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Sketches
And I did laugh sans intermission
An hour by his dial. O noble fool,
A worthy fool -- motley's the only wear.
-- William Shakespeare
Saturday, February 28, 1998
I thought that Jason and I had plans to get together Friday night. It was my impression that this had been discussed last weekend, when he settled that the gaming group would come over on Saturday (tonight). But when I sent an enquiry mail on Thursday evening, I got this reply (Friday morning):
"Well, I hadn't made any plans in that direction. I was thinking about going to Wizard's and playing some Battletech or playing something on their network, or maybe just sitting here and writing something. [...] If you want to get together, that's cool, but I'm afraid I'll be poor company right now."
Ouch! However, I didn't let this dissuade me (since to get too huffy would only mean that I wouldn't be seeing him this weekend at all, and that I wanted to see him was kind of the point), and said I'd be up for Wizards of the Coast (a gaming center and funplex in the University District) or whatever seemed good at the time.
The poor guy's sleep schedule is still a bit irregular from switching to the graveyard shift, so he left his front door unlocked (don't tell!) and I went over there and woke him up around seven pm. We drove to the U district and I followed my principle of parking far away, so as to have an easier time getting a space. A bit of a walk won't hurt either Jason or me! So we walked to a teriyaki place that Jason likes.
This was a nice place, and the large portions are a strong recommendation to Jason. One of his themes in life is abundance! When he makes himself a glass of iced tea, he makes it in a half-gallon peanut butter jar! During dinner (curry chicken udon for me, combo teriyaki for him) I was telling him
about my dinner with my nephew last Tuesday, and mentioning how interested my nephew is in the Beatles. Jason was telling me about an old friend who was a Beatle fanatic, and how Jason used to take a contrarian view just to rile the person. He was speaking a little louder than he knew, in the small restaurant, because suddenly a young man with several facial piercings started taking the other side! "You don't like the Beatles?? Who do you think is better?" he said, in a mock-threatening tone. Jason played along for a few minutes, then allowed as how he really did think the Beatles were good.
After dinner, we walked up the street to Wizards. They have really done a good job on the decor there! Jason admired the miniatures in the retail store section, then we toured around the whole complex, both so I could look at it, and to see if Jason's buddies were there. We played pinball (Medieval Madness is my current favorite pin table. I love the mechanical exploding castle!) and I looked at some of the art on the walls. A friend of mine, Margaret Organ Kean, has illustrated a number of the Magic cards, but I couldn't find one of hers there to show Jason.
Jason was irked when his friends were no-shows, so we went on to plan B: Wally Glen's latest exploit!
* * * * * * * *
Wally and I speak often at work; I think he cradles the phone between ear and shoulder and chats to me while continuing to type! I had asked him earlier in the day for the details on the sketch comedy troupe that he is now a member of. I knew it was a late show, so I thought it might fit in well with Jason's new schedule.
We drove from the U-district to the I-district. (International District. Not all of Seattle has these "initial" neighborhoods; I think these are the only two.) We had plenty of time, so we went in and bought our tickets and said hi to Wally, then walked around the neighborhood. Jason took some pictures of exotic signage and buildings under construction, for use in his game on Saturday night.
This was the first performance (I think) of the Pork-Filled Players, an Asian-American sketch comedy troupe, with Wally as the token white guy. He has played this role before, most recently with OPM, another, similar troupe. The venue was the Theater off Jackson, in the basement under the Wing Luke Museum. It's a basic black-box theater, a good place for this type of show. I'd say the house was about three-quarters full, which isn't bad for eleven pm.
The conceit of the show was that this was a presentation of an Initial Public Offering for the company. This worked well to link the skits! Several were cut short (planned to be, of course) by the presenter, on the grounds that they weren't the quality comedy that the investors (the audience) were looking for. The show was very good, over all, with more hits than misses. The singing and dance numbers were great, although Wally was visibly counting his steps. And did he purposely give us a cold blast from the fire extinguishers? It was our choice to sit in the front row, after all.
Despite appearances, Jason does pay attention to things I say. I had said at one point that candlelight would be a pleasant thing, so he bought a very nice candle at the grocery store last week, and we lit it Friday evening.
* * * * * * * *
This morning, Jason and I shared a late brunch, then I came home to get ready for the Century Ballroom one-year anniversary party. I had been looking forward to this, and my group-arranging efforts did have success!
I wore my short black crushed-velvet sleeveless dress, with a purple lace top underneath. My hair was up in a clip, and my cubic zirconia earrings completed the ensemble. I walked to the hall in the rain, and got there in time to participate in the dance lesson (which covered things I already knew). The floor was filled! Hallie (she owns the place and teaches my dance class) looked great in white tie and tails, complete with top hat.
Leo Parker arrived first of my group, and his friends Kirby and Megan arrived later. Jon Newman arrived during the dance lesson, and Tom Lawrence, Trish, Denys Howard and Karrie Dunning arrived during the first hour of the dance. I did get my share of dancing, both with these friends and with classmates.
The band Indigo Swing rocks! They were definitely one of the finest I have heard.
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