PG&E got cut off. Rushed to find some help, then ended up taking $142 out my rent money. Got it cut back on. Never even saw the 48 hour notice (to their credit, PG&E, it turns out, kept my power on a week after the date on the notice).

<richard dimples fields>if it ain't one thing, it's another</richard dimples fields>

His lashes are even longer than Jayden's, I think.
"you have beautiful lips", he said.
Later, he kissed my neck.
{mm}

Star "Action" Mama

Jayden's first swim class was today (not last week, like I'd thought). He did great. Blew bubbles in the water, learned the rules (the same ones I'd drilled into him all week), kicked his feet, learned how to get into the pool, jumped into the instructor's arms. Then after class, he did family swim with his grandma. I went to Sears & bought stuff.

Jayden fell asleep in his car seat before I'd dropped my mom off at the bus stop. I drove to North Oakland to find a yard sale. North Oakland is the yard sale capitol. I found one in the Temescal neighborhood and shopped as Jayden slept in the shade of a magnolia tree. Here's what I got:

Oh, the Places You'll Go!
My Many Colored Days
both with intact dust covers - when I opened them, the spines cracked
Polk's Folly, hardcover
The Knopf Travel Guide to Bali
a set of ivory-colored dominoes without those table-gouging brass spinners
a wire bound album with heavy black paper pages & covered in pulp paper painted aqua, black and gold
a resin figurine of a little black boy holding a ball
a pair of silver filigree earrings

all...for...seven dollars.

yes, I said $7.

yard sales kick ass.

Why I Will Never Go To Florida, #1040

via milkmonkey:

How much money would it take to get you to do the following?

eat a live cockroach?
$7,000
pull the wings off of a beautiful butterfly?
$1,000
show up to school/work totally nude?
$5,000
show up at a mall (or other public place), where no one would know you, totally nude?
$9,000
eat a spoonful of fresh doggie poo?
$1 million
sleep with george bush? (and no, you couldn't ruin his political career)
Not for any price
have a healthy loyal pet put to sleep? For no reason?
Not for any price
go for 3 months without bathing, washing hair, or brushing your teeth, and you can't tell anyone you are doing it for money?
$10,000
give up your favorite food for the rest of your life?
hmmm...
never again leave the state (or general area) that you now live in?
$5 million
give up the internet for 5 years?
$10,000

Within, without
there ain't no doubt
as to my true intention;
oblique, obtuse
it's no use
there's far too much to mention.

Someone on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me described this as
"The Inevitable Police State".

Let's have a potluck picnic. At Lake Temescal. Late summer. Whaddaya think? Wanna come? Bring your kids, your friends, your dog. Let's have fun.

where'd you get that funk from?

I just this minute realized that my blog colors are now the same colors that make up most of my wardrobe.

SPRUNG


sly grin
bloodshot eyes
narrow hips &
big hands.
agendas, agendas. the m.o. is
weary traveler
stoppin thru &
finding a place to rest
for a while, maybe.
we've dogged him out, used him up,
my sisters,
& he's glad to finally find you. he's
the one who tore that shit, who
curled your toes, who
makes you laugh. he knows you
ain't goin nowhere.

Last nite I picked out an outfit to wear to the blog meetup. It was really stylish, gray flannel-look pants & a black fake suede shirt. With my zip-front ankle boots. I was gonna look fly for the folx I was gonna meet. This morning I put on some jeans & a plain blue top & wore my sneaks. And realized when I got to work that I'd put on the wrong clothes. Ah well.

Jayden went to the allergist today. My mom used my car & took him. The doctor poked his back with this contraption made of a buncha needles filled with common allergens. I'd prepared him for it: "the doctor is gonna poke your back with this poky thing, and then after a while he'll look at your back to see if there are any bumps". He wasn't that cool with the idea at first, but I reassured him that Grandma would be with him the whole time and Jayden really likes doctors, so by the time they got to the doctor's office he was rarin' to go. My mom said the most obvious allergies are ragweed, horses, and dust; he also seems to have a slight reaction to milk. And we drink lots of milk. My mom was upset about the horse allergy; she's an equestrian at heart, and Jayden WILL take riding lessons at 7, the minute he's old enough. He can take allergy medication before his lessons. At least he's not allergic to dogs or cats!

