Yesterday, Saturday, was such a wonderful day. It started out when I overslept by an hour, but I hit the road and drove into the city to meet eyes_of_cyrene at her hotel. I got there at about 11:30, valet-parked the car, and spent the next 16 hours with one of my best friends, who I don’t get to see very often because she lives in Iowa! First we got something to eat, and went to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and did some shopping at Filene’s Basement, where I got a new purse. We went back to her hotel and chatted for a while, and then we went to dinner in Chinatown. She taught me about beer! I have no idea what all I had - this was at RFD and we got lots of samples - but the one I liked the best basically tasted like raspberry juice. (She said - “yeah, except this will get you drunk!”)

We had leftovers when we were done with dinner, so we were going to take them up to the room and then go back down to the hotel bar for another drink. But she realized she’d forgotten her hat at the restaurant, so we went back and picked it up, and then went to the hotel bar. I ordered a “chocolate covered cherries” drink, and I remember it had Godiva liqueur and Smirnoff Black Cherry Twist in it, but there was something else that I don’t remember. Oh, and at no time during the night did I get carded - Gretchen said it was because we were signing, and they assumed I was deaf, and they didn’t want to deal with asking for my ID. (Or hey, I didn’t get carded Friday night either, maybe I finally look old enough to not get carded?) Anyway, we also got shots of the new Bailey’s Flavors…the caramel was very good but the mint chocolate was nothing to write home about.

When the hotel bar closed, we went back to her room and chatted for another couple of hours, and then we took a three-hour nap before it was time to get up so I could take her to the airport! Oh my god, I had such a fabulous time. I seriously did not want to take her to the airport…I wanted to keep her here! I don’t have a huge number of people that I am really close to, and virtually none of them live in the DC area. I had so much fun.

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After several months of promising, I finally dragged myself to Dyke Night at the Eagle. I wore black jeans, my $15 Payless pumps that have lasted me a zillion years, and a tight black t-shirt that says “I do bad things” with a smiling bunny. preppyperv was the first person I saw when I got there, and she gave me a great hug. I hung around a bit and chatted with pegsioux, liquidamy, and a few other people I’d met at least once before; I also got to meet bias_cut for the first time. leatherboydre came in and went upstairs to do her bootblacking work, and I had a good time chatting with aidan_boi_x for a long time. Eventually I drifted upstairs, chatted more, and met more people; I paid $3 for a can of soda, listened to gossip, and met new people.

Finally I decided it was time to leave, and I started saying goodbye. Of course it took forever - there were a lot of people to say goodbye to - and I also got caught talking to a deaf man who had come upstairs to go to the back bar where the regulars hide out when the place is overrun by lesbians. I was starving, so on my way back to the metro I stopped at a 24-hour CVS to buy a snack to eat surreptitiously on the metro. I made my way from there to the top of the metro escalator, from where I could see…the gates were closed. I’d forgotten that it was the middle of the week and the metro wasn’t open late! I started hurrying back to the Eagle and sent an instant message to aidan_boi_x but didn’t get any response. I called preppyperv because she was the only person in my phone’s address book who was at the bar. She showed herself to be the most caring person in the world by answering the phone: “Meredith, are you okay?” She had seen me come up on her caller ID, knew I’d left about 20 minutes ago, and figured I wouldn’t be calling if there wasn’t something wrong. It turned out she and pegsioux had already left, but she suggested I go back anyway to see if anybody there lived in Virginia. Once I got there, I went back upstairs and plopped myself down to catch my breath. A woman I didn’t recognize came over to ask if I was okay, so I mentioned that the metro was closed. A woman nearby overheard me and asked where I needed to go; it turned out she was going that way anyway so she gave me a ride! It was actually a nice trip home, she was very friendly and dropped me off as near to my car as she could.

I certainly hope to go to Dyke Night again. I had a really good time, even if I did come home reeking of smoke and with sore feet. I loved seeing my friends again; I hadn’t seen anybody in several weeks. In fact the only thing I would change would be the metro mistake…next time I will have to leave a bit earlier. Other than that, though, I had a great time.

The life of one of DC’s most valuable queer assets was cut short on Wednesday. Wanda Alston, the director of the mayor’s office on GLBT affairs, was found dead by her partner Wednesday afternoon. Police have not released details, but they have stated there was blood found beside the body and that the death was a homicide. Articles are in the Washington Post (mainstream) and the Washington Blade (gay press).

I have had a really crappy experience getting to work today. I had been told the job was in Fredericksburg, which is well outside DC but still considered “commuting distance” because many people who live in Fredericksburg do commute to DC…although most of them take the train. But as if it weren’t bad enough that I had to drive that far, it turned out I had been given the wrong location. It wasn’t just off I-95 after all…it was in Dhalgren, at least 30 miles outside Fredericksburg.

So I started making my way there, only to find that my directions were still wrong. I had to pull over no less than three times to clarify where I was supposed to be before I finally figured it out myself (I do carry both DC- and Baltimore-area street maps at all times, but they don’t extend this far south) and made it to the base. I had been told I wouldn’t be able to find the building on my own, so I stopped at the Pass & ID Office for a map. I confirmed that my DOD contractor badge and car stickers would get me on-base, and got back into my car to drive up to the gate. (Because I already have the credentials from the job I work most of the time, when I’m not there I frequently get sent to other DOD facilities.)

When I pulled up to the guard, though, he told me to pull over. I was confused, but he explained that my registration stickers were expired. Yes, that’s true; I keep forgetting to take them out to the car. But I’ve never had a problem getting on the base where I normally work! So he said he would let me on base, but I’d have to leave my car at the visitor center. I tried calling my contact but didn’t get an answer, so I suited up with gloves, hat, and scarf and started walking.

Finally I got a call on my cell phone asking why I wasn’t there yet, and I explained what happened. They told me to wait in a building near me and somebody came to get me. I finally got there at about 10:30, after having left the house at 7:40! I hope I don’t have to come down here again for a long time.

I had an absolutely fantastic time last night, interpreting for the Mr. DC Eagle contest. I got an e-mail Friday afternoon from PSue asking if I knew anybody who could interpret for the contest because their scheduled interpreter had dropped out at the last minute. I immediately e-mailed her back and said that I would be delighted to fill in.

We got there shortly after 9:00, and I was introduced to several of the staff members, including Schelli, and others who would be assisting with the show. PSue got A and I situated where we would need to be and had the bartender make a drinks for A, and Angus provided a stool for A so she’d have a good seat right in front of me! I had a nice chat with Teddy, International Mr. Deaf Leather 2004, who was quite charming; I really enjoyed talking with him.

The show finally began, and I got to sneak a few glances over at the contestants as they were onstage. I missed everybody’s faces, though, so I couldn’t even tell you who won! There were only two deaf people in the audience that I know of, but they seemed to be having a good time so I think I did a good job of interpreting. A took a few dozen pictures, including some at the end with Teddy posing with me! I will have to sort through the pictures and see which of them are suitable for sharing…the trouble with interpreting is that it’s hard for a photographer to catch you in a “good pose!” And of course for this particular assignment, I’ll be juxtaposed with lots of (mostly) naked men!

I had such a great time, and I hope Schelli will contact me again in the future. I’d love to do this kind of thing again! (The only downside is that my hair reeks now…time for a shower!)