The Cup of Fortunes: Week 24 (June 8-14)

Any week that starts off with the arrival of the greatest pair of slippers in the world is going to be a good week. My friend Emily has been telling me for months that she got me "the greatest birthday present" this year, and it arrived last Saturday afternoon (after a day at election training). I texted her to see if I should wait until my birthday to open it and she said absolutely not. So I opened the package. 

Behold...triceratops slippers.

How cute are they!?! They're also very comfortable. I have no idea where Emily got but she's right; these are a great birthday present for me. 

Anyway, these slippers kicked off my birthday week along with this wonderful fortune that I enjoyed embroidering. I like one fortune weeks since I get to stitch slowly over seven days. I get to spend more time with a fortune. I'm not too sure about the natural grace part, but I do know I have great consideration of others. Interestingly, I was recognized for my volunteerism this week. The fortunes know things. 

Me awkwardly returning to my table at the Volunteer Fairfax Awards. I was nominated by my company and recognized for the various volunteering I do in and out of work. 

Volunteering has always been something I do. My parents are the same, so this is also an award for them. They've always encouraged giving back. It was great to hear the stories of so many other volunteers in the county and I reconnected with a person I used to volunteer with at another organization. 

Note: if you're going out to protests this weekend, please be careful. Familiarize yourself with your rights, have a plan if you get separated from friends, turn off things like facial recognition or finger print recognition on your phone, and shut the fuck up (this is regarding talking to cops). Remember, cops aren't your friends. Also, wear sunscreen, hydrate, and don't sit down at a protest. I've seen advice on sitting down at a protest to show that you're peaceful. Sitting down at a protest is dangerous for lots of reasons, including but not limited to being trampled and the fact that tear gas actually sits at a lower level on the ground so you'll be more impacted should it be used. If you need to show you're not an agitator, link hands with others, stand very still, or move away from the violence. Don't sit down.

Here is this week's fortune and lucky numbers. 

June 8

June 9

June 10

June 11

June 12

June 13

June 14

Weeks 1-24 - I moved the fabric today too. 

WIPs and Birthday Joy

I didn't really have a ton of time to work on projects this week. I did a little bit of work on the travel case, but am going to have to recut a piece before I start gluing all the panels in. The piece that sits between the lid and the base is too heavy. I used a piece of felt wrapped in the fabric, but the felt is too much. I'm going to fix it and then I should be able to proceed. My plan is to finish this up next weekend. 

I can't stress enough how much I enjoy going to thrift stores. You never know what you're going to find and my trip last Sunday was no exception. I went to a few stores in my area, and found some cute little items for my house and to use for gifts. 

When I say "let's use the nice china," these are the plates I'm referring to.

It's a cat candle holder! It's cute!

I was super social this week and reconnected with several friends, went to a baseball game with my brother, had a birthday lunch with my parents, and went to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Signature Theatre. I think the rest of the run is sold out, but if you luck into a ticket, go see Hedwig. It's such a great show!

I also took myself on a bookstore date in the evening on my birthday. Very excited about my newest to be read pile. The other piles around my house are sighing at me. I tell them I'll eventually get around to everyone. Like a true Gemini, my brain likes to know lots of things and read lots of different books. I flit from book to book, so the to be read piles need to learn patience. 

It was a good week. Yes, terrible things are happening in the world and I'm not unaware of or ignoring those things. I simply decided to enjoy my birthday week and focus on joy and friendship this week. I'll return to doomscrolling soon. 

Here are some more small joys from the week. I hope you find some joy or rest or rage or coffee or triceratops slippers this weekend or whatever thing you need.

My friend Elaine made me cupcakes. She was in the middle of arranging them on the desk I use at work when I arrived at the office. It was funny and everyone enjoyed delicious cupcakes. Yes, those are dinosaur candles. They're sitting on my sink now. Thank you Elaine!

I met up with another friend for drinks on Tuesday and we stopped into Mobius Records before heading to the brewery. This was the album I picked for my friend to buy me (even though she didn't need to). It's amazing. I need to listen to it again, but it's fantastic. Imagine if John Williams had decided we needed to groove across the galaxy...on roller skates. 

As we walked into the theatre there was a table with free stuff, including important things like Narcan and tampons, but also a tiny fuck. It's fantastic.

Finally had a chance to wear the random sequin shirt I bought for no apparent reason 4 months ago.

That's my purse, a Gummy Bear (the theme cocktail at Signature), and a jello shot. It was fantastic. If you know Hedwig you'll get the gummy bear reference. I think my composition here is pretty outstanding.