yay life!

taylor though it would be cute to wrap someone in christmas lights. they were very hot, so i suggested putting them around the window instead. kristy was ready to celebrate.

the beginning of the celebration.

guests began to arrive. jake and taylor were first. julie, kate bond, david bauer, mat, and kristin arrived shortly after. we put up christmas ights :).

kristy!

silly roommate.

people brought food!

and there will be snacks!! julie's taco dip was quite a hit.

jake!

jake norris.

pink sweater.

kate bond likes water. kristy likes my pillow.

there's no hiding from life!

kristin did not want her picture taken.

decorating.

kristy and i are known for instigating impromptu team building activities. we don't do it intentionally, it just sort of happens. in any case, the life party was no exception. taylor, jake, and kristy ended up spending quite a bit of time setting up christmas lights.

there they go!

kate and david.

upupup!

almost ready for more guests to arrive...

the food, again.

i left my camera on the table with a note instructing people to "take pictures." thus, there are some doubles.

awesome light.

our sweet flying saucer light in a recurring theme.

books.

nathan and kristy both work at the library.

sweet peas.

kate and kristin: happy to be there.

and once more...

good food,

good conversation,

and good friends.

someone is trying to find pur place.

two people, in fact. one called kristy, one called kate.

mmm...

such a calm, soothing atmosphere.

"positive connections"

nathan like to observe.

they realized i was taking pictures.

woopartay!

coats askew.

i don't know her!

but she came to celebrate, anyway. i think she's friends with nathan. more people connecting!

some weird girl.

yeah, she's kind of a creep.

i don't know her, either!

but it's ok! everyone is welcome.

he is the third person that i don't know!

his name is luke. he was all about the celebration. way cool.

someone else is on their way.

david is a moose in his spare time.

new friends.

not as wild as it looks.

nathan and john phillips.

i talk with my hands.

james!

james was at another party before he showed up at life's. he was the only one drunk. he gave everyone a lot of great, sweaty hugs. james, drunk or not, is always a good guy to have around. he makes silly noises and is great at cuddling. james is a very good friend.

dancin' feet!

mat and david.

two of the cutest boys ever. mat is like the sweet little brother who likes to tell stories, hear stories, and play. he lives his life with great exuberance. david is very reserved, but not in the shy kind of way. he says nothing unless it needs to be said. he is very thoughtful and ok with letting the silences run their course. i don't think i've ever heard him say anything mean.

cutie-patoot.

he had fun, i swear.

i think kate francini called?

roomies.

we're silly.

john phillis was part of a crew that filmed at my apartment. i invited the whole crew to coem celebrate. john phillips actually showed up.

peace.

james is drunk. taylor, i think, is humiliated.

the three people i didn't know spent a lot of time on the back porch.

when they came back inside, they had their faces painted. luke had a handlebar mustache. this did not make up for the villain-turned-bandit's absence.

kate and tim.

i have no idea what james is doing.

jake getting ready to head out.

kristy is trying to get him to stay. nathan is amused.

adorable.

two of the sweetest people i know.

sleepy heads.

the best picture of the night?

mark works with kristy at the library. he brought the people i didn't know. david also works at the library. mat and i are just creepy.

success!

hitch-hiker thumb approved!

life party two: reincarnation (as named by john phillips).

kristy had a headache. she was being a party pooper.

the tree had life cereal on the branches. it still took me a long time to get it. i felt silly.

however, rachel arrived with a "tree of life" and a massage that made kristy feel much better.

...and so it begins...

the first few guests (rachel, james, dax, and alex) played cards for a while. the deck was missing a king and queen. despite this fact, three of the four continued to play late into the night.

more people arrived in quick succession.

our second celebration quickly became quite large. it was great! sammy just knocked over a glass with her elbow. it broke, we swept, everything was all good.

i met alex on the train one day.

he had pink hair then. we see each other on the orange line every other day, now. if david bauer was a friendship, he would be ours. i talk with my hands. alex is comfortable. rachel is doing something funny, and dax is amused.sammy's hand is hangin' out in the bottom laft corner.

this is robin.

dax invited her. she's tiny. she picked me up when we hugged, and it surprised me. she also brought kristy and i an apple. i thought it a very sweet gesture. i would like to hang out with robin again.

cards.

happy james and amelia :).

amelia and i.

we met last year at orientation. she was the first friend i made at college. we've had almost every class together since then (all completely unplanned). clearly, we were meant to be friends.

love.

sammy's hand likes to hang out in random pictures.

great face.

long hair.

amy should also be a model.

the boy in the background's name is phil. he looks so familiar. neither of us could figure out if we had met before.

smiles!

mark perkins

works at the library. he has a great name.

i don't know what is going on here.

it seemed worthy of documentation , though.

the view from above.

see?

people apparently enjoy the lighting.

rachel getting ready to put on her dancin' shoes.

dancers outside of ballet class.

time to let loose.

devra dancing.

this went on for most of the night.

it was wonderful! people would come and go; joining the dance to dance away, making room for more people to do the same.

joe lit the candles.

