Sunday morning, we’re up at the break of dawn. An ungodly hour. Actually, Rose got up first because she actually had to be presentable for her job. The rest of us could just roll out of bed, throw on a t-shirt and shorts and go. We were out of the room and on the road by eight. I have to say, the hotel had enforced valet parking, which struck me as odd. Kel said it’s pretty common around there, but I’d never seen it before. Anyway, we went through the McDonald’s drivethru for breakfast. None of us go to Mickey D’s very often, but they are everywhere. We had our own Three Stooges moment with trying to figure out what everyone wanted, but we eventually got our order straight.
Can I let you in on a little secret? I love McDonald’s sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit. I know! It’s so bad for me, but it tastes soooo good. I washed it down with a hazelnut iced decaf latte with skim milk, which was yummy, too. Of course, the breakfast sat in a lump in my stomach for a good two hours, but it was so worth it.
Kel and I chatted as Rose read, Irish Dancer did her puzzle book, and I’m assuming Punk Girl listened to her music. She was way in the back, so she might as well have been in Siberia as far as I was concerned.
Like a true OCD child, Irish Dancer couldn’t skip a puzzle once she started it (I sympathize), and she was asking us for help now and then. One of the puzzles had the theme of rhyming colors (yellow fellow, for example), which is when I went on my own OCD kick. The clue was something like icy metal (cold gold was the right response). I started tossing out ice words like frigid and gelid. Then, I got stuck on gelid and started rhyming to see if I could come up with a color that rhymed with it.
OK. Back to the travelogue. After the thoroughly enjoyable Paper Raincoats (with Alex Wong and Ward the cellist, both of whom play with Vienna as well), on came Vienna. The first thing that struck me (besides how utterly gorgeous she is, but what ugly boots) was how down-to-earth she was. The theatre was intimate (maybe 200 seats), and she chatted with us as if we were guests in her home.
Important Note: I would like to thank Rubo for the birthday box she sent me. I am touched by how carefully she chose the items for me. In one case, the bracelet, she made it herself. She included writing journals (including a wicked awesome black one), calligraphy pens, newspapers she wrote/edited, and other thoughtful gifts. To top it off, she included a treasure chest and a framed picture of Alan Rickman. The last item made me laugh out loud in pleasure. I had tears in my eyes as I opened the box. I am grateful to have a friend like Rubo in my life–compassionate, funny, warm, tender-hearted, and true. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Rubo. I so appreciate you.