Pick your heart up off the ground, I'm sure it weighs a ton. You're no better and no worse than any mother's son

Progress check:

I finished one exterior side of the Hoop Purse-- which wasn't actually on the list I made yesterday, but still counts in my mind since I started it before the Grand Proclamation was made. Only three more sides like it (one outside, two linings) before I can throw the whole thing in the wash. I also got another pattern repeat on the argyle scarf knocked out on my lunch, so that brings the remaining length down to four feet, 10 inches.

Tonight we go to see a really good local band for their last show. Sometimes I think local music is dying around here, though I don't usually voice it because it tends to start arguments. Venues are shutting down for various reasons, bands are breaking up or moving out of town, and there are becoming fewer and fewer reasons to bother leaving the house at night. Hell, it's gotten to the point where the bar that seems like someone's basement is the one of the best (and only) places left to see a band.

Then again, maybe I'm just getting old and longing for the "good old days". You know, the ones that were really only so-so, but are really, really great in your memory. Cause really, one of the inherent traits of a college town is bands that come and go, and although there really is a dirth of good venues around town these days, something new will eventually pop up. Things ebb and flow around here, and we're probably just experiencing the latest downswing. If anything, I'm learning to appreciate how good we really had it.

It's shaping up to be a nice weekend after two weeks of downpour, so I might break out the barbecue and dye some more yarn. I want to test out the icing colors I bought, and maybe do an experiment with some hibiscus tea. It should produce a nice rosey color, but I want to see how deep a color I can make.

For now though, it's back to my purse. I'm hoping to get the first lining cast on and a bit knit before we go out tonight.

Happy Birthday to me!

This is gonna have yesterday's date on it, simply because I've been trying to finish writing this for the last two days.

On Saturday, I was given the best birthday present by my boyfriend-- an awesome evening full of fun.

Thanks to the generosity of my coworker, I was able to get off work early enough to make our dinner reservations at Buca di Beppo. I had never been there before, and Eric hadn't been there in years, but I really enjoyed it, with all of the quirky photographs and the wierd restaraunt layout. Watching the waiters and servers and hostesses and bussers run around seemed like a study in controlled chaos. Some high school must have been having their winter formal last night, cause I kept seeing groups of five or six dressed-up teenage girls heading for the bathroom. Always in groups, never individually-- makes me remember what it was like to be 16 and, for reasons I still can't explain, unable to go to a bathroom alone.

We had a huge, really delicious meal, then jetted off to The Crocodile to see The Living End. Having been a fan of this band for years (a little before and long after "Roll On" came and went), I was pretty excited to see them. Eric had seen them years ago on Warped Tour and became a fan from that, so we were both pretty stoked to go.

It was, quite honestly, one of the best shows I've been to in... well, years. The last time I remember being that blown away was Death Cab for Cutie at Viking Union three years ago. The musicianship was impressive-- I have no idea how Chris Cheney can play like that and manage to sing at the same time. Their new songs are just as good as the old ones they made eight years ago, and are somehow managing to keep the same distinctive sound while (atleast on some songs) doing something other than punk rock beats and hooks. I was having such a wonderful time that at one point I just closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment.

The following day, my actual birthday, was much more low-key, which is exactly how I wanted it. I got to sleep in without having to worry about the meter maids, have dinner with my mom where she gave me traditional birthday dessert of Death by Chocolate (my favorite), go play boards games with some of my best friends, then go out for a casual drink with some other good buddies. All in all, I call this birthday a roaring success.