PEX Pictures

Fun with blacklights!








You'd never guess this is an Ikea pop-up laundry bag...








Is this really necessary?

















This is the poor lantern Larinda violated with Cutie Honey's light saber.







The Ice Luge











Mel the ladybug











Patrick the Honeybee







You know, I had whiskers when the evening started...

Pat and Mel








Pat and the Cat in the Hat I thought was Justin when he hugged me.






Lynn as the daring Cutie Honey and Justin as her arch-enemy Dr. Claw













Josh as the guy who lit the Man early at Burning Man this year (That's Lynn's mom Barb in the background)









This is Val as....I have no idea...but she's Josh's sister!











Val hooping








Mike wearing the Borat underwear...be thankful it wasn't a full shot












Sean of the Dead!






I don't know, I just liked the costume...hee hee. And she was dancing on a car!










The car








Fire spinning








Silk Dancing








Various party shots







Special thanks to Mel, Vastafarian and the PEX Tribe for additional pictures

PEX Decompression Party

Saturday was a new adventure: The Philadelphia Experiment (PEX) Decompression and Halloween Ball.

My original plan had been to go as a fairy and I am quite proud of the costume I made, but with the rain on Saturday I decided to swap it out for the cat costume I was wearing to Dan and Jill's this weekend. It turned out to be a very good choice.

The party was starting at 10 PM so I'd been advised to sleep as much as possible through the day. Napping is always more fun with company so I headed to casa de Musick around noon. Frank needed to finish sewing his costume so I napped off and on, occasionally cracking an eyelid to offer a suggestion or help with patterning. Things took longer than expected so sadly he did not get his zzz in, but the costume looked great. He made a handsome Jedi in fact, and yes eventually there will be pictures.

Around midnight we caught a cab and headed to the party which was in a warehouse off 5th street. It was the 3 floors of creative chaos: Multiple DJs, fire spinning, ice luge, hoola hooping, dancing, deco, black lights and fog machines. And oh the costumes! Though a few folks were plain clothed or just wearing bathing suits most everyone really went all out. A few of my favorites were Hunter S. Thompson and Sean from "Sean of the Dead". The one that took me the longest to figure out was the two people who passed me in identical red track suits. It wasn't until I saw one of them standing with a guy in a sweat band that I realized a group had come as the characters from "The Royal Tenenbaums". Tremendously creative.

A new twist on an old costume was the addition of glow sticks to the inside of inflatable sumo wrestler outfits. Glowy! There were also multiple Alice and Mad Hatters, a Space Ghost, and multiple fairies. It wasn't the abundance of winged women that made me glad I'd decided to change costumes, but the trouble they were having with their wings. It was a packed house and they were getting squished. I was just happy to be able to keep my tail attached!

Gaian Mind had their own deco space, lovingly tricked out by Mel, Frank, Lynn and others. Lots of black light fun and comfy couches for tired legs. Lynn came as the ever popular Cutie Honey, Mel was the sexiest ladybug I've yet to see and her Pat was a rather interesting honeybee. Somewhere around 3 AM those tired legs and minds of ours decided to call it a night. That is when the Adventure of the Cab began.

Usually Frank leaves these things as the sun is coming up and has never had a problem calling for a cab. After being hung up on by one cab company and put on hold for an eternity by another, he finally got yet another company to take the address and then they hung up...we weren't entirely sure they were sending a cab. After a little his phone rang and it was the dispatcher asking if we'd seen our cab because it was there...why no we hadn't. So before Frank hung up I ventured into the street to see a cab about 2 doors down surrounded by people. We managed to get to it before someone decided to be "Frank". We shared the ride with a non-costumed party goer named Alfred who was carrying a juice box and small box of raisin bran. You know, out of all the interesting things I saw that night I think that stuck me as the weirdest and I couldn't tell you why.

Safely back at Frank's we shed smokey clothes and passed out until Sunday afternoon, where upon another lazy Sunday ensued.

Does it get better? We shall see. We are at Monie's tonight for trick or treating and then the post Halloween fete at Jill and Dan's this weekend.

Whoo hoo!

Vindication!

Yesterday I had my fear of turkeys validated...and I can't tell you how happy it made me. It's right up there with when I found out I wasn't the only one who didn't want power windows on a car for fear of going off a bridge and being stuck!

