November 01, 2003 - 10:49 a.m.

A.W.O.L.

Sorry for going AWOL folks. Don't take it personally, though. This journal is certainly not the only thing I have been neglecting! I have more than two weeks worth of laundry in progress, my room is strewn with microwave popcorn bags, empty Diet Coke cans, and a multitude of fabric scraps. Most of this week, what little free time I have had has been devoted to working on last night's costume. I got a simple knit dress at a thrift store along with some assorted bits of fabric, and thought it would be quick and easy to sew a bunch of big patches all over the dress to make it look like Sally's.

It turned out to be neither quick nor easy. Since the dress I chose was stretchy, lining up the patches and making sure they wouldn't pull or bunch up when the dress was on was a challenge. The whole process took much longer than I had anticipated, especially since I had to sew the scraps on then go back over all the seams with a whipstitch in chunky black thread to get the necessary stitched together rag doll look. After all that work, putting the finishing touches on the costume was a snap! I just drew stitching on my face, neck, arms, and legs with black face paint crayon, gave myself an oversized red mouth, and slapped on the fake lashes. The result was worth the effort, I think, and turned out better than I expected.

The outfit got rave reviews at the party I went to last night, which made me feel much better about all the effort I put into it. People who had seen the movie immediately recognized that I was Sally, and the general concept was cool enough that it worked even if you didn't get the reference, I think. I was running late last night on the way to the party, so I didn't take any pictures as I had intended. By the time I got home (about 1AM) my face paint was a bit smeared, and I was a bit bleary eyed, so photos just weren't going to happen. Actually, since I haven't showered yet, and wasn't able to get all the markings off last night with a washcloth, I still have a few stitches here and there, which looks just lovely. :)

The party was pretty fun, though there were a ton of people packed into a really small apartment. I love that I have friends who actually enjoy getting into costume and even put a fair amount of effort into it. Last night's costumes included several pirates, a couple samurai and a geisha, a gypsy, a ladybug, a flapper, and a gory corpse type person.

The corpse guy was flirting at me, I think. I say flirting at me, because the flirtation was entirely one-sided. Normally, I am an equal opportunity flirt. I enjoy flirting, even when I am not single, and luckily Sam doesn't seem to mind. Flirting could be considered a pastime of mine. I enjoy the wit involved in flirtatious banter as well as the attention. So, usually, I'll flirt back whether I find the other person attractive or not. After all, I have a wonderful boyfriend, so my flirting does not reflect any serious intent.

The problem with this guy was that he, with some assistance from a couple other guests, had already succeeded in annoying me and making a very bad first impression. See, he was the ringleader of a group of Gilbert and Sullivan fans who kept bursting into song at the least provocation. Very loudly. And with no consideration for the fact that they were interrupting other conversations and that the vast majority of the guests didn't get their jokes and references. Don't get me wrong, I love musicals, and have been known to sing bits of songs in public. This guy just took it way too far. The serenades were too loud, too obscure, and always way too long. Major party foul.

So there was no way I was going to respond to his questions about my costume that started out innocently enough... "How long did it take you to draw on the stitches?" (And he seemes surprised when I told him it took no time at all.) ...then progressed to the ridiculous... (pointing to the stiching drawn on my legs) "How far up do those go?" Eww.

Luckily, fending off his advances was only a tiny part of the evening. Most of the night was spent hanging out with cool people, playing games, and eating way too much candy. Today it is back to reality, though. I really must make some progress in making my room look less like a grabage dump and more like a living space. I suspect that will entail filling at least one garbage bag (particularly since I need to clean Percy's cage, too) and a heavily laden trip to the can return at the grocery store. Hopefully I will have time to go rollerblading this afternoon, too, since it is unseasonably warm and lovely today.

today's project: everything I put off during the week

musing about: how little I feel like cleaning

�

flutter back - fly ahead