April 19, 2006

11:53 p.m.

On the Verge of Thursday

I went in today and did my first monthly four-hour volunteer shift at the Artisans' Cooperative, where I've placed my CDs and books. Everyone with wares to sell can do this to reduce their obligatory commission from 30% to 20%. There was nothing to do, Bet said when I came in; she'd just sold a big lot of jewelry, so she'd pretty much made her quota for the day anyway. I thought she might say I could just leave, but she didn't. She'd been there all morning by herself. I think she was glad for the company, so I sat on an uncomfortable stepstool for three hours and talked with her. She told me lots of stories, mostly about her nineteen-year-old, pierced, tattooed son who seems to get into a lot of trouble.

At first I thought she was a really negative person, and she does seem to focus on trouble a lot; but she made me laugh so many times, and does tell a good story. She's done a great job building this store up from very small beginnings, and loves running it and interfacing with the artists even though she doesn't make a penny. I haven't sold anything yet. I asked her what is the biggest seller, and she said it depends on the month. Sometimes it's jewelry, sometimes hanging art, sometimes handmade soap. I get the impression everybody's success there ebbs and flows, so I didn't feel too bad. The display looks great, though, and she plays my CDs a lot.

Yesterday I took the inaugural 2006 bike ride; 12.2 miles, not bad for the first one and being out of shape. The day was rather perfect. Tonight I realized I have four days off... my bandmates are variously out of town, my sister and her husband likewise. What shall I do with all this time? Talking to Dar, though, he said I should come to Boston for four days and he'd put me up in a hotel and we could do mousey things. I wasn't keen on being there that long, but after talking it over for a bit I suggested just one overnight, so I'm going in Friday morning and coming back Saturday. He'll have work, and one performance each day, so won't be perpetually available, but Friday anyway the weather is supposed to be great, so I can wander about on my own. My friend Ducky has returned to the east coast from the sulphurus hellpit of Los Angeles, so I'm hoping we can get together, too.

Meanwhile the leaves are popping out on the trees, and within a couple of weeks I'll have complete privacy out my back windows again, from the houses on the adjacent street. There are a couple of huge maples at the back of the parking lot that give the impression, looking out the window, that I live in the country. It also means that eventually I'll be sweeping mounds of little helicopters off my car. But maybe the leaves will protect it from all the birdshit I get all Spring.

Anyway, so I'll have a chance to wear some of my new clothes this weekend. Tomorrow I'll get laundry out of the way and stop at Wild Oats for some staples... Edensoy, yogurt. Then when I get back from Boston I have to brush up on some bass parts and prepare for an intensive rehearsal next week.

Something odd is happening. My skin's a little dry in winter, and if I'm not assiduous with moisturizer, there are a couple of random spots that can itch terribly. There's nothing visibly wrong, until I scratch them to pieces. Now it's Spring, and suddenly my EARS are itching. My ears. The external parts of my ears. For no reason, the cartelege in my ears is driving me crazy. I haven't changed shampoo, or conditioner, or soap. I thought it might be because, for a while, I was drying my hair a certain way and my ears were getting too much hot air. But I got a hair trim and I'm no longer subjecting them to the rigors of heat styling. Yet, I'll absently brush my hair behind my ears and suddenly I'm like a dog, needing to rub the side of my head into the carpet, against the furniture, across the bed, scratching with my hind feet...

Whoops. No, no hind feet. I made that up. But the ear thing? Like a sunburn that's healing. But, no sunburn.

My next complaint is that I need a new mattress. I turned it a few weeks ago but now there's a butt-print on this side, too, and sometimes I wake up with such a backache.

However, I DO have a new kitchen table and chairs, thanks to delivery assistance from Wes, who appropriated my smaller one and two chairs. It's so gorgeous -- a rite of passage table.

I finished the fourth Jasper Fforde book and, for a complete change of pace, have begun reading "In Cold Blood." I became interested in it after seeing Capote, and though I feel rather biased now, knowing something about the author, I still expect it to be a great, though cheerless, read. I also saw Adaptation with Nicholas Cage and Meryl Streep, and thought it was pretty fascinating.

Tired now. Must bed. No more verbs available.