So....

Mom & my bridemaids and I were supposed to get together yesterday to "Discuss jewellery & hairstyles & other accessories" for the dresses. Or, as of a week ago, so I thought.

A few days ago, though, mom dropped a comment to the effect that she could pick me up from work (Good idea!) so we could do a couple of specific errands (which errands were legit, I should say, and we did do), but also that I could go home & change first if I wanted...

This made my ears prick up. It sounds small, but mom knows me. Unless I've been extra sloppy about my clothes, or spilled my lunch over myself, I generally don't change before getting together to hang out with my best friends.

So I half-expected that after supper, we'd end up at mom's place and a bunch of people would yell "Surprise!" I did try to be wary about such expectations, just in case we were getting together legitimately. But I put in earrings and the like and paid some attention to my hair. And I wore the spangly glasses and a *nice* sweater to work in the first place.

That was half right, though. Half being, people did yell "surprise!". The other half was, we didn't end up at mom's place. Mom made a sudden turn, drove me around a bit, then landed me at a "Romance shop", where Brannie and the whole heap of people were waiting, for the purpose of a pole-dancing workshop. Mostly Barony people, including our Baroness, most of the handful on LJ, and a bunch whose names I'll reserve lest they nto want to be talked about in this context.

This was more fun than I was expecting, in many ways because, sexy aside, it's just like most other kinds of dance classes, and I am a huge fan of dance classes. I may not be able to dance like sun_in_her_hair or _aura_ (the former of whom was right into the sexy, too, the second less so, but still a damn good dancer, and the only person present doing the moves in adorable but very high heeled sandals), and my knees may resist a too-deep bend, but my hips generally know their business. And hey, sexy good.

Of course, I felt by the end an urge to *polish* the moves, to think about technique and style and how to do each step with a little bit more authority and a bit less rote. Effectively, to drill and get critiqued on the flourishes and touches. And before anyone says that isn't sexy, let me just say that a little bit less rote "What was the next move?" thinking and a bit more "owning" each step is, in fact, liable to make it look that much more sexy. But I did stop with everyone else. The Baroness snapped photos throughout, and also got a couple of shots of us all. She promised veto power on truly crappy shots (But I was told I'm not allowed to request she delete every picture of me. Pout.)

(We've had the debate, at least a little, in the Barony as to whether drilling technique ruins the fun of dancing. I'm firmly in the "you need room to play and goof off as well as goof up along the way, but being trained to do the moves *right* usually makes it more fun in the long run" camp.)

We were then invited to take a $15.00 off anything that was itself over $15.00 after tax. Alas, very little of the lingerie on hand that was remotely interesting was remotely my size, and while I'm willing to admit I have sex, I'm not that willing to select my toys in front of ten or so good friends.

So we all trooped over to the Baroness's house, where the spread of food of course entirely ruined all the good the exercise had done. Where my aunts and one cousin and those barony members who couldn't make it to the first part joined us, still ladies all until almost the end of the night. Much fun, and thankfully not a huge much of gifts in public (especially as the first husband showed up to pick up his wife in the middle of me co-operating with the Baroness and her camera and holding up one fo the few givts present....) but the hanging out was good.

Thanks, all of you. That was fun.

So....

Mom & my bridemaids and I were supposed to get together yesterday to "Discuss jewellery & hairstyles & other accessories" for the dresses. Or, as of a week ago, so I thought.

A few days ago, though, mom dropped a comment to the effect that she could pick me up from work (Good idea!) so we could do a couple of specific errands (which errands were legit, I should say, and we did do), but also that I could go home & change first if I wanted...

This made my ears prick up. It sounds small, but mom knows me. Unless I've been extra sloppy about my clothes, or spilled my lunch over myself, I generally don't change before getting together to hang out with my best friends.

So I half-expected that after supper, we'd end up at mom's place and a bunch of people would yell "Surprise!" I did try to be wary about such expectations, just in case we were getting together legitimately. But I put in earrings and the like and paid some attention to my hair. And I wore the spangly glasses and a *nice* sweater to work in the first place.

That was half right, though. Half being, people did yell "surprise!". The other half was, we didn't end up at mom's place. Mom made a sudden turn, drove me around a bit, then landed me at a "Romance shop", where Brannie and the whole heap of people were waiting, for the purpose of a pole-dancing workshop. Mostly Barony people, including our Baroness, most of the handful on LJ, and a bunch whose names I'll reserve lest they nto want to be talked about in this context.

This was more fun than I was expecting, in many ways because, sexy aside, it's just like most other kinds of dance classes, and I am a huge fan of dance classes. I may not be able to dance like sun_in_her_hair or _aura_ (the former of whom was right into the sexy, too, the second less so, but still a damn good dancer, and the only person present doing the moves in adorable but very high heeled sandals), and my knees may resist a too-deep bend, but my hips generally know their business. And hey, sexy good.

Of course, I felt by the end an urge to *polish* the moves, to think about technique and style and how to do each step with a little bit more authority and a bit less rote. Effectively, to drill and get critiqued on the flourishes and touches. And before anyone says that isn't sexy, let me just say that a little bit less rote "What was the next move?" thinking and a bit more "owning" each step is, in fact, liable to make it look that much more sexy. But I did stop with everyone else. The Baroness snapped photos throughout, and also got a couple of shots of us all. She promised veto power on truly crappy shots (But I was told I'm not allowed to request she delete every picture of me. Pout.)

(We've had the debate, at least a little, in the Barony as to whether drilling technique ruins the fun of dancing. I'm firmly in the "you need room to play and goof off as well as goof up along the way, but being trained to do the moves *right* usually makes it more fun in the long run" camp.)

We were then invited to take a $15.00 off anything that was itself over $15.00 after tax. Alas, very little of the lingerie on hand that was remotely interesting was remotely my size, and while I'm willing to admit I have sex, I'm not that willing to select my toys in front of ten or so good friends.

So we all trooped over to the Baroness's house, where the spread of food of course entirely ruined all the good the exercise had done. Where my aunts and one cousin and those barony members who couldn't make it to the first part joined us, still ladies all until almost the end of the night. Much fun, and thankfully not a huge much of gifts in public (especially as the first husband showed up to pick up his wife in the middle of me co-operating with the Baroness and her camera and holding up one fo the few givts present....) but the hanging out was good.

Thanks, all of you. That was fun.