Monday, October 12, 2009

Weekend Recap

This weekend I dragged the dude thrifting. When we were in the car traveling between the first store (mostly furniture) and the second (not the best) he did question why he was on this particular journey. After the second store, where he sat in front of the shelves of books, it wasn't so hard to motivate him. I was in it for the wool sweaters.

I'm taking an online class with betz white, author of warm fuzzies, on working with felt. Directions for our first project will be handed out on Wednesday. (Happy Birthday to me.) I can't wait.

Our Sunday dinner this week was a little exciting. Not in the fun and interesting way it was last week when we saw David Sedaris read. First of all, we got to meet my sister's boyfriend. As she will tell you, she has been dating for well over 20 years. This is only the third boyfriend I have met. He is the second one named Greg, which, if you think about it, is unlikely. Especially when you check out the SSA and see that the name peaked in popularity in the US in the early 60s at #77. He was nice, and he clearly makes my sister happy. (He looks like a much more fit Andrew Zimmern and has a big personality like him.) But the really big excitement was much more fitting of David Sedaris.

The three family dogs attend dinner. All three are all or part terrier. The household also has a gerbil. I don't think I have to tell you the whole of this story. It ends with a little girl in tears. In the end, I would have been a lot happier not to have been the one to stumble on the scene and break the news to my cousin and, inadvertently, my niece. The only thing that made me feel the least little bit better about the whole thing was when I told the story to my mother she was entirely unsympathetic to my nine-year-old niece. Is that bad? That I made myself feel better by thinking I'm not as cold-hearted as my mother is? She did redeem herself by remembering when my sister's guinea pig was eaten by the dog that lived across the street--given entrance to our house by my mother--and saying that no one felt worse about the whole thing than she did, having given the dog the opportunity.

If I had learned anything from listening to David Sedaris last week, I could have probably put together a hilarious and moving post about this. Or maybe not. It took him 40 years to write that story about the loggerhead turtles he held captive and fed raw hamburger as a boy... Look for my collection of essays in 2049.

12 comments:

Chocolates4Breakfast (Terri ~ Boog) said...

Lovely wool for felting. Not sure how to make the gerbil story funny right out of the gate but somehow, over time, they do get to be kind of funny in a morbid sort of way.

Caroline said...

I heart David Sedaris. You're one lucky girl.... though maybe not so much with the whole gerbil thing....... I have a gerbil story of my own, involving a very long haired cat, an open cistern and a floating gerbil that had been missing for a few days. Good thing my parents always knew where we kids were, honest to god, how did we survive some of that shit?

Caroline said...

PS - They closed in the cistern after that little incident.

Annemarie said...

See, I always told you you're not a bitch.

Actually, you are. For seeing David Sedaris read and then making us jealous like that.

Coral said...

Oh, poor little gerbil. Never mind, he is safe now. Maybe I shouldn't say that in light of this post.

Dear, dear!

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to see the felting projects. I like the colors you got.

My hamster died when I was about 10. The bottom fell out of the cage when I was cleaining it and sliced my foot wide open. This was a very long time ago and critter cages were metal back then.

dd

Margie said...

I once had an incident with a hamster and a cat. Didn't turn out so well either.

Lovely wool. I keep buying the stuff and keep on saying I'm going to do something with it and never seem to get around to anything but looking at it :-)

Donna said...

Looking forward to that collection of essays. I'll be 89 and probably in need of a some laughter and tears.

If you think the Greg thing is strange, let me tell you that I know someone who has been married (that's right MARRIED) to three different Randys. That is downright bizarre.

Carolyn NC said...

Ouch - how sad, but then again, it is humorous, too, listening to you tell the story....

mainely stitching said...

Can I sign up now for a signed copy of those memoirs? I mean, come 2049, I might forget ....

doris said...

Ew. I'm working at not picturing the events between gerbil and dogs.

David Sedaris makes me literally choke with laughter. I read Naked on a plane and embarrassed myself by laughing out loud for the duration of the flight. Upon hearing his name, I will forever think of corn on bath towels. Again, ew.

If I live until 2049, I'll be reading your book at the age of 93.

Jenna said...

I plan on being alive and kicking in another 40 years, so I'm definitely be looking forward to your collection of essays to be published. :)