July 05, 2000
Birthdays and Birthday Suits
So. I'm staring my 28th birthday in the face. It's coming up two days from now, on the 7th. No big plans as of yet, although I think I'm going to dinner with my folks sometime this weekend and I've dropped the big obvious hint at work already. Birthdays just aren't that big of a deal anymore. I can't remember the last time I had a birthday party.
Oh wait. Yes I can. 1995. I was heavily into the SCA at the time, and threw an SCA-themed party at a local park. Everyone showed up at the park in medieval garb, and we ate and danced and just generally had a good time, then we headed off to go see First Knight -- still in garb. The movie was profoundly disappointing on so many levels, but at least we had fun picking it apart. That was also the summer I had the unfortunate and unwise pseudo-relationship with a young man named Kurt. The biggest attraction he held for me was that he was interested in me. Not, I repeat, not the best basis for a relationship.
Of course, that was also the summer I went to Pennsic, which I've already written about extensively. I still wonder what happened to Taran, the dashing and debonair Scotsman I met while swimming. He complimented my eyes, which was quite remarkable for the situation, but that's another story altogether. (The story? Oh, okay. Mom, don't read this part. Hee.) Pennsic has two swimming holes. The 'family' swimming hole is just your basic swimming spot. The 'classic' swimming hole is clothing very much optional. I didn't have a suit so I spent most of the week skinny-dipping. Ah, my wild, impetuous youth! ;-)
To my surprise, it wasn't a big grope- or ogle-fest, just a bunch of people swimming, doing what people do when they're swimming, like playing with beach balls and the like. I was with two of my friends at the time, Jen and Magda. Jen in particular was tremendously amused that I'd gotten a compliment on my eyes while I was, well, naked. "Your eyes?! He is a gentleman!" When the three of us ran into him later that night up at the 'barn' (a central meeting place -- there was medieval dancing there every night), he failed to recognize us and uttered the infamous line, "You look different with your clothes on!"
He asked me to dance and neither of us danced with anyone else for the next four days, practically. That was back when I was in really good shape and could dance for days without breaking a sweat. We also spent a lot of time sitting around talking (and flirting, of course), and just generally hung out. Alas, he was from Washington State, and he had a girlfriend. And really, Hollingsworth and I were pretty much dating at the time, just not exclusively.
See, that's what I need. A summer fling. Something light-hearted, vaguely romantic, but not serious or heavy or angsty.
And preferably something that doesn't require me to be naked in order to meet someone.
Posted by Lisa at July 5, 2000 05:20 PM
