Monday, February 20, 2006

calm

put my worries on a shelf
don't think about nothin'
try not to see myself
I listened to Nick Drake and Radiohead all the way to and back from San Antonio. Self-indulgent Saturday? Like no other. Well, I probably could have chosen a better movie to see at the theater than The Pink Panther. But it was suggested, and I didn't even know what else was playing to counter the offer, so Pink Panther it was. What a weird trip. That was basically all I did because when I tried to go back downtown to walk around and take pictures (in the ice-cold night), I got hijacked by the interstate system, and was headed back towards Austin before I knew it. It turned out to be okay because I got back to Austin and went to a party, which had a fire pit. And there's nothing I like more than hovering around an outdoor fire in freezing temperatures. Seriously. Everyone told funny stories, and today I smell like smoke. There was also a strange party trick that involved shaking your face as fast as you could and they take a digital picture of you, and they come out funny. They call it "flapface." As in "Hey, everyone, let's do flapface!" It was something they did at most parties, apparently.
Despite all that, I think this weekend will have to be defined by the nightmare of this morning. I mean, literally, a really bad dream. There are only a handful of dreams I've woken up crying from.
But my poor housemate, who had just finished paying off his truck, totalled it this morning skidding on some ice. Sob, sob, I had a bad dream. A woman I worked with this afternoon for a few hours has had her mother-in-law's Alzheimer's finally get out of control, and the mom is now living with them, and saying mean and hateful things to them. My coworker is the nicest woman, and even though she'd say sad things with a kind of apologetic smile, she seemed so tired and on the verge of tears, my heart broke for her whenever I looked up from work. Poor me, I had time on Friday to watch 13 episodes of Veronica Mars and read a book on economics.
The weather forecast on my page as I write this says "Mist/ 34 degrees/ CALM." I like the 'calm' in all caps. Imperative.
  • Nick Drake

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The flapface party trick reminds me of a group of friends who occasionally pull out the "chin pictures" party trick -- where they draw upside-down pictures on their chin, then take closeup pictures of them like their chins are little people. It makes me happy to run across odd party traditions like that.

Carrie said...

Drawing faces seems like it might take more creative talent. All flapface seemed to require was a thick skull, because I tell you what, it HURTS! But those chin faces do give me the jibblies, so it's hard to say which I'd prefer, given the choice.