My birthday weekend started on Friday. I went home around 2pm, shopped for odds and sods and breakfast things and came back to chezbob to nap. Once awake again, I watched Six Feet Under with MR and ate dinner. Then, around quarter past ten, it was time to pick up the guest of honour from the airport.
I got lost. I always do seem to. But quite handily there were planes to follow. I finally arrived at the terminal and saw no signs of Rian’s flight on the arrivals board. I worried. I rushed around in circles thinking that there must be some sign of it, a representative I could ask maybe, but it was strangely bare of staff at 10:50pm. Then I turned around and she was standing there by the baggage carousel staring into space on her valium. Anyway, home was again an adventure. Yep, I got lost again. Then we had wine with MR by her fire and MR giggled so much and was so happy I was in shock. Rian was chatting well and we teased MR. There was probably Six Feet Under conversation. There was definitely talk about her photos of her parents and also some pieces on her wall. Rian was being graciously nosey in the flattering way only she can do. At half past one we went to bed. Rian had MR's bed as chezbob is not heated overnight (I hate heating... I use my little electric heater in the morning to make it warm enough to leave bed though) and MR's guest bed is not in the warmest part of the house.
The next morning I woke and emailed Rian's Blackberry to tell her that it was safe to come over. Which she did. I made tea and tried to make hers into chai by adding mulled wine spices which I think was odd and not nice because she never asked for it again. I then made a fry-up which we ate at my rarely-used table. By the time we were done with breakfast I think it was time for lunch. We got dressed and washed and so on and we walked down Santa Cruz and I took her to Kepler's Bookstore because I wanted to buy Day Watch. Alas, it wasn't there and when I asked the girls at the information desk, they said that the publication date had changed to March. Grrr. Rian spent her time browsing and chose a gift for MR (which MR found after Rian left and said that it made her cry, it was so perfect). We left the book shop and passed a homeless guy (of which there are many in the states). Rian gave him some money and he started talking. He said that he was a great studier of people and looking at us he could tell that she had very high energy blah blah blah and I had very low energy and I should learn to enjoy life before I pass away. He said that. "Pass away". I can't help but think it was a threat. He kept on talking, saying how people judge him but he doesn't drink or do drugs, how great Rian was and how lousy I was. How I was too shy and closed off. Pah. Anyway. What happened after we left the crazy man behind? We went back to chezbob and I read a novel from skit and Rian read comics in the sunshine.
I realised that it was nigh time we got on the train to San Francisco to make it to
Teatro Zinzanni on time. We dressed and were out by twenty past four. MR drove us the short distance to the station and we hopped on the 4:34 train. We maybe looked a bit dressier than the average passenger and drew some stares. There was an event at Millbrae station. There were all these paramedics and people rushing around. The police came. We passengers were all very concerned "oh we do hope he/she is all right" style. And then after a ten minute delay, we were moving again. There was the announcement that they found a passenger totally unresponsive and so called the paramedics. But he was just fare dodging so them they called the police. Dearie me. The announcer made it into a moral for us all to always buy a ticket.
There was a one hour journey where I got more and more nervous for the same reason as I get nervous when going to any appointment as described on Day 1 of the NY Meet when we rushed to Accomplice. Once at the end of the line, we got a taxi to Pier 29. MR was made really tense by this ride which was typically kamikaze but we made it without a scratch.
The venue looked like a tent. We went inside to a smallish round tent/room with a bar in the middle and a shop to the left and a contraption that played music and moved to the right. It was the sort of thing I'd expect to see on a pier. There were people milling around all dressed up and decorating people's faces with paint and glitter. It was all reds and golds and feathers and jewels. MR got herself and Rian some Pomegranate Mohitos (cocktails... I may have the name wrong or indeed the spelling) and me an ice tea as I was so thirsty and also exhausted. I then got our ticket and table number.
We had a table for three on the second row. Sort of. The set up (in a different round tent) was like a catwalk. There was a stage at one end with the band and then a strip down the diameter of the tent. We were one table away from the strip. When there were rope acts, they were almost above us. We sat and found our first course of appetisers. It was nice to nibble as people got seated but I was still a little subdued. I was tired and my cold wasn't helping things. And suddenly there was nothing to say to people. I worried that they weren't enjoying themselves a little but kind of gave up on worrying about that as there was nothing I could do. But of course the show solved that.
