my weekend, in very short form

So my weekend was incredibly awesome.

First, there was snow, which I already rhapsodized about, so really, conceptualizing my religious experience with frozen water probably isn't needed again, but it's just. I can't get over it. I know it's ordinary, but I walked a cemetery blanketed in white and wait, let me do this in order.



Thursday our flight was late, but I got me and V to svmadelyn's without dying (orange to blue, I am that awesome, yes, and maybe her directions had something to do with it, fine). We arrived, we talked, we laughed, I fell unconscious.

Friday we did a walking tour of Chicago with svmadelyn narrating. We went to Millennium Park and felt like we walked most of downtown, saw Bloomingdales, went shopping (who is surprised I went shopping? No one, that's who) and then had dinner at House of Blues, which was incredibly awesome and also, delicious. Actually, lunch was even better--I can't remember the name of teh place, but it had the best chicken pot pie ever that also won points for presentation. Cold makes me hungry. I ate a lot. I am a big fan of eating when cold.

Saturday we went for cupcakes (I could write an essay on those cupcakes) and to Zola Jones, where the magical words "half price" was used, so we walked out with bags. I also got one for my mom. They are very awesome. We met frostfire_17 at the conservatory, went on a tasting tour while I did not in any way encourage any kind of really filthy Merlin porn though there's a chance I may have promised to write part 2 if she wrote part 1? I dunno. They gave us a lot of chocolate and coffee beans. God knows what I promised when I'm under the influence. After, we went to look at art and here is the thing on that. I do not really--I am not an art person. Call me uncultured, I am not artistic where I find meaning in paintings. However, the exception that proves the rule; I got completely obsessed with Salome being presented with the head of John the Baptist because one of the serving girls was looking off into the distance while everyone else was watching the woman who could dance for men's heads and it just completely frustrated me. Who the hell is she looking at? I, for one, would have my attention on the feet that launched an executioner's axe, so go figure. There were about four that caught my attention that I'm mulling googling.

You see, not artistic, but I do love a good story. I want to know why that girl wasn't afraid.

We made it to dinner with fangirls, and let me just say, that room was rocking the fannishness. frostfire_17, norabombay, domtheknight, nudaydreamer, talitha78, omnipresentdmat, everysecondtues, and kalpurna were all there and very present. They gave us a private room with a closed door, so we could go on about assbabies at the top of our lungs. It was pretty much the best dinner I've been to with fangirls, in which there were thoughts of the slash dragon aired and love of Merlin and marveling at Due South continuing to be interesting in very fandom-wank related ways and pretty much every topic you can imagine. There was also a ton of food. Frankly, I know it was over two hours but it felt like ten minutes tops. I was this close to wishing to convene a con on the spot and keep everyone there overnight for more. I wish I had cosmic powers now. Dammit.

Sunday, we went to brunch at Tweets and had a metric ton of food. Then we went to Graceland to mull the celebrations of lives lived and stand on a stone balcony to study a frozen lake. I don't think I've ever seen anything more beautiful. I don't know how to explain how it could feel so wondrous, but it was, draped in quiet white and letting us wander through flawless snow to read the stories of people written in marble and granite and stone like epistles, brief and beautiful and worth far more than a thousand words. I think it's my favorite place in Chicago.

and then there was pizza and then we came home and were really depressed we had to leave. So you know, utterly perfect weekend and all.

Will possibly add more to this when I am less hyper and remember more details. Suffice to say, I had a blast and I'm so, so thankful to everyone who came for dinner on Saturday because you are all amazing, seriously so.

Comments

[taraljc.livejournal.com]

I still have your leather coat....

And I'm so sorry I couldn't hang this week-end due to fail. But NEXT TRIP OMG.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

S'okay, I had svmadelyn and V to play with and awesome fangirls at dinner, so the trip was totally fantastic. I hope you had a good weekend! I'm wondering, after trying Tweeter, what Deluxe must be like, though. *curious*

[taraljc.livejournal.com]

Deluxe is a greasy spoon not far from where Celli and I live. It's totally exactly what you expect--kitchy without being Ed Debevick's fake kitch, you know? And Breakfast All Day. Mostly, it's where I can get eggs and bacon and pancakes for $6, which was, alas, all I could manage this week... BUT you can see for yourself, if you come early/stay late at VVC this year (and you can total raid all my Arthurian research materials). We have a waitress who is MADE OF AWESOME, and I hug her all the time.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

I think svmadelyn has plans for us for pre-VVC, so I'll check with her to see what she has in mind. It sounds fun, though.

[chopchica.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I'm so glad you had a great time!

[seperis.livejournal.com]

I totally did.

[chopchica.livejournal.com]

You were missed :)

[transtempts.livejournal.com]

Awww. Sounds like lots of fun.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

It totally was.

[shinetheway.livejournal.com]

I am so happy that your trip was the epitome of awesome. Chicago is such a fabulous town, I love it so much, and combined with fannishness? That's two great tastes that taste great together. (Although I'm running out of my love for snow this winter. [sigh] Stupid ice storms.)

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Snow is still a mystery to me, so it's this huge miracle to see so much! *glee*

[shinetheway.livejournal.com]

Don't get me wrong, I love snow. It's sort of enchanting, watching it fall out of the sky. I just hate the fact that it has to be cold to snow. [grins] If it could snow on balmy sunny 75-degree days, my life would be complete.

[marthawells.livejournal.com]

Yay, glad you had a great time!

[seperis.livejournal.com]

It was, in fact, deeply incredible. *nodnodnod*

[jamethiel]

... the due South thing puts me in danger of spraining my eye-rolling muscles. I'm glad you had a good time.

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Hey, that was freakishly awesome. I, for one, was kind of awed that this can continue over ten years later.

(It's like proof that fan wars never die. They just hibernate.)

[wonderlandkat.livejournal.com]

but where did you go for cupcakes?

[seperis.livejournal.com]

...I will have to ask Madelyn. As these cupcakes were sublime.

[fireflower314.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you had such a great trip!

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It was amazing.

[frostfire-17.livejournal.com]

3500 WORDS I HATE YOU.

*cough* I mean, I had a wonderful time! Visit again soon!!

[seperis.livejournal.com]

I cry bitter tears for whatever it is that is 3500 words that I know nothing about (email me when you are done so I can see it!).

*wide eyes* I had fun meeting you. And doing nothing terribly interesting or filthy with Merlin at all.

[omnipresentdmat.livejournal.com]

I'd really like to know what the waiter thought of us. He managed to keep a fairly straight face, which I would not have been able to do in his position. I bet he'll have stories to tell for a very long time...

[seperis.livejournal.com]

Dear God yes. I kind of wondered what he would be telling the other waiters later.