birthday weekend

i had a pretty good birthday weekend. i wore captain kitty to celebrate:



friday josh and i went to a show. we saw midnight, who are one of the most exciting cleveland bands at the moment in my opinion.



then we saw a legendary performance by soul/r&b singer clarence reid. it was the first show in the northern area that he has played in 35 years! although he had a few songs that charted in the 60s and 70s, he is perhaps best known for the songs he wrote for other artists (including sam and dave, and the song "clean up woman" for betty wright).



later in the 70s, clarence reid adopted an alter ego known as blowfly...the xxx rated porno soul king! that basically means he is the old, black, perverted version of weird al because he takes songs and turns them into dirty parodies. the owner of the bar hired some gross strippers for the occasion to set the tone of the nite. it was very funny, but i could have done without the strippers for the entire show. luckily, i did not get any photos of the strippers...but here are a few of blowfly!











on saturday, josh and i met up with some friends for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. then we came back to hotel hot trash for cake! and board games! and presents! and antics! allow me to illustrate:






(apparently greg is the official cake-cutter wherever he goes. i was not aware.)


(pogo thought it was her new bed)















hahahahaha.

i got lots of nice stuff! josh got me this cute cupcake container:



he also got me the frankenstein bag i wanted from etsy, candy, records, and gift certificates for MORE records! oh, and THIS GUY!!!


i <3 rat fink! now that's the perfect boy for me...one who knows to get me monsters and weirdos and rock'n'roll for a holiday :) i got several books, including this one from my cousin beth. love the cover!

"charlotte" got me this travel mug with her cute picture on it, because i always bring coffee over in the mornings when i go to babysit her :)



beth's boyfriend jon is a graphic artist and does lots of posters and fliers for local shows. he gave me a copy of this awesome one he made a few years ago for the bob log III show. it also includes local favorites uncle scratch's gospel revival, and an appearance by my girlfriends the pussyfoot girls!!



my friend jen gave me this adorable hair clip so i can get all dolled up and look like a pinup girl. i can't wait to wear it!



angie got me a bag full of goodies, including a notebook with some homies. she said this is us girls. HA! i want to be the fly one with no neck.





austin got me a mini marble elvis bust. sorry the picture didn't come out too good because the flash reflected off the king's shiny mug!



by the end of the evening, everyone was all tired out :)



sunday, which was my actual birthday, i hung out with josh and we went to my parents house for dinner. we also celebrated my dads birthday (feb 13th) and my brother mike's (feb 16th) along with mine. i was crabby and didn't stay as long as i would have liked, but it was still nice. THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who sent well-wishes, came out to party with me, and showered me with love and monsters!!! i am a lucky girl for being surrounded by the people that i am.