lenticular mammatus

Oh boy, there was some crazy weather over Joplin, Missouri. It reminds me of the part in Ghostbusters where the spirits explode out of the containment unit and the clouds get wacky and the wind starts blowing... Yikes.

I Spank You, You So fresh!

One of these days I will decipher the mystery that is my phone, and send meself photos to post. What is the point of taking I'm-having-a-great-night photos if I can only view them as 1-inch by 1-inch minuscularities? This I ask you.
(No shit for made up words. I mean it.)

After a very long, albeit very fun, week at the library, I worked my first farmer's market as a purveyor of fine breads and pastries. Up at 5 a.m., work by 6. I had a bit of a hangover, but that didn't really affect me until I sampled some bread, did some heavy labor, and felt like retching.

"It was supposed to be nice today." These words relayed from vendor to customer and back again. Though it was cold and grey, the rain never came. Amazing for a week filled with sunbursts stolen from a Jesus picture, and moments later, Noah's deluge. (Cue discordant worship music.)

My partner in this venture was David, also a new kid at Delphina's. I had to drive the comp'ny van because he doesn't have an Oregon driver's license. I bet I looked really funny bouncing along in that tattered bucket-seat.

The market was... amazing. I had so much fun. Our stall was next to a glorious flower booth with some of the largest, most spectacular irises and peonies I have ever seen. To our left was a nice lady making breakfast burritos. A bit further down was the band-stand, coffee, and sausages.

Zimba Marimba was playing almost all day, creating a bouncy and silly mood. There were so many people--dogs, insane babies, cute babies, funny old ladies, a face-painting clown, whew. David procured free black-as-tar-and-just-as-thick coffee from one of the vendors and I almost cried for sheer joy.

Working customer service with a smart partner and for happy, friendly customers is very very very rewarding. I don't think I stopped smiling all day. At the end of the day, David, being nice and knowing that I'm shy, went and bartered our leftover bread for goodies. Here's a list of our loot:
2 fat juicy red tomatoes (organic)
2 packages of wild smoked salmon
1 huge package of organic chicken legs
2 bags of bouncy salad greens (organic)
1 jar of marionberry jam
3 globular purple onions
Fresh!
I can't forget the bread I brought home:
1 sourdough boule
1 ciabatta
1 fruit and nut loaf
2 pieces of rosemary focaccia.

Sigh. Though I was hallucinating and squinty as I drove home at the end of the day, I realized that I haven't felt that good in a while. I'm still horrifically broke, but at least I don't feel as worthless as I have lately. Today I am exhausted and I have a headache, but I am happy.

Misery is a butterfly. Clamp, that is.

'Sweekend is my brother's 23d birthday. Shucks.

I made him a notebook out of some paper that Ashley gave me and other random materials that I have. I love to be able to make neat gifts, especially when I am so po'. Here's the notebook closed:



And here's the notebook open:


The red thingy is a small envelope for small secret treasures. I hope he doesn't put weed in it.

Sometimes I wonder if my obsession with office supplies is a problem. It's not so bad at a store like Staples or Office Depot because they are so huge and overwhelming. What gets me are the school bookstores, art supply stores, and mom 'n' pop organizations. I see the neatly stacked rows and aisles of little boxes of mystery, columns of blank notepads, and cylinders of pens and pencils. My heart beats faster and I wonder if I should buy brads or hole-reinforcements. Rulers, scissors, erasers. Paper-clips, labels, tacks. Binder clips, dry-erase boards, clip-boards, and chalk! Oh my.

Perhaps it is the promise of organization, the tantalizing purity and virginity of such supplies that excites me. I despise clutter, yet I am a stashing rodent. When I was in primary school, I loved to shop for the annual supply list. There was not a beginning of year sanction on supplies like the one that my Mom decreed for new clothes. I could organize and use my supplies before the first day. Now I work in a library and the supply posibilities have grown exponentially. Special stickers, forms, tapes, and boxes. Sigh.

I got too much sleep last night. This was apparent to me this morning when I started having the wacky too-much-sleep dreams. These are different from the fun/scary/lesson dreams that I usually have. This sort of dream is where my brain says, "Aw, fuck it," and just lets loose with whatever happens to be floating around in there.

3 hours later (I love the Save as Draft feature): I went to "lunch" with Jason at Slabtown. Lunch consisted of chicken strips, soggy fries and well gins and tonic. Very nice lunch. I had to close the library because I don't have any work-study students tonight. Guilt abounds when this happens.

Whatevs. Sure, they probably have papers due tomorrow, but I needs my lunch. Heehee.

So two more hours to go before I get to close. dang. dung.

I love the butterfly clamps.

What ever happened to April showers, May flowers...

If ever there was a day to curl up with kittens, a book, and a cocktail, this is it. The rain is not coming from the sky, but blowing in sheets and showers from the very depths of hell. The three trees across the street, who usually look like nattering biddies dressed in muu muus of pink, heavy flowers, are right now alternately swaying like Aunt Bertha to Elvis, or waving their branches in shocked displeasure. Ew. (To the weather not the biddies. I love them.) I went to the liquor store and when I stepped out of the car, I was attacked by a swarm of water hornets. The subsequent blasphemy that escaped my mouth was heard only by a business man (who was also wet) and god (who doesn't care.)

RE: May flowers. I did manage to snap an iris the other night whilst walking home from le bar with Matt and Chuck. It's brown and purple. Yay.

I have made a deal with Ashley. She asked if I was willing to take a challenge and I said "um, okay." The challenge: to write, draw, whatever in my notebook EVERY DAY. This may sound easy, but laziness and apathy are much much easier. However, today, the second day of said challenge, I drew three insects. Bee. Dragonfly. Ant. Nice. I borrowed a stamp from the library with which I will stamp the page that I begin each day. Like this: MAY 09 ENT'D. The ka-chunk of the stamper is very satisfying. Yesterday's entry included stamps that Daniel bought for me at City Liquidators. (He was going and I told him to bring me a gift and he did! That never actually works...) Anyway, one stamp says "NO COMPUTAX" and the other, "GUARANTEED TRAFFIC." They are so weird, but brilliant. My present also consisted of a large box of Star-Trek looking paperclips and a stamp pad. The paperclip box is yellow and very 50s. Trés cool.

Today I began a new book--King Rat, applied for a job--Membership Concierge, and bought some cheap liquor--Seagram's 7. Not a bad day, I must say. Which reminds me: I should tell my references that they're on my application...

I need to see the ocean soon. And Paris. France.