May 25, 2010

basically i should have just waited and posted this one

so you know all that stuff i've been so busy doing? want to see pictures of all of it? of course you do!

first we had the bridesmaid dress party. as usual, it was awesome:

you always need a few good prom pictures whenever you're wearing dresses like these:

..and then a few classy poses like this to really bring the sophistication level up a bit:

this year, we upped the ante by forcing people to complete tasks/dares while we were out at the bar. val here had to get a boy to put on lipstick, and also had to get a condom from a guy. (she ended up with a magnum, because YES.)

after a power (half) hour, do you really think i WOULDN'T pole dance on the metro...?


we went to rumors, as usual, because there really is no better amalgam of "dive bar dive-y enough that it's OK to show up in bridesmaid dresses" and "..yet still plays really fantastic music" that we've found in the city.

ahhh. so shiny. love it.

next up was my trip to california. first on the agenda: visiting my delightful friend carrie and her insanely cute daughter, Miss Leyba:

miss leyba's favorite book right now is The Hungry Caterpillar, which i am reading to her here in french. elle a encore faim!

i pretty much wanted to keep her and take her home with me. as my friend alexis put it, she's a really wonderful little person. and just look at those CURLS.

after that lovely visit, i returned to my sister's house in san francisco to prepare for Bay to Breakers, which we attended as the volcanic ash cloud:

you remember my sister, right?

the ash cloud idea was her roommate's, but elizabeth really did a great job rallying the troops and figuring out how to make us LOOK like an ash cloud (that's cotton batting spray painted grey and silver, plus balloon "parasols" to hover over us). we actually started the day with a lot more cloud on us, but it was kind of windy, and our clouds kept blowing off. see? this is my starting ash cloud level:

oh well. we were pretty drunk by the time we joined the parade anyway, so we didn't mind too much. plus, about 40 bazillion people were also there by that time:

..and virtually ALL of them are in costume. some people go pretty hardcore:

..and some people... well. this IS san francisco:

i totally recommend a B2B excursion if you get the chance.

things i do NOT recommend? bedbugs. OH MY HOLY HELL. anyone who clicked on the link last time will have seen this picture of my bitten up left shoulder:

which, you know. pretty bad. lots of bites. however, those of you on twitter may have seen the MUCH WORSE picture of what it looks like when you.. uh.. "react poorly" to things like bugbites:

those are just as itchy and painful as you might imagine.

the good news (?) is that they have calmed down somewhat and are back to looking just like.. well.. like regular bug bites. just, you know, COVERING MY HANDS AND ARMS. and back. stupid san francisco hotel. le sigh.

i don't really have a good way to end this post, so please to enjoy some weirdo seagulls from alcatraz who spent a good few minutes with the bottom seagull trying to dislodge the second seagull standing on his back. i don't know.

[lots more photos of miss leyba, b2b costumes, and alcatraz here.]

24 comments:

  1. Alice, Alice, Alice.

    When you sleep in a bed without protection, you're sleeping with absolutely everyone who has ever slept in that bed, too.

    This being San Francisco, that probably means about 20,000 unwashed hippies. And all the other beds they've ever slept in, too.

    I think the lesson here is that the next time you visit the City on the Bay, you should just rent a car and sleep in the back seat.

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  2. Holy Hell-Flesh! Those bites on your arms look HORRIFIC. Yikes. I'm really sorry that happened to you.

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  3. I've said it before and I'll say it again. That bridesmaid dress party idea is fab.

    Sorry about those bug bites though. Ugh. Every summer I am feasted on by mosquitos so I'll be all red and blotchy and itchy pretty soon, too.

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  4. 1) THERE'S WALDO! I almost never find him, I'm so proud of myself. Hahah

    2) Can you come to Paris with me so you can order things?

    3) I am NEVER STAYING IN THAT HOTEL EVER. I am itching just looking at that picture. Ick to the max.

    4) I am in awe of your pole skills. When I meet you in person, I intend to come stocked with dollar bills because I am classy like that.

