Yesterday was an amazing day. There were a couple small glitches, but there is no possible way they cancel out how overall fantastic yesterday was.
I woke up at 7:00am, got ready for my 10:00am class. Did some of my reading for preparing for my two exams next week. Normal morning stuff. Went to my 10:00am class, Ecology. That class. Ugh. It is not one of my preferred classes to attend. But after that class, at 11:00am, is when things started to get good.
In order to drum up attention for the performances of The Vagina Monologues, there’s been a table in the Union on campus across from the Starbucks. I had signed up to table yesterday. Of course we were selling tickets for the shows. That’s expected. That’s normal. But that’s not all we were selling. Oh no. We were selling chocolate vulvas, too (though we were calling them chocolate vaginas).
If nothing else, tabling is an excellent form of people watching. Which myself and the other girls did. So many people walk right by the tables and ignore them. Some one I knew and used to be close with walked by without a single glance at me or a wave or any form of recognition. Most people I knew, would wave or say “Hey, Rachel.”
We got a lot of weird looks too. I expected that. Just the nature of what we were tabling for demanded that to happen. One guy came up to us and asked, “You’re selling chocolate vaginas? What’s wrong with you?” I don’t think so. He should have been exploring why he felt the need to diminish the validity of women empowerment. Did he feel less secure? Did he feel his masculinity was at stake?
So, I spent my afternoon tabling. While not productive for my schoolwork, was productive for my well-being. I’m generally a quiet reserved person and I don’t get along with other people that well. I do not trust them, as a whole. I stay silent. I do not talk. But I talked with my fellow-tablers. I talked with the people who came up to the table to buy tickets or a chocolate vulva. I feel so much more confident about myself now. I stopped feeling like a woman pretending to be one of the attractive, self-assured, strong, empowered women, and actually am one now.
Also, where we were tabling across from Starbucks, the guy who was working there kept coming over and talking to us. Toward the end, he even brought over a coffee that someone ordered and never picked up. We didn’t drink it because it was burnt, but it was still a very nice gesture.
When I got home, for once, all the ladies of the house were together again. Our schedules are so different this semester, it’s hard for all of us to get together and talk like we used to. But, even though I should have been doing homework and studying, the three of us sat at the kitchen table and talked like we used to when we had time to do such things.
I studied for my History of Jazz exam from when we finished talking to when it was time to leave for call at 5:30pm. More or less. I had to get dressed and ready for the show, too.
At call, we ran over a few things. Set up the stage. Reassured each other everything was going to be great. Simple, last minute preparations. Then it was just waiting.
Last night, two of my roommates, Kayla and Little Chris, were going to watch the show. Sam couldn’t due to assistant stage managing the school’s big musical production of Avenue Q. And Whiskey Kid, yeah, I didn’t expect him to go. But Lance was also driving up from Base Camp specifically to see me and to see my perform.
Just before we left our holding room, one of the cast members said a small prayer to thank God for such a wonderful cast and opportunity and cause, and to ask him to let the performance run smoothly. She said it in such a wonderful, fluent, articulate way. It was great. So much better than when I talk to God, when I’m just like “Uh, hey, God. How’s it going?” Someday I will be able to converse with God in a way I find acceptable and suitable for me. Right now, I just feel like I’m interrupting Him while He’s doing something else important.
The performance went great. Mostly, the cast got all of the lines right. People laughed at all the right spots. People clapped. In the second and third rows, there was a group of women who absolutely loved the show. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves. I think most people there had a good time. During “The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy,” the actress slipped in an unscripted moan to surprise the cast because we heard the monologue run and many of the other moans lost their hilarity. She added in the “Harry Potter moan,” which was a long the lines of Bloody hell! and something about the Chamber of Secrets.
After the performance I was starving because it was 9:00pm and I hadn’t eaten since 3:00pm, and only ate a salad. So, Lance took me out to Governor’s. I thought I was hilarious when I got my haddock sandwich and said “I want to taste the fish. That’s why I ordered it.” Which is a line from “My Angry Vagina.” In addition to the haddock sandwich, I had a really nice glass of white zinfandel. Lance got the Thanksgiving dinner plate. He got cottage cheese as a side. I had never tried cottage cheese because it reminds me of the one time when Daisy, the first family dog, threw up in my brother’s room at the old house. But Lance urged me to try it. It’s good!
When we got back to the house, he gave me a bouquet of flowers, a box of chocolates, and a nice card. Blender-vase had to make a return because we don’t have any normal vases at the house.
I think it’s the card that means the most to me. In the past, Lance has talked about picking out cards and how much thought he puts into them. How he will take the time to search for the right one. On the front it says: “I’ve never been the same since the day I first met you… ” So I thought it was going to be a sarcastic, smart-assy card. But it wasn’t. Inside it said:
Thank you… for coming into my life. Thank you… for all the happiness you bring to my world. Happy Valentine’s Day.
And I know he means it.
I feel bad because I haven’t gotten anything for him for Valentine’s Day yet. He decided on Thursday night that he was going to do something for me. I didn’t have time on Friday to get something together. I feel awful about it. But his birthday is coming up in two weeks, so I’m going to make sure to make up for a lack of Valentine’s Day present then. I have some general good ideas, but I feel like I need more.
I think that’s about it for yesterday. But yeah. A fantastic day by all means!
