FRIDAY
As soon as I could leave work (5:15), I hopped on a bus to Ravenna to help Brugos set up for the party. He was supposed to have left work at 3:30 and so, when he wasn't at his house, I assumed he was at the store or something, and well into his preparations. I let myself in and set about look at pictures of bruises on google for my costume. When he got back around 6, he was kind of stressed out. I guess he had left work pretty late and had gotten nothing done. So I tried to be as helpful as I could by doing a little decorating and fetching us dinner. It all worked out in the end. The karaoke machine arrived around 7:30 and the first guests about an hour later. By 11, the place was packed. About half of the guests were people I didn't know (and many of them, apparently, were also strangers to Brugos). There was much singing and dancing and making out. It was every bit the rager. Elyse and Wade's Fraggle costumes were adorable. Brugos looked quite good as Al Swearengen. Apparently, my bruise makeup was pretty realistic because Rocko thought I'd actually been battered. Meep was sexy as an undercover assassin. Things got a little out of control for a while. Someone drank all of my vodka. There was some crying. At one point, apparently, Matt's (Brugos' roommate) dog bit a crazy girl in the nose. Brugos and I began to slack on the DJing and strangers struggled to opperate the machine, so we heard a couple of songs twice. Around 3:00, a group of people no one knew, yet who were among the last to leave, began to sing the entire Beastie Boys catalog. It was then that I realised I don't like the Beastie Boys. Brugos exacerbated his bruised rib by attempting to do The Worm. Eventually, the strangers left and Brugos and I were just about to go to bed when one of his co-workers and a guy in a poncho came in from the back yard. They quickly exited the front door. We probably should have made sure that the last few people who left were ok to drive, but we just wanted to go to bed. It was a fun party, to be sure, but Brugos declared that it was the last one he would ever throw. This is probably an overstatement, but I could see his point.
SATURDAY
We stayed in bed for as long as possible so as to prolong dealing with the wreck downstairs. Eventually, hunger forced us out the door. The scene at Cafe Racer was surreal as usual. This time, however, it was not the owner, but the clientèle that was making with the weirdness. A fey bald man in sunglasses and a trench coat came in with his straggly, vaguely homeless looking companion and ordered a drink with 3 shots. The owner attempted to explain that they brew double shots and so if he wanted the extra shot, he could have it. While this was clear to everyone listening, it was not clear to the bald man. “You are not understanding me. I would like THREE shots,” he demanded. The owner once again explained that he could have his 3, but there would be a 4th that would go unclaimed unless he wanted it in his drink. “I would like THREE shots. Do you understand what I am telling you, Cochise?” said the man. Yes, really. Cochise. “And my friend here would like a cookie.” As the owner prepared the coffee for the companion, he asked the bald man how he was enjoying his coffee with the THREE shots, he replied “I have not yet TRIED my coffee. I am standing here waiting to pay you.” Good lord. There was also a strange exchange between a Husky football player and the vagrant companion about origami. I didn't hear it as I was still listening to the bald man be bitchy, but Brugos said the vagrant hilariously repeated himself in his explanation of the concept. “It's about paper and folding and zen and your soul and paper and your soul and folding.” If I believed in that sort of thing, I would suspect that Cafe Racer actually existed in an alternate dimension.
Our bellies full, we walked back to the house, picking up the keg cups and bits of Fraggle costume that had made their way to the end of the block. We then plowed into the cleaning. Several trips to the recycling bin and several of Brugos' declaration about never having a party again later, we had actually made some headway. We took a few songs breaks (until the machine was taken away) and one ANTM break so that I could confirm that Fabio is indeed the creepiest”sex symbol” alive. We were done with all but mopping by 2:00, at which time Brugos had plans to go to the Husky game and I had a meeting to attend.
I was supposed to meet Brugos back in the U.D. for dinner, so I decided to leave the Hill early in an attempt to avoid the Husky traffic. I wandered around a little bit and checked out Tiger Tiger. I've always wanted to go in there but avoided it since I loathe shopping unless it's under very specific circumstances…like time killing by myself. After that, I got an Irish coffee at Flowers and read until Brugos called to say the game was in overtime and that I should meet him at his friend Joey's house. I wandered up to Joey's and hung out with her and her Chihuahua brood until the boys returned from the game. We got some Mexican takeaway and played the new Marvel game for X-Box (which was pretty fun) until it was time to go to the House of Fun party. We made a decision early on that we didn't feel like bothering to dress up again. We're not really sure why, but people kept asking us why we “changed our costumes”. Umm…this is actually just what we look like. But thanks!
The scene at the H.o.F. was kind of weird. We didn't really know that many people there besides Elyse and Wade (I guess Brugos' friends showed up later) so instead we decided to go back to Ravenna with Brad and his girl to smoke and play Catan. That sounds awfully nerdy in print. I was glad we did it though. I didn't feel physically hung over but I was definitely emotionally wrecked. Partying is hard work, dudes.
SUNDAY
We spent a leisurely morning eating leftover curry and watching BSG. Then Brugos and I raked leaves in his backyard. When I was a kid, I loathed yard work. I would probably feel differently if it was something I HAD to do, but in this case, I actually enjoyed it.
After showering, we went out in search of nachos, only to find many bars closed. I found out today that it was due to power outages. It was certainly bastardly windy yesterday so in retrospect it makes sense. We finally found nachos (and a fireplace! and football for the lad) at Dante's. We had a lovely chat and Brugos beat me twice at air hockey.
Then we returned to the Hill to watch a little Angel before heading to Scrapper's to watch brilliant b-movie/gay porn horror film LEECHES! on his giant TV. Dudes. Leeches! Netflix it now.
When I was a kid, I also hated Sundays. Now, I love them.
NEXT WEEKEND: Crispy and PTLD!
Also: Halloween pics forthcoming.
Effed by the Wind 