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Two-Party System
He took the bride about the neck
And kissed her lips with such a clamorous smack
That at the parting all the church did echo.
-- William Shakespeare, Taming of the Shrew
Saturday, May 6, 2000
One year ago: Decisions
Jack and I had plans for this morning. I wanted to write, and Jack wanted to assemble a computer and have me install software on it (so I could write on it). Normally he'd have let me use his PC, but he's all excited about Stackframe, his new weblog project, so he wanted to use his own computer, darn him!
As it turned out, we didn't do any of that, beyond checking email and updating StackFrame. Instead, Jack suggested we go see Gladiator at a cheap matinee show. This meant we had to take off for the mall almost immediately, Jack suffering a caffeine-withdrawal headache the while. He'd kept putting off making coffee for himself and now he was paying the price. So we stopped at the drive-through Starbucks on the way.
* * * * * * * *
The movie was grand! Now I want to review my Roman history to see what they changed. I knew it couldn't end happily, since Rome didn't turn back into a republic.
I was very intrigued wiht the leading lady's costumes (except I didn't like the one at the end -- too out of period). I had the same thing when I saw Titanic -- I wanted to dress like Kate Winslet. But the woman in this movie was fairly tall and slender, so I don't think the effect would be the same if I started wearing togas and all. But the fabrics and jewelry tempt me!
Anyway, I was surprised that there was so much Roman politics, but I liked it anyway. I didn't mind that there were special camera effects in the battle and fight scenes (I think Kymm didn't like that). I was very impressed by how the special effects were used to make the crowd scenes realistic. That part was even better than Titanic.
Anyway, I highly recommend it.
* * * * * * * *
We stopped at the auto parts store on the way back. I needed to replace both headlights. I'd been coasting along with one burnt out, but when the second one went, I needed to fix them. I swear I tried to do this maintenance myself, but when I peered behind the headlights under the hood, I couldn't see where to grab to remove the old ones! So I let Jack take care of that for me, but I did manage to top up the power steering fluid and clean a bunch of gunk from around the edge of the trunk. I'm hoping that this last will stop the dampness that's been happening there.
We needed to do the car maintenance so I could drive to two parties tonight.
We got all dolled up, since the first party was a wedding reception and the second was an Edward Gorey wake. I had to do some thinking to find an outfit that would work for both, but I picked out my dark, thin sweater with fancy beading on it, and a short maroon skirt. Jack was going to switch to a tshirt for the second party, but kept asking me to pick out his clothes for the wedding reception. I tried to stay out of it, but finally selected an inoffensive short-sleeved print dress shirt.
* * * * * * * *
We drove off into the country, looking for the Deming Log Show grounds. It was a nice drive, with the late afternoon sun at our back. One of Bellingham's good features is how quickly you are in a rural area when you leave. We even took a side road (Deming Road) that led to the town that had even less traffic, winding through the fields. Jack fantasized about living out there somewhere.
We reached the far end of town without seeing any signs for the Logging Museum, so Jack ran into a gas station to ask directions. (The "no direction asking" stereotype didn't apply, since I was driving.) We'd missed the turn, because we'd chosen the rural side road! So we doubled back and found the place without too much trouble.
The Deming Logging Museum is a large piece of property, where it seems they have a logging festival every year. The party was in a big room like a lodge hall, with painted saw blades and old photos and plaques all over the walls.
It took a few minutes for us to get the lay of the land, but we eventually hooked up with folks that Jack actually knew. The groom has the cubicle across the way at Jack's office. They'd had the wedding in Hawaii, in mid-April, and this was the big party.
We shared a table with Jack's boss, his wife (we'd met when Jack made beer at their house), and the developer who works next to Jack, and his wife. We said hi to the bride and groom, had a few beverages, had some good food, danced, and left.
It was a nice party! I liked the informality (people were dressed from tshirts to suits) and everyone seemed to be having fun.
* * * * * * * *
We'd originally planned to go straight to the next party, but Jack wanted to stop by his place. He ran in and got his good single malt scotch, and even decided at the last minute to pack up his coffee grinder, french press, and coffee beans.
We found Paul and Julie's place without too much trouble. They live on the other side of the hill, beyond the college, in a cute little house. There were about seven or eight people already there, reading Edward Gorey books and snacking and chatting. We joined in both activities.
Jack really enjoyed himself, and everyone else liked the coffee and scotch he served them. He asked me later if he'd been loud and obnoxious, but he hadn't been, really. Maybe just a bit louder than normal.
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