It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...

So I'm almost officially 40 (5/9/06 at 1:14pm) and, so far, it doesn't hurt a bit. I thought 30 would hurt and it didn't, but 30's not old and, well, 40's kinda old. Oh well, I don't feel old yet and that's what really matters, right?

Anyway, I had a lovely party over the weekend for all of my friends to celebrate my aging fabulousness and, since some of my friends were unable to make it due to distance and illness and blasted homework, I thought I'd recreate some of the festivities here so they can attend vicariously. And, I suppose, those of you who did attend and wish to relive it, can do so as well! And those of you who don't know me and read my blog because, well, I don't know why you do, but I welcome you regardless, you can attend my virtual party as well.

The theme of the party was: come as what you wanted to be when you grew up (when you were little). I was a movie star attending the Academy Awards, J was a gas station attendant, Kira was a writer, Anthony was a magician, Galen was a pilot and so was Patrick, Karen was I Dream of Jeannie, Dennis was a philosopher, Dad and Jan were a cowboy and cowgirl respectively, Max was Wonder Woman, Jen was Strawberry Shortcake, Kristen was a construction worker, Julie was a punk rocker, Michael was a professor, Pat was a nuclear physicist, Damion was Daisy Duke, Diana was Madonna, the other Damien was a chef, Heather was supposed to be a gypsy but then showed up as a librarian, Sarah was perfect, Gregory couldn't come but dressed up as a Solid Gold Dancer at home, Whitney said she was coming as a tree and then didn't dress up, and several others didn't dress up 'cause they were shy or party poopers or whatever. Well, I'll give Laurie and Erique a break since they came directly from the airport and had been travelling all week - I'm just glad they came!

The party was held in a wonderful party room in a local Portland restaurant that had a fireplace, leather couches, comfy chairs adjacent to a bar, several cocktail tables for your dining pleasure (table tops were sprinkled with a variety of Hershey's kisses - including the yummy carmel ones!), and a big plasma screen tv on which we showed David Bowie videos and Brady Bunch reruns. We brought our own cds to play for the party and here is some of what we played:

• The Smiths
• The Postal Service
• Pink Martini
• The Garden State Soundtrack
• David Bowie
• Carla Bruni

Speaking of cds, we gave out a party favor to each and every guest (and some of the restaurant employees, too!) that was a compilation cd with one song from every year I've been alive. We named it "DJ Bad Kitty's Picks of a Lifetime" and here's what is on it:

1966: I Want You by Bob Dylan

1967: Happy Together by The Turtles

1968: Dear Prudence by The Beatles

1969: The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel

1970: Cracklin' Rosie by Neil Diamond

1971: Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves by Cher

1972: Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed

1973: Daniel by Elton John

1974: Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Wings

1975: Fame by David Bowie

1976: Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

1977: Strawberry Letter 23 by The Brothes Johnson

1978: Take a Chance on Me by Abba

1979: A Message to You, Rudy by The Specials

1980: Love Will Tear Us Apart by The Joy Division

1981: Radio Free Europe by REM

1982: More Than This by Roxy Music

1983: Smalltown Boy by Bronski Beat

1984: Song to the Siren by This Mortal Coil

1985: Kiss Me on the Bus by The Replacements

1986: Real Wild Child by Iggy Pop

1987: Ahead by Wire

1988: Birthday by The Sugarcubes

1989: Here Comes Your Man by The Pixies

1990:Cuts You Up by Peter Murphy

1991: Until the End of the World by U2

1992: The Drowners by Suede

1993: Noel, Jonah and Me by The Spinanes

1994: Sour Times by Portishead

1995: Thirty Three by Smashing Pumpkins

1996: Is That All There Is? by John Parish and PJ Harvey

1997: Sleep on the Left Side by Cornershop

1998: Waltz #2 by Elliott Smith

1999: Babylon by David Gray

2000: Good Fortune by PJ Harvey

2001: Mad World by Gary Jules

2002: Slow Burn by David Bowie

2003: The District Sleeps Alone Tonight by The Postal Service

2004: Run by Snow Patrol

2005: We Both Go Down Together by The Decemberists

2006: Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers

and the following Bonus Tracks (cause there was extra room that I didn't want to go to waste):