Teatro Zinzanni isn’t really describable but I will try. I wasn't too impressed at the start. There were some hammy actors declaring love and proposing and someone singing and someone with a huge fake bottom... and people making prat-falls and slapping other people and shaking feather dusters... Yeah, describing it is impossible. But the show went on and there were actual acts. I think the first great one was Sergei who juggled rather impressively. He made a few errors but I wondered whether they were on purpose because the errors were at the easier things at the start of his act, not the end. Well, it was fun and I appreciated the juggling.
After some of this show, they brought out the next course (soup) and the serving staff were all dressed up and fancy. They changed theme in their costumes in every course and would do something different as they went down the catwalk. The soup was nice (and by this time we had some wine to drink). What was the next proper (non-singing, non-hammy acting) act? I think the woman on the ropes. She was amazing. The ceiling was quite low so it was pretty close. She climbed a rope and did some stunning gymnastics. I was entranced. I couldn't clap her as I was just spellbound by her and the shapes her body made. She was a part of the rope. It was so fluid. I wish I could express this better.
Next up was a salad and some other act. One of the hammy humour acts was getting "a virgin" from the audience for "Casanova" to teach how to seduce a woman. "Casanova" (played by a woman) chose a man (probably 18ish) and dressed him as a woman to demonstrate on. "Casanova"'s lover (man as woman) returns and is jealous. The unfortunate audience member was dubbed Panini and they made him do things like sing and generally embarrass himself. Later on there was a similar thing with a sea goddess and a satyr. They plucked out a couple from the audience (Mitch the accountant who looked like one and his wife who dressed in beige) and dressed them up as a satyr and sea goddess making them do the act which involved prancing. And singing. Always singing. It was actually hilarious at one point when even the hammy actors cracked up and slipped on their lines. And it was so funny to see the accountant and beige woman be transformed.
There was a bit when we all had to dance but of course Rian and I (MR went to toilet) had no one to dance with so Sergei came and danced with us. Which was nice. He had a disco ball on his head. Which was odd.
I had chicken main course. I didn't finish it as I was almost full and I wanted dessert. The remaining acts included a man who balanced things. So far quite dull you think but he balanced wine glasses on a tray balanced on a sword. And then did rope tricks. Holding them. And then he swayed on the ropes right over our table. I was convinced he was going to drop it all and seriously amazed by it. I was unable to clap for fear.
There was one more rope act which was a couple. They probably weren't technically better than the woman who did it on her own but I loved them more because, just as the woman and the rope was one, these two people and their ropes were one. And there seemed to be a theme to it; they were always supporting each other or falling away from each other. And there was such anguish on their faces. I felt almost moved to tears. It was absolute beauty.
The final act was a man hula hooping. Not the best act in my opinion but it was more impressive than it sounds. He had hoops going all over his body and they were shiny so it looked like he was trapped in a sphere of light.
That was the show. Oh, and the dessert was gorgeous. Some sort of pumpkin, caramel and chocolate creamy thing. And I downed a cup of coffee which seemed to impress people.
We came out of Zinzanni (and removed the bits of paper confetti from our hair) and met upon the step Bee, our driver in a sharp black suit with bow-tie. She was nice as was her Lincoln Towncar. She drove us to a restaurant she recommended. MR complained about the cab ride we had to Zinzanni so I am sure Bee was on her best behaviour and drove extra smooth for us. We went to the Hyatt Regency Hotel and were driven right up to the entrance. Bee opened the door for me and we got out like movie stars.
It took us a while to get to the restaurant (called the Equinox) because the first "elevator" we got in just refused to take us all of the way to the top. We went to the second to top floor and then came all the way down and hunted for a lift that would take us all of the way. Most peculiar. Meanwhile Rian was taking deep breaths to deal with the height. Indeed, I couldn't look out of the glass side to the lift as it went up so fast and the centre to the hotel was built in this weird slanty way such that the perspective made me feel sick as it all raced past. Once finally at the top we went to the restaurant and sat down with the cocktail list. It was a revolving restaurant and I felt a tinge of queasiness but not too much if I looked at things that were sort of stationary. The city at night was rather pretty. We could see the Bay Bridge all lit up in its glory (not as great as the Brooklyn Bridge but I do love bridges. I think I waxed lyrical about them for a while). MR had some wine and Rian and I had hot chocolates with peppermint schnapps. Bee stuck with water of course. We stayed there for over an hour and chatted about travelling quite a bit as Bee used to live in Switzerland. Eventually the motion was making me long for stationary things so we left.