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  5. My mom ran the B2B way back when I was in 5th grade and we were living in Cali ... though, I don't think I realized it was quite this insane at the time. =)

    Those bites look awful. Horrific. They'd probably drive me to insanity - wanting to, but not being able to scratch them. Makes me squirm and feel itchy just thinking about it!

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  6. Oh my god, those bedbug bites! Holy crap!

    You do so many things that are fun, so I think I should move near you and stalk you until you agree to be my best fried/take out a restraining order.

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  7. I am still SO BITTER on your behalf about the bedbugs. But! Everything looks so awesome otherwise, and the ash cloud costume is SHEER GENIUS.

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  8. Okay, you react to bedbug bites even worse than I react to mosquito bites and ant bites (and that ain't too pretty, either). I think you need to get some awesome friends in every place you ever want to visit so you never have to have that experience again. It shouldn't be too difficult, being you! ;)

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  9. Woman. Please tell me you took a bath in sanitizer after those moves on the metro.

    :-)

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  10. Holy hell those bites look awful. I'd sue...or at least want to badmouth the hotel all over the internet. Yeesh. Hope they're healing well!

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  11. Excellent post!! The bridesmaid dress party group pic is part fantasy (so many beautiful ladies) and part slightly disturbing dream (the dresses and the smiles make me think something along the lines of "Stepford Bridesmaids" ... um, but I mean it in a good way).

    The ash cloud theme is excellent. Looking at your sister in those first 2 could pics made me think, "What a nice piece of ash." But I would never say that out loud. That would just get me in trouble.

    Before I run for my life, I do want to say how sorry I fell for you and your bedbug ordeal. That arm looks like no fun at all! :(

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  12. Your bridesmaid dress party looks like SO MUCH FUN! I've gotten rid of most of my awful dresses from the past...

    B2B is awesome. I haven't been in several years, but after seeing your pictures and your ash cloud idea - so brilliant!!! - I think I may have to go next year.

    Um, those bug bite pictures look absolutely miserable! I hope everything clears up :-(

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  13. I love this post so much & cannot even explain why. Perfect balance of photos & words & funny. Except for the tragic bugbites. NOT FUNNY.

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  14. Good ol' SF! What hotel did you stay at? Remind me never to stay there! Ewwww. That looks horrible and painful. :(

    I'm headed to SF this weekend. I can't wait.

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  15. aren't those seagulls f*cking? is that how birds do it? am i really the ONLY one who thought that when i saw the pix?! damn me and my dirty mind *sigh*

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  16. What is this, the 4th year in a row for the bridesmaid's dress party? Respect.

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  17. Wonderful post. I, of course, loved the pictures of Leyba. You're such a great "auntie." I am disturbed however at how much Waldo looks like my freshman year BF Jeff? Look again... I know, right?!? He's from Cali you know...

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  18. Ash cloud - AWESOME.

    Bridesmaids party - DOUBLE AWESOME.

    Little Leyba - ADORBS.

    Bed bug bites - I hope those hotel people are covered in bites right now from head to toe and react a lot worse than you did!!

    Hey, that's where Waldo is!

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  19. I love that you pole-danced on the metro!

    Those bed-bug bites are SUPER IMPRESSIVE. I suggest a poster-sized print mailed to the hotel.

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  20. Jesus Christ Alice

    Stay at a decent Hotel, and stop pole dancing on the metro.

    You filthy little thing you. God only knows what else you have besides bed bug bites.

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  21. You realize, of course, there are now pictures of you topless, and pole dancing on the internet? Note the careful punctuation.

    Sounds like you've been having a good time lately, yanno, less the vermin.

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  22. Can I just say that I LOVE the idea of a bridesmaid dress party? LOVE it.

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  23. Alice, you are so fun. I wish I had a friend like you here in Chicago!

    When I was in DC last week I heard a few people talking about B2B. It sounds so fun! And the volcanic ash idea is too brilliant for words!

    Your poor arm. I am happy you are better!

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