3 summers ago, 2

June 5, 2008

"Was that really necessary?" she asked, trotting after him.
He looked back at the crowd and the flattened man he had left in the center of it. His hand was throbbing. He tried to shake it out.
"I had to do it, to protect you. You look like a whore," he thought to himself. 
"You look like a whore," he said.
She kicked some gravel up so it hit his calves. No one knew how to make her mad like he did. She knew he was probably right. That guy at the bar wouldn't have talked to her like that if she didn't look like she was giving it away.
She tugged on the bottom of her skirt as she shuffled behind him. He was breathing heavily, angrily. His passion both scared her and stirred something in her. She had tried to get him, his anger out of her life. But it was that same passion, even when it turned to anger, that kept drawing her back to him.
He had slowed down enough that she was able to catch up. The hum of the bar crowd was barely audible now.
"I'm sorry," she said.
She grabbed his hand. The blood was drying. She wasn't sure whose it was. The throbbing in his hand pulsed through hers.
"I'm sorry, too. Let's go home," he thought to himself.
"Let's go home," he said.

3 summers ago

Almost exactly three years ago, I was really bored and wanted to force myself to write more. So I made a blog and told myself I was going to write something short and fiction-y every day. Of course, I was too lazy to really commit to it and told no one it existed so I couldn't be held accountable. Thus, there are 3 entries.

But lately I've wanted to get back into writing, so I looked it up for some inspiration. And I'm going to post the entries for inspiration, or just to be self-indulgent. Hey, it's my blog and I'll do what I want.

June 4, 2008
"Great to meet you."
"Same here," the lesbian said.
The lesbian had just interviewed me briefly for a job I wouldn't get. I could tell she was a lesbian, even on the phone. She sounded laid back and cool, which are often symptoms of lesbianism. When I met her, she was butch- the kind of butch you only achieve through years of practice. Straight girls can't have that kind of look by accident.
I walked away trying to act as cool as the lesbian was. I couldn't run out like I knew I wouldn't get the job so I casually looked at the books on the way out. I picked one up that had an attractive cover and glanced at the summary on the back.
"Something something something girl's coming-of-age story something something."
I put the book down quickly, embarrassed that I'd been fooled into picking it up. The last things I want to read about are periods and teenage angst.
I finished out the row for coolness' sake and walked out of the store, back into the heat of my wasted summer.

Horseback riding

Now that I've scanned a few old photos of Mimi and Daddy Joe (and several more wrong that I'll have to rescan), I thought I'd get back to some of their stories. This one is short and sweet. In fact, I'm mostly into this post for the photo. Wasn't everyone just so much cuter back then?

This is Mimi and a few friends (I guess) around 1945. She's the second from the left.

When Mimi was little, she learned how to ride a horse bareback, but she was only allowed to do it in the backyard. There was one major problem, though: the clothesline. It didn't matter what she did, she couldn't keep the horse from going under the clothesline and knocking her off. I don't know if it's just because she's my grandmother, but for some reason, imagining this kind of makes me laugh. Or maybe I'm just mean. 

Word of the day

Solipsism, found in The New York Times Magazine at least twice today.
Definition: The view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist.

I think I'm just growing out of my solipsist phase, and let me tell you, it's not fun.

Uke yearnings

From Monsieur Gordon on flickr

So I've been wanting a ukulele since I spent a day at my internship listening to the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (seriously, check them out on YouTube if you've never heard a ukulele orchestra). Oh, also this cover of MGMT's "Kids." Basically, I think ukuleles are awesome.

And now I finally have one! Well, temporarily while my sister has a cuter ( and gassier) ukulele-sized bundle to occupy her time. And I love it. I've got a couple songs in the works, but I need more suggestions for good uke songs. Got any?

I will also take any advice/encouragement about searching for jobs. My enthusiasm is wearing thin!