We tried to go to the Carnelian room which is another high-up restaurant but driving past the hotel, it looked really dead. This was just before midnight. So we went to the Top of the Mark which was a restaurant I had been to last year with MR and some of her friends after seeing a Tom Stoppard play. They charged $10 just to go in. It was because they had a live band (this almost jazz thing I didn't think much of). We still went in and had some fun in watching the couples dancing. Most weren't really dancing, just doing that sway and shuffle thing, but a couple (of couples) were worth watching. Oh, and Mary-Rose asked the band leader to wish me happy birthday. Grrr.
Anyway, at 1ish we called it a night (they turned the lights up in the restaurant and the band left which we took as kind of a hint) and Bee drove us home. We all seemed to nod off in the back... I know I had a few blank and confused moments anyway. We were at chezMR/bob by 1:40 and I went straight to bed.
I woke up around 10am. Which was perfect really. I went straight online but not to tell Rian I was up. I set up the webcam and skyped the parentals. I didn't pay attention to the time and interrupted them just as mum was serving dinner... oops. But anyway. I opened cards and presents from family with them there. I got some chocolates from Waitrose and a Parker pen (from the House of Lords, no less). Oh and a load of money mainly $1 bills. Was I expected to go to a strip club? Anyway, my mum disappeared and then came back with a cake and candles. I was told to blow very hard so I did and they went out. Magic.
I got dressed and emailed Rian to say I was up. As I waited I opened my presents from friends which was much fun. I got a purse, lots of tea, a book on Spidey2 and more tea plus a photo frame already filled with photos (because my laziness is apparently legendary). Eventually Rian came over. It transpired that she couldn't work out how to get out of MR's and was pawing at the back door whining until MR let her out. Rian brought gifts and cake. Gifts were a beautiful wooden box with some good luck/protection tokens inside "even though you don't believe in them", a pad from Katherine "to write to skit" and a Jack Skellington toy from Aidan. The cake was from Emano and we warmed it in the oven and ate it with some strawberries (one must always have strawberries in the fridge). MR joined us as well and it was extremely pleasant. It was sunny and everything was calm and unrushed and sweet.
We were up properly by 12 or so and MR went off to enjoy her life while Rian and I went looking for lunch. I suggested the French cafe/wine bar at the end of Santa Cruz. On our way there (in really glorious sunshine) we saw a man in a Blue Sun t-shirt. I said "cool shirt" and he looked mildly afraid. I giggled a bit at that and a woman in front of us turned around and said "well, look at you two on top of the world" or words to that effect. Rian said that it was my birthday. The random woman in the street gave me a hug and said that God must love me to give me such beautiful weather (it was fantastic- so warm Rian was without a coat). She then turned around and picked up a box from a small table on the pavement. It had a slice of cake in it she called "red velvet". The sponge was crimson and the icing white. I was pretty happy at this generosity and positive spirit and skipped off (okay, not really) with Rian.
We went to the Cafe Baronne (French place) but the queue stretched well out into the street. Rian said that we should just go to Starbucks and get stuff to go (I promised her lunch in the sun) but I was not sold on the idea and so dragged her for a walk to some small group of restaurants near the station. We found one place with tables outside (and it wasn't anywhere near as popular as Baronne) and ordered lunch there. We both had sandwiches and sat enjoying them in the sun until the sun lowered a bit and the shade started creeping. I guess this is where I quietened down a bit.
Once back at chezbob, Rian had a last minute email check, gathered her belongings and prepared to go. I was being quiet and closed-off here as I always get when having to say goodbye. People must think that I am dying to get rid of them. Anyway, we put Rian's case in the boot and had a paint incident. There was a small hiss which we discovered to be one of the red paint cans for car touch-ups, making its mark on the back of the boot fortunately and not Rian’s bag. We tried to clear it up but only succeeded in getting paint on ourselves making it look like we had just murdered someone. The wonderful smell made me quite light-headed and possible made driving a little more exciting.
For once, I didn't get lost on the way to the airport. I dropped Rian off at the terminal and only gave her a quick hug before hitting the accelerator and going back to chezbob. She was there a couple of hours early. But she wanted to leave then and it felt hard to encourage her to stay when I had nothing to offer her to do. Anyway. I drove back and discovered that the reason why I got lost before was because there were two exits from the 101 with the same name and I needed the second one.
And so, in the late afternoon of my birthday I was home and alone. I watched bad scifi (Jake 2.0 which oddly appeals to me) and downloaded the new Sam&Max game. I love it. The first Sam&Max game was pretty good. This one, not as great with the game play (I finished the first two chapters in three short evenings) but the comedy is fantastic. When I could no longer focus on either the computer or television screen, I went to bed. Around 10pm. Without a doubt 25 feels old…
