My Evening Thus Far

My evening thus far has been almost perfect. Let me tell you a little about it. (I told my brother Rob that I couldn't tell him about it because I was afraid I'd lose my juice to write...so this had better be good. Rob , I'll call you back in a bit :)

So, I was at work. I had a great email exchange with a very new, very favorite, friend of mine and also a great IM conversation with my friend Jake in LA. In the midst of all of this, I broke it off with a guy who I've been seeing for about two and a half months. I was never inspired to introduce him to my friends or really even make time for him...Plus in the aftermath of spending time with people who I love, and by whom I feel loved, it was clear he was not going to make the cut. Nice guy; not for me. So, that was liberating.

I'd received an email from Planned Parenthood New York about a training they do about once a month called "Talking About Abortion and Other Tricky Things". I looked at it once a while back and glossed over it. They sent a reminder email and I decided I should go. I'm so glad I did. I was a half hour late because my work is...work and they were cool. I can't explain to you---well, I don't have to because I know you're each passionate people about many different things---what it's like to be doing something that means so much to me. I loved it. It was just a training for "we the people," you know, simple stuff. But it felt so good to be doing it. I should be an educator or a therapist. My job mismatches are getting silly.

In high school I was part of the inagural group of kids at Planned Parenthood Minnesota who comprised a program called Reach One Teach One. My fabulous and amazing high school counselor (who put more than her share of time into me-I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate her and love her) put me onto it and it probably shaped my life more than I give it credit for...I'm feeling inspired in a million different ways and it feels really damn amazing.

It's been a while.

Moving on: my plan after the training was go see Michelle Collins who writes for MTV's Best Week Ever and also maintains, perhaps the funniest blog on the internet, You Can't Make It Up. I didn't go because my aforementioned new friend decided to stay home and put together his cat's (the sweetest cat ever-Boots, don't get me wrong, you'll always be my number one; Pandora my number two) new liter box. A noble and necessary activity, even though it put me on the subway home a couple hours ahead of schedule. Which was probably ultimately good for me, too.

I waited momentarily (I have incredible subway luck) for the train and she rolled in like a monster, as per usual. I started to get on one car and heard a saxaphone playing and wasn't really in the mood, so went up to the next car. Big mistake. Apparently my luck with trains only goes so far. We were blessed with an amature preacher. Oy God. I was trying to wish the man's trap shut (I'll listen to people about God any day-he just wasn't polished enough for New York subways. We have great performers. Gotta clean that up.) when the sax from the former train came in.

Much to my unbridled glee, he was a silly sax player. He had antennae - gold paper circles affixed to two springy things coming from his hippie hat. He put his sax to his lips and blew. Shut the preacher right up. The whole train was in on the hilarity, no jeering or anything, just a classic New York moment (that's why I stay, right?). After a short number, our friendly sax player informed us that, "my spaceship has CRASHED. I'm gonna need some of your earthling currency to get the parts I need to fix my spaceship. And when I fix my spaceship, I'm going to go back to my galaxy. And take George Bush with me." To that he got a more-than-audible "Get that mother fucker out of here!" from yours truly (of course). And of course I gave him a dollar. I may have even qualified for "cheap" considering the glee he bequeathed.

And when you have a performance that good, you're going to get money from me. I don't care what I have to pay for when I get street-side. If you have a good show, deliver it well, I will pay you for your troubles. Because panhandeling, like everything else, is an art unto itself. I am honored and sometimes annoyed my their skill :) The concept of "the hook" I am grateful to Utah Phillips for. He's inspired more parts of my life than I can probably count (one of my favorite inspirations from him: constant fun). I highly recommend Fellow Workers and, especially, The Past Didn't Go Anywhere. Thanks to cousin Nate for giving me the latter for a birthday (I believe it was part of a group of things: a dragonfly rubber stamp; beatles postcard; socks maybe? all wrapped in a black garbage bag). Where would I be...without you and Rob?

When I got home Cassie and her dude Gwyther (The Gwyth) were cooking dinner--quiche and salad. YUM. I came home on a good night!

Now I'm a sleepy cat ready for her nap. In my new red sheets, from my mama's loving arms. I'm a lucky girl, and you can see, why I'm so damn glad to be a part of this wee world.

In keeping with an activity my mother suggests to me often, I'm going to go ahead and list 5 things I'm grateful for. So the universe, and you as active participants in it, know what I'm loving on right now. I make gratefulness a part of my daily practice. It makes my life so much better.

What The Sooz (yup, that's my 3rd person persona's name) is grateful for tonight:

1) A heathly family
2) My new red (pink? salmon?) sheets (no, not satin, Madonna)
3) Time to myself
4) Remembering my history, past and how I got where I am
5) Love
6) People who listen
7) Fun strangers
8) Strangers who become friends
9) Trust
10) Friendship
11) Airplanes

Crap. I see where this is going...shutting my travel-bug-ridden eyes. Wishing the best for you and yours. And thinking of you.

Alls the love in the world for everyone!


This post is dedicated to my one and only bro. You are the bomb!