The bonfire began with "Que Sera" by Wax Tailor and ended with "Wash the Day" by TV on the Radio. Kind of a fitting pair of song titles for the first bonfire hosted by myself. Though I like to think that the bonfires are creatures with their own two legs, I felt the responsibility of holding this bonfire's hands and making sure it didn't walk itself into any sharp corners. It was a different feeling, not a bad feeling, and I was admittedly high and drunk by the time the bonfire really picked up, so I felt pretty good anyhow, but there was a change of atmosphere without Jenny around that I wasn't entirely pleased with, but adapted to. Jenny says she's worried we're becoming co-dependent. I just know she's leaving for South Korea in September and until then I really don't mind spending as much time with her as possible because someday soon she'll be out of reach, so my goal is to overdose on love for now. Anyway, the bonfire still happened and it was still fun.
Paul came over a bit earlier to hang out and talk about his off-and-then-on girlfriend situation and the unhealthy conversational habits people have and then we watched videos he'd filmed out near Tracy and stuff he'd posted online. We wandered over to Chipotle for chips and guacamole at some point after he showed me how to roll a joint and we discussed the value of doing something you enjoy repeatedly so that you hone the skill (we're talking about writing and filming, specifically). Basically we need to write a short screenplay and make a little film and if we don't do that this summer then we oughtta be ashamed of ourselves.
Speaking of summer, it's actually hot outside.
It was hot during the bonfire, too, and the addition Iven brought to the fire-pit might've deterred people from sticking around for long. He brought the metal barrel from the inside of a washing machine, which, when filled with wood and set to blaze, harnesses all the heat and allows for some epic flames. I was worried the christmas lights draped overhead were going to melt. All the chairs were pulled back a few feet from their usual ring around the pit. It was too much heat for a warm summer night. My bad. I didn't know.
So there was Paul, Iven, Juj and Murphy, Shaun, Jenn, and then Shaun and I went to get more beer and he told me about his novel idea for a novel, and when we were out I got a call from Aly who I told to holler at the guests we left behind because they'd let her in. Back with beer, we discovered that the crowd had nearly doubled because Aly brought two other friends, Shama ("Like llama," she said) and Isobel, who apologized for having allergies. We started talking about the good facets of living in Midtown and our current ambitions. The new faces seemed happy to know that gatherings like this existed and, for that reason alone, I felt like the bonfire was a success. Afterward, we sat around and drank and watched "El Angel Exterminador" on silent to the soundtrack of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ratatat. Drew came down for a bit. Dave came to hang out with Juj. David and Laura came with their friend and idled near the bench with their homemade alcoholic beverage that tasted like Mexico. Nick and Ashley came later with Nick's sister and her boyfriend, but they didn't stay long because they had plans to go to Rick's Diner for late-night dessert. The neatest part was probably seeing Margo, another old friend from middle-school, and finding out where her life went after Churchill--to Southern California, then the State Capitol, and now she's a lobbyist of some sort and living in Midtown. So everyone did their thing and conversation was good and gradually the crowd dwindled down to just Iven, Juj, Dave and me and I remember a conversation about the nonexistence of M Street, then they left and Iven and I walked over to Spin Burger to find out they were closed and then returned to the backyard to watch a little bit of "Stay" on the projector before getting tired and he left and I went to bed.
A few hours earlier I almost got hit by a van while crossing N Street on the way to drop my application to Medi-Cal in the mailbox. A woman commented, "Good thing you're quick on your feet." Though I hopped out of the way when I realized the driver wasn't stopping, it would've been ironic if I'd been run over with my medical insurance application in my hand.
Last night, after dinner with family at Shoki Ramen, the night was still young and Jenny and I went out to see "Midnight in Paris," which was pretty good and especially interesting for us English majors and Francophiles addicted to the idea of living in sight of the Eiffel Tower. Afterward we bought some wine and bread to get wrapped up in our writing, but got wrapped up in each other instead.
C'est la vie.
Today I also re-wrote the start of my new story idea. I watched another forty-five minutes of "American Gangster." I e-mailed my aunt answers to some questions about her menu for the coffee-shop she's opening in Creekside's old location, which she's calling Red Bike Cafe. Jenny got some new plants and herbs from the co-op that we need to plant in the garden. She dropped them off after work before heading out to see her family before they departed for Montana the next morning. For dinner I grabbed a sandwich from Mr. Pickles and went on a little photo walkabout to pass the time and enjoy the sunny afternoon. I saw Claudia and found out she snagged an interview with Old Soul and since Shaun put in his one-month-notice, I wonder if she'd end up working in the Alley. Her husband, Joshua, keeps forgetting to bring me "The War For Late Night." Speaking of Shaun and his one-month-notice, it will be sad to see him go but I can tell it's starting to really sink in for him, this feeling of standing at the edge of a diving board that looks a lot higher once you're on it. And, lastly, Kat had her baby yesterday and Max sent me a photo and it's a girl and she looks healthy and adorable, so congratulations.
- Left to Fry
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