A Day in the Life… Or How I Fell Three Times in One Night.

As I sit here watching Tombstone and reflecting on my weekend thusfar, I’m both surprised and proud to admit I’ve done a whole lot of nothing. And it’s been fantastic. People-watching, playing games that include trying to make a meal from all the leftover vegetables in my fridge, and watching as many Val Kilmer pre-At First Site movies as possible have been just a couple of things I’m proud to say I’ve “accomplished”.

It all started with Friday night shenanigans after a ballbuster of a week. Like the Hells Angels we are, Carlos and I decided to welcome the long weekend with a homemade barbeque pizza (I feel the need to confess that I also had Barbeque pizza for lunch), and decided to watch The Fab Four on PBS. No, not the actual Fab Four – a documentary on the Beatles would’ve been perfectly acceptable for a Friday evening-in. I’m talking about the tribute band “The Fab Four” and their PBS concert that we DVRed… PBS. Friday Night. Beatles cover band. Homemade pizza. Welcome to your thirties. After a riveting rendition of Sargeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, we called it a night. At 11. On a Friday. Again, welcome to your thirties.

Friday Night Special

Saturday morning was glorious. We slept in and then decided to grab some breakfast. As we walked down Peachtree, I noticed a couple of girls dressed like Japanese animation. And then I remembered – Dragon Con! As I explained to Carlos that no, there isn’t a fetish conference in town (in so many words), a gaggle of pirate wenches walked by, completely negating my defense of the Anime-girls. I was literally busting with excitement at the prospect of people-watching at the Dragon Con parade, while Carlos was just confused as to why grown adults would dress up in full costume and body paint in the blistering sun. I explained that I don’t really care why – they’re here now for our viewing pleasure. And Lou Ferrigno, I repeat, the Incredible Hulk was a guest of honor. (I loved him in I Love You, Man.) So we ate breakfast next to a leprechaun and the Lorax (duh), and enjoyed a morning of ogling people wearing their underwear outside their clothes. I have to admit that I do find the whole costume-on-a-90-degree-day scenario a little gross. People who were sweating balls at 10 am in full-costume were going to remain in that get-up and crowd into packed halls all day long together. I’m sure that smelled fantastic.

The Knights Templar arming themselves from the back of their Toyota Prius.

After breakfast, Carlos and I went our separate ways, and I decided to have an extended people-watching session. I grabbed my camera and headed back to the action, deterimined to get great portraits of people in full action poses. Unfortunately, I’m a baby (cue Avatar scene) when it comes to asking strangers for pictures, so I settled for being a creeper who shot from behind. I still got some gems though…

I actually think the first two work best from behind, yes? As for the Mayan Chief, I pretended to take a picture of the buildings in the background. So sly.

After I got bored people watching (ladies, there are more options out there than pirate wench, 19th century slutty courtesan and naked Avatar), I decided to head down Auburn Ave. and see what’s going on in MLK’s part of town. Turns out, not a whole helluva lot. The streets were ridiculously quiet (I think all the locals got the hell out of Dodge with the prospect of so many crazies running around in costume), so I took advantage and got some great pictures of one of my favorite streets.

After some serious walking, I knew my Tom’s were going to stink about as much as the Dragon Con convention center, so I headed home. Upon eating the rest of the pizza, I stretched out on the sofa, did a little kitty snuggling (much to their dismay), and proceeded to watch Thunderheart – movie 1 of 3 in the Val Kilmer “when he was hot” trilogy. Thunderheart led to a glorious nap, and all in all, I felt incredibly relaxed. Upon waking up from said siesta, Top Gun was on, and I decided it only fair to watch up until the volleyball scene… you know, the one where Val Kilmer spins the volleyball with such ease. You’re lying if you say you don’t.

Please and thank you.

I should mention at this juncture that I’m planning on running my first 5K in almost twenty years on Monday (meaning I was twelve when I ran my first and only…), so, as all serious athletes would deduce, my relaxation regimen was in preparation for “the big race”. Now for you normal people and for those friends who have run marathons, you’ll probably read this (assuming you actually read my blog) and think, “What? She’s training for a 5K? I run that sitting on the toilet in the morning.” And you’d be right. It’s still a big deal for me – my family is so excited for me, you’d think I just qualified for the Olympics.

My parents, Nana and friends have all called to wish me luck – and I’m going to need it. To be perfectly honest, movement in any direction is not my strong suit. I fell three times in a pair of wedges on Saturday night (after my incredibly relaxing day). Holy hell – three times! The first and the third I didn’t actually hit the floor, just a graceful stumble that ended with me posing like a gymnast who just dismounted after an embarrassing ass-plant. What the hell else do you do in these situations? The second fall I actually hit the ground like a sack of flour. It was incredibly classy – no stumbling, no kicking my legs up over my head. Just boom. As I popped back up, I thought “I definitely just broke my ankle”, but no such luck. Which means I am most definitely running tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.

In preparation for this milestone in my life, I had every intention of properly preparing – huge carb dinner including spaghetti with homemade sauce and lots of water. Sub pasta for homemade nachos at lunch and a disgustingly full feeling for the rest of the day, and I’d say I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. In between stuffing my face with nachos, tortilla soup and a bowl of Bear Claw ice cream (truly a model of athletic prowess), I managed to squeeze in the last hour and a half of Tombstone, thus completing my “Hot-Kilmer” trifecta. Basically, this weekend has been full of nothing productive, but I’ve enjoyed every second of it (except fall number 2, that one was no bueno). I’ve realized that it’s important to not only savor these weekends when they happen but to make sure I pencil them in. That’s just a Day (or two Days) in the Life of someone trying to master the art of doing nothing. See how I just brought that Beatles thing around full circle? You’re welcome.

Wish me luck tomorrow… I’ll most likely need it, especially if I end up running in wedges…