Well, it seems Massachusetts is being "terrorized" by turkeys. There is one particularly nasty tom roaming Beacon Street in Boston who goes from store to store chasing and attacking people. The animal control agent interviewed noted that these turkeys have even been attacking his vehicle's shiny chrome bumper! For those of you who don't share my hatred of these birds and think I'm being silly keep in mind they can get about 4 feet tall. That is not small. Plus they are dumb and mean, which translates into they don't like to stop attacking.

Here's the most horrifying bit of the story (for those in Massachusetts at least): The turkeys aren't being relocated or destroyed because they are protected under MA law! The best advice the officer could give was if you are being attacked hit it with something (purse, briefcase, backpack) but don't kill it...that would be a crime.

Personally, I'd be playing turkey baseball and damn the consequences!

Spooky!

Friday was also my first experience with Terror Behind the Walls at Eastern State Penitentiary. The whole evening turned out to be quite an adventure. I got to Frank's around 7 and we wandered out to find dinner. We headed toward Copa, but when we got there Copa was not. It had been transformed into Jose Pistolitos, but we decided to give it a shot.

The 4 item menu had the typical Mexican fair: burrito, taco...grouper gordita. Small menus turn out to be harder to order from than large ones, who knew? I decided to put food selection on hold and turned my attention to the extensive beer list. Our waitress came over and we both ordered a Corona...which she told us they didn't have as she scratched the name off the list (no XX either, odd for the type of bar). Frank ordered an ice tea and was informed they didn't have that either, just bar drinks. He ended up with a screw driver, I got a German beer and the woman left us to ponder the food situation.

All in all it wasn't horrible, but I can't say I'd want to go back. Frank seemed fine with his veggie burrito and my sopes was okay but nothing to rave about. The waitress...didn't bring her A game and that's all I'm going to say. Anyhow, over dinner we talked about the friends of his I'd be meeting. They knew each other in high school and he hadn't seen them in a while. I assured him as long as there were no death threats the evening would be fun.

We wandered back to the apartment to where we met his friends N, J, K, C and E. I thought it odd that C seemed to be leaning heavily on E, but thought she may have turned an ankle on the uneven pavement. As we got closer C seemed to be ill actually, but when asked we were told not to worry about it. N told me it had been too long since she'd seen me, which was interesting since I'd never met her. There was some embarrassed laughter at that one and then we started to walk the few blocks to the prison.

As we walked C got slower and didn't want to go. K told us she was drunk and N insisted she would go to the prison since we had tickets. Frank commented he'd never seen someone dragged drunk to an event and didn't think they'd let her in. As the walk progressed C got worse and an attempt to carry her was made by E, but she was having none of it. N called C's husband to meet us and take her home. Now it was taking 2 people to hold C up, so I took a turn and was soon on my butt on the pavement along with C. Legs got tangled but there seemed to be no damage. C sat on the curb for a bit, then it started to rain. There was an attempt to get her into a cab, but no cab is going to take a drunk girl anywhere without a sober buddy, so that was aborted.

Convinced we weren't going to make it to the prison we managed to find shelter under an over hang where we waited for C's husband. Though I can't say I enjoyed being wet and cold, there are worse places to be than in warm arms, so I couldn't really complain. Frank was doing his best not to be annoyed, and finally C's husband arrived, she was piled in the car and whisked away. N and E then took off like women possessed toward the prison, leaving J, K, Frank and me to bring up the rear. There was a little frustrated comedy involving a bathroom stop, but we did make it in time to stand in line for the 11 PM tour (a little after 11:30).

I will not say that Eastern State is scary, but I did a lot of yipping and clutching and did let out a full on scream at least once. It was very tense and things had a habit of jumping out at you, the actors did a really good job. While keeping a death grip on Frank's arm I made the poor boy go around every corner first. He was an excellent escort, and was even molested by a wall at one point. We did see his friend Anand, a scary zombie turned cute once I knew who it was. I was exhausted when we finally came to the end of the tour, glad I did it but not needing to do it again. I would like to do the historical day tour though. It is a neat structure.

