in with progress reports, and dinner continued apace with much laughter. We toasted our absent and very much missed friends, and Turnberry let it slip that Bistro Lily had sent a package and hoped it would arrive in time. (It did not. alas. I was rather hoping it would contain The Lady Herself!). We were eventually joined by Ray, Melissa Squared (we had another one!) and Talking Simulacrum, all of whom had driven in from points east. It turned out that Ray and Melissa Squared had been delayed by a spill on the highway - of warheads! Whoa. We gathered in the living room to catch up, to wait for the few we were still missing, and to exchange little presents - and some not so little ones! Silmaril had brought along wonderful chocolate covered Espresso beans, utterly to die for, and Halloween T-Shirts for the boys and me. Oooh, so adorable! We're all going to wear them to the dentist on Wednesday! From Turnberry, a magnet with a verse on it, which I shall include in a later entry. From Anlon and Constantine: Leather pants. In fuschia. And THEY FIT!!! "Belated Birthday present", they said. And when I finished laughing, thanked them, collected my wits, and put them on, I had a word for them: "Hussylicious." Yup. I gots me some Hussy Britches! Now, I don't think either of them has grabbed themselves all that many handfuls of Missy Ass, but they must have done so subtly and often, because this butter soft hussy attire fits like a glove. Hot. Damn. Now I feel all tarty and glitter gothy. I don't really know how long we stayed up, exactly. I do recall toddling off to bed, and hearing giggling erupt from the living room at regular intervals. I recall Mark poking me and noting that the assembled Darkfriends were a "Buncha giddy schoolgirls". I recall beingso pleasantly inebriated that sleep was restful and dreams were ethereal in nature. I recall happiness, knowing that some of my nearest and dearest were scattered through my home, celebrating the chance to spend time together. This was going to be an awesome weekend, weather be damned. Saturday: Freezing Cold Coaster Virgins pt.1 10/9/2001 We dragged ourselves from the depths of sleep on Saturday morning in a vain attempt at full consciousness before hitting the coasters at Cedar Point. My sitter had bailed, so the boys went with us, and I had a struggle on my hands to convince them that they needed to dress warmly. They were both utterly convinced that if they didn't wear shorts and a t-shirt, they were going to roast, in spite of me showing them repeatedly that it was very cold and was supposed to stay that way. Chrissy and Jamie arrived in the middle of this, and were most helpful in convincing them that they needed to be warm. Sometime during the bagels/coffee/shower portion of the morning, we discovered that Constantine had lost his wallet. Ack! I swear, it's always something for that poor man, and it just pisses me right off. He's far too nice to have to put up with so much. We searched the apartment and the parking lot, and 'Tine decided that he must have dropped it during the last stop in Ohio before reaching my place. Turnberry and Silmaril went along with Anlon and 'Tine to search for the wallet, the rest of us piled into cars to head for Sandusky. First stop: Dave's house, to fetch him and stuff him into one of the cars. (Neat trick, that. Dave is around 6 feet tall, and the car we stuffed him in (with me, Chrissy, Mel and my boys) was most assuredly not built for someone that tall.) While waiting at Dave's for the rest of the caravan to catch up, Chrissy, Mel, Lackey and I took off for Meijer to pick up cheap tickets for those who needed them ($7 less than at the gate!), and extra sweaters for the kids. It was much colder in Sandusky because of the wind coming over the lake, we knew we needed another layer. Chrissy, Mel and I wound up buying matching U of M fleece pullovers that were not only toasty snuggly warm, they made us look like U of M cheerleaders! Especially Mel, who is cute and blonde and chipper and funny as hell. Oddly, Ernie did not fuss about the extra layer to wear - in fact, he zipped himself into the fleece lined flannel shirt I found for him without a word. Alex, on the other hand, decided to be a butt and spent a lot of time complaining. The threat of an ass blistering brought him into line soon enough, though. Saturday, Continued 10/9/2001 ::::::::::continued from part 1:::::::::: We set out for Cedar Point after making contact with Anlon & Co., expecting to meet them at the gate or thereabouts. Taking the scenic route in from Dave's was such a great idea on his part - the homes along the lake were so amazingly beautiful! I found at least 3 candidates for My Perfect House, I need only concoct the perfect scheme to come up with the cash to afford one! Upon entering the park, we attempted to devise A Plan. Chrissy wasn't interested in riding the Demon Drop, so she and Ernie and Jamie headed off to the Carousel, where we would meet them after our ride. The rest of us ran up the through the line maze and waited less than 5 minutes to get into a car. I had explained the whole thing to Alex on the way into the park, and he was excited and a little nervous about being dropped from a tower. Ray snapped a picture of us just before he was put into a car himself, then up we went. The drop took Alex completely by surprise - while I yelped at the moment of the drop, he was so shocked that he didn't peep until we got to the bottom, THEN started hollering. He loved it! We met up with Chrissy, Jamie and Ernie, and chose our next destination: The Millennium Force. Chrissy wasn't interested in taking a 300 foot drop at 92 mph, so she took Ernie on the Cadillac Cars while we went to throw ourselves off the top of a thirty story structure in sleek steel trains. It was about this time that Anlon and Co. arrived at the Park, they wound up in the Millennium line a ways behind us. We talked briefly via cell, and discovered that, like Alex, Turnberry and Silmaril were coaster virgins. Dude. If you're gonna lose your coaster virginity, you might as well do it on the biggest, baddest, highest, swiftest, exponentially ass-kickingest coaster in the world! I think we broke them in quite well, all things considered! Alex was so nervous, he kept complaining of butterflies and asking if he really had to ride it. I told him that a deal was a deal, if I was going to drop $30 on a ticket for his skinny butt, then he had to ride the big coaster. He rolled his eyes, took my glasses and his and tucked them into the pocket of his cargo pants, and climbed aboard. He looked at me on the way up a 310 foot climb, then promptly began to yell. I couldn't help it, I laughed, took his hand and told him to save it for the drop, and watched his eyes grow wider as the first car tipped over the summit. I don't know which of us screamed louder or longer. We got off after nearly three minutes of whipping around hairpin curves, steeply banking turns and twists and hills that, after the first one, seemed like bunny hops. He looked a bit shocked and told me "I'm not riding that one again. Not today. Maybe next year." Fair enough. The day continued apace with a break for dinner at the Boathouse, more shifting and shuffling of carpet mice and Darkfriends, more thrills, chills and screams of both terror and joy. Everywhere I turned, there were little clusters of Darkfriends - snuggling children, snuggling each other, laughing, smiling and obviously having a good time. *smile* That's what a Social is for. Just for the joy of it. We took turns with Ernie. I spent my last half hour in the park with Chrissy, taking him through Camp Snoopy and on the Monster and Junior Gemini. It was so much fun to watch him, he was having the time of his life. When we met up after the rest of the clan had ridden the Power Tower (or, in the case of the Alexes, the Iron Dragon a couple more times), Alex was chattering happily about what he had ridden and with whom. He was thrilled to have been with us, and so was Ernie. I can't think of a better way for the two of them to be introduced to Cedar Point, surrounded by people with a sense of adventure and fun. Some of the clan stayed, others headed for home and warmth, Margaritas and movies, nibblies and snugglies. I think I stumbled off to bed around 2:30AM, after dozing off during Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - completely exhausted. It's my understanding that those in the other room were up to plenty of hijinks until the wee hours of morning. I heard the occasional gale of laughter and smiled sleepily, knowing that there was a crowd of happy people out there. Thus ended Saturday. Sunday: Hot Lesbian Inaction 10/10/2001 I *think* I dragged my tired ass out of bed around 10:30AM. Maybe. I had heard the shower running and the sounds of Darkfriends stirring and, dammit, I hadda pee something fierce. So I took care of that, washed up a bit, brushed my teeth and