lumière des étoiles

thoughts drift by
2004-05-23 12:47 p.m.

weeewhew! I finally got to see Kim, Brenda and Sylva last night. We were supposed to go into Hoboken to Kim's new apartment, but everyone except for Thomas and us changed their minds and wanted to go to Q's. Bleh. We went anyway for the company. It was loud and smokey, and the only good music was playing in this teeny tiny room in the basement. Ah well, good friends can make anything fun.

Friday we met Bruno, Sean and Thomas at Aldo's. I have such low expectations of that place usually too that I had a fabulous time - a few more people that we know showed up, and Bruno and Sean were doing their Jazz hands dance to Duran Duran tunes all night. It doesn't take much to keep me entertained anymore, I suppose. People kept buying me drinks, so I woke up a little bit hung over the next day. I did recall, however, Sean reading Bruno to sleep after we got back here with one of my feminist theory class' text books. I guess we were all buying each other too many drinks.

I have absolutely no idea how I used to go out all weekend. This is the first time in years I went from club to club to club - especially cause we went out Thursday night too. Was 22 that long ago? No - but I guess I wasn't working or thinking like I do now.

I'm still a happy birthday girl, and I will be tonight at my party as well. I heard from some grad school friends whom I haven't seen in at least a year - they're coming! I'm really excited.

This weekend has been beautiful - we spent most of yesterday afternoon reading on my mom's deck. That is, actually, after we completed our poop squad and toilet wrangler duties. I'll explain: another result of Friday night's drunken exploits (besides having a Sean and a Bruno scattered about our floor and various items out of place the next day) was the loss of a Lysol 2-n-1 toilet cleaner thingy. It's the kind that hangs on the side of the bowl, and it got knocked into the toilet. I didn't care at all when it was reported missing, until I woke up the next morning, clearer, and realized it had been flushed. The toilet backing up in the AM confirmed it's place in the trap - it was too far to reach and a plunger did nothing. We refrained from bothering Julie, our friend who can and will fix anything, and went to Home Depot ourselves to get an auger or whatever they're called. We fixed the problem sort of, and were really proud that we were fully prepared to saw off the bottom bolts with a hack saw, take the toilet off the floor, and replace the wax seal and bolt it in with new pieces if need be. Thank god no such need was pressing.

It is truly nice to have your "own" place - own in quotes, since we "rent" and all - but it's imperative to keep just such an attitude when such situations arise. I suppose that feeling will be two fold when we actually do own something and it blows up/clogs/falls apart. "At least it's mine..." will be our mantra.

Waking up today reminded me of waking up in Busua beach in Ghana or on Paros in Greece. The atmosphere seemed to feel the same - heavy, dense air, the feeling that already it was warm by 10 am. A very light breeze rolling past, ready to disappear by noon and stop offering any kind of relief. I half thought, in my sleepy state, I could roll over, slip on my bikini, grab a book, and relax all day at a desolate, still, sandy beach. But then I heard the traffic, the neighbor's dog bark, and the nail salon women yell at each other from across the street.

I miss the kind of stillness and quiet that some of the coastal places I've stayed in for a bit offer. I miss having all I own be on my back. I miss the kind of solitude the desert offers. I miss the slow sundays of West Africa. I am ready for the new kind of stillness a place like God's Window is going to offer us in South Africa. I am ready for the solitude we'll get at Victoria Falls, called Mosi-oa-Tunya by locals, or "smoke that thunders".

Only two months to go.

xo,