After the week I had last week, I decided to start this one off with some pampering: I took a massage. It was delightful. It didn't quite make up for the last 10 days or so, but it did put me in a good place for the start of this week. Interestingly, the theme for this week was Isa - the rune of stagnation. Hmm...

This week was a Two-Disneyland week for me. I went on Tuesday with Gus and Jon and Doug, and then again on Thursday with Mathew and Jana and Teresa and Catie. Good times. Good times! Mathew told me on the phone Monday night that California Screamin' was his new favorite ride. And I hate roller coasters. So Tuesday's mission was to go on it with Gus and friends and see if I could handle it. I just closed my eyes, left my body, and endured. It was fine. Or maybe it was the pitcher of margarita's we had at Tortilla Joe's before that helped. At any rate, I had a great time with the boys on Tuesday - celebrating birthdays and marriages and getting strange looks from Disney employees who seemed to be looking for Jon and Doug's wives, not realizing that they were "married" to each other... heh. And then Thursday was just amazing. A nice day with my favorite 6 3/4 year old seeing parade after parade, going on California Screamin' and Mulholland Madness and generally goofing off and having a great time. I so needed it. It seems that even though I'm up in Glendale, my "family" is still down south in Santa Fe Springs and Huntington Beach.

Saturday night was a fun - and long - night. First, Mark had his birthday dinner at the Belmont Brewing Company. I didn't realize how large a crowd it would be, but there were 40 for dinner and drinks and it was crazy. Relatives came from Norway, friends from a decade ago came with their wives and children... when did it all change? I spent the night in a triangle between Teresa's sisters Jana, Anna, and Lisa. It was fun catching up on their lives and playing around with Mathew and Craig. So this is what family feels like, eh?

August, Dieux du Stade 2008

After the birthday party, since I was in Long Beach I stopped in to visit Chris and Shawn for a cocktail and a catch up. I only stayed about an hour, but it was nice to see them, catch up on the news, get some help on how to configure my media when I get my new computer, and generally relax with people I can relax with. After that, I drove on to the other side of Long Beach for the return of Kub Kamp. I didn't think I would have fun, but I saw a lot of people I used to know, and it felt really good to be in LB again. Free was there doing what only Free can do, Gus was there and I finally got to meet his best friend Julissa, Chris came looking all hot and leathery and introduced me to my new boyfriend Aaron the GoGo Boy, I saw Jon and his boyfriend Kurt, and even Doug again with some of his friends from New York. All in all, a very good night, lots of laughs, lots of flirting (two guys asked for my number, and one got it) and lots of vodka. A good recipe in my opinion.

Sunday started to stress me out. I wanted to go to Sunset Junction but nobody confirmed to go with me. Gus worked it out on Sunday afternoon to go after work. But I wanted to be in two places at once: the Pagan MeetUp and the street festival. It ended up working out perfectly.
I went to the MeetUp in West Hollywood and had a great time with Roger, Andrew, Chris and Jack. Around 7 I proposed a field trip to the Junction, but when news got out that it was $20 just to get in, and parking would be impossible, we opted for a field trip to the historic "Spotlight" Bar in Hollywood, instead. That was a blast. That is what I love - friends hanging out, laughing, talking, and generally getting into a happy place with good people. So 8pm becomes 9, and then 9 becomes 10 and I hadn't left to meet Gus yet. I figure the festival is over, and I could probably find my way in there. And I call Gus, and I find him and we aren't ready to quit yet. So we go to MJ's. Now, I don't usually like MJ's, or so I say, but every time I have gone lately I have a good time. And this week was no different - I had a joyous time flirting with Go Go Boys and opera directors and interwebs celebrities... and watching Gus dance. It so totally rocked. For one thing, they started having $1 drinks on Sunday nights, and they have Go Go Boys all over the place, coming off their boxes and dancing on the floor so you can touch them all over (and then pull back hands reeking of baby oil) and see how tall they are. Tall. Seriously.
So that was my week. Infinitely better than the past two, and just in time, since I have to return to work at the end of this week. Actually, sooner than that, I have to get that classroom moved and set up before Thursday.

Reasons to watch the Olympics: