Terrorists have not made a plot to kill any candidates, I am unmarried so my kid and wife have not been kidnapped, I call myself Andrei and this may very have been, one of the longest days of my life.
I can’t really start with today as today sort of got blended into from yesterday.
Thursday Late Afternoon:The ex-collector
A guy gets on the elevator with a pushcart stacked with short white boxes. I know what these are. I’ve been collecting comics for close to 20 years. He says he wants to find a place to dump the collection. (I can recognize a desperate seller anywhere) I look at his ‘list’ I offer him about half what I think he will want after he hears what the stores will offer. He says he wants to shop around for a buyer. I offer him my cell number and tell him to call me after he gets his other offers so that i can offer to match or beat their offers. I look at the person I’m with afterwards and say, “He’s going to want X (twice my offer, he’s only going to get offered Y (about 85% of that) and that’s as high as I’d go.” We get on the elevator, “which is funny because i could probably make 5-6 times that amount through the right channels.” Two hours later he calls me back and calls the numbers off exactly to the dollar I’d predicted. I told him I’d offer the same as the stores but I’d need 24 hrs to think on it. He acquiesced.
Thursday Evening: Midsummer Rehearsal.
I did my first blocking rehearsal for Midsummer. This is the first time I have blocked actors in close to 6 years. It felt really, really good. It went really, really well. The cast really enjoyed the blocking and were all very professional. We had a very small rehearsal space and everyone got themselves up to the degree needed. My Hermia and Lysander were at their second rehearsal. Lysander was an actor who joined the cast late and was doing a torch bearing scene; but he was too strong and the current Lysander wasn’t coming up to speed fast enough. My original Hermia walked out on rehearsals 1 week in. Both the new Hermia and Lysander are awesome. Lysander already had the scene’s we were blocking pretty well memorized. Hermia was strong but not as familiar. I look forward to more of this calibre rehearsal.
Thursday Night:Meet the actress
I had to give Hermia a ride to rehearsal. She lives near my office and is currently without a car. After rehearsal I had to make the 30 minute trek back to her part of town. After rehearsal we got talking. And talking … and-talking-and-talking-and-talking. I hadn’t had a long philosophical and fun chat like that in a while. This too felt good. My housemate Johnny and I decided to offer her crash space and I’d drop her off on the way into work in the morning. (I’ve been hitting the gym almost every morning this past week and thus I get in around 7am 🙂 So we talked more and both eventually crashed on my living room floor.
And you…mind..gutter…out. She has a boyfriend. Nothing happened save talk…. Er, um.. And she borrowed my copy of Liber Al to read 😉
Friday Earrrrrly Morning:The long and twisting road
Groggily, we headed back towards Santa Monica. I was playing iPod music at her to introduce her to my eclectic (read; weird ass taste) and also to keep us awake. She’d never heard “Crystal Ball” and was surprised to find out it was Styx. (The girl was born in ’83, give her a break 😉 ) As she and I had talked about everything from astrology to tarot to Thelema, I decided to give her “the test.” Yes, some of you will laugh at this; some will roll your eyes; some will tell me to grow up and get over it/myself. I said, “I’m going to try an experiment. I’m going to put on a song, I’m pretty sure you’ve never heard. I want you to close your eyes, sit back, and just try to..climb into the music. Let it take you wherever it will. then I’ll ask you hat you thought/felt. She seemed willing to try. I put on music by Survivor. While the song played she beamed like a kid in a candy store. She looked at me afterwards and said, “That’s a good, good song. It’s a strong and happy song. I like that song.” And I think of the comment my local priest makes on occasion, “I love my religion.”
Friday Morning:The work day
I don’t think one work day could drag on as slowly as today did. Typically, the hours just fly right by. Maybe, partially because I was tired, and partially because today was a 29 hour day…(You did get the memo, too, right?) The 9-12 hours dragged…And they draaaagggggeeeeeddd. I read mail, I called the company that is fixing a bug in our external code, I talked on IM, I played Yahoo games. (Cripes, I haven’t played Yahoo games since at least San Diego.)
Friday Noon:Lunch…
…finally rolled around. Typically, the Mac engineering team go to this nice English Pub/Restaurant. But no one really seemed to be into it. Also, I’d brought a small rice dish in with me. I’ve been keeping up with my diet! I’ve lost 2 1/2# this week!!!!. More chat…Finally got bored and pulled out a programming project I’m doing on my own to help me learn the class structure. (12:48 AM Saturday: 10 minute Break in typing to follow call of nature)
My programming project is actually coming along well. Every time I hit a snag, i am able to find a graceful work-through.
Friday afternoon:Moodiness
Well, I’d managed to stay in the pink for the whole week. However, my mood began to dip. I didn’t feel down on myself. I guess the therapy is working. I tried to get a hold of a girl I’ve been chatting with for about 3 months online. We keep not hooking up and I was hoping i could chat with her about some of the issues. She had plans….again. She’s repeatedly telling me she’s not trying to make me believe she’s a flake. She suggests I try to find someone nearby to chat with. I luck out greatly. I’m invited over to a couple’s house for talk and dinner.
Friday late afternoon:the drive home
I have a message from the collector. he wants to know if I want his stuff. I tell him I can’t do more than what the stores offered. He goes for it. I have made out like a bandit. The drive is slow and the traffic of L.A….Gnarly as ever. I get home and check my email.
Friday early evening:The letter
Two or three nights ago I was prowling classmates.com through my old college and decided to look at the ’89 class. (I was in theory ’90) And sure enough…there she was. My killer First year College Crush. A good friend who knew how I felt about her and was still a good friend. I have lots of good, fun, and enjoyable memories about C.P. But she was one of those people that faded away into history as so many do. I did a one off letter to her as I have a few people on Classmates. I rarely get responses. I almost never get responses from women I’ve known in school. (But then again Stevie was never a typical girl)
Well, there it is in my inbox. A letter from C.(P.)H. Still married to the guy she said she was going to marry after she graduated. With pictures. My gods. 13 years. 15 since I remember her most clearly. She hasn’t changed a bit. Same sparkling smile and all. She’s just had her first this past February. She’s really successful and looks so damned happy. She wrote a very nice letter to me. I could almost hear her reading it. And then the ton of bricks. She’s moved all over the country. Ohio (where we started), Georgia, and now she’s living with her family in *DOH* Southern California.
I mean, I’d kill to see her again and catch up and reminisce. But at the same time…I’m terrified. I mean..I had it bad for this girl, and she knew it. I keep sitting here thinking, just don’t think about that. She’s married, you’re both different people, get over yourself. But, what do you do? So, i wrote her a letter catching her up, briefly, on my last 13 years and ended by saying that as neighbors that she and hers should get together for dinner/chat with me and…well, er…me for catch up and reminisce. I’ll keep people posted on how that goes.
I’m supposed to head over to shaktiqueen and giaxcomo‘s place at 8pm for my talk and I’m bring the food. (Small sushi platter. the stuff is Sooooooo inexpensive out here. And fits my diet!) Unfortunately, it’s 7pm by this point, and I can’t get a hold of the comics guy to make arrangements. I go in the bathroom and shower up and such. I get the first good look at my back since the sunburn on Sunday. Ewwwwwww. Peeling and everything. i know, I know…everyone wants details about Cancun. Well, as soon as the sting fades…..
The sushi is ready at 7:35. The guy with the comics shows at 7:45. I IM shaktiqueen that my delivery has just shown and I should be heading out shortly. (They live 5 blocks away) All is good. I’m clean, pressed, and out the door.
Friday evening:Sushi, and Poly, and Chat….Oh MY!!!!
Well, going through a crisis of faith and confusion. I went over to have a couple defend their beliefs against my current theories and views. Well, in fact i just wanted more insight into the muck in my head. the conversation was wonderful. the atmosphere was pleasant. And their new house is really awesome. I first saw their old place the day I helped them rip it apart to move to this one. Their son, who they’ve nick-named ‘pook’ is now walking and mobile and above all else…adorable as all hell.
Chat was good. Food was good. Then they put on the remake of Ocean’s 11. Which I hadn’t really had a lot of motivation to. BOY WAS IT GOOD. Great film. Go.. rent it. Buy it… Steal it for your personal collection. If you enjoyed the Magrite(sp?) ending of the Thomas Crowne remake….you’ll LOVE this one.
11:30pm more chat, tea, movie over. Special features…. tired… Wander home.
I look in one of the comics boxes to see if there is gold or if I’ve blown a wad. I think I can raise my investment by 7-8 times. 😀 E-bay look out.
the journal entry takes about 90 minutes to 2 hours to write.
Dear gods…it’s 1:30am on Saturday…
Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.