The Visible Woman...July 25, 2003

When it's finally time for the party, I look at the illusion created, sigh, and then I drift amid the chaos. Tomorrow it will be a dream. And I'll forget saying, "Never again. Not worth it."

When I get up, I'm thinking about my list of things to do. It isn't really long but there is timing involved and getting other people to do things and all that.

So, I was busy all day long. Fixing up yard lights, putting out candles, setting up bar, setting up drinks for performers, assisting people setting up flowers and food and tables, getting stuff in the right place, fogging the yard for mosquitoes.

Then there was the usual one hour lull and then...chaos.

But it worked. The house gave an illusion of being more elegant and nicer than it is. The yard gave it's own illusion of elegance in spite of the poison ivy lurking in the shadows and the pile of bamboo waste behind the bushes and the junk in and behind the shed and the mosquitoes only very temporarily at bay. The performance was fantastic. People seemed to have fun. There was very little breakage. Money was raised. Enough money, probably, to keep this organization afloat another year and bring cabaret acts to Austin that we wouldn't otherwise hear.

At the end, there was garbage, dirty plates and wine glasses and a bunch of things to move back to their appointed places. Boy, it's a lot of trouble. If I remembered how much trouble, I'd never do it again. But I'll forget. I know I will.

Friday, July 25, 2003

A Journal from Austin, Texas. A Project of LBFFP Stealth Publishing.
food	reading	writing	time	exercise	health and mood

Jason Graae poses with the Cook Walden donated hearse...he plays the choir director on 'Six Feet Under.'	the party day arrives When it's finally time for the party, I look at the illusion created, sigh, and then I drift amid the chaos. Tomorrow it will be a dream. And I'll forget saying, "Never again. Not worth it." When I get up, I'm thinking about my list of things to do. It isn't really long but there is timing involved and getting other people to do things and all that. So, I was busy all day long. Fixing up yard lights, putting out candles, setting up bar, setting up drinks for performers, assisting people setting up flowers and food and tables, getting stuff in the right place, fogging the yard for mosquitoes. Then there was the usual one hour lull and then...chaos. But it worked. The house gave an illusion of being more elegant and nicer than it is. The yard gave it's own illusion of elegance in spite of the poison ivy lurking in the shadows and the pile of bamboo waste behind the bushes and the junk in and behind the shed and the mosquitoes only very temporarily at bay. The performance was fantastic. People seemed to have fun. There was very little breakage. Money was raised. Enough money, probably, to keep this organization afloat another year and bring cabaret acts to Austin that we wouldn't otherwise hear. At the end, there was garbage, dirty plates and wine glasses and a bunch of things to move back to their appointed places. Boy, it's a lot of trouble. If I remembered how much trouble, I'd never do it again. But I'll forget. I know I will.
JUST TYPING Flowers. Candles. Trays of food. Piano music. Performers. Wine. People of all sorts. Drifting in and out of conversation. An illusion of a place. Where we live.
		Food Diary. About a dozen strawberries. About one ounce of cheddar cheese. About two ounces of ham. Some chicken lizzies...chicken and cheese wrapped in bacon. A can of Coke. A couple of glasses of red wine. A very small piece of cheese. A shot of gazpacho. A macaroon. This was, technically, tomorrow... big shrimp with sauce and a potsticker or two. Another glass of red wine. This amount/type of food and wine and a possible failure to drink enough water did not sit well with me...or maybe it was ingesting mosquito spray and staying up until 2AM.
		Time flies.... There is a little time vortex between the flurry of getting ready for a party and the actual arrival of people. It was short on this one because some hangers on and performers showed up early as well as the undertakers who went with the hearse.

		Reading. Read the Mary Gordon novellas on the bike. Amazing stuff. I'm planning to get you some quotes when I'm finished.
		No sitting down to write today, not even the journal which will have to be done entirely after the fact.
		Exercise An hour on the exercise bike.
		I'm a little anxious today about the party. There are as many wheels on this one as a locomotive...and no tracks. Physically I feel all right until it's over when my digestive track and head go into rebellion.