I went home and wrapped presents until it was time to get in the car and drive to Chicago.
In Chicago, at 11 PM (which is actually midnight our time) we went to see a truly awful but very funny musical called The True Deadliest Game of Death: A Kung Fu Musical . We were both really glad we went, and it was hysterically funny. It was an interesting theatre-going experience, though. First of all, the theatre turned out to be a little black box (and I mean LITTLE) above a convenience store in a rather frightening area of town. We spent about 45 minutes just driving around looking for a parking place. We thought we were getting there just barely in time for the show, but as it turned out, the 11 PM start time was mostly just a suggestion. The actors showed up after we did, and the box office guy flirted gratuitously with a young woman for about a half hour before deciding to sell tickets. That was okay, though, since there was about a 9X12 area with ratty old dorm-couches for us to stand around in. My living room has a ratty old couch, so I felt right at home.
As Forest pointed out, theatre people are theatre people, whether you're in the woods in Meridian Township or over a convenience store in Chicago. There was the faded beauty queen, painted with thick layers of makeup over her wrinkles, with dyed platinum hair, and the low raspy, over-dramatic voice, speaking in hushed tones with the small, quick, obviously gay man next to her. (I'm not being prejudiced. The man was wearing the rainbow flag, okay?) There were many people dressed exclusively in black. The actors were hugging each other and bubbly on their way in, each lugging a costume, and all already wearing their makeup. The producer was flitting about looking for the "Sound Girl", who didn't turn up until it was a half hour past curtain time.
The show was the story of how Jenny Quick-Kick, trained in the "Way of the Frog" (Ribbit Ribbit) conquered Dr. Deth in the name of her temple. It was terrible! There were people in the cast who still didn't know their lines, and it was closing night of their run. We sat in the front row, and literally had swords flying within inches of our faces, which was somewhat discomfitting. Overall, the show was funny, but we would like to see it done with martial artists. There were a couple of folks there with stage combat training, and they weren't that bad. The score also needed some work, but there was one really good song, performed by the villains. It was actually sort of a rap, and quite funny.
After the show, we celebrated the fact that we were still in one peice by going to Clarke's for coffee. It was 3 AM when we got there, after walking many many blocks on the freezing Chicago streets, and once I got inside, I warmed up and really started to feel tired. Forest wasn't in great shape, either, but we managed to be cordial company until about 5 AM (6 our time) when we had to go to bed.
Wayne's cats made one desperate attempt to play with us and pounce on us, and were denied so quickly that they gave up with a snooty-cat swish of their tails, and were gone. Of course I couldn't sleep past 10 AM, and waited around while everyone else snored, admiring Wayne's apartment. He shares it with his brother, Keith, and Keith's girlfriend Kitty. It's got two bedrooms, and is in an older building (probably about the same age as my house - 1920) in a very strange semi-Goth, semi-Gay, semi-Rich area. Keith has been pretty creative with decorating it, and it turned out really neat-looking. The front room is a violet-purple color, ceilings and walls. There's a beautiful built-in wall unit on the entire far wall, done in white woodwork that matches the crown mouldings on the ceiling. The old fireplace section of it has been replaced with a big chalkboard, which is interesting in itself, and the whole front of the room is comprised of tall windows. Keith's attention to detail when painting is awesome, there's not so much as a drop out of place. He even painted the curtain rods white and purple.
I don't like the paint in the hallway as much. It's off-white, with school-bus yellow trim. The bathroom, however, is bright tree-frog green, which white woodwork, and a Winnie-the-Pooh shower curtain in the ancient, deep, claw-footed tub. The dining room, which is where Forest and I sleep when we stay there, is painted bright blue, again with white trim, and has a huge bay window at one end, and a beautiful white wall unit at the other. I've never really been in the kitchen, since I don't think any of the apartment's residents ever cook. We always eat out when we're there, anyway.
So around 10:30 am Keith's Alarm Clock started going off, and around 11:30 AM Keith turned Keith's Alarm Clock off, and we cleaned up and headed for a late breakfast. After another icy walk, it was decided that rather than hike around the Mile to shop for Christmas presents, we would drive to Water Tower Place, and then hit FAO Schwartz and hope for the best. The goal was to get all of Kirstin's shopping done, since she is coming over tomorrow, and will be omnipresent for the rest of the week. We shopped until the sun was down, and then kept shopping. I knew pretty much what we were looking for, and we were just lucky enough to find most of it. She's getting a really cool Where the Wild Things Are game, a Quigon Jinn light saber, a couple of books, and some PJs, in addition to the other things we had already picked out for her. The only thing we couldn't find (even at FAO Schwartz!!!) was a little set of dolls for her dollhouse. I figure the house has about 11-inch ceilings, which would make a Barbie look too tall... I'd like to find something in proportion, I guess. Forest is going to take on the mission, and hopefully find something at Toys R Us.
By the time we finished shopping it was 8 Chicago time, and Keith had actually started to worry about us. We all had a rushed dinner at Nookie's, which is really yummy food, and then hit the road for Lansing. By the time we dropped Wayne and Keith at their Mom's it was midnight, and we didn't get home and in bed until after 1. This morning I was such a slug that I was late for work!
Time is running short, and as it is I will have to take Kirstin shopping at least once this week, because we still have to shop for my grandma and my step-mom. I really hope I'm not forgetting anyone.
This is a blow-off week at work. Half of the people I work with are either out on bereavement leave or off for the holidays. There's no real point of my being here this week, but at least it's a short one. The office is closed on Thursday and Friday, and we're out on Tuesday afternoon for an office Christmas party at my boss's house.
Forest is working insane amounts this week, and I'm starting to worry a little bit about him. He's reassured me that Christmas is just a rough time of year when he's waiting tables in the mall, and I'm sure that's true. He just hasn't taken an hour to himself in weeks, and it's started to fry him a bit. The whole ride to and from Chicago he was either zoned or sleeping. I'm hoping we can come up with some time by hook or by crook this week, during which he can chill out. He has all these other things he wants to do, though, and says Christmas Eve will be relaxation enough. He wants to spend an evening with his brother, another one with Wayne, get my gifts wrapped while I'm not looking, and game with our friends. I need him to help me assemble Kirstin's dollhouse. He wants to clean our house together since A: it needs it, and B: we're having guests.
But at the same time he's working Monday and Tuesday until 5, and Wednesday and Thursday until 8, and Friday until 6. I don't think there are enough hours in the day to do all the things he wants and get some down-time in. I feel guilty, because I have all of my evenings and Thursday and Friday off. I really *should* clean the house myself while he's out, it would make sense, but I know he feels like he should keep up his end of things anyway. I'm also being horribly selfish, and wishing we had some time together as a couple, aside from all the large group things we have planned. This weekend the longest we were alone (and both awake) together was a 5-minute walk to pick up the van.
I come from a previous relationship of being told constantly that I asked for too much time and didn't leave enough space. I'm gut-level terrified that my being honest with Forest and telling him all these things (which I did last night) is going to push him away, or make him feel confined or pressured, or resentful. Of course he says I'm fine, and reassured me, and I trust him to tell me if I ask for too much, or if he needs some time off. It's just going to take me a while to stop reflexively worrying about it.
I just have to remind myself that this weekend, even when he was half-zoned, really tired, and busy with friends and shopping and all, he still took time to tell me he loved me often, to hold my hand and kiss me, and made me feel really good. He still smiled when I touched him, snuggled with me gratuitously, and welcomed my affections.
As he told me, everything is okay. I really don't need to be such a 'fraidy cat. It's odd that being busy would scare me like this.
