Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts
By Alyce Wilson
January 3, 2007 - Unicorn Day
The
unicorn from
the diner menu
I probably could have slept in later on New Year's Day, if not for a couple things. First of all, The Gryphon got up at about 8:30 or so to clean up the kitchen and prepare to make pancakes. He had promised they would be available at about 9, though few people seemed likely to need them that early.
The other problem was that we hadn't properly inflated the air mattress so that it was a little soft. I can never sleep more than about seven hours in a soft bed or my back starts to hurt.
So I changed from my pajamas into the change of clothes I'd brought with me and helped The Gryphon by cleaning off the dining room table to make a space to serve the pancakes. Then we sat on chairs in the kitchen and talked quietly until the first person came to join us, The Voice.
I guess it was shortly after 9 that The Gryphon started to get the pancakes going. Gradually, one person after another joined us or arrived back at the house from wherever they'd spent the night.
Among the other overnight guests at The White Rabbit's house were The Warrior Princess; The Video Editor; The Dormouse; and The Photographer, The Cousin and their two daughters. The house guests were, of course, the first to dig into the pancakes, since they could smell it cooking and hear the cheerful morning voices.
The pancakes got rave reviews. They were one of my favorites: a whole grain pancake using whole wheat flour, corn meal and oats. With butter and maple syrup, they were delish.
The Gryphon kept making pancakes until he ran out of batter, stacking them on a pan in the oven, which he'd turned on to keep them warm. That way late arrivals, such as Batman, could still get some homemade pancakes.
We were just about to make a coffee run to Starbucks when The Devil's Advocate and Pimp Daddy arrived with The Devil's Advocate's coffee maker, for which we were extremely grateful.
Also joining us eventually were The Cheshire Cat, The Paper and The Court Wizard. They'd been up even later than us, staying up late talking after they'd gone home.
Some people had already changed into another set of clothing, which some of the overnight guests padded around in pajamas and robes. Our host, The White Rabbit, wore a green bathrobe, which earned him the nickname Arthur Dent, after the protagonist of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Soon the coffee did its trick, and this group of bleary eyed people was chipper and having long, interesting conversations. Our talk turned briefly to politics, namely the 2008 presidential contest.
Batman turned to The Cheshire Cat and asked him if he was old enough to run for president. The Cheshire Cat replied with threats of bodily harm, which means of course, he ought to be the candidate. After all, the only person who should run for president is someone who doesn't want to be president. (Apologies to the late Douglas Adams for stealing his joke.)
The conversation took in a wide array of other topics, including briefly touching on some ghost stories as well as stories of "electronic ghosts," where electronic equipment malfunctioned in such a way it seemed to be a ghost. I shared the story, for example, of my old eMachine computer, which was running, I think, Windows Extinct, which started to randomly turn itself on. I later found out this was a somewhat frequent bug of the system.
The Cousin and her youngest daughter raved about something called Charlie the Unicorn, a video they found hilarious. As they were trying to describe it, The Devil's Advocate spoke up, saying he didn't think The Warrior Princess would appreciate it because she wasn't girlie enough. He sat back in his chair and folded his hands over his chest, waiting to see how she'd reply.
Now, The Warrior Princess is, as you might guess from her nickname, one tough cookie. So she didn't hesitate to reply: "Everything I do is girlie; I'm a girl." She ran through a litany of things she does, for example, "I chop wood like a girl. I fix pipes in a girlie manner. I train horses like a girl." Go girl!
We managed not to talk about Otakon business, which is kind of amazing when you get this many Otakon staffers together. While we stayed away from current topics, we shared some stories from the past, such as the legend of the lost gopher, who was assigned to a video room and then forgotten until lockdown that night.
Since it was quieter and people were gathered in one room, I put in the CD of lounge versions of 60s of rock and pop classics. The Photographer and The White Rabbit in particular thought it was fun, while The Dormouse winced when he heard such classics as "Heartbreak Hotel" done lounge style.
Actually, The Paper told me about someone she knew of who had played classical versions of Metallica songs at her reception. So I'm not the only one with this sort of idea.
After a leisurely breakfast and some conversation, those who had come from father away packed up their gear and said their final farewells. The Devil's Advocate and Pimp Daddy were the first to leave. Then I think The Warrior Princess left, because she had a lot of driving to do. The Cousin, The Photographer and their daughters also had to hit the road.
The rest of us hung out longer, still gathered around the dining room table. I tried to be sensible about snacking, opting mostly for pretzels, but I was happy at about 2 when The Dormouse suggested getting some lunch, because I was getting hungry.
We decided to go to a local diner. Batman took off, but the rest of us headed for the diner. I recognized it from visiting it before, last New Year's Day, I believe. I found the menus to be amusing, because they have a unicorn with purple hair on them. As I was trying to get a picture of it, the waitress was trying to remove it. She nicely left it behind, though, for me to get my photo.
I looked through the choices on the menu and decided, along with most everyone else, to order a light dinner. I ordered the tilapia with vegetable soup, green beans and corn. Aside from the green beans being overcooked and the tilapia being bland, it was a good meal. They gave me a lot of fish, so I had half boxed up for later.
We had a nice time talking about various things at the table as we ate. I pointed out the series of painting in our room, that showed couples and groups of dancers. For some reason, they were always from behind. I suggested that either the painter had a back fetish or couldn't draw faces.
Then we bid The Cheshire Cat, The Paper and The Court Wizard good-bye, and The White Rabbit drove The Dormouse, The Gryphon and I back to his house to pick up our gear.
Before we left, The Gryphon and I helped The White Rabbit clear up some of the mess in the dining room and kitchen.
We headed back by about 5 p.m. and stopped to pick up Una from the pet sitter's, where she'd attended a dog party, you could say. The pet sitters have three dogs of their own, and Una enjoys her time there. In fact, she was having such a good time that she curled up on a soft pillow on the couch and had to be coaxed to leave!
I told them I'd rather she have that kind of reaction to staying there than the one she had when I boarded her with the veterinarian, when she would dig in her feet and have to be dragged behind. She also came home exhausting from constant nervous barking.
I had just enough time to take a nap before my evening assignments, which was much needed. It was good to sleep on a nice, firm mattress.
Our kitty,
Luke, greeted us and wished us a Happy Mew Year. Sorry, I just had to
say that. I promise I won't use that joke again, at least until next year.
More from New Year's 2007:
Moral:
You don't have to be a girlie girl to be girlie.
Copyright
2006 by Alyce Wilson
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