consolations and Baptists

hear it in the stairwell: Radiohead- Black Sessions
I woke up this afternoon to a horrible nightmare and once my eyes opened I immediately remembered that I feel like crap. Bryan left this morning. So I stumble into the bathroom for a drink of water and as I'm walking back into my room I see a tall vase with beautiful blooming purple flowers in it, a can of red tea (my favorite) and a card that says "Amber". My wonderful roommates have provided me with a no-more-Bryan consolation prize. I love them so much and have been sipping red tea all day, missing Bryan.


But it's days like these that I couldn't feel any less girly.
Let's start at the beginning. A few months ago my very good friend Jon found out he had a ROTC dance thing to go to. He wanted to ask a girl who he had an interest in and I encouraged him to. She said yes and a month or so later took back her acceptance because she's a big loser. Being the meantime girl that I so often am to Jon, I stepped up to the plate and accepted his (2nd) invitation. That brings us to 5:30 tonight when I realize I need to begin getting ready.
I jump in the shower to rid myself of my usual morning (yes, it is morning for me)stank and proceed with my "try to look pretty" routine. Some make up here, some hairspray there. I pull my hair back in a tiny (my hair is SO short) pony tail and hope that my lack-of-effort will be mistaken for cool-and-sleek fancy hair. I put on a skirt I found lurking in the back of my closet--a cool red one that I remember buying with Amanda when we lived together, she wore it to an Over the Rhine Christmas show a few years back. My wonderful roommate Kristi tried to offer some girlish help earlier in the day by offering some cool neclaces (of which I own none) and a top to match my skirt. The frigid weather dissuaded me from the tank top and I put on a black sleeved shirt and hoped that my lack of temperature control would be mistaken for a 40's look with 3/4 sleeves. I had to top off my cheesiness by declining all the cool neclaces Kristi offered and putting on these crazyuglyhuge fake pearls I stole from my mom's old jewelry box as a kid. Did I look dressy enough? Who cares.
So Jon and I grab a quick bite to eat and at the restaurant run into the girl that shot Jon down! No joke. Apparently her excuse for not being able to go with Jon no longer existed. I refuse to be cordial and don't even smile at her. I pull the we-look-fundressy-and-are-going-to-have-a-blast-while-you-feel-guilty routine.
So we make it to the Officers Club on Base and see that although everyone is dressed very formally, this event will not be very formal in nature. We mingle for a bit, grab some punch and Jon explains the uniform-in-terms-of-rank to me. I also run into Mike, a guy I know from church. Eventually people make it out onto the dance floor and craziness ensues. Other than the occasional Wedding Recpetion, I haven't been in a situation like this since Sophomore year in highschool over 5 years ago. I'm slapped in the face with how Baptist I am. Not that I'm not a good dancer :), more because of my views on dancing as something that has no meaning or use in really any situation remotely close to this one. But I realize that for tonight I've already made my decision to be there and I wasn't going to back out of having fun now. Tons of crazy Outkast was played, some Cotton Eye Joe...even Baby Got Back. Excellent throw back tunes. Jon and I tried our hand at some swing dancing and laughed better than we danced. Some cadets tried their best to recreate a Top Gun classic when "You've lost that loving feeling" came on and I saw the most horrific display of white-guy-who-can't-dance-in-the-middle-of-the-circle I've ever been subjected to. An evening well-spent.

And when I returned home, my roommates had a magnificent piece of White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake(Yum!) for me direct from The Cheesecake Factory! Could life get any better?
Not tonight.

My Bryan consolation prizes from roommates and Jon looking very very sleepy.
"Oh my god, Becky, look at her butt
It is so big
She looks like one of those rap guys girlfriends
Who understands those rap guys..."