M friend, Ty, one of the mainstays of my group of friends, had been out of town pretty much for the past two weeks. We picked tonight to be the post-holiday rush reunion of whatever friends could make it out. The reason? Our friend, Dan, guitarist for the cool reggae band, Carlos Jones and the Plus Band, plays with friends on the first Thursday of every month at this great west side bar called The Happy Dog. He's a great guy, and we love to support him and his music. We hadn't been to "First Thursday" in awhile and decided it was high time to make a night of it.
First, however, we kicked off the evening at our friend Cathy's (not the John and Cathy, "Cathy" from New Year's...a different Cathy...aka from this point forward, Spice) house. She is a pro at mixing up Cosmopolitans that are the perfect blend of cranberry, Cointreau, good vodka and fresh lime juice. She had a pitcher ready when Ty, I and our friend, Jen, arrived at Casa de Spice. (Karen, the other regular besides Ty and I, is off skiing with her family...alas! And our mascot, KPR, also couldn't join us.)
Spice greeted us at the door because her employer's holiday party is this weekend at the glorious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (jealous!). She needed crucial feedback. She had her dress on and also two different shoes...a hot, sparkly strappy sandal and a more conservative pump. 
Typically, I am a winter wimp and refuse to wear any sort of open-toe shoes in Northeast Ohio beyond October. But I saw the shoes...I assessed them with the dress...and the hands-down winner was the strappy sandal. Without a doubt.
Typically, I am a winter wimp and refuse to wear any sort of open-toe shoes in Northeast Ohio beyond October. But I saw the shoes...I assessed them with the dress...and the hands-down winner was the strappy sandal. Without a doubt.We started drinking cosmos and nibbling on some light snacks, when Spice threw another fun variable into our evening. Her 1980s prom dress that her sister brought to her over the holidays. My girly-girl side went crazy...big flounces; a sexy, strappy, sequinned bodice...and when I peeked inside at the size tag...a hopefully perfect fit. I felt a completely irrational sense of glee...obviously cosmo induced...rise up. Suddenly...I had an idea! (yeah...you know where this is going...keep reading to see if you're right.)
Surreptitiously, I grabbed the gown and headed toward the downstairs powder room nearby. But...they noticed me and started cackling..."What are you doing," they asked. "You're not going to try it on, are you," they cajoled. Damn right I was. I had two strong, well-mixed cosmos in me and had fallen in love with the sequins. There was no turning back.
I slippped it on and...IT FIT. I couldn't believe it. A 20-year-old dress fit me. Ok, it didn't originally belong to me, but the fact that I could still work someone's teenage prom dress at my advancing age struck me as absolutely fabulous. I triumphantly exited the powder room, reached for my phone and struck a self-portrait pose.
Now here's where I break the rules of my "A Day in the Life of a Camera Phone" blog. I am allowing photos taken by someone else to be included. This is merely to show off the true 1980s retro glory of the dress...self portraits do not do it true justice! I decided, "What the heck," and opted to ham it up shamelessly for the camera. 
I mean, how many times does one, while slightly fortified by high-quality cosmos, get to model a mint-condition vintage prom dress that fits her despite the fact she is on the cusp of entering her "midlife crisis" years. (for those who are wondering, yes....I do still have a "3" leading off my age, but as of 1/9, I will have only 18 months left until a "4" replaces that).
I mean, how many times does one, while slightly fortified by high-quality cosmos, get to model a mint-condition vintage prom dress that fits her despite the fact she is on the cusp of entering her "midlife crisis" years. (for those who are wondering, yes....I do still have a "3" leading off my age, but as of 1/9, I will have only 18 months left until a "4" replaces that).Still it was kind of trippy to flashback at least 20 years (actually more... Spice is a couple of years younger than I am) to my youth and have a little trip down memory lane!
Eventually, I realized I needed to leave fantasyland behind and return to my normal clothes, as time was ticking away and we needed to get to the Happy Dog to see at least one of Dan's sets. We set off to the bar, which is only a few miles away.The biggest challenge was getting out of the car from the on-street parking, clambering up the snow-laden curb to the sidewalk...and THEN...navigating the sidewalk into the bar. 
The joys of winter. While we had a clear, snowless day on December 31 (see very first post), the next day we got pounded with snow, and it's still here.
The joys of winter. While we had a clear, snowless day on December 31 (see very first post), the next day we got pounded with snow, and it's still here. We got in the bar and had a nice time. The music was great, as always. We chatted briefly with Dan while he was on a break. And then it caught my eye...a glorious piece of kitsch behind the bar, amongst the liquor bottles. AN ELVIS lamp. 
Many years ago, when I was much younger, I used to eye such a gem in the window of a store called Big Fun in the Coventry neighborhood of Cleveland Heights, where my one of my best friends since my school days, Mary, used to live. I loved how it was so cleverly used at the Happy Dog. I could not resist taking a nice camera phone digital shot of it! NATCH!
Many years ago, when I was much younger, I used to eye such a gem in the window of a store called Big Fun in the Coventry neighborhood of Cleveland Heights, where my one of my best friends since my school days, Mary, used to live. I loved how it was so cleverly used at the Happy Dog. I could not resist taking a nice camera phone digital shot of it! NATCH! And while I was taking my shot of the Elvis lamp, something else further down the bar, nestled amongst more liquor bottles, caught my eye. A pale ivory lamp shade, trimmed in familar black fringe. Could it be? Oh, could it possibly be...a miniature LEG LAMP.
I moved quickly down to the end of the bar to get a closer look so I could accurately identify my find. Yes. Yes. Yes! It was!
My third leg lamp in less than 48 hours. Is it Karma? Or something else unexplained and mysterious?
My third leg lamp in less than 48 hours. Is it Karma? Or something else unexplained and mysterious?
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