Soul Meets Body by Death Cab for Cutie

Thursday by Morphine

New Career in a New Town by David Bowie

Supernova by Liz Phair

Cannonball by Damien Rice

If She Wants Me by Belle & Sebastian

The Killing Jar by Siouxsie & the Banshees

Ball of Confusion by Love & Rockets

Crimson and Clover by Joan Jett

Tears Run Rings by Marc Almond

The food was awesome and looked beautiful! We had: cold tarragon poached salmon with an aioli dipping sauce, eggplant stuffed with goat cheese, an Isreali cous cous salad with kalamatas and roasted red bell peppers, a caprese salad, hot curried oysters, a gorgeous fresh fruit platter with tons of BERRIES, miniature spanakopita triangles, and an assortment of six or seven fabulous cheeses that included a Stilton with mango that was so delicious. And the cake, which we got from Polly's Cakes was to die for!!! It was the coolest looking cake ever...essentially if Dr. Seuss and the Mad Hatter got together and had a baby and it was a cake, it would be my birthday cake! Polly's Cakes have been featured on The Food Network and in several food magazines of note. Polly was very kind and down to earth and very easy to work with. Most importantly, the cake was delicious! One layer was chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling and the other was a passionfruit-coconut cake with a coconut cream filling.

There were two games that we had going and people seemed to enjoy them both, even though some dubbed one of the games as "too hard." One was a photo board that J put together of a bunch of pictures of me over the years and ten of the pics had a post-it with a letter on it and folks were asked to put those ten in chronological order. And, nope, my dad didn't win this one (maybe it was too hard after all) - my friend, Heather, did! Her winning strategy was to gauge by the fashions above all else.

The other game was a quiz about me. It had 20 questions and the winner got 11 right! Here's the quiz:

If Bad Kitty were to go through the McDonald’s drive-thru, what sort of condiment would she want for her fries?
a) Ranch dressing
b) ketchup
c) mayonnaise
d) are you nuts? Bad Kitty wouldn’t be caught dead at the McDonald’s drive-thru!

How many tattoos does Bad Kitty have?_______ Tiebreaker: What are they and where are they located?

Bad Kitty drinks:
a) scotch
b) bourbon
c) gin
d) beer
e) yes

Where, other than Portland, has Bad Kitty lived?
a) Seattle
b) Eugene
c) San Francisco
d) Los Angeles

Name one of Bad Kitty’s favorite flavors of ice cream (include brand):

What cheesy pop-culture tv show does Bad Kitty actually enjoy watching?
a) The OC
b) Family Guy
c) American Idol
d) That 70s Show

What get-rich-quick scheme did Bad Kitty consider when she was an undergrad?
a) selling her eggs
b) robbing a bank
c) Amway
d) Taking all of her books to Powell’s and selling them

Bad Kitty has met all but one of the following famous people. Which one has she never met?
a) Luke Perry
b) Courtney Love
c) Tom Selleck
d) Joaquin Phoenix
e) Ellen DeGeneres

What is Bad Kitty’s favorite color?
a) Royal blue
b) orange
c) green
d) magenta

Bad Kitty’s favorite strip-club in Portland is:
a) The Acropolis
b) The Dolphin
c) Sassy’s
d) Magic Garden

When in Vegas, Bad Kitty’s favorite table game is:
a) blackjack
b) roulette
c) craps
d) poker

Bad Kitty’s favorite “guilty pleasure” singer from her childhood is:
a) David Cassidy
b) Jim Croce
c) Don McLean
d) John Denver

One of Bad Kitty’s favorite writers is:
a) Iris Murdoch
b) John Steinbeck
c) Virginia Woolf
d) Anton Chekov

Bad Kitty’s favorite Broadway show is:
a) Oklahoma
b) A Chorus Line
c) 42nd Street
d) The Producers

Bad Kitty’s daughter was conceived via what combination:
a) Fellini films and a fine chianti
b) Andy Warhol films and tequila
c) Peter Greenaway films and gin martinis
d) David Lynch films and microbeer

Bad Kitty met her partner:
a) at a bowling alley
b) through a personals ad
c) at work
d) at a lesbian bar

Bad Kitty has worked at all but one of the following Portland restaurants:
a) The Heathman Hotel
b) Pazzo
c) Paparazzi
d) The airport Sheraton
e) The Chart House
f) Saucebox
g) Wild Abandon

Which of the following is Bad Kitty’s favorite Grateful Dead song?
a) Sugar Magnolia
b) Casey Jones
c) Truckin’
d) None of the above. There is only one Garcia she loves to hear sing and it's not Jerry!

Bad Kitty has fallen prey to all of the following fashion fads except:
a) leg warmers
b) 80s “sun” lightened big permed hair
c) Acid washed jeans
d) Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” girl look
e) Ray Ban sunglasses

Bad Kitty loves all of the following kitties except:
a) Hello
b) Patience Phillips (Catwoman)
c) Mortimer
d) Josie

So thanks for coming to my party! Happy Birthday to Me!