Like It's Your Birthday

Last night I was reunited with some of the people I love best. It was Redmoon's "Lunatique," their 20th birthday celebration. It was the expected madness: an orchestra in rabbit masks, tuba players in skeleton suits, an astronaut shot into space, bumping and grinding in the warehouse, pink martinis, the Redmoon bombastic lifestyle. I was all adrenaline, so psyched to see the people who made last summer the spectacular it was. There are always those faces, those people, the ones who perfectly encapsulate a time in your life and when you see them, it's like a benchmark. They pinpoint your progress. Now, auditions for my own show are approaching- the Redmoon crew were all present when my grant project was just a hazy dream. And so we all traded news (Redmoon performed at the White House for halloween!). I was proud to be like yo, here is my independence, and I can't wait for you to see the fruits of my labor come August. This morning there was another birthday celebration, a brunch for one of my mom's oldest friends, Norine. Norine is amazing: slim as a whip and just as shocking. She has this spirit to her, like she's known from day one what she's about, and she inspires you to pull yourself up. She was so surprised to see me, and pulled me in to sip champagne (oh gawd why) and talk about my life. With Norine, it's genuine. She skips the bullshit and pursues the Real Facts. Benchmarks. Chicago has always felt like my lifeblood. Yes, I've spent my entire life in this city but it's more than that. There's a fluidity to my life here, the people, the friends, the sidewalks. It's in me like no other architecture. I love it more than I can say and I'm always happy to be reminded of who I am, and the people who are constantly pushing me forward. I have things to do and they won't let me forget it. Time to blow out the candles and get rolling, Hip hip hooray.