not falling down

Ian has been and gone, leaving giggles and makeouts in his wake. Thank you very, very much to Deb Core, Sumana Harihareswara, Joan Wood, Sharon Calhoun, Lisa Brown, Scott Stauble, Kyle Neumann, Angel Brooks, Ken Moore, Monica Willett, Sean Hoban, and especially Maria, whose idea this was in the first place. You guys are the champions of friendship!

Afer at least a dozen different samples, the Gender Genie firmly and consistently identifies me as a girl.

Yup.

Update 1947 hrs:

Well, don’t feel anxiety about this. I went to the site and typed in a Hamlet soliloquy and guess what — Shakespeare was a girl!

Deb

So here I am, sitting prissy, picking over MSN articles, and meanwhile Lisa is out making the world safer by investigating ferocious parasite alien dachsunds! (Maria, don’t read that, there’s bugs.) I need to start making real posts; MSN is too easy a target.

So what’s new? I already talked about moving in on Friday, and I can’t talk about the long and very funny conversation I had with Ian on Thursday night because it’s still top secret. Sunday I bought a TV. Monday I mostly just waited for the cable guy (who, mysteriously, has yet to tell me how to turn on the interweb).

Okay, so Saturday! Kim and I went to the GSP Grand Reunion, which was predictably disappointing. There was absolutely nobody there from Centre ‘98 except me, and only three people from Northern (one of whom, happily, was Buddah). I did get to see a lot of people who worked with me at EKU, including Eve, Henry and Meg C. Henry seemed mildly miffed that they only started giving out a Comp Sci award the year after he left; he would have been the undisputed winner, and I promised I’d try to get Dr. Shannon to rename it the Henry McEuen Barefoot Memorial Prize. He seemed mollified, but then I think Henry is kind of on a permanent molly-setting.

Afterwards me and the dish took a taxi (it was the night of taxis; I could write an entry just on Louisville taxis) to Evan’s swanky digs for Christopher’s goodbye party. I think it was intended to be Thanksgiving-themed, but (seriously) I forgot the cornucopia. Christopher and I never exactly drank out of the same bottle, but I was sorry to see him go, and I was pleased as punch to see a couple of dolls who go by “Alison” and “Emily Tate.” Emily Tate apparently can’t stand it when there are entries in this journal that are not about her, but then again, I can’t stand it when Emily Tate has pants on. The gams! I’m dizzy with that dame. We all got troubles. Tough luck, toots!

Deb has read Shopgirl, so I’m not alone. Novocaine was her only other Steve Martin recommendation, and I’d heard it panned but will snag it with interest now that it’s Deb-endorsed. Deb takes endorsement to an art form. Get a blog, Deb!

(And that’s the crop.)

Okay, I have a whole bunch of stuff to write about, but right now I’m terribly enthusiastic about three things:

1. From Deb:
   

   “Buy canned tuna, bag o’ salad, and lots of fruit. If you eat that stuff you can add in the ramen noodles (famous for feeding college students since I was one, back when humanity had just learned to boil water and thus could make the ramen noodles) whenever you like and you will be just fine. I have bag o’ salad and canned tuna almost every day for lunch and I believe this is the way to higher consciousness.”

   Did you read that? I never have to think about food again! Every lunch will be the same, and every lunch will be perfect!

2. Buying tuna at Kroger today, I managed to knock my Discman out of my bag and onto the floor, where it broke a lot. It was seriously in multiple pieces, and I was fairly shattered myself–I never go anywhere without that thing; I am The Guy With The Headphones–but I calmly collected it and went about my grocery shopping.

   Then, when I got home, I got out my tiny-screwdriver kit and fixed it. BAM! Like that! I can usually fix computers, but I can also break tangible things just by being in the same house–yet I fixed an actual physical piece of consumer hardware!Bl’shaqta!

3. So I think maybe I’m God.

Collective effervescence.

We’ve started the play, and it’s perfect, raw, gorgeous, exactly everything we wanted it to be.

Afterwards, I walked to the gas station to buy more caffeine (the presentation has yet to be done). I had a flower in my backpack from Deb, and was listening to a Duncan Sheik song, of all things, and I could see the whole scope of it: how last year was home, and this year is setting out away from it. How and why I’ve done what I’ve done, here. How this is the biggest year I’ve ever lived.

Deb

She lines up twenty homeless people
With five bagels
And five dollars
And says
Take your pick: a bagel, a dollar or a kiss
And leaves
With two dollars

8.16.2001