The Triple-Threat Cakewalk Hoo-Haw! - 19DEC03

My friends Abby (stjarna), Caly (treefrog), and jodi (jodi) all have birthdays roughly within close proximity to each other, so they thought it'd be a fine idea to have a grand to-do for the whole affair, combine their birthdays, and... have a cakewalk. I was very surprised to realize how few people actually knew what a cakewalk was, but then, I grew up Roman Catholic on the west coast. I know naught of these midwestern Lutherans and their mystical ways. So anyway, yeah, I took so many freakin' pictures I'm not even going to bother laying them out in an organized manner, just a big mosaic of the evening that y'all can deal with however you want to. Hover over the picture for the caption. Floss before you go to bed.

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jodi pretends to points something out as Courtney pretends to be interested. Erica's just interested in... stuff.  Anything. Abby and Aaron hang out and psyche themselves up for the night. Jarrin in a thoughtful moment. Jarrin and me, observing tabletop conversation. Photo courtesy of Billy Barty. Aw, parker's here!  And Sasha. London shows me what he wants me to buy him for Christmas. Mike polishes his politician's grin. Someone else explains a story very pointedly.  Both fingers! Oh, the snack table begins to fill!  Prepare to snack! Jeremy sat on something pleasantly sharp and probing. Smoke Break: Ursula and Courtney have the first coffin nails of the night. We liked this picture of Michelle but she didn't... ...so she posed for this one. The crowd builds slightly: Aaron, someone, Abby, Penny. Little Kid Jam Night!  $3, 9pm to 9:05pm, all ages. Ashley and Ryan have arrived!  What adventures may ensue? The first of many Boggle games, with Penny, jodi, and Mike. BOOM, here they are!  (Laurie and her cake.) Parker keeps Jeremy out of everyone's hair with LEGOs. Someone and Rogers!  I'm really bad at names, but they have stuff to eat. The staircase that descends into destiny... Go there, little London.  Walk towards your destiny. More Boggle!  Jodi, Laurie, vigilant Mike, Penny, and Rogers' someone. More people!  Logan, Jon and Jeff; Michelle regards from the background. Come on, coats off, grab yourself a drink, you know the routine. The organ that was so creepy at Hallowe'en doesn't seem so scary now. Smoke Break Part II: Ryan, Courtney, Ursula, and Ashley put one foot in the grave. Jon finds something surprising in his pocket! Surrounded by ghosts, Emily begins inhaling the incorporeal spirits to save us all! Jesse's just pleased as punch to be here. Awww!  Really cute picture of Laura!  Too bad the camera was out of focus. worm doesn't do 'cute'.  We applaud his efforts, though. Shannon smiles very pleasantly and trouble-free for the camera! Troy was hoping against hope there'd be no pictures tonight... Sasha and Logan take a moment out to reflect and smoke/drink. Jessica, as compelling as she may look, has a lousy attitude for cameras.  Laurie scores. Raven is stayed from kicking me in the balls, per her mother's instructions. The kitchen is where Rogers, Laura, and Jeremy choose to hang out next. Worm in a thoughtful moment. Jeremy tries to shake all the intestines out of Raven! Here's a surprise: Dusty's back! Whitney in a thoughtful moment. The festivities continue as Nichole arrives! There are some things about Rogers we won't talk about. Look at the milling mass!  Mill, masses!  Mill like bunnies! Failed action shot of Jon, Shannon, and Jeff. Even worse action shot! No more action shots! Jarrin tries and tries, but can't look as cute as Missy. Mighty Alis!  Strong bones! Andy, assuming that skeletons are for support, topples over Alis. Jessica plays nice for the camera with Alis' coaching. Martin was about to say something to Sasha but forgot. Close-up of Parker's cool shirt. Stupid non-focusing camera!  Missing this candid shot of Missy! Whatever Martin said, it left a bad taste in Sasha's mouth. WHAT A STUPID CAMERA!  It missed the Loch Ness Zhac! Laurie in a thoughtful moment. Eric, shrouded in suspicion and intrigue! Lucy helps Parker hide from the other rampaging kids. Brock, Lucy, Christel, and Michelle retire to the ever-popular kitchen. C'mon, Cali!  Show me sultry!  Show me smoky passion! The stage is set for the cakewalk, confusing nearly everyone. The previous chaos was nothing compared to cakewalk chaos. Is it good, Carrie?  Is that drink good? Oh yes, the worldweary and cosmopolitan Carrie likes her drink. Courtney graces the camera with a very pleasant and bright grin. Ursula smirks as some other girl sneaks in, looking for a place to nap. Scott falls for the old 'Hey Scott!' picture-taking trick.  Sucker! London complies with the anarchial cakewalk rules. Aww!  Why is Jarrin letting the ivy die? Everyone should freeze when the music stops... but Mike will not stop playing. Shannon, Jeff, and Scott know better than to plunge into this party-maelstrom. If Joe's gonna play, he's gonna get good and ready to play. This is Jarrin's snake.  I'll get its name and breed from him later. Joe in a thoughtful moment. From beyond presents and burning cake boxes, Missy takes her pictures. The cakewalk madness spills forth from the reading room. Jon's so disarming it makes the STUPID CAMERA LOSE ITS FOCUS. The cakewalk has ended; panic and mayhem ensue. Zhac disguises how much she loves pictures of herself. Rogers and Rogers' girl leave triumphantly with their prizes. Caly is locked in a moment of hilarity. Now Caly finds herself in the throes of madness... Scott and Shannon have had enough of the camera, thanks. More chaos!  More madness!  What has happened to my world!? Courtney in a thoughtful moment. The birthday girls assemble with guns to take me down. Mike displays hilarity; jodi doesn't know what to do about him. Whoa!  It's me!  I'm about to sing! Mike steadies his unruly bass guitar - it's been drinking all night. Logan looks alarmingly prosaic in this excellent shot by Caly. Cali and Abby can hardly be seen through the thickening chaos! Jarrin's so drunk it's bending light all around him! Ah, but he's ready now.  No way will he drop any drumsticks during performance! Caly radiates peace and love for her fellow beings. Oop, the song's underway!  Rock over London, rock on Minneapolis! Play that bad boy, Mike! Jon's just happy to be here.  Cheers! This is not the type of fun you've been sanctioned to have! Abby, Jarrin, and Eric search within their souls for meaning. Jarrin found the meaning, but it's off-camera.  Eric still searches. Sasha's feeling cozy, Abby's batteries are running down, and Aaron is rapt with bliss. Missy faces off with another round of Dueling Cameras. Eric's nose, a guy, Cali and Carrie bear into another round of Boggle. Scott in a thoughtful moment. Hee hee hee!  Sasha has had so much to drink she could cuddle you to death! Abby and Beth in a pair of thoughtful moments. Nichole sits with her prize from the cakewalk, who is in a thoughtful moment. Laura's on her way out and can't stop grinnin' about it. Awww!  Raven and Bun-Bun call it a night. Raven wanted to make sure Bun-Bun's eyes were showing. Martin and Sasha trundle the kids into the van. Beth and Joe wind things up and wend their way home. Whitney and Eric hang out for one last smoke/chat. Lucy is the center of attention as we try to figure out what her nickname is! End of night - even I am caught in a thoughtful moment.

Right-click to download movie of London jamming on bass!

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