pride, etc.

you know after the dyke march, pride itself was gonna be a let down. still, i had a really great time. ch was my wake up call, telling me it was raining. so i was sad but undetered. i found ashley and carrie, and joe and jill and tina were with them. we hung out, in varyig degrees of hung over, until the parade started. christopher and david found me there, and the three of us started walking north. i wanted to find tom and bob from the costume shop, but they were on halsted and we weren't willing to miss any of the parade to cut across from broadway. so we ended up walking most of the parade route backwards. i tried to find ch, and it was fruitless and made me frustrated. but i was with christopher and david. we hung out in front of gentry after the parade ended, and ch and hugo found us there. we started wandering, but the bars were packed, so we went to the 7-11 parking lot and they bought a 6-pack. i saw carlos and hung out with him while they were buying their beer. at this point i was getting frustrated and testy and hungry. i wanted a place to sit down and eat my salads, and the curbs were filthy and the crouds were drunk, and it was just nasty. there were waits to get into every bar, and then christopher pulls us into xo. the bouncer says there's plenty of space- he's carding to keep the drunks out, not because the space is full. so we go out to their back patio. there are palm leaf fans, a wall of green ivy, cloth napkins. it was so refreshing and restful and clean. christopher and david both had lychee drinks and i had a ginger one. so lovely. the food was amazing. christopher had shitake mushrooms with leek and lotus root, i had wax and green beans with water chestnuts in garlic-teryaki sauce, and david had sea scallops with pumpkin dumplings and we all shared, beacuse it was all so good. i'm sure i would have enjoyed it any time, but it was particulary right what we needed right then- rest and nourishment and class. it was expensive, but well worth the price.

when we left, the streets had been cleaned in the meantime, and we waited in line to meet davids friends in sidetracks. it was packed to the gills, but i wasn't feeling claustrophobic, thank goodness. we wern't there really long before it was time to head south for the girly-q burlesque show at the hothouse. i've always wanted to go to the hothouse, so this was the perfect excuse- and christopher and david knew one of the performers, and so they wanted to go too. she was actually in my costume construction 2 class, oddly enough. it's a great space, and i had a fabulous time. i mean, what a better way to end my pride than watching girls dance in nothing but panties and pasties?

j asked for pictures, and was so excited to get a comment with a on vacation that i want to reply. unfortunately i have no pics from the dykemarch, but here's me and david while the leather flag is marching by:

and here's me with a drag queen

yes, that's a hoop skirt. and pink cowgirl hat. thanks chris!

after work yesterday i showed my sample pants to the fashion designer, and she liked them! i'm hired! i'm making another pair for her out of the shiny fabric, then picking up fabric to make 6 more pairs, then 6 again after that. long term job! sewing!! it's magic. i can't believe it was so easy, right out of college. i hope i can make them fast enough to make my time worth it. but i'm so excited.

today was more sewing for money. working with christopher for frances in the costume shop. wierd to be back there. christopher had made a pattern for the wedding dress and i was stiching it together. sewing gauze overdress gores together, listening to girlyman, telling stories with christopher, i had that wonderful feeling of what is this? how is this my life? how did i get so lucky, to be living right here in this very moment? then of course christopher had to go see a runthrough with frances, leaving me alone, and when the dress was done i had to hem pants, but the blind hemmer wasn't working, and i broke the needle (!!!) trying to fix it. so o dear. i hope they have repacements. i hope they won't fire me- or make me do them all by hand!- thursday.

after work i took mitzi back to the vet for her vaccinations. she's gained .2lbs since the last time she was there!! hopefully she'll weigh less next time. she gets fixed, for real this time, next wednesday.

i think that catches us up. i'll tell you as soon as something else interesting happens, i promise.