Out Last Night

As Elena sat there on her computer, I was rushing about trying to get ready.  I had ten minutes.  I reapplied my makeup, lamenting how ugly I am.  I put on a belt, which I've been meaning to do all week.  I made sure I had money and my ID.  And then I got going. 
A group of friends and I were going out for the evening.  Tamara knew this particular bar that she said she took all her friends to and was excellent.  We were very disappointed to get there and discover that the bar had been overtaken by a party for some reporters.  We spoke to the man right outside, who clearly worked there.  The girls begged a bit to get in, except for Ruth and I, who mostly giggled at how silly they were being.  We hadn't had anything to drink yet, but I suspect that this man wouldn't have believed us.  He told us if we came back the next day he would give us free margaritas.
As we were walking away, Claire said that she had heard the bartender telling the party planner that he didn't want us coming in, even though the planner said it was okay.  So we ended up at this burrito place down the street.  It was tacky in a hilarious sort of way, and we sat down. 
Our waiter took our IDs, and upon seeing mine, he got excited because he was from Ann Arbor.  And then he got us drinks.
I have not been having much luck with drinks lately.  I am trying new things and mostly have been disappointed by them.  I've had vodka lemonades before, but neither one was very good.  (The second one was strawberry flavored.)  The other girls had margaritas of varying kinds.  I worked on the chips and salsa. 
Claire and I had a look around at the other men in the bar and were intrigued by several of them, but since they were often holding hands with other men, they were probably gay.  Claire had to give a performance the next day, so Lavvy quizzed her on her lines.  Claire, Tamara and Caroline all texted. 
As usual, I ended up talking mostly with Ruth.  I can't even remember most of what we talked about, but it was probably about work.  Ruth likes her job, but I think it mostly is more work than she can stand. 
"I calculated my hourly salary and it came out to 7.50," she was telling me.  It's particularly sad, as she is always working.  Tamara told her she needed to write more and read less, which is advice I should take. 
I told Ruth that in less than the last two months, I'd written forty poems.  I am really meant to be writing other things, but I find that I want to write poetry more. 
Claire told me she wants to do a dramatic interpretation of one of my poems.  So I guess I'll give her one of them.  I really don't want to, especially since I don't have a printer and will have to write it out, but I still will anyway.
I was texting with Nate, which was going a little badly because I wasn't texting well. 
Tamara and Caroline left early because both of them had things early in the morning.  After we paid up, Claire, Ruth and I walked home.  Claire has been learning to dance lately, and she showed us her entire routine with her fingers at the bar.  Then she was Charlestoning out in the street. 
"I feel a bit ill," Claire commented.  I did too, which is unlike me, because drinks have never made me sick to my stomach before. 
Right at the street corner closest to home someone was standing near us.  They had on a dark coat, high heels and very blonde curly hair. 
"I'm enjoying that," I commented.  Clarie hit me in the stomach.  "Don't be such a pervert!"
"Was that a man or a woman?" Ruth asked.
"I thought it was a man," I said.  Claire disagreed.   
When I got back, I checked my phone and saw there was a message from Nate to be careful.  I told him I had walked home with friends and was safe.  It's so nice to have someone like that care about you. 

Happy Gobble Gobble

I almost said something to Elena about Thanksgiving having a traditional nap as well as a meal.  It seems that she never studies except when I need to do something in the room. 
So I attempted to sleep and faded in and out, but didn't really sleep the way I wanted to.  Even though I was still tired, I gave up. 
And then of course, twenty minutes after I got up, she left.  I feel very much like I can't win. 
Some of my friends invited me to come round and watch the Thanksgiving episode of Friends, which I was actually excited for.  I haven't watched those episodes since last year, and I always enjoy them.
Right before I got there I passed the community table, which is basically where people drop off stuff they don't want anymore.  I got this adorable SpongeBob humidifier.  I don't really need a humidifier, but I just sort of like having this bright sunshine in my room.  He's sitting on the window sill near my bed and it really makes me smile.  I'm thinking if I get crafty with it, I can maybe repurpose to be a lamp.  When Elizabeth and Jenny saw it, they thought it was really cute.  An old lady saw me with it and gushed over it, which surprised me, because I've seen her be really nasty at other people.  I don't think she was familiar with SpongeBob, because she didn't recognize him. 
When I got there they were watching Varsity Blues, which is such a sexist, nasty movie.  Lola really likes the film, though I haven't the faintest idea why, considering how it portrays women and generally stupid it is.  I mostly texted people instead.
We watched the first three Thanksgiving episodes of Friends.  I had a good laugh.
My parents called, and I spoke to them on the phone briefly.  I was actually a little annoyed, since I got off the phone right as third episode was ending and everyone else wanted to go home.  So then it was over. 
I watched a bit of tv.  Paul texted me that he was grateful that I listen to him when he needed to talk to someone.  Earlier in the day I had texted him that I was thankful he put up with me.  I had been thinking about Paul the day before, during a conversation about Thanksgiving and being grateful for things.  The thing I find I am most consistently grateful for are me friends.  And in the last year or so, Paul and I have become really close.  So I found myself thinking about how particularly grateful I am for him, even when I get on his nerves sometimes. 
Later on, Jimmy and I talked, and it was so nice to catch up with him.  I told him about a writing project which I've been considering.  Jimmy told me about how his family has a tradition of "complaining" that a particular dessert needs "more practice."  It sounds like a fun little ritual.  We had a lovely little chat about our lives and plans for the future.  Jimmy is thinking of applying to the same graduate schools I am, which means maybe we'll end up at the same place.  A girl can dream, right?
It might also be good because then they'll be someone around I can trust.  And maybe it'll encourage Paul to come live there, and maybe together?  (Paul and I've been chatting about being roommates for over a year now.  I suspect we have to do it now.)
So it's been a really quiet, though very pleasant, sort of holiday. 