"they just seem like they should be lit." i agreed. devra met him on the red line earlier that day.

celebration in full swing.

literally!

brittany and rob.

great couple. great friends.

james!

not drunk this time. still just as silly. more sweaty hugs. yum...

garden state.

many people throughout the night noted that my shirt blended in with the "tapestry."

they also noted that someone should take a picture of it.

rachel and robin.

at one point, they were sitting in the living room doing a beautiful sort of dance with their hands, and i fell off the papasan chair. it made a loud boom and broke one of the christmas lights, interrupting them. i felt bad, and once again, silly.

the poker chips.

i just ate some of sammy's winnings.

oops!

such a calm and soothing atmosphere.

positive connections!

one more time!

let's hear it for the lamp!

once again eyeing the chips...

dancin'!

the neverending game.

amelia's reaady to boogie.

the sea.

this doesn't include everyone who didn't take their shoes off.

just a nice picture.

success!

this time, approved by kate bond.

joe enjoyed the autoharp.

dancing lessons.

courtesy of rachel.

get down!

our neighbors helped out by lending us an extension chord.

go mat go!

giving directions.

i don't know this boy.

david was the photographer of the festivities.

he's one of the only people who followed the instructions to take pictures.

kristin and a friend.

all smiles :).

more dancing lessons.

rachel is a great party guest. also, very creative.

brittany.

silly goose dancin' fool awesome boots classy zombie girl best friend.

brittany is always so excited to see you.

thus, making you really excitedto see her. the whole seeing exchange is very exciting. i think she and rob are having a housewarming pary soon. i hope there is more dancing.

comfy kristy.

best. roomate. ever.

this boy i do not know.

he gave good, appreciative hugs when he left, which i hope, means more fun than is portrayed here was had.

cards, still.

sammy said that this was just the kind of chill night she needed. she loves parties where people don't drink because there is no drama - nothing is blown out of proportion. she could just sit and enjoy herself in any way she pleased surrounded by others doing the same.

if james were an animal, he would be a tiger cub.

the fireplace.

dancedance!

jazz!

celebrate good times!

come on!

squishy.

cute kate. excited kristin. model-esque hair flip.

speech.

dax was going to play accordion. kristy suggested loudly that i give a speech of introduction. she proceeded to start a chant. then, she gave me a stool.

brittany's socks match the cushion.

i explained that i was completing the task of expressing my love for something conventional in an unconventional way or vice versa.

entertained.

i said that i was expressing my love for life, and that i was counting that as an unconventional thing because so many people nowadays don't seem to share my feelings.

enjoying the spectacle.

i then explained the reason we gathered that night. i decided to throw a party for life, a very conventional way to show appreciation and good feelings. yay!

check out kristy's face... yeah...

dax is going to play accordion, now.

dax

the entrance.

is

many of dax's songs were about death.

going

but death is a part of life.

to play

so, it was still appropriate.

accordion,

now.

fritz and bryce.

sarah.

devra dancing 2.

micah.

extremely nice. great friend. always there at the right moments. never ceases to make people feel loved.

rachel

blowing bubbles.

we all know that bubbles equal super happy fun times.

joe.

jon pivovar.

just when i thought they weren't going to show up, jon pivovar, jeffrey, mathieu, packy, and tom knocked on my back door. it was a very exciting moment. they are some of my very close friends.

devra.

i just met her a week or two ago. she lives really close to where i grew up. we'll probably have great adventures together in the future.

the night's coming to a close.

the candles slowly burnt themselves out one by one.

most of the guests were gone.

kristy, sammy, jon, jeff, mathieu, packy, tom, alex, and i wrote a poem. it reads: "SALAMANDER" We were sitting on fire while eating potatos The potatos were good and the fire was cold I'm working on it cantaloupe scarf framed with a blue flower tapestry My salamander eats chinchilla food Atop a tin tower of tall shoes superficial goo Relishly suitcased day-man wasp soup-stream stirringly oranges bound kumquat

we ended the night with a walk.

it got too cold within the first two or three blocks, so we decided to turn in with the promise of more lively celebrations to come.