yanked my unruly mop into a topknot before heading out in my jammies to begin the Sunday Morning Breakfast Ritual. It really is a ritual, too. Every Sunday morning, no matter who is here, I cook breakfast, then settle in to read the paper, watch CNN and swill coffee like there's no tomorrow. I set out bagels and juice, started the first of many pots of coffee, and began cutting up vegetables for the mornings omelettes. I arranged portabellas, fresh tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, chopped spinach, feta cheese with tomato and basil, mozzarella cheese, mexican blended cheese and salmon in a large dish, and called the Darkfriends out one by one to tell me what they each wanted in their omelettes. This is great fun for me, especially when someone decides on what I might think an unlikely combination! Alex ran out to fetch the paper for us, and we all sleepily wandered about, trying to wake up a bit. To my dismay, Talking Simulacrum and Turnberry had to take off not long after breakfast - Turnberry back to the lab, T.S (aka George!)back to Hell^WJersey. A long drive, that. The beginning of the end, and I was very sad to see them go. The rest of us had originally planned to go to the museum to see the wicked cool Star Wars exhibit, but decided upon further thought that 1) more would have to leave rather early and 2) we were just too tired from the night before to even consider it. So instead, we sat upon the floor and played Balderdash, drank coffee, demolished cookies, and yawned. Melissa Squared was the next to leave us, packing up the car for the trip back to Virginia. M^2 was so much fun, I hope to see her at another Social very soon! Publius, Ray and Constantine decided it would be fun to mess with Mark's computer a bit, and played with Miriam Webster's online audio files. In no time, they were punctuating game conversations with the computer crying "Bullshit!" and "Bastard!". Among other things. I had a quick check in with Mark to make dinner plans, then a call from Dave, who was staying in Sandusky with his folks: he was going to join us for dinner! Hurrah! More Balderdash ensued, as did much happy snuggling. One of my favorite scenes from the weekend, and the one that is giving me giggles even now: Miss Aine and Mel snuggle up spoon style on the futon, using Inigo Montoya as a pillow. He has a contented half smile on his face, and the shameless hussies are obviously feeling quite cozy and comfortable. *grin* Publius remarks "Hmmm, Montoya's gettin' in on some hot lesbian love action!". Inigo, clever as always, considers the scene, briefly plays with their hair and opines "Mmmm. More like hot lesbian inaction." This is where the entire room falls over laughing. Inigo Montoya is skilled at producing this reaction. I managed to get at least one picture of the scene, and I'm fairly certain Miss Aine violated some obscure FAA low-flying bird regulation in it....still, I can't wait to get all of my pictures back! We lost Anlon and Constantine around 4PM, still wallet-less, alas. It's such a pity that 'Tine has some evil thing following him to Toledo to cause such icky things to happen. We decided that he's not allowed to drive here anymore - Anlon can do it, and thus the Gremlin will not follow! Geez. Dave arrived around 6PM, joining the remains of our merry band of revelers: Inigo Montoya, Publius, Silmaril, Ray, Mel, Lackey and Miss Aine, and we waited for Mark to get home so we could take off for dinner. He arrived, we got our act together, bade Inigo farewell as he headed off to slip back behind the cheddar curtain, and then it was out the door again to the Maumee Bay Brewing Company, in the historic Oliver House. The Maumee Bay Brewing Company is a wonderful brew-pub with incredible food. I'm a big fan of the artichoke spinach dip, and a complete drooling fangirl of their brew sampler - six three ounce glasses of the brewmaster's favorite beers. The selection changes constantly, but they're always good. I have no idea who ate what, but we certainly were well fed. The restaurant made Mark and Miss Aine very happy when they were informed that they could purchase half gallon growlers of their favorite brew from the sampler, English Mild Ale, for a whopping $10. WhooHoo! Miss Aine and Lackey took off after dinner for points north, and Dave headed back to Sandusky. His flight back to San Diego was the next day, and he was flying out of the hole known as Cleveland, the poor dear. *pout* I