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July 31, 2009Since I last wrote here, I found a new house to live in that is ten blocks from here. It is small, it has no basement, but it will be a place I live, hopefully with some joy. In the meantime, I am not packing for tomorrow, but instead making a video about the stories of the heatwave. |
July 10, 2009The other day I thought this joke was just Awesome: Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 8 9! It was, of course, 07/08/09.I have to find a new place to live because my landlord is moving into my current house. This is a gmail chat I just wrote, as I look at craigslist, with despair. I'm too old for this I don't want to live in a basement I don't want to pay more than I do right now i don't want to live in a tiny room I don't want to move out of NE I don't want to live with all dudes I don't want to live with all straight people I don't want to live with people who are too young to care about cleaning the house I don't want to live with vegans I don't want to live with a cat that hates me I could make an infinitely longer list, I guess. I just want to say that I went to this house the other day, bless them - it was like, I probably should have known it was not going to work when a) One of the two housemates was obviously "the boss" and did all the talking, b) While telling me about the garden, stating that it was hers and she "didn't like to share," c) I asked how long the room for rent had been available and she said "Over two months," d) When I asked about the tone of the house I was told that it was a place to relax, not a party house, I was like "Oh, yes, of course," which was then followed up with "There's no alcohol allowed in the house." Which was, really - quite convenient. Because I think while situations a, b, and c might be more difficult to explicitly address as reasons not to live there, situation d was clearly a point of conflict that we could both agree on. What I found curious was that they had solicited my interview based on my Craigslist Housing Wanted ad, wherein I clearly addressed that I in fact enjoy beer, and even make my own beer. At home! I concluded with my current roommate Ana today that it's the finding of somewhere to move that is truly the worst part of moving rather than the actual moving itself. I agree, but also I know that August 1st will be no picnic, as I anguish over boxes of memorabilia I still can't throw out, and probably whine at my brother to help me lift something. I'll call my mom. "...Mom? Is it OK if I borrow the Subaru again? I need to move my bed, as gayly as possible." I won't mention that last part, she won't get it. |
July 6, 2009Yesterday was Ben's 24th birthday, and it was at least the third gift-giving holiday in a row that I have not given him a present. I kind of told him that up front when I went to my parents' house yesterday - he said it was fine. Then he also told me he was too tired to hang out with me. This is Ben and I at Pride together. It was a blessed event. Please note that he is wearing the t-shirt that I made for my college radio station in 2003. I love: my brother! Tomorrow is my grandad's 89th birthday. I had a dream last night that he and my grandma were around, but then all of a sudden my grandad was on the floor, and my grandma was helping him up. It was weird, it was like we were in an elementary school classroom or something. I feel like I'm entering the summer tunnel of birthdays, where everyone's birthday starts being just a matter of time away, and then they happen, and then it's my own, and then it's over! And then summer... is Over. But it's not, yet. Whose birthday is coming up? I'm having a hard time thinking of very many other July birthdays besides Ben and Grandad. But then when August arrives, it is just crazy. August 4: Barack Obama and my Grandma. My Grandma is turning 90. August 5: Wendy Ann August 9: Kelly's half birthday August 16: My parents' wedding anniversary, which is not a birthday, but still a date I need to think of. August 17: Claire Leamy August 22: Amanda August 24: Claire Howard August 29: Me and Laura! I am basing all of these off of memory. They could be wrong. But that's ok. In my writing class we did this reading about memory, and I did (yes) a free-write about how there's this social stigma against forgetting information, like it's this faux pas to not remember. Which is interesting to me for so many reasons - at what point do you say "Really, where is the value in remembering information?" Because it's like - I can memorize facts and numbers, and the names of flower parts, and the definition of erosion, and tell them back to you, and that might be considered smart, but like, who cares. It just shows that I have a skill for memorizing things. But then, if you and I were friends, and I forgot your middle name, or your birthday, or that we were supposed to do something some time, then I would be Blowing It, and you'd be like "I can't believe you forgot." But then, if we stopped being friends because I Blew It, I would sure hope I could forget how much my life sucks because we couldn't be friends anymore. And if all I could do was remember, wouldn't that make everything really overwhelming all the time ANYWAY? I just think it is interesting that there's this value spectrum that we put into remembering and forgetting things. You know what I remember? SHOOTING A GUN. I shot a gun on the 4th of July. America! |