Today was…interesting. I woke up as early as I ever have at home (10) and got a ride downtown, to 120 W. State Street. That’s where I was supposed to get my fingerprints… except I couldn’t contact them before I came because a) they’re open 3 hours a week, and b) they don’t have a phone number. So when they told me they only did digital, I almost flipped a shit. So, who can do this shit? Apparently, nobody has any idea. A law that’s been in action since Jan 1st says that police depts can’t do civil fingerprinting… I went to the police station anyway, and after a little fenagling, got a lady in investigation to help me out. She was quite grumpy at the beginning, and wouldn’t really have a conversation with me, but in the elevator she was telling one of her colleagues how she’s usually vacationing in Africa at this time of the year. So that’s completely understandable. As she steered my fingers in and out of the black ink, and onto my pale blue fingerprint charts (each finger, thumb twice, four fingers together), she asked me where I wanted to go. I would be happy going anywhere, so that’s what I said. But it didn’t really come out right, like I was naive and careless, in a way. So she turned out to be super nice and I have something to think about when I have an interview with Anne Park. Need to do some research.
Later, mom gave me a ride home. We made stops to the dentist’s (where I must get a check up asap!), the ithaca bakery (the lox and cream cheese on a toasted bagel was sublime and very expensive) and the car wash (to relive my childhood and get the car cleaned). My gum bled a little after simply eating the crispy toasted bagel– ridiculous. Possibly my achilles heel.
I am very sore from wrestling practice yesterday, and soccer before that. I preferred soccer.
I also finished the Vintage American Short Stories collection yesterday! Possibly one of the best deals I’ve ever witnessed, let alone tried. ‘Darling’ and ‘Lawns’ might have been my favorites, both of them disturbingly beautiful and compelling. I’ve taken to lounging about on a specific part of the couch in front of the T.V. underneath a specific red sleeping bag. My main activities in that position include sleeping, eating pecan pie with ice cream, watching the food network and old movies, office marathons and trying to decide if I should hit the comp for some internets aka talking to Flo online.
I was also talking to mom about my feelings about Flo, over lunch. This seems to be a wide talking point– mom often brings it up. It’s been a tough relationship, I think. The beginning and the middle were out of a story book, but these days I just don’t know. We have different temperaments. I just don’t know, you know. I don’t think she’s gonna visit me or anything, while I live in Texas. She’s got her eyes sighted on success and other guys, I think. It makes me pretty sad, but at least I’ve begun to stick up for myself lately. She probs would never consider getting me a present, and completely forgot about me during the summer– even though I cycled 600 miles and crossed the Cascades to see her. Maybe we just have different priorities. Sometimes I think I try to make her the next Kristen. I mean, during our hey day, Kristen and I were tight. I miss that. But when we weren’t together (over the summer), the heart ache was almost unbearable. I can’t even remember how I felt, but I remember carrying a couple of pictures of her with me, and looking at them every night. Flo and I have more similar interests, but maybe she’s also different in a way. I don’t know if I can really trust her with my feelings. The way I got along with her parents also kind of hurts me. We’ll see. She comes back tomorrow, and let’s see how things work.
