personal swan song (Swan Ball 2008.05)

To put the Swan Ball weekend to rest, I wanted to put down my personal notes on the event and not just the Nfocus stuff. First off, the design was beautiful. It was just right (as opposed to too much, as is so easy to do with a budget like theirs) and cleverly crafted. I missed Jim Mees, but this year's designer did an amazing job. And it kills me that he's my age. Or younger. I've blocked it out. As much as I think this is what I always wanted to do, at the same time I think I might not like the mania, the insecurity, constant travel, and related stresses. Eh.

I also think it's cool that the designer is the son of Sandy's college roommate. (Sandy is Carrington's mom and one of my best friends. I came out to her long before I did to my own parents.)

Sinclair Kelly was a joy to be around, as always, and many thanks to her and Ellen for contriving a way to get me to come home this weekend.


And to Heather too, who rounded out my trio of Nfocus Angels.


The entertainment at the Swan Ball this year was DIANA ROSS. And how fracking cool was that? I left annoying voice mails on several friends' phones saying I was only 20 feet away. And of course she looked fabulous. And three wardrobe changes in an hour set. Impressive. I heard about all the riders in her contract and thought they were insanely ridiculous, but the woman basically invented the modern diva and so I think she can be excused. (I got the following pic from someone else who shared their photos of the evening.)


Miss Ross was the perfect entertainer for this generation. The younger folks rushed the stage. My mother and her friend stood and danced on chairs to see.


I freaking LOVE my mother.

Papa John, who has a hard time standing and walking, enjoyed it too.


The only thing casting a pall over the weekend, unfortunately literally, was the death of Mary Ann Harwell, step-mother to my best friend Jonathan. And on his birthday no less. My love goes out to all the Harwells, and my esteem of the younger Johnny, who has held everyone together throughout, only grows.

Final overheard:

Mom and Dad were looking at my Swan Ball photos on Sunday morning. They particularly liked this one...


...and asked who it was. I had no idea. Mom thought they (Nfocus) should run the photo and ask people to identify the man.

Then another another photo grabbed their attention, this one was just of a woman's chest (not exposed of course, and not posted online to be kind). Mom (or was it Dad) asked, "Whose breasts are those?" I didn't say.

Having a brilliant idea, Mom exclaimed, "That's what they should do! They should run both of these photos and have a contest to identify them."

I explained, "Well, I don't think they'll run the photo of the passed-out guy as you don't want to make fun of anyone as an individual. That would move it from being funny to being cruel. And I don't think the Editor of Nfocus will run the other photo and ask the public to identify these breasts... because they are hers."

"Oh." my mother said.