daily preciousness

Sunday, December 31, 2000

journey of man

I'm sitting at Amy's computer, eating Belgian honeywheat bread. I am also taking an incredible risk by eating some yogurt 3 weeks past its expiration date. But I ALWAYS live life on the edge, so that's nothing new to me.

I just got back from a great evening of exotic entertainment in our nation's capitol. Some new friends and I went to a drag show last night. It was very entertaining. The performers were very enthusiastic and funny. My favorite was a wonderwoman impersonator. She also did a great rendition of "Missionary Man" made up to look like that old film star who warns her little girl not to use wire hangers. (I know that film is in the gay canon, but I can't seem to remember the actress. Sorry. Take away my gay card or something.)

I met some friendly folks and got invited back to someone's house for after-clubbing drinks and other refreshments. It was relaxing and pleasant. I got to practice my Spanish, which was great.

Last week around this time, I met Maurizio, a flighty but friendly gymbunny from El Salvador. We went to see the Natural History Museum and the National Sculpture Garden Friday. Maurizio showed me the Hope Diamond and introduced me to a new IMAX movie, "The Journey of Man" featuring the Circ du Soliel. It was amazingly beautiful and dreamlike. The imagery was incredible, as if the cast of characters had just waltzed out of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel. Fascinating stuff. It told the tale of Man's quest for knowledge throughout the ages with dance, acrobatics and gorgeous music.

After the museum, I took Maurizio to an ice skating rink on the National Sculpture Garden on the Mall. He'd never skated before, so I taught him. He wasn't bad at all. He didn't fall down once. I was proud of him. After the hour of ice skating, he bought me a wonderful light lunch. The little cafe was so crowded that I had to search for a chair for him throughout the 10 minutes that he stood in line for hot chocolate. I finally got one, then someone else stole it from me without asking. (They must have been very sneaky about it, because I didn't notice it was missing until right before he came back!) Luckily, a table nearby cleared out just in time. It was a better place, though, with a nice view of some of the outdoor works of one of the sculptures called "Cluster of four cubes."

After a leisurely meal, I went home for a brief nap. Then, Maurizio took me and his buffed-up gym friend, Jorge to see the National Christmas tree. What a beautiful specimen! And so was the tree. The wind whipped around us so fiercely that I was afraid for my ears. Thank God I got a new red cap for Chrimbo. (Thanks, Mom and Dad!) I put it to good use protecting my sensitive little lobes. The White House glowed beautifully in the twilight. But the real treat was the yule log pit. It seems odd that something so simple would bring so much pleasure, but that little pit of burning wood was exactly what my nearly frostbitten extremities needed.

Cafe Luna is a trendy little eatery that was written up in the Out and About guidebook Gay DC guidebook. We went there for a light supper after the tree-viewing. The veggie chili was completely bland. I had to kick it up a knotch with some Tabasco. (Thank God that most of the food hasn't been bland here. It's really not bad at all!)

I wrote to a friend in New Zealand earlier this afternoon. She was planning a "girl power" New Year's -- sort of a "kiss 'em and leave 'em" deal. I guess that's all good. Maybe I should do the same thing this year and not worry myself with any social baggage. Just a simple "Kiss me, you fool, it's New Years!" should be enough. Nothing more required.

Thank God Maurizio invited me to his friend's New Year's bash. At least I won't spend the evening alone or at a bar. A private gathering is much better, I think, in terms of meeting people and feeling comfortable.

Happy 2001, world.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home