We have revised the official dates of the ban. It will technically begin today, April 20th 2004 and end at the stroke of midnight on Sunday May 30th... Nora and I will throw a huge party to celebrate &/or just go to MotherFucker & get all crazy-like.

Okay... the weekend update with special bonus Monday write-up (okay not really, stay tuned for the Monday report, most likely late Tuesday or early wednesday... the weekend took too damn long).

FridayI went to Rothko for the christening of a new night, "Socialism" - which doubled as Alex English's birthday party. I got there much later than the free beer, which was sad. I didn't really know anyone & the few people I recognized we're people who normally talk to me, so I settled into my corner with my beer & waited for Audrey & Dennis - who were along in just a few short minutes. We talked a little bit, made our way through the packed crowd, and took in the vastness that is the newly (possibly not entirely) finished space. It's so enormous - and the stage is just crazy deep... if the acoustics were worked out correctly, I'd say it has the makings of a DAMN fine venue. I watched some friends of friends do some absolutely hysterical tongue-in-cheek interpretive dancing. And then I went to explore downstairs... Well, while waiting on line for the only functioning toilet I had another of my "episodes" (former episodes in most recent order: Interpol at Hammerstein, q& not U @ Northsix, RH @ Giants Stadium) I started seeing the spots, my vision went to tunnel, my hearing went to mono/underwater & I could barley stand. I felt vaguely nauseated, but didn't vomit. I sat down on the couch until my vision cleared up, then made my apologies/goodbyes to Audrey & got the hell out of there. Fresh Air & water made me feel a ton better & I drove on home. /night

SaturdaySo UNbelievably gorgeous out ALL night long. First off, mini-shopping spree. New jeans, size 12, can hardly contain my squeals of joy. Haven't bought size 12 jeans since I was... um, 19? Sweet Jesus, it's like a whole new me - and quite frankly? Taking a little getting used to. I was feeling SO divine that I decided to go all out Valley Of The Dolls... big sex kitten hair, false lashes, the whole 9 yards. Went to pick up Ashley in Midtown, suffered through much traffic AND a crazy TaxiCab on fire to get to Misshapes. Kind of different from the last few I'd been too... maybe the warm weather draws out a different crowd? I mean, there was Greg & Leigh of course, a few of the Inmen & Carlos + entourage, but few other familiar faces & a whole lot of randoms. Not to mention that whichever dj was on was playing a limited amount of what I would consider "danceable tunes", so Ash & moseyed our way on over to Opaline to see if Sarah was still around, possibly holding court with friendly faces... The bouncer Allllllmost tuned us away as it was nearly three, but decided we were too cute to keep out. I heard "Burning Up" pumping on the dance floor & RAN to the dj booth expecting to find Ultra & instead finding... no one? It was empty, and Sarah was nowhere to be found. But the hits kept on coming and Ash & I were tempted to the dance floor. The we started to see "the naked people" or rather - various people in various stages of undress. At first there was just "bathing suit guy" an incredibly well built light-skinned black guy in the tiniest blue spandex trunks you've ever seen & flip flops - looked like a lifeguard at gay-fantasy camp. Then there was "Risky Business guy" in, it seemed, just an oxford & his shoes. Then we started noticing an abnormal amount of guys walking around in their boxers? And then there was a girl pulling on her jeans in one corner... and then there was Naked Girl. Not actually naked, but thoroughly disturbing... wearing matching off-white bra & boy-cut panties, not a bad body - but not a knock out... the KILLER was that she was wearing her underwear with these black stacked heels & a black leather shoulder bag tucked under her arm. It was completely bizarre, like the accessories didn't belong without the rest of the outfit - or really, because it made her look like she didn't realize she wasn't actually WEARING the rest of her outfit. Totally creeped me out - very Emperor's New Clothes. Anyhow. Got hit on by a couple of the (very few) straight guys in the club, had my beer knocked out of my hand by the flailing limb of a VERY drunk boy, and ran into Sarah leaving as we were having a ciggy. She loved my hair :o) I adore that she always has a compliment for me every time I see her, she's seriously the sweetest like that. Also, Sarah thought I should have bigger false eyelashes... like the 4" kind so that I can use them to say hello in Morse code or something - I'm thinking about it. lol. Somewhere just after 4 I took my leave of Ashley & Opaline and made my weary way home.

SundayI tackled a mountain of laundry & eventually made my way down to Dennis & Scott's third residency date at Pianos. Magic Mirror saw: Audrey, Amy, Nick, Justin, and Jacob Surefire, Matt GoStation, Sarah, Will Realistics, much of Asobi Seksu, a couple of The Blondes, Inc., and a bunch more folks who looked familiar and /or I'm forgetting at the moment. Got there just in time, found me a cozy spot on the couch, ordered up a Shiraz & settled into another beautiful set by the newly christened "Sons of Sound". I like the name - i think it fits well. And Dennis damn near made me cry a few times. Well, maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the wildly fluctuating hormones. Maybe it was the myriad of things running through my mind all weekend that finally came to a head with one specific imputes. Hung around a little afterwards, the Surefire boys wanted to know where my "posse" were. LOL So, apparently I have a "posse" now. Which is funny because I'd say normally, I'm out alone. But I guess Nora and I have been spending an awful lot of time together lately... and then there's usually some combination of George, Steve, Nicole &/or Kasey - just didn't know I'd been appointed the role of leader. I'm gonna go out on a limb & say it's because I have a car. lol. It just makes me seem like I'm social director. Anyhow. Drove Justin home - who does NOT live on the UES, but on the UWS. Have I mentioned before how hysterical he is? 'Cause really? He is. It seriously kills me that the Surefire boys are going to grow up & get damaged and turn out just like all the rest of the boys ::sigh:: Can't they all stay so sweet and guileless, so trusting and optimistic forever?