Extra Annoyed

I got up really early this morning.  I discovered Elena had slept with her laptop in her bed, seated right next to her pillow. 
I am very particular when it comes to how I sleep.  I don't mean to be this way, but I find that even in the best conditions it's hard for me to relax my mind enough to sleep.  Any light really distracts me, and I've even read that computer light is particularly bad for you, because it screws up your internal clock.  So I was a little annoyed last night when her computer stayed on for so long.  (Would it really kill her to move somewhere else?)  Now I'm a little extra annoyed because it appears she fell asleep when I assumed she was up late (watch television illegally, something she does instead of studying.)  

Not the Brightest Bulb

I like Elena, but she's kind of an idiot.  She has this strange tendency to leave the bathroom light on.  At first, I thought it was just that she had been in a hurry and forgot to turn it off.  Then I thought it was an accidental habit.  But today I noticed that she was sitting near the bathroom, could see the light was on, and was simply choosing not to turn it off. 
I guess this is one of my pet peeves: leaving something on when you're not using it.  It's bad for the environment.  And it's a light switch; it's not like it's hard to turn off. 

Now That's Talent

At dinner tonight I was sitting with Bethany and Olivia.  Crazy woman from a few posts ago was sitting at a table nearby.  At one point she burped (exploded, really) loudly and all three of us whipped our heads around, not realizing it was her. 
"Now that's a talent," I said.  Bethany and Olivia both smiled.  The talent show was tonight, and Bethany was performing. 
I asked Elena if she wanted to go to the talent show we were having, and she said no, because she had to study.  Then she sat down and started watching a tv show online.  Okay, I thought.  Elena isn't very social.  She'll sit with me in the caf if I'm alone, but if I'm with anyone else, she'll sit alone.   
But I went anyway, sitting down next to Lavina.  We chatted a bit, and then Jenny came in to sit behind me.  She was exicted for this talent show because she thinks everyone here is talentless.  Considering who I knew was performing, I had to agree, but I was here mostly for the treats and the laugh. 
It was worse than I thought.  First, they had Portia come up and read a poem.  Portia strikes me as really stupid, but I had no idea she was a writer.  The announcer said she had even been published and then I thought "maybe she really is good."
But she wasn't.  Poetry is so hard, I know, but her poem was about the language of love, and about the soul, and at one point the "pencil of justice" was involved.  When she said this it was really funny, just because she said it like a mother scolds a child.  Jenny started cracking up behind me.  I was trying really hard to ignore her because if I started giggling I might not stop. 
Then a solo by Mary Kay.  She has a low voice, which might have been fine, but she was totally off-key the entire time.  She was good enough to dance through her song though. 
Then a couple of artists showed off their paintings.  The announcer kept saying they were watercolor, but I'm pretty sure watercolors don't really manage black (I know because I tried during my Gothy art days).  I'm almost certain they were oil paintings.  Also, someone took responsibility for this creepy painting of a man that eyes follow me every time I'm in the room.  So I guess now I know who to blame.
Then Bethany's dance.  It was by far the best performance of the night, but I didn't think it was that good.  As terrible as this is to say, I've seen such better dancing, though there were parts where she was really fluid or did something bendable and impressive. 
Next, a duet featuring Mary Kay and Mimi.  This is what I really wanted to see.  Mimi is one of the most overbearing people I've ever met.  A group of girls had gotten together last night to watch Glee while Mimi and Mary Kay were practicing, and apparently it was wretched. 
And it was.  They did the Beatles "Eight Days a Week."  Both were low singers, and again, off key.  Mimi was trying to concentrate, but Mary Kay kept making devil horns behind her head.  She wanted us to clap, so we started clapping, then she tried to get us to do a little double clap thing, and it took the audience three choruses to get it.  And then Mary Kay started doing this thing where she would lean in really close to the mic every odd line so it would be "eight days a week I LOOOOVVE you.  Eight days a week IS NOT enough to show I CARE."  And awkward like that.  This went on the last two thirds of the song. 
Mimi was kind of mean to Jenny yesterday, so I quietly enjoyed the making a fool of herself bit. 
Then a few girls came up and showed off these handbags one of them made.  One was actually really beautiful and, depending on price, I would totally buy. 
And then an older woman got up and sang "Second Hand Rose."  She wasn't great, but she was wearing black sequined hot shorts.  She had great legs for her age, but I was totally shocked by this, because my Grandma would complain about age appropriate clothing.  And because this woman is part of the group that complains about certain people wearing pajama bottoms at dinner, even though they cover the entire leg. 
I asked, since Thanksgiving is coming up, if I could help with a particular dinner service they're doing for the homeless.  They said they had too many volunteers, but thanked me.  I'm sort of bummed out about it because I was planning on it. 
Then we had treats.  I had apple cider (the only stuff of it I've had all year) and pumpkin pie.  It was a bit rich, but I sat with Jenny and Elizabeth and Clare and later Ruth came over and we had a good chat.  Elizabeth wants to get Clare and Jenny to do a play with her next talent show (yes, there's another one next month...)  Clare's busy that night, so I suspect it won't happen.  And Ruth, who I haven't seen for ages, seems to be pretty tired these days. 
I was pretty entertained, I must admit. 

As I was going home, I passed by Bethany and some other girls watching Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. 
"When are we going to see less of Stabler's clothes?" I asked.  Some of the girls laughed. 
"He just got shot, you know."
I immediately left.  I can't take hearing that. 
When I got back, Elena was still watching tv.