Like how I remember my last trip to Disneyland was on the day we learned that Princess Diana died, I will remember this Labor Day weekend as the weekend that we lost Steve Irwin. And that I painted my first painting on canvas.
The long weekend has been just perfect. Up until I heard the news.
Saturday, like I said, I slept from 12-12. Got 4 loads of laundry done through the course of USC kicking Arkansas’ butt. Oh yes. I love a game where I can actually leave the TV to go do things and not worry too much. And I went to bed.
Sunday was also awesome. We got Thai food for lunch. Later in the afternoon, we headed down to San Diego. First stop, a deputy Brandon knows invited us to a Puerto Rican style barbeque and Salsa dancing at his house. As it turns out, the deputy lives about half a mile from Justin and Olaina’s!
Unlike the visit to the Andersons’ a few weeks back where it took us almost 3 hours to get there, yesterday we go to the area in about 1.5 hours. So we arrived early for a BBQ, and stuffed our faces as more people arrived. When they said “dancing”, I didn’t know it was some serious dancing. As in, they brought out the wooden dance floor! The family and his group of friends teach at the dance center in the neighborhood. So, there you go. When we left 2 couples were dancing already and it was treat to watch.
I would’ve loved to dance. But #1 I had on flip flops, #2 I don’t really know how to Salsa–took only one class, and #3 nobody asked me. 🙂
We then left to the Espresso Garden to hang out with the Andersons.
Olaina’s art has been hanging at the Garden for a while. Yesterday was their big grand opening event. Lots of people. Great DJ’ed music. We sneaked in some boozy and Olaina and I painted while intoxicated.
At some point in life, I was discovered to have some artistic talent. Unfortunately, just like many things else I picked up in my life, the more I put my effort into it, that “talent” part seems to disappear. Who knew that you could get worse from practicing, eh? Anyway, so after all the art classes and event private lessons, I can do really good “dead trees”–watercolor, pastel, or pencil of tree trunks and branchs. Other than that, I do pretty good cartoon, still life drawing, and Pictionary.
Last night, when Olaina handed me the brush and a piece of canvas, I decided to paint the music. Let me introduce you to another reason why I should stick to Photoshopping things, my very first painting on canvas, “Star Wars Disco in the Garden”.
We all had a grand time hanging out, talking, drinking, and painting. Brandon made it back to the house also in 1.5 hours.
This morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed to go pick up Brandon’s coworker Erik and his roommate from LAX. It was looking to be a good morning. A beautiful day to drive down the EMPTY LOS ANGELES FREEWAYS!!!!! Until Erik’s roommate broke the news about Steve Irwin. That sort of put a stop into the celebration of the glorious Monday holiday for me.
We have been just hanging out at the house all afternoon. I watched plenty of TV, including “Shutter”, a Thai horror flick that I think, like another Asian horror, will be remade for American audience. Though most of it was a lot of “Boo!” and creepy bloody ghost story, it was the ending that is still stuck in my head! I mean, the ending alone is worth watching the movie through. Oh, and of course, Ananda Everingham is quite yummy, like a Hapa Orlando Bloom.
Well, we’ll get out of the house eventually. When it’s cool enough to go for a walk. I need to walk out this little depressed feeling of losing Steve Irwin. I can’t believe I’m really getting upset over this!
It wasn’t really hard to sneak the alcohol into the Garden. Just so you know. I mean, I did bring the tequila in a hip flask,which Oaks and I discovered while still in my kitchen that hip-wearing it only really works if you’re wearing jeans. It slid down my little Indian wrap-around skirt like a kid going head-first on a slip’n’slide. (my mother always said they were too dangerous, so I just remember the commercials. But I’m sure one of you who had a more typical American childhood will remember the *swish-to-sudden-crash* effect. Of course Oakley and I were cracking up (we’re both lightweights and had already had some sangria) and when I got to the Garden I had to show the trick to the guys and some others as well. 🙂
But it was FUN! There’s no bonding like painting and drinking–especially when Oaks dipped into the wrong cup… and Brandon and I mutually did our best to get rid of the most precocious 5-year-old girl I’ve ever met. She’s just starting kindergarten tomorrow, yet she was totally comfortable walking up to complete strangers when I got my paints out (expensive PERMANENT PAINT that I wasn’t about to let her touch). She on the other hand was “painting” me and Oakley directly on our skin with the dry brushes, then showing Brandon and I how fast she can run (after she asked me what gym class I’m taking). (I pointed in a direction, said, “Run fast,” then didn’t watch while muttering “and don’t come back.” She stopped, looked, waited presumptiously for her congratulations. I said she did a good job and called her sweetheart when she got back and Justin looked up in response; then I had to explain that when I called kids at school sweetheart sometimes I was just trying not to call them something I’d have to give myself detention for saying. Anyway, I gave her butcher paper as long as she is tall, showed her where the chalk was, and told the Garden owners to keep her. Never did meet her mom. While we were walking to the shack to get the chalk, she kept going, kinda out into the street, and I didn’t have the heart not to call her back into the Garden… that’s the only proof I have that I meant no evil.
It’s just that story hour is Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. I can do that. Drunken-painting with grown-up (relatively) 😉 friends is at nighttime.
There’s a reason we don’t have kids. It’s so that we can go to a party and not have to talk to them if we don’t want to–that’s how borrow kids work.
My mother would have died before she let me wear adorable all purple (including the bubble gum) and talk to strangers and mess with their stuff without at least introducing herself to the adults first.
Of course, this girl will probably end up far more well adjusted than I am.
She probably owns a purple slip-n-slide.
Oh yes Steve Irwin.. I mean I didn’t know him in person, or even religiously watch his shows but somehow losing him is like losing a family member. His image was always this daredevil guy who would never die..
I like what you wrote here: Unfortunately, just like many things else I picked up in my life, the more I put my effort into it, that “talent” part seems to disappear. I know that feeling. When I like something, I pour myself into it just to find out later I’m so not good at it.
Advertising anyone?? Just realised it in my senior year. How sad.
Dude – Star Wars Disco in the Garden? Great band name!