duck-shaped pain

"WELCOME, MANATEE!!!"

I didn't know one was coming, let alone one that would stay in a Motel 6. I had to think about that one for a while. [1]

I spent a lot of quality time with my laundry this morning. One of the things I enjoy best about summer is doing the laundry. Most of my seasonal clothing is made of linen or other high-maintenance fibers, so I have to wash them carefully and hang them up to dry. I get an unreasonable amount of pleasure out of this, what with hanging them up, smoothing them out, checking to see how dry they are and putting them carefully in the closet. Lots of fussiness is involved, and it's odd that I would enjoy it so.

In contrast, I am either indifferent or opposed to laundry in the winter. No fun there.

I have to make potato salad for the big family barbeque tomorrow. It is the first time I have ever been entrusted with the potato salad, and since I've never made it before, I decided to try a different recipe than the one that is traditionally made at family barbecues. It had two types of mustard in it instead of just the one, and basil in it instead of dill. This could be a bad idea, considering some of the reactions I've received to food I've brought. When I brought hummus to the Christmas Eve party a few years ago, it went over like I just placed a blob of radioactive goo on the table between the potato chips and hot wings.

I bought some watercolors the other day, because I've felt like painting recently. Just something I've been thinking about. I drug out my mom's old brushes and paper from the garage, but could find no paints.

I went to the art supply store to look for them, but most of the beginning sets they had were fairly pricey. I have a habit of thinking that I'll do something, and then I don't do it, so I didn't want to invest a lot of money in something that I'll rarely use. I found a much cheaper set, of paints in tubes, so I chose that one, thinking that I could see how much I actually progressed before buying an expensive set.

I went up to the counter with my $3.99 set of paints, and the guy at the counter just kind of stared at them.

"Are these for you," he asked, looking as if he had smelled something rotting.

I always feel intimidated by art supply store employees. I always assume I'm buying the wrong thing, so I was a total chicken here.

"Oh no," I said. "I'm buying them as a birthday gift for a kid I know."

He lightened up, slightly. "Oh, great," he said. "Those are great paints for preschoolers."

I have to report that they're not bad paints -- they do what they say, and are perfect for the large, shapeless blobs of color that I've been painting.

I've decided that I'm going to take the first week or two weeks of August off and go somewhere. Where, exactly, I don't know, but somewhere. I have that free ticket I got for giving up my seat when I was flying back from San Francisco in March. I don't know where to go with it, but I'm sure I'll come up with something.

Maybe I'll come to your town.

[1] The explanation for the manatee greeting is that a baseball team named Manatee or that was from a place called Manatee was in town, instead of an aquatic animal.

previous | next