Cape cape cape

Last month my friend, Shana, held her annual birthday cape party bar crawl. This was the fifth time she’s held it and the second time I’ve attended.

Whenever I tell people I’m going to a cape party they are always perplexed. Which I don’t really understand. Who says only superheroes and children can wear capes? Why wouldn’t you want to gather a group of friends and day drink whilst wearing a cape?

It was so much fun. Even though I only made it for a few hours and 3 bars due to extreme exhaustion leftover from brother’s wedding festivities and travelling.

We started in the party room at Shana's apartment building for sandwiches, cupcakes, and drinks.

Then we walked to the first bar. Walking down the street, as a group, wearing capes, really should be experienced by every one at some point in life.

The first bar we attracted the attention of several kids, which is always fun.

Pit stop on the way to the second bar to pet the doggie. Such a good doggie.

At the second bar everyone engaged in some beer pong. I subbed in for a round and drank water.

The third bar was farther away so some raced and some, like those in high heels, ambled. As we got closer, one caper spotted a fellow caper dancing in the road, and skipped to join him. You just have to love it.

The third bar brought another drinking game which I was terrible at. Ping pong balls are just too light and too hard to aim.

The third bar is also where I became the Wearer of The Worst. Shana had buttons that we all put funny sayings and titles on and one was The Worst. Shana got it for buying a round of drinks, Christian got it for yawning, and I got it for being the last to walk in the bar.

My costume was one I had thought of in January: Superstorm Hurricane Sandy from Grease.

Sadly, pretty much no one got it without explanation. They thought I was a lego, a dice, or that I was just supporting equality. Which is ok, because I do support equality.

My hair was nuts to start and then feel steadily throughout the day, of course. Since it required me to sleep with my hair all pinned up, it also may have had something to do with my exhaustion.

I'm sad this is the last year Shana will be doing this, but have no doubt she'll have something equally if not more ridiculous and fun next year. As she said in her thank you email afterward, it's just so nice to have people in your life who will willingly and happily don capes for you. Friends are good like that.

Celebrate Good Times

Way back in November one of my best friends got engaged! So then way back in December we went out to hang out and celebrate, of course.

This is B with a glass of Prosecco and the engagement card I got her.

She liked that the card matched our drinks. I like that she let me try on her ring. So shiny!

Perhaps because we were celebrating such an important occasion. Perhaps because we hadn't hung out for a month. (Gasp!) Perhaps because we just tend to get a little silly when we go out. But whatever the reason, the night took us from a restaurant to a hotel to a bar, plotting and laughing and chatting (and drinking) all the way.

We ended up at Hotel Monaco, which for some reason we gravitate toward.

Where we like to take silly pictures in the bathroom mirror and anywhere else that strikes our fancy. (Like this chair.)

We were both hating life a bit the next day, but you only get engaged once, hopefully, so I think it was worth it.

Confession of the Week

"Drunk Bonnie is an oracle."

-Gloria

Last week, I was mildly panicking about meeting my two favorite bloggers next month at their book signing and had this IM conversation with Gloria:

G: But there will be wine!
B: Oh, yeah, because Drunk Bonnie makes great decisions.
G: Drunk Bonnie is an oracle.

This made me laugh so much. I guarantee the next time Drunk Bonnie makes an appearance she will tell everyone she is an oracle.

(Parents: I'm a grown up and I'm not embarrassed for you to know these things. But if you want to skip this next part that's totally fine.)

Because I don't believe in being ashamed of my mistakes, a few things that Drunk Bonnie has done:

• Called, e-mailed, texted, and tweeted at everyone she's ever known. Twice. Or 40 times.
• Fell down in front of a cop and declared, "It's ok, I fall when I'm sober!"
• Blurted out things.
• PDA all over the place.
• Explained the football metaphor to her boss. (Don't ask.)
• Cried in a restaurant bathroom and had the manager follow her in to make sure she was alright.
• Accused a certain Duke basketball player of being a homosexual. (Only to his face on the TV but, still, Sober Bonnie doesn't do that.)
• Re-formatted her computer after it got a virus. (Really, that happened.)

