with a little help from my friends
08.22.03 @ 10:12 p.m.
It's cosmic and hilarious that Candace and I bought DVDs of Tommy on the same day. Or within a day of one another. Me, I was trying to be very good about not spending money, but my dad became an agent of the devil and offered me half the cash as we sat in the parking lot of Wherehouse. We'd actually just left the store, where we'd gone to pick up two weekly alternative newspapers (the Portland Mercury and the Willamette Week) and wandered around a bit. There was a copy of the soundtrack to The Kids Are Alright which cost almost the same as the DVD. CDs cost an outrageous amount of money, man. It's insane. Which explains why I mostly just borrow CDs from other people. Anyway. Dad gave me ten bucks because I only had ten on me. We're keeping my new conquest a secret from mother dearest because I don't want a goddamn lecture on prudent spending habits. I watched half of it today. I think I stopped at "Go To The Mirror," awash in the giddy joy of watching a young Jack Nicholson flirt with Ann-Margret. I'm tremendously excited that my friends WANT to watch Tommy with me. Also Quadrophenia. Martha sent me emails today that said "I wanted to see Quadrophenia before you did," and "I can't believe you watched Quadrophenia without me," which are both kind of cruel digs at our 'friend', Amy. We're awful, awful people. The first comment is mocking something Amy said to Martha and I, which was along the lines of "I was into England for a long time, before you ever were," when we made some questioning comment about the union jack pin she wears on her bag (and is this ever a girl who's obsessed with trying to express her personality to the world through coating herself with buttons bought from Hot Topic--She bought Andrew and I peppermint swirl pins because we're going to the White Stripes concert... oh yeah, we're going to wear them and be twinsies at the concert, ugh) and the second was her exclamation when Martha, Andrew, and I watched Sid and Nancy. Amy, apparently, was 'into Sid Vicious for a long time, but [she] didn't tell.' (Didn't TELL????) This despite the fact that Martha and I clearly remember Amy scoffing at the idea of renting Sid and Nancy on, uh, Amy's birthday I think. Some thing that dragged us all to Corvallis for a night. Instead we watched The Princess and the Warrior, which I loved anyway. I loved them both and I don't know if I'd have seen TPatW if we hadn't rented it that night.
I think I digress. But this is also funny, also from a Martha email: "Is it mean spirited that we would go to a party, not to hang out with our old school chums, but to see in what ways they may amuse us? Dance, monkeys, dance!"
The thing I said the other day about my social life blooming continues. I'm going to a party with Martha tomorrow so that at least we can amuse each other if all else fails. It'll be a little awkward for me because it's a party of people I am merely acquainted with (and in some cases not even that much) rather than a group of friends. I am curious to see Oliver again. He's a fella I had a teensy bit of a crush on in high school because he's artistic and quiet and political. And hot. Did I mention hot? He's a Bob Dylan obsessor, too. Martha has said that every time she's seen him at a party hosted by the girl hosting this party, he's been doing something she considers crazy. The example I've heard most is 'eating a tomato like an apple.' And one particularly memorable event I witnessed myself was a time when my friends were all staying at Martha's beach house and we went to visit Alissa and the boys (Alissa is the party's host and the boys include Oliver) at their nearby campsite. Everyone at the campsite had been drinking and the rest of us had been on this major emotional rollercoaster (a big confrontation with our friend Moni's behavior... she started drinking when we got to the campsite) so... yeah. Oliver had, oh, a bunch of instruments. A tambourine and a harmonica on a neck rack were featured, and possibly a guitar. Oliver was encouraged to do something and he said "Hell, I'm drunk enough." Then he started DANCING around the campfire and being a one man band. I wish I remembered more clearly. We all (my straightedge friends) thought it was kind of sad that he had to BE drunk enough to do something silly.
Today at work there was a big potluck lunch for the summer help. I didn't really want to go, but it was an extra hour that I didn't have to be actually working. There was certainly some HIGHLY intense boredom. And awkward conversation with people I don't know. But Beth and Jason, my first coworkers, eventually showed up and I was so happy to see them, especially Beth. I worried I wouldn't get to see her again before the job ended. Turns out she really did dislocate her collarbone and now she's doing office work. And, in a big burst of pride, I found out that the current grounds crew doesn't get along with my former supervisors, Juan and Servando. They've been asking Beth where I went. Beth and I were damn good workers and it's nice to know that we're missed.
After work I went to a rummage sale. Man, do I love rummage sales. I have what I like to call designer bad taste, which is to say an intense love of ugly, kitschy things. There were so many tacky decorations that I wanted to buy. As it is I bought a pretty fiftiesish desk organizer thingy and some plates with an fantastic design on them. I also bought a maroon t-shirt with a 4-H 1985 logo on it that I thought was kind of hipsteresque and a dynamite courdoroy double breasted coat. Oh, it's lovely. And all that, plus some stuff my mom bought, cost $9. I adore my new coat. I can't wait for it to get cold so I can wear it all over the place. AND I found a quarter in the pocket.
What was lousy this morning is that there was some extremely loud thunder and I wasted too much of my morning trying to force my dog out of my room after she broke in. She can do that because I live in an old house and my bedroom door doesn't really latch. And when it does, it's almost impossible to open which makes you panic and think you're stuck inside your room forever. So if the dog leans hard enough against my door, she'll get into my room. I tried calling her to get her out, but nothing happened. Then I tried to drag her out by the scruff of her neck but she just dug in and would not move. And she's only a twenty five pound dog. I had to lift and carry her out of my room.
Previously
fuck it @ 08.01.05
fanciful imaginary sea voyages to come @ 07.20.05
*dies* @ 07.19.05
more ootp @ 07.17.05
harry potter: driving our children into devil worship @ 07.17.05