He was a good boy at the doc's today. He was good at home this morning, good at Grandma's after the doctor's appt, and good mostly all nite. I took him with me to the blog meetup. We walked around the bar/restaurant looking for bloggers. "Are you a blogger?" I asked the guy sitting alone with a laptop and a pint. "What's a blogger?" he wanted to know. "Are you a blogger?" I asked the chick with the black hair and tattooed arms. "I don't know what that is", she said. "Are you a blogger?" I asked the guy who was walking around, obviously looking for someone. "Yes", he said. It was Philo! We took a table inside & ordered drinks. Then Min Jung & Ernie showed up and we moved to a bigger table; we ordered some food & Min made a little sign that said "Yes, we're bloggers". Just in case anyone was wondering. Jayden was crushing hard on Min Jung. First he was a doggie, barking and panting...he even licked my face. Then he got just plain silly, lying on the floor and throwing his toy across the room. I kinda let him show his ass, since it was past his bedtime & we were in a boring grownup place.

I had a great time chatting with everyone, talking about blogging and meeting people and kids and whatever. Min & Philo had cameras & they mostly took pictures of Jayden, I think. No one else presented themselves to us as bloggers, and I wonder if there was another table of folx somewhere in the place, wondering where all the bloggers were.

We had to leave after about an hour and a half and Jayden & I had a nice walk down Shattuck to my brother's house, where Cutty was parked. I took Ashby to 13 & got off at Moraga, then took Grand to Elwood & up the hill to our street. It's a much nicer drive than down MLK or Telegraph or Shattuck. When we got home he didn't argue or whine about going to bed, and we read a chapter of "Elmer and the Dragon" and kissed & hugged & he went almost immediately to sleep. Now I'm blogging and trying to get my links up on this blogspot template and I guess I need to go to sleep soon...nite nite.

Gwen found me! Through my blog! I'm so thrilled. She's somebody I've thought about a lot over the past eight years, you know how it is: dang, I hella miss such-n-such, I need to call her sometime, damn it's been a coupla years, let me call her, shit I finally call her and the number's disconnected...or I can't find it...or whatever. But she was reading blogs, and recognized me, and emailed me, and I can't wait to see her & her lil' girl. & I'm jealous too, 'cause she was hangin out with George at 1428. I guess I should be glad I wasn't there tho', since it means I was at work which means I'm not collecting unemployment and I spend far too much time buying expensive coffee at places like 1428 and Jahva House and Urban Grind when I don't have a job.

Jayden starts swim lessons Saturday at the Y. That's pretty exciting.

Yesterday I released my first book into the wild. Someone found it & let me know. That's exciting, too.

I met a man! A real man, who's good looking and taller than me, too. He's from Mali & there's a bit of a language barrier, but I'm hoping conversation will be easier in person than it's been on the phone.

My son is a baby funkateer. He hears some P-funk and throws up the funk sign! And he knows how to say "psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloops"!

Friday was my friend Jeanne's birthday. We've been friends since high school. Saturday was her daughter's 13th birthday. We went with them & two friends to the Rainforest Cafe at Fisherman's wharf. Huge tourist trap, but it's a wonderful place. Lots for kids to see. Good food, high priced though. Kid's menu not horrible. Jicama in the house salad. The animatronic gorilla scared the shit out of Jayden, but after tears & reassurance from me & some other folx, he ended up "raaahhh!"-ing at the gorilla & feeling braver.

Jeanne rented a limo for the occasion. Very exciting for a 13 year old girl & her best friend to ride in a limo to The City. Jayden spent most of the ride trying to get the girls' attention and singing his own made up lyrics to the songs on the stereo.

Last week, on the 6th, was my potna Smiley's b-day. She threw herself a big ass party on her parents' deck with dj, open bar, and hella food. I was so happy I went, I got drunk & got down & had fun.

I hope I can line up a babysitter for the blogmeet thing. I hope someone else shows up.

I will clean my house.


My messy, junky house.

I will clear off my patio, buy something at Ikea, and entertain again.

I will invite my friends, IRL and online, to gatherings at my place. We will play Scrabble or Boggle or Monopoly, drink blended drinks and eat good things, talk and sing and maybe even boogie a bit.

I will!