Things I Learned This (Last) Weekend

This is a long one. But since it took me so long to get it up here, I think that should be ok.

I really should join a country club.
They're just so pretty.

Nothing is better than a day off from work with mimosas and family.
Especially when you add in the amazing food, location, company, laughs, craziness, etc.

 
Slightly better than mimosas with family: Lounging on a piano.
Yep, this happened. Cross it off the list.

My aunts and mom throw a great luncheon.
Something I already learned, but worth repeating.

It is possible to spend less than 10 minutes in Ikea.
When all you have to get is a wedding centerpiece. (But it's not very fun.)

Little cousins make the best trampoline jumping companions.
"Tell Bonnie to meet me on the trampoline." (Mason)
Gosh, I love trampolines. And my little cousins.

Shopping at Belk during the back-to-school sales can yield some amazing deals.
A $50 Fossil wallet for $12? Yes, please!

Sitting on legs for half an hour while transporting wedding soup is more than worth it.
Not that there was ever any question that there is anything I wouldn't do for wedding soup.

 
My family throws one heck of a beautiful wedding.
And my cousin makes a beautiful and happy bride.

I suck at cornhole.
And the 7-year-old cousin took great pleasure in beating me. As he should.

Every wedding, no every day, should have a photo booth.
Yes, I went through 4 times. No, that was not the record. (coughgraycough)

If you start dancing (to the truly horrible "Single Ladies") during the bouquet toss, you will "lose focus" and have lots of family members (fake) yelling at you.
To be fair, I did lose focus. And also to be fair, it's not my fault a darn 10-year-old caught it.

It's a miracle anyone in my family ever gets married. In 7 steps.
1. Young man asks cousin how old I am. She tells him I wouldn't be interested.
2. Aunt 1 asks young man to ask me to dance. (I may have also played a role in this.)
3. Whilst dancing with young man, Aunt 1 comes and takes our picture. (To be fair, she was the wedding photographer.)
4. Whilst dancing, Aunt 2 comes and takes our drink because Mom said we looked awkward.
5. Whilst dancing, Uncle comes and threatens young man.
6. Still whilst dancing, cousin's new husband threatens young man. With some sort of army knife. (To be fair, he is in the military.)
7. Still whilst dancing, I warn young man that the people gathered in the back are all my family and that they're all watching. Closely.
But I also re-learned that my family is hilarious and it's nice to have people looking out for me. For now.

Sonic claims they stay open until 1 a.m., but I believe they sense when tipsy ladies pull in and turn off their lights.
Not that this happened to me or any family member I know.

If you're going to drink too much, it's nice to have a mom and aunts to help you. And laugh at you.
Again, not that this happened to anyone I know.

Fire ants are straight from hell.
Again, something I knew before but just had it driven home yet again. Whilst running around the grounds barefoot, I got bit. It really, really sucks. (They didn't start hurting until the next day but wow, once they did, I had to work from home for two days because the itching made sleep and shoes nearly impossible.)

Airplanes sometimes suck.
I have had many issues on flights over the years with the air pressure messing with my head so I get all foggy and then feel like I'm going to pass out or vomit. This happened coming home, which combined with a slight hangover and the solid half hour of turbulence, meant I nearly cried once we landed. And spent the rest of Sunday trying to regain my equilibrium.

I love my family more than anything. (ALL my family, even though pictures below are just immediate.)
Again, I learned this years ago, but it's worth repeating. Again and again.

Things I Learned This Weekend

(It's too late for this but it was such an out-of-the-ordinary weekend, for so many reasons, I can't not write about it. Even if it's longer and vaguer than usual.)

To stop. Drinking. Sangria.
I should count how many times I've "learned" this. (And should also probably note I had it again Sunday.)

There are not enough words for how great it is to have the company of a good friend after a bad night.
Have I mentioned how awesome my friends are? Oh, I have? And I should shut up about it? Yeah, not going to happen.

And a nice stranger lady in the ladies room is really great, too.
Long story, not that interesting, but if you work in the same place for 4.5 years and frequent the same places, people remember you. And care.

Sometimes it's worth it to spring for the long cab ride.
No explanation needed.