The walk home was slow, we left the girls at their parking lot and went for coffee. Soon enough I was ready to sleep in my cup so we made our way home by 3 AM and passed out.

Eventful...

My Lunch With Monty

Not quite "My Dinner with Andre" but a good title none the less.

Friday morning was a brisk walk to the laundromat where I actually got a lot accomplished. I did some writing, finished Island of the Sequined Love Nun and managed to get clothes clean. Not too shabby for a day playing hookie from work. As fortune would have it, Monty was home on leave from Iraq and had time for lunch. And he decided to cook.

My first reservation was, can he cook? My second was, where is he planning on cooking? It turns out he's been channeling the spirit of Julia Childe and is inhabiting his brother's place in Manayunk. All fears assuaged. He made quite the impressive spread as we caught up on life. I have to say, he makes a wonderful tuna steak and I'd have him as a house boy any day. Soon enough we both had other things begging our attention so lunch ended and we returned to the world.

Hopefully it won't be another near 10 years before we manage to do this again...

Party like it's 1599

A week ago Saturday we once again journeyed to the PA Renaissance Faire to watch Jill, Dan, Adam and Andi do their thing and to celebrate Connie's 25th birthday a bit belatedly. Monie, Bill, Andrew, Connie, Frank and I set out mid morning only to arrive 15 minutes after the Mad Mechanical's noon show. Grumble Grumble. We then followed our usual pattern: Got food (Frank sweetly got me a pickle though I'm not sure he quite knew what he was in for when he handed it to me) then wandered aimlessly in search of people we knew. When that failed we went to plan B which was Trial and Dunk where I was fairly certain we could find Andi, aka Robin Starvling. And so we did. Adam, also known as Thomas Snout.

They pointed us to the area behind O'Malley's and there we watched an entertaining (as always) production of Beowulf after some mocking by Snug Fit (Jill).





Robin helps a rather young Beowulf with her lines













Andrew was recruited for Grendel's 3rd head

A Hrothgar and very masculine Grendel's mom are pressed into service...
















After the show we wandered around the grounds, watched a jousting demonstration, did some shopping, then headed back to the Trial and Dunk stage to see the Mad Mechanicals present "Romeo and Juliet". Done right it is quite funny. Who knew? And we met the newest member of the troupe: Edgar!

Nick Bottom (Dan) starred as the lovely Juliet, seen here with a chicken on a stick.

Snug played the handsome Romeo

With Thomas and Robin playing everybody else! That's right, a cast of thousands with only 4 players!

It was a lovely day, and after fun at the Faire we met up with Chuck, Greg, Aly and JR for dinner and singing happy birthday to the blushing Constance. A lovely day to be sure.

Repent!

Okay, I'm getting a little nervous. I've witnessed several signs of the coming judgement in the past few weeks:

1) I went into Walmart, made a purchase, got to my car and had to go back in because I forgot a bag...all in 10 minutes.

2) I had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and only had to wait 5 minutes for a table.

and here's the biggie...

3) I'm having lunch with Monty tomorrow.

Yeah, it's definitely looking like a good time to work on my wicked ways...maybe....hee hee

Bricks? Really?

So I'm trying to master cooking tofu. I decided to unleash the power of the internet for handy helpful tips. I learned you can boil it to make the outside tough and leave the inside soft, you can marinate it, and you can even press it to make it firmer. Neat. I'm doing a peanut satay so I though the pressing might be a way to go. Then I read the instructions:

To press a block of tofu, place it between towels and put a heavy weight (such as a cast iron frying pan, concrete paving blocks, or bricks) on top and let it sit for an hour or so.

There is a cast iron pan in my kitchen, but who has paving blocks and bricks? And really, if I did would I want to put them on my food?

The mystery of tofu continues...

Quiet Spots

I'm enjoying the cooler weather, happily wrapped in a soft sweater...a Liz in her natural habitat! It's like Fall is finally here, though I'm hesitant to remove the air conditioners from my windows knowing how fickle October can be.

It has been a quiet morning. This shouldn't sit oddly with me, after all it is Friday at 11 AM. Work does happen. But last Friday the world was quiet and it didn't bother me. My inbox was empty all day and I didn't give it much thought. Today it feels different...disconcerting.

