You Want to Be Free

Goodness is everywhere: under my pillow, in the far corner of my 'fridge, under the mixing bowl I haven't used since I baked that last batch of cookies, down the hall, under my fingernails, at the bottom of that bottle of wine. It's in that blues riff that always makes you want to die. Exchanging coupons at the Bed, Bath and Beyond, inside peanut shells, quietly typing in the morning all alone - these are places, too. What about the dust on your bookcase? And your split ends? Hardware stores, between aisles 3 and 6, and with country boys named Mark.

Remember that one time we were at that one bar and you played Willie Nelson? It was there, too. Walking near churches late at night in the rain. Crying until your young lungs are tender. Standing up with a sore back. Burdens tucked deep in the muscles somewhere between the scapula and spine. All of those places. There and everywhere.

Don't kid yourself, though, you know? Other things live there, too.

We Will Never Die

Few things are barely connected; most things are.

Two things fucked me up real bad today. If they happened to you, maybe it would have been a passing breeze. And if it happened to me yesterday or maybe if it even happened tomorrow, maybe it'd be just nothing, but today: today, these two things were everything. And somehow, I know they are interconnected by delicate strings.

Here they are:

I watched a beetle die today. Much to my protest, this beetle died. And his life ended in front of me. I watched it. Do you get it? I FUCKING WATCHED IT.

I saw a lonely man today with a lame arm.

goddamnit. both things made me want to die. but somehow afterwards, I felt more. Just.. more.

will someone please call a surgeon?

Don't let me alone with my own devices. And if I had any authority at all, I'd make it an order. (But I don't. So I won't.) But I suppose the only thing I can really say is, "don't let me hang out with a box of wine alone."

Also, today was a furniture shopping kind of day. Full of rain and carpet and salesmen who wanted to sleep with me.. It was just a tiny bit terrible and would have been worse if I didn't have some nice smooth Brandy (and an aunt who really gets it) to hang out with.

Life is sometimes one recliner after another. And honestly, that's just par for the course.

let's talk over mai-tais. waitress, top it off

Life shifts often. My skin comes off everyday and my hair falls out and my finger nails grow, get dirty and I bite them off, but here I am, the same human. Kind of.

The shifting. The death. The life. It's all too much at times. The standing up tall and watching everything change, that's something else, too. I barely can stand it.

All of this to say: I'm getting old. I can see it around my eyes and in my blood. And with the friendships I've cultivated for so long. The shifting. The slow transfer and melting away and putting our hands into the cold river that never stops - these things tell me, you know, nothing fucking stays the same.

And I mean it: nothing.

take my whole life, too

Boy, I was drunk during that last blog post. Did you even understand anything? Because, rereading it, doesn't make sense to me. I thought, "goddamn it, that girl is drunk." And it's true. I got drunk on Sunday night, too. That time I wasn't alone, which is a little bit better. I was surrounded by my hardware buddies who just couldn't stop buying me drinks. And you know how that goes? It's chapter 1 in my etiquette book, you never say no to a free drink UNLESS it has a roofie in it. Duh, you guys.

But today the sun is absurd (in a good way) and so is work (in the bad way) and life is back to normal. I get to have a sweet black kitten on my lap and a boy who likes to wake up next to me. It's difficult to stay disappointed with life when the fundamentals are bursting with goodness.

Also, you may have noticed that I've scaled back on writing real things - forgive me, okay? Soon. Not that you wait with baited breath and curse the universe and sob in the corner of your house because my posts have been shitty, but soon. Ok?

the sound of ancient voices

starting last friday, i've been in indy. you know this because i've told you before, but in case you can't remember, i work a Do It Best hardware show 2 times a year - October and May. I make pretty good money for a weekend. It does take shit ton out of me. The past two markets I've been selling WordLock padlocks and I like them. I like being in the lock and door aisle. Seriously. Some good people down that row.

Husband visited this market and we got drunk. Bad idea when you have to work at 7 am to 530 pm, but we don't care - we're young! Just kidding, i really care. I shouldn't have, but i did and now i know to never do that again. but i probably will. We had good tequila and we chased it traditionally with sangrita and you know what? it was amazing. i just want you to know i could very easily be an alcoholic, i gotta keep these things in check. people shouldn't introduce me to smooth tequila with the best chaser in the world. but now i have to tell you, after we got a little drunk we went to circle center mall. do you know how fun it is to be drunk in a mall? do it at least once in your life. it makes malls SO MUCH more enjoyable. and you accidentally buy clothes that are too small and spend too much money. who cares? (me, again. i do, but i didn't then)

but now, i'm home. and i'm happy to be home - i slept in until 930. that's crazy. but like i said, this market really takes a ton out of me. harder than you think, no lie.

also, as a post script, our big home computer is completely dead. thus the lack of updating. blah.

sorry this post was so damn boring, i'll do better next time. i have to go pick up my car from henry's now, because yes, i got drunk last night.