a search for authenticity
I went to River City Tattoo tonight to get some new ink. I have a bird on my back, carrying a banner for Jarrett.
Dan took this picture as soon as the tattoo was finished, as you can see my skin is red and irritated. I’ll post a new picture when everything looks better.
I survived Thanksgiving, I didn’t even have any alcohol on the actual day. Which I know is surprising to many (including myself). Anyway, now it is time to turn our house into a craft-factory. For the past couple of years we have been making most of the holiday gifts we give. This year, my goal is to make all of the gifts we will give. It is pretty ambitious considering I haven’t completed one gift. Also, only 1/3 of our gift list is completed. I see many late craft-nights in my future.
There are things about me that I feel I have lost along the way of life….good things….things that I grieve about. But, when I am with Fawn & Jarrett, I feel those things start to come alive again. Most of all, my want to care for others and the drive to enjoy every moment to the fullest. I know it sounds cheesy…live life to the fullest. But that is what happens when I am with them. The dullest moments, the painful moments, the awkward moments, the joyous moments, the silly moments, the embarrassing moments….everything in life. Everything in life, the good, the bad, and the ugly, is a meaningful opportunity. And, when we are together we choose to explore that for all it is worth. Most of the time we end up in tears or laughing hysterically. This time it was all laughs.
I don’t like to talk a lot of smack on my blog and I especially don’t like talking smack about my ‘hood, but I was let down by 3 Church Hill businesses over the past two days.
Let down #1:
For Dan’s birthday party I wanted to get some balloons, so I called up Church Hill Herbs & Flowers. I made an appointment to pick up the balloons on Saturday afternoon, but when I show up they haven’t even started blowing up my balloons. After much fussing between the employees, my balloons were ready 25 minutes later. When I paid for my simple latex, helium balloons I was offered a generous 15% discount because my balloons were not ready when I showed up. However, after the discount I was still paid over a $1/balloon. WTF?!?! I didn’t realize that like gasoline, the price of balloons has drastically gone up.
Let down #2:
For Dan’s birthday celebration, his brother (Mike) & future sister-in-law (Sarah) came down to visit. Today, the four of us, plus another fun-loving couple, decided to go to Jumpin’ J’s for brunch. We were pretty excited because Sarah has never been to J’s before. Last time she came down we tried to go, but it was when J’s changed their hours and we happened to be there on the one day of the week when they weren’t serving any food. So, today we walked down the street, dreaming of the delicious food waiting for us, but when we walked in the restaurant we were “greeted” by the waitress who told us that she wouldn’t be able to serve us any food today. Her reason was that she was leaving at 2:00 (it was just before 1:30) and that no one was coming in after her. So, slightly confused, hungry and a little upset, we left.
Let down #3:
After leaving J’s we decided to go to the Hill Cafe for their Sunday brunch. Again, we ran into more bad service. Our waitress was sweet, but we sat in the less-than-half-full restaurant for over 20 minutes before we were asked for our food orders. Anyway, I was pretty excited about the blueberry pancakes I ordered. I’ve had them before and remembered enjoying them very much because the blueberries are cooked in with the pancake batter…not just placed on top. You can imagine my disappointment when my blueberry pancakes arrived at our table without any blueberries to be found. I could understand a mistake like this in a number of situations…..like, if the restaurant was packed (it wasn’t); or, if I placed a complicated order (I think it seems simple); or, if there were lots of other similar options on the menu that the waitress/cook might get confused (nope, it was the only pancake option for today).
Sorry for the complaining, but I’m wondering, is it just me running into situations like this on the Hill?
Just a quick reminder that Dan’s birthday party is tonight!
You have 1 week to prepare for the party of the year as we celebrate another year in the life of Dan.
Let me know if you want to join us for the celebration and I’ll let you know when and where.
It’s time for my next tattoo, but I don’t know where to go. Please share your good, bad and ugly stories of RVA tattoo shops.
Earlier in the year I set two goals for myself:
1) Earn some money from writing.
2) Sell jewelry that I’ve made.
By working at Hall + Partners I’ve been able to accomplish #1. I hope to accomplish #2 by the end of the week. There were several times this year when I thought both of these were meaningless, but I am thinking differently now. Creativity heals. I’m finding that there is even greater healing in using my creativity in a purposeful way and then giving it away.
It was a close one this week for the undefeated Man Eaters as they barely escaped the Indians, in what would have been the only loss in Man Eater franchise history. Leading the team to victory again, Coach Leashal, had this to say about her team’s performance:
“We underestimated the Indians and we simply didn’t have it together. Despite a couple of poor coaching decisions and injuries, the Man Eaters were able to pull through. In true Man Eater fashion, we saved a big punch for the end to overtake our opponent. We are going to spend these next few days focusing on our strengths as we prepare to take on the Wild Turkeys and continue on with our undefeated record.”
The top-ranked Man Eaters who are perfect at 9-0 will host the 6-3 Wild Turkeys this week.
I’ve been wanting to get my hair cut for a couple of weeks, and after a couple of attempts, I wasn’t able to get an appointment with Tony (good friend & best hairdresser I’ve ever had). Then, Halloween turned out to be a particularly bad hair day for me and I couldn’t take it any more! So, I took a risk and called a salon that I’ve never been to or heard anything about and scheduled an appointment that evening. All I could think was, “This is a mistake. I’m going to end up looking like a freak. I’m getting my hair cut by a stranger who works at a salon that spells their name with a Z…..and it’s Halloween!”
But, everything turned out fine. Stylez is one of the most beautiful salon I’ve ever seen. It is full of exposed brick, chocolate brown walls and antique-looking decor. I want my house to look like that salon. I also want one of the massaging chairs that I sat in while getting a shampoo. My stylist was nice and I love my new hair cut…..also, it was about $15 cheaper than what haircuts in Carytown cost.
I need a day/weekend for some self-care. I want to go to a beautiful spa in the countryside where I will be pampered with scented oils and warm hands while soft music plays and candles glow. I want to nap in a bed large enough to get lost in, with crisp white sheets, a down comforter and more pillows than really necessary. I want to wear my prettiest clothes, drink warming cider and forget about schedules, to-do lists, and pleasing others. I want to enjoy nature while doing some much needed soul care.
It’s National Novel Writing Month. I signed up last year, but failed. Dare I try again? I need to decide soon!
I ate delicious food.
I drank very good wine.
I watched The Office.
I spent the evening with friends.
I love pot luck!
Thanks to everyone who came tonight!
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