Got a text from a friend at 8:30 PM last night that she had an extra seat for me at a local dive bar.

So I headed over, and we got caught up on life, over a few drinks.

Then we joined some other friends at another table in the back patio (didn't know they were there, until they walked by us going to the bar for another round!)

We talked about the need for a new dirty/dark/edgy cirque-noir type circus in the town (since mine closed down about a decade ago, now), and that a mutual friend is building one. Looking forward to have some edgy dirty physical mind-bending culture-creating circus arts happening again...!

Also, one of the women runs the largest bellydance studio and dance troupe, and she was planning next year's big show. Was looking for ideas. So we brainstormed a bunch of fun things for her to do with her students and the old-hands (bellies?) in the big annual showcase. Good fun.

Finally, it turns out my friend is looking for an illustration project - a children's book, specifically - and I've been looking for an illustrator for my children's book for about 15 years. She started sketching, riffing on my description of my book, and ... we may have something coming together! But it is a long way from some sketches in a bar after a few drinks, to an entire Dr. Seuss-sized book of illustrations and text, but... hey... we have started! (Kinda.)