While the servers are down

[djpsyche]

... may as well continue with my US update for those who care

Thursday

rachellll dropped me off at the Greyhound station where I caught the bus to D.C. seth6666 was supposed to pick me up there at 5, but he wasn't there and duh, I didn't have his number, and by this point I hadn't been online in a week. While I waited, though, a panhandler approached me for change. He took a look at my purple hair and tartan skirt and said "Are you a punk rocker?" "Something like that, yeah," I hedged. "There's only one good club in town for your crowd..." he said, pointing southward towards Nation.

Really... you don't say! Hehehe -- even the street tramps are plugging my own club to me. Result :)

At last, with thanks to 2501 I was able to catch up with Seth who is now Mr Corporate Lawyer. He had a spare room for me complete with its own bathroom and fridge -- ah capitalism! He, Kirstin and I went to Alchemy where I caught up with many, many old friends, some of whom I didn't get as much chance to talk to as I would have liked as we got interrupted by other friends. Saw my favourite bartender Jay; Tony, Dana and Tim who as usual blew me out of the water in the DJ booth; and many ex lovers with whom I'm still on good terms, now that's the way to be. It felt less like "I used to be famous" than "I've missed my friends" because after two years not many (but a few) people are still sucking up to me. I've found I really don't miss it.

I played some music and had some, but not too many drinks. During the course of the trip my mission of introducing Americans to some of my favourite Brit bands was accomplished: Manuskript, Devilish Presley, Screaming Banshee Aircrew, Voices of Masada and The Ghost of Lemora all got an airing. Oh and it was fun playing Manuskript's soon-to-be-released remix of The Last Dance at Nocturne, in front of Patrick, who's soon to be releasing it. :)

Friday

Two errands run: Closed US bank account, and applied for my absentee ballot. DEFEAT BUSH!

Then out for a wonderful evening of good friends and American decadence. As organised by Ash, we took over the downstairs room of Cafe Japone and its huge boardroom table. Present were Kim, Brandon and Grace, Carolynn and Eric, Robert the Merciless, Joshua and Carrie, Seth and Kirstin, Michael Slyx, and Bill. Total restaurant bill: $900. No, that wasn't a typo. And I didn't have to pay for any of it because my friends are great! Afterwards several of us repaired to the Castle Merciless for hot tubbing, clove cigarettes and vodka. Civilised decadence, oh how I miss it! Bill even let me drive his $300 eBay car (now that's closer to my own spiritual budget) which I took up my favourite street Rock Creek Parkway. Mega homesickness ensued.

Saturday

Bill had crashed over and we spent the afternoon hunting for those great American institutions, Taco Bell (found one!) and Target, which believe it or not we failed to find after driving up and down about 10 miles of Maryland strip malls. Eventually went to a different one where we ran into Seth and Kirstin. Then Ash came by to take me to Sandy's wedding. Sandy is "my Republican friend"; we were roommates at Georgetown University our last summer at uni, and both stayed on and worked in D.C. Now she is a highly paid lobbyist and I am, er, a goth DJ. Or "I work in the finance department of a charity for homeless women," which actually didn't go over any better amongst the right wingers. Oh well. Sandy looked wonderful; she and Bill (different Bill) have been together for many years and are very happy together. Because he's a police captain, his colleagues made him a wedding cake out of doughnuts with a toy bride and cop on top, it was the best! Saw Myra, the only other freak at the wedding, and Sandy's other friends who became less and less classy as the night wore on... ;) When the Republicans started "Doin' Da Butt" we knew it was time to go.

Life lesson number whatever: don't go to a wedding with an ex you still really care about as your "platonic" date, because weddings are all about 1. Love and 2. Booze. Failsafe recipe for dangerous sappiness. Especially when topped off with a nightcap poured by Ronka at The Meeting Place. Let's just say, two Saturdays in a row I had to be trundled off home, this time babbling a bunch of bollocks that I really wish I couldn't remember. Oops.

Sunday

Finally it was time to go home. Seth dropped me off at the airport, where my flight was cancelled. OF course! They had the nerve to

1. make us get our own luggage from baggage claim and come through the queue twice
2. tell me that if I had been there earlier, I could have got on the flight the previous hour. Well, I WAS there when that flight was boarding, but they didn't KNOW that MY flight would be canceled! Don't even try to make this MY fault...
3. rebook me through Chicago and seat me directly next to the engine
4. more or less laugh when I enquired into a possible upgrade

At least they gave me a meal voucher, since I couldn't be assured of a vegetarian meal. Of course the only vegetarian meal there was time to get during my layover was a four-cheese pizza. (The meal on the flight? You got it -- cheese pizza.) And the Chicago-to-London flight featured empty seats on either side of me, so I got a good sleep. And I learned the most effective way to carry a mega wheeled suitcase plus a three-ton case of CDs upstairs on the Tube: Wear a short skirt. ;) Didn't get home til noon instead of 7:30, so it was a damn good thing I'd taken all of Monday off work!

So I made it home in one piece... can't say the same for my liver however! The End.

Comments

[xpi.livejournal.com]

What a criac; can't decide between the highlights: Watching the moon from the hot tub, or getting Shake it down to Brick House by the Commodores with the Republican Youth(tm).

The USA can't _handle_ that fun every weekend. Oh liver, I miss you, and you too djpsyche