Especially when you arrive at a restaurant minutes before a crazy storm hits.
For real.

That a "derecho" is a crazy, scary, out-of-nowhere storm I hope to never experience again. 
I'd rather have a hurricane any day. (No jinx.)

Tree on car at end of my street.

Sometimes it's also worth it to spring for a cab ride when the power at the metro station is out and there are port-a-potties in the middle of the road.
Also no explanation needed.

Blessed: Living in a building with power when all the buildings around you are without.
And there are power lines tangled in the tree in front of your building. But still there was power. BLESSED!

Power lines tangled in tree.

Spending a Saturday at the pool alone is fine, but spending it with a friend is even more fine. 
As is eating veggies and chatting in the AC afterward.

These are from my book club dinner
I made last week, but I wanted to share.
Aren't they pretty?

Forget running errands, even walking errands in 100 degree heat is too much.
Especially if your usual, shaded route is closed due to damage.

Favorite route: closed

My tendency to get ready too early comes in handy when a fire alarm forces you out of your building.
Random fire alarm at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Grr...

Fire trucks!

Channing Tatum is an amazing dancer. And as odd as it was, I'm grateful for two wonderful girlfriends to have seen "Magic Mike" with.

The U.S.A. women's (and probably men's) gymnastics team is going to be amazing.
And my new favorite is Gabby Douglas. But I still love Nastia and will remember her for all her previous accomplishments, not that last stumble.

Things I Learned This Weekend

Baseball games can't be played in torrential downpour with threats of tornadoes and hail.
I had tickets to the Nats v. Braves game through my work on Friday night. Sadly, it rained like crazy Friday afternoon, evening, and night, with tornadoes and hail around the area. Of course, they didn't actually cancel the game until my friends and I were already at the stadium because that's just how it goes.

Storm damage in B's neighborhood

I make it rain.
Of the 5 Nats games I've been to through work, 4 times there has been some sort of rain delay or cancellation. I go again in a few weeks, so we'll see what happens then.

Dinner and drinks with girlfriends is the perfect way to forget cancelled plans and a long, stressful Friday.
As much as I hate baseball, I was really looking forward to a night at the ballpark with my girlfriends. Luckily, they weren't only interested in baseball, and we all had dinner and drinks at a fusion restaurant on Barracks Row. 

Mixing groups: Carolina girls and book club girls.

When deciding between walking home in the rain or having another drink, you should probably just walk home in the rain.
Because that last drink will make you entirely too happy. After dinner, B and I went to the 18th Amendment bar on Pennsylvania Ave. Despite us living just a few blocks from there for 2 years, and B still living near there, we'd never been. But how can you not want to visit a bar named after the Prohibition amendment? (Especially considering the 25-page paper I wrote on it in college. The amendment, not the bar.)

Happy

Doing work on the weekend is much better when you can make it a "work date" with a friend.
I met my friend/coworker for lunch on Saturday at Panera and then we each did work. Normally, when I do work on the weekends, I spend hours putting it off. But setting a time to do it and with my friend beside me, it was almost fun. 

Tiffany's really is just a happy place.
And they'll clean your Tiffany-purchased jewelry for free while "you browse for as long as you'd like." (And browsing is all I did, thank you.)

Playhouses are a bit different nowadays.
While in Friendship Heights on Saturday, I came across a scene of playhouses being auctioned for charity. While they aren't quite as cool as the one my dad built my brother and I -- which was on top of our swing set and had a 2-story slide -- these did come pretty close.

The worst way to end the weekend is with an all-day headache.
I had a bad headache on Sunday and didn't do much as a result. Until it finally went away around 8, of course, and I tried to cram in all the cleaning and doing I didn't do earlier in the day.

There's only one episode of Mad Men left.
And I just don't know what to do.

Cape Party

About a month ago, my friend Shana held a cape party bar crawl for her birthday. She has done this for several years but this was the first year I've been able to attend. Why a cape party? In the words of Shana, "Why not?" And I have to say that I now agree. I generally despise anything that might attract attention, but this was so fun and so different, it was ok.

Work ladies: Shana the birthday girl, me, and Gloria.

