I had quite the tumultuous weekend. First, I went to Jess' birthday party on Friday night, which was fun. I only intended to stay a short while, considering that we were going to the States the next day and I wanted to get some more studying done. So, I bought one bottle of Maudite and tried to nurse my drink. That didn't happen. Somehow rum fell into my hands, and, well, let's just say I continued to have fun. This was the result:
With apologies to Warren Ellis, drunk people win.
I woke up with a wicked hangover. I tried to study but the text would float above the page and reconfigure themselves into eldrich hieroglyphics. We then met up with friends and got a ride to Bellingham, Washington to see Davis Sedaris read and field questions. As usual, crossing the American border always seems difficult until you reach the border guard, and then he / she quickly waves you into their country.
Sedaris was great. His prose is minimal and deliberate, so the underlying humour shines through. He started with a few . . .um . . . I guess you can call them fables, then he moved onto some of his usual work, regaling us with stories like a scandalous cab ride in New York to buying dope in a trailer in South Carolina. I think the story takes place in South Carolina. Afterwards, he had a brief dialogue with the audience as they asked questions - he's very comfortable on stage, and his relaxed candor was very charming, as though we're all hanging out in his living room sipping mint juleps. I don't know, I just image mint juleps in that scenario.
Later we went for dinner at a restaurant with the words beer and burgers in its name. I actually liked the place. The decor was odd, like a cross between a family restaurant and a frat house, as commented by one of my companions. The burgers were huge, and I was able to order a Squirt, which is hard to find in Canada. Needless to say, squirt became a favourite word around the table. After a speedy crossing back to Canada, we got home at around 1 in the morning.