Time will out, it always does. In the meantime, even with the quiet, this is a good day. Crisp and cool, the world spins at a sane pace and I am enjoying the ride.

Good weekend all...

Personal Bests and Proof of Uncoordination

It's been a sporty week...well, by my definition.

Saturday was a leisurely day with Frank then catching up with Connie, Andrew and Tonya for midnight bowling. 12 to 3 AM...I'm shocked I stayed awake. Even more shocking, I finally broke 100! Twice! I even won a game. I'm still waiting for the rest of the 7 signs.

Midnight Bowling in Feasterville also does door prizes with your shoe rental/game purchase. Connie, who was justly getting her swerve on with Bacardi Mojitos, won a plastic sports bottle in the shape of a bowling pin. Yes, it's as phallic as it sounds, and yes the jokes just kept coming. My number was drawn as well. Thinking back to the last time I won a drawing, that double team lap dance at The Cave that I refused to redeem, I was a little wary. Never fear! To go with the memory of what will probably a personal best score I now have my very own bowling ball!

Well, I haven't had the holes drilled yet so technically I suppose it's still a big shot put, but someday it will have holes and then look out! I'll be adding it to the other items related to sports I enjoy and yet play poorly: The tennis racket and the pool cue. Whoo hoo!

Sunday was a lazy day with Frank then catching up with Lydia in the evening. Always fun. Monday and Tuesday were domestic, but Wednesday I was once again sporty.

Fresh off my bowling triumph I joined Frank and friends in Star Park for some fun with poi, hoola hoops and other spinny-juggly things. I got quite a few bruises, but managed to do a few new things with my poi so I was pretty geeked by the end of the night. I count the lump on the top of my head as a small price to pay for learning to cross over. Frank tried out my set, which are shorter and heavier than his, and got clocked in the face for his trouble. Soon enough he was putting me to shame though, so it all evens out.

Battered and bruised from the poi and with tired arms I decided to take a break and embarrass myself with a hoola hoop. Okay, "embarrass" here should have meant show off my lack of skill for all to see...not split my lip with a hoop. That was just clumsy even for me! And I'm still not quite sure how it happened, it may be one of those bits of physical comedy that only I can achieve. Go me!

But no blood-no foul-play on!

And there really was only a very little bit of blood...

The Argument for Public Transportation

Yesterday I was in an accident...no worries, neither I nor my car were hurt. Well, the car has a little scratch.

I was the third car stopped at a light by a gas station. A rather impatient man wanted out of the gas station parking lot, so he was pounding on his horn. The van in front of me decided to reverse to let him out. Rather quickly too. And though I laid on my own horn, it rammed right into me.

There is something terrible about being in a situation where all you can do is plant your foot on your break (so you don't roll into the car behind you) and watch another vehicle hit you. Almost as fun is watching that vehicle speed off after doing this. Sigh. Part of me wanted to give chase, part of me was fairly sure they had no insurance, and all of me just wanted to go home.

Oh, and the guy coming out of the parking lot gave me a weird look. Thanks.

As I said, the car was fine, I was fine, and I was meeting Frank for dinner and a show which meant the boy was getting hugged within an inch of his life. So I went home, a bit frazzled. I stayed frazzled and was annoyed by this which didn't help things. Happily I found him at the train station, hung on him for a minute and we headed for dinner. In the parking lot another car tried to reverse into me. I was almost a car length away, so really there was no reason for it. There was no impact, but Frank commented that there just may be a target on my car. As we sat outside eating dinner we watched another car barely miss mine...I wasn't looking forward to getting back in it now.

We headed to the show, only to watch a car in front of me make a daring left right in front of an oncoming car. Frank was in the middle of a story when I remarked on the turn, he'd seen it too and was in mid-comment about the close call...I had focused on the fact that the car made a left onto a one way street in the wrong direction. Daring and stupid in this case are interchangeable.

Eventually we found parking, when I gave up and parked illegally no longer caring. The company and the show were fantastic, and just what the doctor ordered for both of us since his day had been more frustrating that anyone really needs to deal with.

On my way in to work this morning I watched more greatest hits from the traffic blooper reel and began contemplating taking public transportation to work. This was cemented by the lack of parking in front of my building. I'm thinking a little experiment may be in order.

I think I'm just done with driving this week.