Despite knowing about the party for months, I didn't make my cape until the night before. I already had the leopard fabric and Gloria -- the dachshund-becaped lady above -- got me bias tape for the binding. I added a ribbon drawstring and a brooch and voila.

Yes, I set the timer on my camera to get a pic of the cape.
And yes, I tipsily took a pic of my "bling" to
prove to one of my friends that I did indeed have "bling."

 Then I accessorized with some "bling" and heels and was good to go. (And despite walking and dancing for 8 hours in the heels, I was fine. And didn't fall once. Probably because in addition to the walking and dancing there was also ample drinking.)

We hit up five bars in Bethesda, attracting curious looks, yes, but also lots of smiles and fun questions. We talked, danced, played flip cup, broke some glasses, and just had a generally good time.

I don't feel right posting a lot of pictures since only one person in these reads my blog. But I'll post just a few.

A Viking, a Rage Against the Machine album cover,
Super Tuesday, Dachshund Lady, Horses Man, Blank Man,
Evel Knievel, Darkwing Duck, and Supergirl

Second bar

Flip cup

Yet another bar

Things I Learned This Weekend

Sangria really is my kryptonite.
Technically, I learned this many years ago. But I re-learn it in each time I have sangria. Usually it makes me Talky McTalkerson, but Friday it made me Sleepy McSleeperson and I took a long nap when I got home. But I just can't resist those alcohol-soaked fruit bits.
 
I should have started painting pottery years ago.  
Even though I'm terribly indecisive and not artistic, it was still a lot of fun -- and worth the 90 minute wait -- to paint some pottery with the roomie. She did a door tile for her new niece and I did a flower pot. (I'll post more pictures once we get the pieces back.) 




Ice T and Coco are the cutest couple ever. 
And she's surprisingly old-fashioned, leading me to believe I shouldn't stereotype.

A travel coffee mug can serve as a cocktail shaker in a pinch.  
The roomie came across some liquor of unknown origin and date when putting our kitchen back together. While she cleaned, I ran out and picked us up some fruit punch to mix with the pineapple rum. We are not liquor drinkers and had to do some serious improvising. This included making crushed ice using a plastic bag of ice and a rolling pin; a shot glass given to me by my brother and never previously used for liquor; and a travel coffee mug turned cocktail shaker and strainer. The result was a surprisingly good and drinkable liquored drink.

Midnite on a Saturday is a good time to do laundry.
I got a second wind around 11 and this included washing all the sheets we used to cover our kitchen stuff. I just hope the people in the apartments beside our laundry room don't hate me.

It is possible to sob at a Saturday Night Live sketch.
 Kristen Wiig’s farewell dance and song really got to me. And I wasn’t even a huge fan of hers on the show. I played the clip on Hulu in the background all day so I could hear Arcade Fire’s covers. So beautiful. 

Brunch with girlfriends is a great start to a Lazy Sunday (2).
I had a late brunch/early lunch with the ladies at Lauriol Plaza. We hadn’t been in a year, which is a shame as they have some of the best Mexican food and margaritas in the city. And it was even more appropriate given the Lazy Sunday 2 ode to brunch that aired the night before.



French toast and margaritas go surprisingly well together.
Yes, I ordered French toast at a Mexican restaurant. I couldn’t resist!



Drinking margaritas at 1 leads to a 2-hour nap at 4.
And being wide awake at 12.

Things I Learned This Weekend

Updated because I forgot one.


Nothing ruins a Friday like the death of a Beastie Boy.
I'm honestly still in shock that MCA is dead. Beastie Boys don't die--they rhyme and steal, they fight for the right. They were the first rap group I ever listened to and the first CD I ever owned with a "parental advisory." He will be missed.

There's always something new to see at the National Cathedral.
For the third time I went to the National Cathedral Flower Mart. I'll write more about it later this week (and the Cape Party I mentioned I last week) but it was so nice to be on the Cathedral grounds. This year I walked through the gardens and a wooded trail, which I didn't know existed, and just smiled the whole time. I love the city but I'm still a country girl at heart.

