all my friends and lovers

So yesterday, all I wanted was a quiet night with Gene. Hang out, drink wine, fall asleep. He suggested we see The Piano Teacher, and it did make me happy because that was the only thing playing I had any interest in seeing. We went to the Dobie, and spent two hours in a hellish world that made no sense whatsoever. I have never been so profoundly disturbed by a movie in my life, and that's saying something. The scene where she's cutting herself in the bath while her mother bustles around the kitchen rocked me, because it was so well done. But the film, like Erica, is mad, mad, mad. Afterwards Gene and I walked back to the car in a daze. I didn't know whether to faint to scream or laugh.

Melynda had told me her father was coming into town yesterday. So we were supposed to meet Melynda back at the apartment. I walk in, still weirded out by that damned movie, and stop in total and utter shock. My friends, all gathered in the living room, under a giant banner Terra painted. I almost killed Gene at that moment, because I knew he had to be in on this. It took several moments of leaning against the wall in disbelief before I could push myself up and take a beer. Then, I suddenly see my tattoo buddy, Micah, who drove down from Dallas for less than twelve hours to be here. I almost started crying, holding on to him as tight as I could. I was very good though, and only cried a little, late into the night. I was reading the card, you see, that Nick made. It has a very big Texas and a small Czech Republic, and it's signed. In fact, there is some very beautiful Czech on there, too.

Matt brought me a bottle of champagne, and a Russian pin to wear. I managed to drink most of that bottle, a good bit of the Moravian wine, and a couple beers. (I still woke up at nine this morning.) We blasted Pixies and the Cure and The Police and Social Distortion all night long, probably annoying the neighbors to no end. There was a lot of picture-taking going on, and I wore my tiara for half the night. (I was also so drunk I kept flipping it off my head.) But I didn't climb into the shower until this morning when I was sober, so that's something.

Late this morning, when I crawled into my bed beside Gene, I asked him if I was doing the right thing. He said, "everything's going to be alright." The world stopped, and I fell asleep. This morning, I am less afraid of some things.

I can't believe they did this. I'm crying now, sitting on my couch amidst the empty beer bottles and our still remarkably clean apartment. I am absurdly, terribly grateful to all of them. This has been one of the best moments of my life. Who knew my friends could be so coordinated and sneaky around me? This certainly explains all of Melynda's smirking yesterday.

hold onto me

We passed a very pleasant Saturday. Ate at Threadgills this afternoon, lots of iced tea and fried okra. Stopped in Fry's, so Gene could buy hardware for the wireless network. Went to Lowe's and bought enormous sheets of insulation, because he's building a chilling device for his brewing. There's an eight by four foot slab of blue styrofoam in the middle of my living room. Took the dresser back to my mother. Ate minty ice cream with marshmallows at Amy's. A happy, contented sort of day.