Number 52

Do you think musicals are cheesy?

Some much more so than others, but isn’t that part of the genre? Like horrors are scary? idk, but they are fantastic aren’t they?

Jenga

This year Rus and I get to celebrate his birthday together. During our relationship we have never once celebrated anything while being physically together on the day. We send each other gifts, have skype dates and belated celebrations when we do see each other but this is the first time we get to be properly and fully together, and I’m so excited that it’s his birthday first.

Because giving is always better.
Though also mainly because I am slightly concerned about his family’s lack of excitement towards birthdays and need to show him how it’s done so when mine rolls around in June we can do something more fun than Souplantation.

I’ve booked us a hotel for the night in Big Bear. I’m hoping it will have snowed some and he can snowboard, I did some research and there’s a pretty decent chance that it’ll be a solid option. I have planned the cake I am going to take with us to his hotel, or rather cupcakes as they travel better, but more on that when they’ve been made. I know where we’re going to eat, the hotel has a spa for us to relax in, I’ve looked into a few activities for if we can’t snowboard and I’ve made sexy jenga.

Normally I am not one for drinking games. Drink and play a game, okay why not, but don’t change the rules of the game because you daren’t declare “I wanna get blackout drunk tonight guys!”. But for this one I’ll make an exception because it seems like it will actually make the game much more fun.

It’s quite simple, each time a piece is pulled from the tower you either do a shot, shed some clothing or do nothing. I made it myself, I did see one years and years ago in Ann Summers but why spend £25 when you can spend less than £5?

Start with a Jenga game. I opted for the cheap generic version, not the branded game. The blocks stick a bit more because they aren’t varnished but whatever, by the end of it I’m going to be drunk and naked regardless. I found this one on eBay for about £2.99.

I split my tower into three, a third to be left blank, a third to be inscribed with SHOT! and a third to declare STRIP!  I used a trusty standard black Sharpie for writing, my stabilo pens are just photobombing.

Once written on I thought the blocks looked a little lack-luster. I had a pink glitter glue pen laying around my desk [I have bizarre impulse purchase habits] so I covered them in that. The photo doesn’t do them justice, they do not look that patchy.

I’ll be honest, Rus is not the biggest fan of glitter. Partly why I decided to use it for this project is so he has good connotations with glitter and will grow to love it. I couldn’t help but sending him this photo with a teasing “I’m customising your birthday present” text attached. That was three hours ago and I’ve still not heard back.

Then on two of the blank blocks I threw in a bonus surprise. It might be the first block that gets pulled, it might not even surface on the first game. I’m not going to tell Rus it’s in there, just wait and see his face if it gets pulled. Cause okay, drinking can sometimes make a game a bit more fun but sex breaks are guaranteed to!

One thing that I realised when I was re-boxing the game is that I am going to be very drunk and very naked very early on in the game. For a more sensible approach to drunk naked sexy jenga only write on a total of 1/3 of blocks.

I also contemplated using two colours for the writing. Black for me and red for Rus then, every time a red piece was pulled Rus would have to follow the order and I the black, regardless of who had pulled it. Unfortunately red doesn’t go with pink glitter so I dropped that idea.

To play with friends, replace strip with a truth/dare block. Unless you’re really comfortable around your friends.

Because I’m British, that’s why!

Today started on a bittersweet note, mainly bitter for me, and has kind of spiralled down from there.

Rus is a self employed electrician, he makes good money but it can be a bit hit and miss, I guess right now is a bit of a miss, and he got a call from another company – one he used to work for, who need extra help on a job for the next month. A month of solid hours is fantastic, especially so close to our wedding, which is sweet!

However, Rus normally starts work around 8am which means he can easily stay up until around 1130pm the night before, this times perfectly with me waking up at 6:30am in England for an hour-long skype date everyday. Only now Rus has to wake up at 5am and will need to be in bed long before I wake up, standing on my feel all day means I can’t really wake up any earlier than I already do and still function throughout the day. Soo, our normal skype dates are shot and we’re kind of struggling to see how we’re going to fit in chatting. Which is bitter!

Sulking, I dragged myself into work. Yesterday was quiet, I was working with Sarah – my work BFF, we giggled about her new boyfriend, made plans for when she visits me in CA, drank tea all day and nibbled on cupcakes. I was hoping today would be the same.
But of course not.
We were busy from the second we opened ’til the second we shut the doors. My manager is not a trained nor experienced kitchen/cafe manager, she is a friend of the owner and needed a job. As soon as we get three orders in she starts flapping around like big bird on crack, forgetting things, making impossible demands, and speaking like a four year old. No joke. She has a baby voice. It’s awkward.

Aching, I dragged myself home. Normally Rus and I squeeze in an extra skype date on a weekend as I am coming home as he is waking up. Only today he woke up and found himself roped into helping set up for a fall festival at his mom’s church.

