It's Sunday again.  The weeks just keep on going by.  And why shouldn't they?

    I've been trying to busy myself with little home-improvement projects today.  Cleaning my room, fixing up some loose fixtures in the bathroom, tidying up the kitchen.  Nice day out today.  Sort of cold, but bright and sunny. I should really be outside right now.  But I felt somewhat compelled to review my weekend.  It went something like this:

    On friday, I went into work even though I didn't have to.  I have a lot to do, even though I killed one of the stories I was working on, the story about France. Whenever I write about France, I always, for some uncontrollable reason, have to mention the Maginot lines and Henri Petain, head of the Vichy government in France during WW II.  My high school history teacher Mr. Voguit was always fascinated by Petain, because he went from a celebrated French World War I hero to a treasonous Nazi collaborator.  Anyway, I always feel compelled to think of him and those silly Maginot Lines everytime I have to think of silly French stuff.
    So i have a lot of work to do for work. I found out I'm actually writing an article I thought I was jut researching. 2000 words and three pages.  It's a big step.  I just got a copy of the latest magazine, and it's pretty satisfying to see my name in print.  Even if it's a 100 word record review, it's still pretty cool.  Like I'm on my way.  This piece I'm working on now is sort of my test, I think.  So let's not blow it.
    So I left work a bit early on Friday, and headed over to see the basketball team coached by Rodzilla.  I got there sort of late, and was misinformed as to the time, so I only saw the second half.  Her team lost 14-19.  There was really one played on the other team that took control late in the game, as all great players do.  But it was definitely an enjoyable experience.  Watching the girls run around like a swarm of bees, throwing these high arcing, short passes.  But they all looked really determined. I was really hoping they'd pull it out, since they hadn't won a game all year.  Anyway, after the game, I sat around a coffee shop and finished reading Vonnegut's The Sirens of Titan. One thing i really hate about these books is the stupid plot descriptions on the back of the book. It's like the person who wrote it didn't even read the book. And on the rare occasion that it is accurate, it gives away some key plot twist.  Anyway, that notwithstanding, I enjoyed the book tremendously.
    So then I went over to Williamsburg to Pete's Candy Store, a bar that James was playing at.  Got there sort of early, and sat at the bar with James for a while.  He told me he was reading this Nabokav book, and that the style of the writing reminded him of my writing.  talked mostly of writing and music and album covers.  There are certain things that I only really like to talk to james about. those things aren't much, and really don't see him that often, but when I'm in the mood to talk about them, it's great that he's there.  Anyway, he played really well. His friend Artie played the pedal steel guitar, which added a whole new dimension.  Most of our friends showed up, and some people I sort of knew.  It was a good time. The place was kind of small, but the music was good and it was a good time in general.  In general.

    Yesterday, I spent most of the afternoon cooking up a stew.  It's a recipe from my parents, though I'm not sure if it's my mom's or my dad's. It just seems to appear from time to time, and sometimes my dad makes it and sometimes my mom. Beef stew is what my mom would call it.  My dad fancies it calling "Hungarian Goulash."  I'm not sure if it's either Hungarian or a goulash, but I think he gets a big kick out of it, particularly the way he says "goulash," so we just let him call it whatever he wants.  It's just one of the weird little peculiarities in my normally straight-laced dad that lets me know that I wasn't adopted.  Anyway, it's a tasty stew, with lots of veggies and potatoes and chunks of beef, and a good amount of curry.  It's yummy stuff. And my dinners for the next week.

    I wanted to spend the day inside watching movies, but in the end Jed and I bought a small bottle of vodka, had a few drinks, then went down to Great Lakes.  We ran into Jed's friend Holly and her friends there, and we chatted with them for a while before they left for another bar. I wouldn't have minded talking to them more, but the good part was that they had a table which we took over.  Jed's put his "no sit, no stay" policy on hold several times now, so it was fortunate that we got to sit, since we were there for another 3 or 4 hours.  While I was getting a drink, Jed struck up a conversation with these two girls. I kind of noticed them when we were standing at the bar, but didn't really think they looked like they'd be any fun to talk to.  So when I got the table, Jed was talking to these two girls, and asked them if they wanted to sit with us.  And so they did.  Their names were Jen and Nicole.  I was there silently for a good bit. Then I felt like I was being rude, so I started talking about all manner of stuff.  I can't seem to recall what.  They were nice enough.  At the very least, a good opportunity to brush up on my casual conversation skills.  One of them was about 4 years older than us, and the other one was Canadian.  Jed held that against them both.  "She's Canadian, so what potential is there really?" he said, several times.  After the bar, we walked over to the Donuts Luncheonette, and had some grilled cheeses.  I felt like it would be doing us all a great disservice to stumble into a well-lit place after having a nice conversation in a dark bar.  Jed was sort of thinking the same thing. We were both right.  Jed noticed his eyes were terribly bloodshot, and the girl he thought was sort of cute didn't stand up under the cruel scrutiny of the harsh fluorescent lights.  In fairness, most people look their worse under fluorescent lights.  Anyway, by then it was past 4 am, and Jed and I headed home.  Anyway, it was sort of a pleasant evening, but I doubt we'll see them again.  I know too many Jens already anyway.
    So now it's the day of the Super Bowl.  I was planning on watching it here, but now I think I'm going to go over to Jen's.  She's feeling sort of sick, and I told her I'd bring her some of the stew I made.  She's earned it.

One Year Ago

DA&R home
Past Aggravations and Regrets
previous |  next
South Pole Home

©2001 Three Match Breeze