miss Dave. He's so far away from us now, so we hardly ever get to see him. And then there were...Silmaril, Publius, Mel and Ray...and we were exhausted. We played *more* Balderdash, then began dozing off during Silence of the Lambs. Barely a day left...and post party depression was already setting in. Monday: Saying Goodbye 10/11/2001 I really hate the last day. Saying goodbye to everyone sucks huge granite boulders through teensy little cocktail straws! Being that the kids had school Monday, I was up at 8AM to get them ready and out the door as quietly as possible - they did everything in my room, right down to eating breakfast. Add Pop-Tart crumbs to the things to clean up out of my room! Eep! Ernie was feeling a bit warm, but insisted on going to school. He dashed out the door with Alex at 8:45. At 8:55, there was a knock on my bedroom window - it was Ernie. He made it all the way to school, and realized he felt entirely too sick to go to school, so he came home. He knocked on my window instead of ringing the bell because "The Darkfriends are still sleeping!". I let him in, and he promptly crawled into my bed and stayed there. He fell asleep in mere minutes, and snoozed for most of the day. Around 10-ish, I went out to start the coffee and breakfast. I had decided on Creme Brulee French Toast, a recipe that Publius had stumbled across last year. I like the recipe because it's really easy to clean up after, and an entire tray can be made in just a few minutes. We had a relaxing breakfast, watched the news, and slowly gathered up things to be cleaned up, packed up, or otherwise moved around. I took a few minutes to catch up on the OD, and discovered that Anlon had lost her heart pendant here, a Valentine's gift from the darling Constantine. My heart just broke for her on reading that, I know what a frantic mess I would be if I lost my dolphin. Some things simply cannot be replaced. We mounted a search, and Silmaril found it rather quickly after shaking out the blankets scattered around the living room. Hurrah!! I called Anlon to let her know that we had found it, and that it would be mailed out ASAP. She was relieved, and so were we! Alas, the morning flew by, and it was soon time for Mel to take off. We sulked and whined and Publius asked if we could take the batteries out of the clock - if time stopped, she couldn't go home! Good idea, that! But in the end, she had to leave us, and we sadly saw her off. Ray followed shortly after, having a long drive home to Maryland. That left me and Publius and Silmaril, to watch TV, look at my new cookbooks, and eat ice cream until it was time for them to hop into their cab at 3:30. *sigh* And then there was one. She sniffled a bit, and took to her bed, exhausted - and missing her friends already. Social Recovery 10/11/2001 So here it is, Thursday. Everyone has gone home, and I've mostly recovered from spending a weekend laughing my ass off. The soda cans have been gathered and tossed. All the dishes are done. The vacuum and steam cleaner have been run again, laundry is finished, and I think I'm finally caught up on sleep. Reminders of a fantastic weekend abound, though...a little stuffed camel from Talking Simulacrum, with the tag inscription "Cows? Screw cows! I hump!", is perched upon my scanner. In the cup on my mousepad, Amaretto Gevalia from Silmaril, a lovely way to wake up, especially on a day as cold and rainy as today. Purple roses atop the TV are beginning to fade, perhaps today I'll take them down to dry, before they begin losing petals. Fuschia Hussy Britches are draped over the chair - I'll be putting those on in a bit, and heading out to find a sweater that will go with them. In the basket of good chocolates, treats from Bistro Lily, who could not be with us, but decided to send a bit of her spirit along. I still wish she had been able to pack herself into that box, though! There is a new magnet on my refrigerator, courtesy of Turnberry, who has a knack for picking out little things to make me smile - it bears, in part, the words "Happiness is a journey, not a destination". Hmmmm. That's true, I suppose. If weekends like this one past are any indication of the rest of the journey, I'm all for it. It's weekends like these that make life so very sweet - they give me joy, they make me laugh, they remind me how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends to brighten my days. Now if we could just do something about that pesky distance thing... --Missy