birthday gaieties

2009-07-01 11:46 p.m.

This entry will be an explosion of media.

Hm, I'm unsure as to which was more celebrated this past weekend: my birthday or gay pride?

A desperate attempt.

Birthday festivities started with Club Fuz last Friday. Because it's my birthday month, we were supposed to get in for free or a mere $5 if we were there by 11 pm. We (being me, Sean and Lenine) spent too long pregaming, and didn't get the lesser price, but went in anyways. My idea of dance music is Phoenix or Telekinesis, but I had a great time despite not recognizing any of the hip hop songs about birthday sex or the future. I can't think as far ahead as 3008.

Michael (right) wasn't with us, but we ran across him and talked for a long time.

The next night was to be my proper night of dancing. Lenine and I were all jazzed up for Phoenix, after waiting not just a couple months since I found out about the show. In truth, we've been waiting since junior year of high school, when we first fell in love with Phoenix. Lenine drove all the way to San Fran, and we both paid upwards of $45, all for naught. As soon as I talked my way into the venue with a 21+ wristband, we saw a sign that said Phoenix cancelled. Something about throat disease. Bollox, I say.

I was pretty devastated. We were at a total loss as to what to do. We were already up there. Lenine called up some friends, and to try to save the situation, we went to the street parties in Castro, the gay neighborhood of San Fran. It was a great introduction to the following day's festivities.

A big disco wrecking ball.

Lenine, Carlos and I took Sean to the Gay Pride Parade in the City early in the morning. We kept saying, "It's your day!" Though, I kept adding, "but it's my night!" The parade had started at 10.30 am, so Lenine and Sean had a beer each as soon as we were done parking at 11 am. It was pretty funny because they didn't even have the dodgy brown bags or brekkers. We only watched the last stretch of the parade, before looking around for alcohol and people-watching. When I went to the parade two years ago, there was an abundance of nudity and strap-on dildos. It's become much more family-friendly - so much so, in fact, that we were hard-pressed to find anything exciting.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/americanenglish/5010_759170858411_6024610_43272546_.jpg

Outside City Hall, the main area.

Sitting around, like a lady of course.

I guess "Leather Alley" gave us that. There was also the "thrill" of drinking outside of a corner liquor store, atop a dirty crate in Lenine's case. We were all sharing the same bottle of tequila and lemonade. It was simultaneously sad and joyous.

To rest up, we sat and watched the Transformers sequel for awhile. I was so nerdy as to manage to reference five different fandoms over the course of the movie.

We had dinner in Chinatown. Everything was closed except for, ironically, the one restaurant that I always eat at. Every time we're in San Fran, my mom drags us there without fail.

Lenine and I mildly rushed to the Bottom of the Hill to catch my Telekinesis show. It was supposed to be 21+, but the manager said she'd let me in before midnight. She said she wasn't allowed to serve me alcohol, but if need be, she'd sneak me out back for a celebratory shot. I had my last black exes marked on my hands, indicating my embarrassing youth, but kept them for all of ten minutes before furiously scrubbing them off in the bathroom. Lenine got me a Tokyo Tea, which I polished off before dancing to "Tokyo", aptly enough. MBL didn't play the song I wanted, but he apologized when I mildly yelled at him after the set.

On our way out, the bartender somehow guessed that I was the birthday girl, and called me back to have a shot at midnight. She poured me some sweet but potent confection, and I knocked it back after joking that I'd never had a drink before.

"But is there gin? I'd like gin, if I ever had it."

Lenine was driving, so I had to take my birthday shot with the bartender, club manager and bouncer. Yay, party!

The actual day of my birthday, no one in my family remembered, much less wished me a happy one or gave me a gift. I didn't do anything until 11 pm, when a bunch of us drove to BJ's brewery so Alison and I could have free pizookies. I had a gin cocktail and half my pizookie, then drove home and read in bed until I fell asleep.

Hm, it's been exhausting, and there were disappointments (grrr, Phoenix), but mosdef been the best birthday I've had. There haven't been good ones, ever. So thanks friends, especially Lenine and Sean.

PS: My mom's doing...

It's almost 2x1 ft big.

I spent most of the past week and all of today crafting my masterpiece: Christina and Cat Pack Mashup set to Phoenix's "Lisztomania". Facebook keeps deleting it on grounds of copyright infringement, but really I fulfill all of their requirements! I did make it myself, and it has at least one friend in it!

Also, this is the end of the year slideshow I did for MUN, that I'm including for good measure. This took me three days, and I complained a lot. I only volunteered to do it so that I could choose the music. Don't think the Dean was terribly happy about the drunk dancing or the loud Strokes music, but shrug!

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