Eli Manning + Saturday Night Live = Hilarious

As much as I love Eli, I was worried about him hosting this week since he's so quiet and shy. However, he blew me away and I laughed until my face was numb. Highlight: The portion of the Madden motion capture sketch where they ask him to fake throw a grenade. Also, everything else.

Dressing for The Kentucky Derby is fun. (And the race is ok, too.)

One of my friends has a Derby party every year and this year I went. It was a double party, a Derby Fiesta if you will, since it was also Cinco de Mayo. The occasion required a fascinator, of course, which I put together with some flowers from a cheap Forever 21 headband and another headpiece I already had.

 
What the occasion didn't require, but that I purchased anyway, was a very Donna Reed but also very Derby dress for $24 from Forever 21. I'm in love.

Mint Juleps are gross.

And very strong. I probably only had the equivalent of 4 tablespoons and could still feel it starting to take hold. This is why I don’t drink liquor.

Betting is fun when you only lose $3.

Everyone bet $1 per horse. I placed my money on Creative Cause, Rousing Sermon, and Sabercat. I didn't win.

A room full of intelligent, educated adults can't handle even the thought of the death scene in "The Lion King."
After the Derby, my friend channel surfed for something to watch. We all agreed that "The Lion King" would be good, as long as we didn't see the Mufasa death and Simba tugging on his ear scenes. She kept checking back every few minutes, and at one point it was right on the stampede scene, and every adult in the room gasped or screamed as my friend scrambled to change the channel. Crisis averted.


Even screaming can't ruin a good night's sleep. 
I slept for about 12 hours on Saturday night. I also had dream after dream after dream. None were nightmares, per se, but two resulted in me yelling and waking myself up as a result. (I know the first time I yelled "Help!" and the second time I just yelled.) Luckily, I didn't wake up the roommate or neighbors. Or if I did, they didn't say anything, so I'd rather not know. 

I can never buy another little black dress. 
I finally finished switching out my summer and winter clothes, sorting through clothes, reorganizing scarves and belts, and hanging up skirts and dresses even though they'll end up in a pile for most of the summer. I can't really buy any more clothing of any kind, but especially black dresses as I have…several. 

Having your kitchen in your living room is a real pain.
That's right, the contents of our kitchen are still in our living room. We're still seeing bugs and our complex told us if we still see them after a week, they'll come out and re-spray. So to avoid putting everything away and then taking it back out again, we're just leaving everything in the living room. You can imagine how much fun it is to try and put together a meal.

Things I Learned This Weekend

The ratio of marshmallows to oat pieces in Lucky Charms is still way off.
Someone left a small box of the cereal in the work kitchen and I had it for breakfast for the first time in a very long time on Friday morning.

 
There's a reason I don't buy potato chips and keep them in my apartment.
Because in three days I've ate all but a few handfuls of a bag of family-sized Utz potato chips. (To be fair, they were my dinner on Friday and my lunch on Sunday, so maybe it's not that bad.)

Everything is better with a cape.
One of my friend's celebrates her birthday each year with a cape party bar crawl where everyone wears a cape out and about. It was magnificent. More on this later this week.

Beer is gross.
And I don't understand how people drink it.

Bonnie + wine + Rihanna = dancing
I don't dance. Unless, apparently, a friend insists Rihanna isn't singing "birthday cake," but "birthday cape." And, obviously, if you're wearing a cape, you have no choice but to dance to this.

Bonnie + wine + Kanye = more dancing
He wasn't singing about a birthday cape, but it's Kanye, and I hate that I love him.

I need to stop buying fresh flowers. In the past two weeks I've spent $30 on flowers. In case you weren't aware, I'm not a Rockefeller*, so this needs to stop. 

Taking a three hour nap on Sunday and then sleeping easily on Sunday night means I was really, really tired.
And I shouldn't feel guilty about not getting much done yesterday.

There's nothing wrong with eating peanut butter straight out of the jar with a spoon.
And if there is, then I don't want to be right.

*At what point do we stop referencing a Rockefeller or Vanderbilt when talking about great wealth, and start referring to a Gates, Branson, or Buffett? Or do people already do that and I just insist on staying old school?