I feel like I haven’t been to work in ages since I had four days off this week. Monday I woke up early (early for me) at eleven or so and went canoeing with Sab (who cuts my hair) on Town Lake. I sat in the back of the canoe with my feet dangling in the cool, muddy water while he did most of the rowing. This division of labor was agreeable to both so I didn’t feel guilty. We stayed out for an hour, going in one direction and then another and back again. We would see turtles paddling around underwater with green algae covering their shells. Sab said they needed to exfoliate which I found very funny.
When we got back Phillip met us to get something to eat. We bummed around for a while inside while Sab just started rearranging all the clothes in my closet. He said the open closet doors were bad feng shui and then he started putting it in order. Everything had to be hung in the same direction. Buttoned shirts unbuttoned on hangers all in the same direction. Pants ordered from lightest to darkest. Collared and buttoned shirts grouped separately, lightest to darkest. Then we all went out to Hula Hut. Sab was very hyper. He told us this funny story about when he volunteered for some organization that held bingo games for elderly people. When a number was called everyone would look down to mark their cards. While everyone wasn’t looking Sab would do a cartwheel. Apparently, he was once well known for his impromptu cartwheels.
After lunch, we went back to my house to make further plans. We agreed to meet up at seven to see ‘Dirty Pretty Things‘ at Westgate theatre. It was really good. I would readily recommend it. I’ve been seeing a lot of movies lately. I saw ‘Thirteen‘ sunday. That was good too and emotionally sapping. What I really want to see is the new Sofia Coppola movie, ‘Lost in Translation’. A lot of people are saying it is the best movie of the year.
Tuesday I woke up late and ran to the post office to file for a passport. I waited for a few minutes behind a couple trying to get a passport for their new baby so they could visit whichever Latin American country they presumably have family in. They brought along a friend to translate for them. When I got to the counter the clerk smiled and made some comment about how I was well prepared since I had the filled out form, two passport photos, birth certificate, and state-issued id on the counter ready to go before he could open his mouth. I took this as a compliment. After that I zoomed down to book people and nosed around for a while. When I got out I saw it was five till five and called Susan to see if she wanted a ride home from work. We stopped along the way to get golden vanilla frozen yogurt at TCBY. We didn’t talk a lot. I felt a little out of it and distracted, but I distinctly remember acting very hyper and obnoxious, saying a lot of hyper and obnoxious things.
Today, I didn’t do too much. I showered and dressed then walked to Flipnotics to read Rules of Attraction and write in my notebook broodingly. Along the way I stared down every car that passed me. It gave me something to do. After I spent a couple of hours there Kristine returned my call. We were supposed to hang out before she went out of town for a wedding but she said she had to finish packing and everything before she left in the morning. I asked her if she’d give me a ride back to my house on her way home from work. She was totally up for it and it was good to see her. She mentioned something about some werewolf movie that just came out on video. In it the werewolves are pubescent girls and the lycanthropy has something to do with menses or the onset of menses. I like the word ‘menses’. It reminds me of some sort of mental disorder. I need to find this movie. It sounds interesting.
Updated: I found the movie it’s called Ginger Snaps. Here’s an article on it with some minor spoilers.
I don’t think you were obnoxious the other day, though you did seem a little keyed up. But I wouldn’t say we didn’t talk much–I thought you were quite the chatterbox, and I got my share of talking in too.
My friend Jeannie’s brother said that, when he was a boy, people’s discussions of “woman problems,” i.e. menses, made him think that women must turn into bizarre, scary creatures once a month in secret. There’s actually a branch (if you can call it that) of feminism concerned with the study of monstrosity and women, called teratology. Sounds like Ginger Snaps might be interesting.
And the cookie is rather yummy.
Sarah’s mention of teratology makes me think about this professor I had once who was obsessed with the idea of the “vagina dentata” (i.e. a cooch with teeth) and brought it up at any opportunity or even when it was completely unrelated. It got worrisome after a while.
You guys are so smart.