Where to Begin???

OK-- I've got sooo much to fill you in on! This is going to be a long one-- so sit back, relax-- grab a cup of coffee and get ready to hear about the last few days in the "Life of Brian"! Michael told me today that he wished that I would post a blog because it's the only way that he knows what's going on my life. He also mentioned that it's the only way he knows what's going on in his own life, since all I seem to blog about is him! Ouch!!!

I guess I'll start with the drag show. As I reported earlier, I was really nervous a few days before the show. I didn't have an outfit, my regular makeup artist backed out, and my back up makeup artist was out of town. Michael was sweet and volunteered to paint my face for me. The day before the big show, we went to a beauty supply store and bought everything that we thought we would need. We came home and he proceeded to start the paint job. We tried all of the different items that I had purchased-- experimented with color, etc. Well, we tried to use the liquid eyeliner, but it ended up running down my cheeks and smudging. Next we did my lips with a liquid lipstick--- not good. It run down my chin and got all over my teeth. When we were finished, I looked like a messy vampire with black eyes. You thought I was nervous before???? Now the nerves were really kicking in. The next day we were leaving the gym and noticed a store called the "Make-Up Bar Lounge". I half-jokingly said "Hey, I should go there for my make-up". Michael agreed, and a few minutes later we were in the reception area of the Lounge. I was trying to discreetly make an appointment to be transformed into a woman. There was a man in the waiting area, and I was a little embarrassed about my request-- especially when it appeared that they had never had a man come in requesting a female make-over. The man in the waiting area chimed in that my request wasn't so bad-- after all, he was recently forced to dress up as a chicken for an event! I didn't ask any questions about that, but felt reassured that at least he wasn't judging me! When I told the ladies that I was going to be in a show (fundraising for homeless children), they got into the spirit. One team of ladies was fluffing my wig-- another was picking out jewelry and accessories, while Eldna was working on my face. They were all so sweet, and I couldn't have asked for a bigger or better entourage to help with the transformation. I was very happy with their work, and highly recommend them to everyone. They were cheap too-- only $35 for all that they did!

OK~~~ Showtime!!! The crowd was huge- and included most of my friends-- the Biscuit folks turned out once again-- Delia, Wendy, Molly, Wesley. It was great to see Stephanie (from my Oz trivia team) there too! (I'll post pictures from the show in the next entry). The only downside about my performance in this "booger drag show" was that the spotlights were mounted on the stage-- as soon as I came through the curtain, I was blinded. I couldn't see the audience, I couldn't see the people that were standing in front of the stage waiting to tip me. The whole time I was afraid that I would fall off of the little stage and into the crowd or onto the ground. I'll have to suggest a different lighting setup for next year, because it really affected my ability to put on a good show. It also prevented me from seeing a lot of my friends that I didn't even know were there. The following day, Michael listed all of the people that he ran into at the show. I didn't see any of them, even though I might have come to the stage and handed me a dollar or two. I don't know if anyone else had such a hard time with it-- but there were plenty of other malfunctions that seemed to plague just about everyone-- wigs falling off, props falling over. Even Ginny Tonic's famous act of jumping rope with her pearl necklace failed, no matter how many times she tried it. If I learned one lesson, it's that I can't wear sleeveless outfits in future drag shows-- I looked more like Xena the Warrior Princess in this year's show! Next year, I vow to tone it down a bit and wear something that completes the illusion more effectively! All in all, everyone had a great time, and we raised over $6100 in less than 2 hours for Jerusalem House. Not too shabby, huh? I don't know how much each performer brought in in tips, but I would guess that about $6000 of the donations occurred during my performance! (Just kidding!)

The following day was Father's Day. We went to church and witnessed our new priest's first service at St. John's. Afterwards they had a Southern-themed reception-- we filled up on fried chicken and deviled eggs (my favorites!). Within a couple of hours, we met Michael's dad and his friend (Francis) for a Father's Day lunch at Red Lobster. We had a good time and even managed to down a little food there-- pretty incredible given the fact that we had just eaten, and that Michael's shellfish allergy prevents him from eating 99% of the Red Lobster menu! After lunch, we went to Westview Cemetery to visit my father's grave. I know it sounds cheesy, but I've been wanting to introduce Michael to my father for a while, and since it was Father's Day, it seemed to be the appropriate time. We brought hydrangeas (leftover from the church luncheon) to Dad's grave. The family marker in Dad's plot has a vase built in. Since no one has ever taken flowers to his grave, the vase was rusted and packed in with dirt. We used Michael's wine key to pry it loose and placed the flowers. I was unexpectedly moved when we left-- I shouted out "Happy Father's Day, Dad" as I walked towards the car. I teared up at the same time, and even cried, although I don't think Michael saw it. Father's Day is hard on me-- when my Dad died, I wasn't really an ideal child. I was going through a rough patch-- failed out of college, drank too much, couldn't save money, dead end job, trying to salvage a dead end relationship and on the verge of bankruptcy. I like to think that when I visit Dad's grave that he is looking down on me and sees that I didn't end up as a complete loser. I'm sure if Dad could read this he would comment: "no one is complete". That was one of his favorite lines. Anyway, I seem to have my life together now-- good job, good house, good friends, good car, and an incredible "partner" (sorry, Michael, if it sounds like we're in business together!). I guess the part that bothered me is that at lunch (the second lunch that day at Red Lobster), Michael told his father several examples of what he learned from his old man growing up. Michael said that he learned to be a hard worker-- if your lot in life is to be a ditch digger than you should be the best ditch digger there ever was. Whatever you do, try to do it better than everyone else. I learned a similar lesson from my Dad, but never got the chance to tell him. It sucks to lose your father when you are barely an adult. In your teens and early 20's you still think your parents are idiots and that you know more. Time changes things and I realize how wise my Dad was and I hate that I can't tell him "Thank you". Hopefully he knows.

Wow-- that got a little deep, huh? I'll close on a lighter note- a picture of my new pet! I was completely surprised, and even did a double-take, when I saw a frog in my pond yesterday! I don't know where it came from-- maybe one of the tadpoles that I bought last year? Maybe there were frog eggs attached to some of the plants that I installed a couple of months ago? Maybe it was just hopping it's way up Westwood Ave and heard the sound of water nearby and decided to move in? Who knows, but I'm really happy that he's here! I'm very glad that I took this picture because no one else has seen the frog. I've taken Michael to the pond several times in the past 24 hours and the frog is hiding every time. But I swear that I do have a frog and here's the proof!