I’ve decided to treat myself. I only have about six weeks of being British left and I am going to fully indulge that tonight. I have two packets of bourbon biscuits, a huge mug of tea, Pride and Prejudice playing and then, in about an hour, Downton starts.
I love anything old fashioned British, all the more if there is also a love story involved [and a sugary snack]. I love the costumes, the decadence, the propriety, the honour and faith, the quick wit, the stiff upper lip and finding subtle sentiment and affection.

The second the opening credits of Downton begin all the bad parts of my day will melt away and everything will be brilliant again, I’ll dip my biscuits in my tea and feel all warm and snug as it gets dark outside now that autumn is on it’s way. I’ve been looking forward to this all day, and realising that these are things I’m not going to get in California.

But then again, I don’t think bad days are allowed to exist in Hollywood anyway so I probably won’t need pick me ups.

Number 51

Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?

A photographer approached me in Paris and took a photo of me on New Years Eve 2010. Does that count?

Number 50

Ever used a gun?

Yes. Guns were actually a key role in me snagging Rus for a date. In England there is no real gun culture, unless you live on a farm and go hunting or live in London and belong to a gang. I do neither of these so guns are not part of my day to day life. Going to America I was curious to see what all the fuss was about, saying to an American “you should give up your guns” is like suggesting a Brit swaps tea for herbal.

I knew Rus was from a gun family because our mutual friend had spent a day shooting with them so, as he was about to leave, I told him I hadn’t had chance to shoot and asked did he know any good ranges.

His lovely eyes lit up as he told me he had guns and could take me, we swapped numbers with plans to go shoot together.

We actually didn’t make it to the range until we had been dating for about three weeks.

Shooting was okay. Personally I don’t see what the fuss is all about, I would rather they got rid of guns and didn’t have shootings in schools, armed robberies and violent burglaries but until that happens I have no problem having them in the house. I recently saw a programme on death row, no one will be breaking in and murdering me because there’s nothing to do on a friday night!

Do they come in pink?

Number 49

Half way there guys!

Do you dance in the car?

YES.  As previously discussed I am a rockstar in my car. Always slightly awkward when I’m behind someone I know as I do try to keep my arms from flailing around too much.

And I have to hold myself together at traffic lights too.

Mainly motorways and country roads.

Number 48

Do you sing in the shower?

No but I dance like a mother f*cker.

 

Number 47

Do you sing in the car?

Yes. I am a rockstar in my car.

Number 46

Are you afraid of heights?

Not overly. I get wobbly legs if I get too close to the edge without something to hold me back. Curiosity killed the cat and all that.

Then again, overcoming that feeling and sitting with my legs dangling over the edge is a very relaxing and liberating feeling for me.

Wedding Bells

Last night I went to my co-workers wedding party. Emma has been planning her wedding the entire time she has been working with me. I am not a big wedding person, I love the marriage concept but the spending £10k on one day thing seems a bit ridiculous to me.

But Emma was excited and that got us all excited.

I work at a small cafe. The management team are a bit difficult at time – the owners are married and best friends with the managers who are also married. Married and personal life often spills over into their management skills. They also don’t like me too much because I have tattoos. Though if they’d have asked they’d have known this prior to employing me.
The other “pleb” members of staff, as we call ourselves, has grown to be quite a tight knit group. Over the past 18 months we have all been going through our own personal issues – immigration, wedding planning, divorce, parent problems, you name it we’ve dealt with it. So all getting together at the wedding was going to be lovely, even if management were coming and sitting at the same table.

The venue was stunning, classic and elegant, the bride and groom looked so happy it was inspiring, the bride’s dress was beautiful. It’s her second wedding and she’s 45 so white was not really an option. When she told us she’d got a gold dress I think we all bit our tongues. But the dress was so stunning, her description – gold with bling on the shoulders – did not to it justice! The dress was a heavy satin in a very light subtle gold colour, it was slim fitting with a slight train, the bling on the shoulders was in fact beautiful beaded embroidery.

The food was delicious. My last encounter with wedding food was american homestyle cooking and I must admit that is not my preferred food. This buffet included mini burgers and fish cakes, samosas, spring rolls, quiche, sandwiches, chicken legs and salad. then the pudding was even better, wedding cake, raspberry meringue and fruit kebabs.
Disposable cameras were handed out and I got some very sexy photos of me and my work BFF shoving entire meringues into our mouths – much to the disgust of our sophisticated managers. But that’s okay, I think it distracted them from their shock at our hipflask usage.

The night was just lovely. It was so nice to celebrate their love and so great to see them together all happy and loved up like teenagers, quietly smug that they’ve finally found The One.

My parents won’t be attending my wedding. Due to the possible short notice of the event and my dad owning three companies, getting time off is not looking good. My mum did offer to come alone but I know she’d rather fly with my dad and I’d kind of prefer them to come when I am not busy with a wedding. Instead they are staying at home and throwing a party for family and friends, the wedding will be broadcast on line so they will watch the vows and then party in the name of our love. I’m going to have mum give out disposable cameras so I will get plenty of snaps of the event and it’ll be good to know my family haven’t missed out.
After seeing last night I have a very good template for a good time.