2004-04-19 - 11:46 p.m.
Tonight was a perfect night outside - the kind of night that makes me want to throw on ratty sweats and a tank top and some flip flops, and walk around for hours. It's warm and clear, with a cool breeze, and the trees are just starting to blossom. My favorite kind of night. I spent the early part of it shoe shopping - I needed to go to S@ks to look for wedding shoes, and Anne just so happened to have her car at the office, so she drove me uptown, up M@dison Avenue, with the top down, which was lovely. I went in, found my shoes (15 minutes, including the wait for the salesman to find my size - anti bride) and walked home. I must tell you, if you're an anti-bride, the shoe department at S@ks is a bit of a trial. I was extremely aware of my J@ck Purce11s, and also of the sock fuzz left on my un manicured toes when I stripped down to try on my shoes. Heh. It's like a candy store of shoes, there, and there were tons of women trying on lime green J1mmy Ch00s ($595. Kill me.) and strappy pink sandals with beads on the front. All beautiful, in bright colors, with graceful heels and skinny straps. I, of course, can only admire them from afar, as a) I would never pay that kind of money for shoes, and b) I couldn't even stand up in any of them, let alone walk to work. I will admit that I tried on a pair of Christ1an Lab0ut1ns, ivory satin sling backs with pointy toes and a killer stiletto heel. I will also admit that I almost fell over as soon as I tried to stand up. Splayed on the floor in the shoe department, sock-fuzz in plain sight, was not the look I was going for, so I took them off immediately and put them back in their little silk bag, instead of risking the long trek over to the mirror.Came home, had dinner with the boyfriend, and then went out for cigarettes, which turned into a 45 minute errand due to aforementioned perfect night. I breezed out, feeling almost buoyant, and went to the smoke shop around the corner, the one run by the guy with the bad bad wig. Then I headed to the diner, to get coffee for me and the doorman, but decided to take a little detour and walk around the hood. I spied into my old apartment, admired the tiny block of W@ver1y framed in lacy white-blossomed trees, petted some dogs, and passed a knot of young guys sitting on the brick planter on my old block, smoking a joint. In the old days that crazy bald guy Mike would never have allowed it. Only residents were allowed to smoke on the block then. I played with a chained-to-the-parking-meter pit bull, after sticking my head in the wine shop and asking his owner if he was friendly, and then sat on the stoop in front of the shuttered coffee shop and smoked a cigarette, strolled the streets a little, and ended at the W@ver1y diner, where I sat at the counter waiting for my coffee to go.
Coffee guys: "Hey! Hi! Good evening! What can we do for you?"
Me: "I need two light to go. Is it new?"
Coffee guy: "New? Is what new?"
Me: The COFFEE. It's late, I don't want any old coffee, you know how it gets that burnt taste?"
Counter guy:" WHAT? Do you think I would give my customer old coffee? Hey, hey you guys, she thinks I'd give her OLD coffee! Never! We love our customers! Only new coffee for our customers! Only fresh!
And as I sat at the counter, I realized they were playing that song "1'm Sti11 St@nding" remember that one? And I slipped into a little time warp, as this is the coffee shop I sat in so many late nights post high school, and I breathed in the familiar scent of diner grease and coffee, and ran my hands over the familiar surface of the soft black countertop, and I was overwhelmed by the urge to write. That place is exactly the same as it was then, including the music, so I sat there for a while scribbling on the back of my book list, and then took the long way home. There is nothing like these night streets in the spring. I feel like a new person. Amazing what a little sun will do.
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last five entries:
done - 2005-09-16
playgroup, my ass - 2005-09-15
late, but heartfelt - 2005-09-13
she lives - 2005-08-18
cheese me - 2005-05-20