Day two in Charleston…

Day two in Charleston went pretty smooth and mellow. Some lounging at a long breakfast with the girls, then about two hours and two thousand words of writing in the early afternoon, then wandering around shopping for a bit (after an hour of doing that in 90 degree heat, I was done!), then a yummy crabcake lunch, then more lounging at the hotel, then a delicious shrimp and grits dinner (with fried green tomatoes appetizer) at the restaurant Amen, so yum. The food here is amazing. I'm eating seafood at every meal.

All accompanied with generous amounts of alcohol for those who wanted it -- Charleston appears to be a heavy-drinking city. Our hotel, for example, comes with free sherry (dry or cream) in the afternoon, and free wine (choice of 4, as many glasses as you want) in the late afternoon. I'm a lightweight, so had hardly any, but do want to note that I was brave and tried an oyster shooter at dinner, which sounded disgusting but which was actually not bad. I could see how you could get addicted to those. I think it's the pepper.

The rest of the gang went on for more clubbing and such after dinner, but I am just too old and tired to keep up, so came back to the hotel for a relatively early night. I slept badly last night, and am hoping to do better tonight. I'm the only one in this crowd with kids (my sister's friends are mostly five years or more younger than me). They were nominally sympathetic to the lack of sleep, but they clearly have no idea. It would be funny, if it weren't so sad. :-)

Still, I'll have my revenge, since not just my sister but also another girl are engaged at the moment, and my other sister is married, and I think they all want kids, so I expect much sleep deprivation in their future. I think at brunch tomorrow, I may have to serenade my sister with a few verses of the traditional folk song, "Single Girl"....

When I was a single girl, my dress was smart and fine
Now that I'm a married gal, I'm ragged all the time.

When I was a single girl, had shoes of the best kind
Now that I'm a married girl, barefoot all the time.

When I was a single girl, go anywhere I please
Now that I'm a married girl, got a baby on my knees.

When I was a single girl, go to the store and buy
Now that I'm a married girl, rock that cradle and cry.

When I was a single girl, I'd lay in bed 'til one
Now that I'm a married girl, I'm up before the sun.

When I was a single girl, the boys were my delight
Now that I'm a married girl, the same face every night.

When a fella comes a' courtin' you, and sits you on his knee
Keep your eye upon the sparrow, that flits from tree to tree.

Note: this version cobbled together from multiple sources, as well as my faint mangled memories of a version sung at a Renaissance Faire about twenty years ago. And possibly on a tape Adam Lang gave me, back in the day, a tape that is long disappeared. I wonder if he still has a copy...