another reason to ditch my car

I got up bright and early today (after my morning phone call from the OSW) and set about my Saturday errands: haircut, lunch with Mrs. Steve, grocery, then home. Upon my return home, I discovered that the gate to our common garage wasn't functioning, leaving us all to park illegally on the street. All of the available LEGAL spaces were taken up by some annoying idiot in my building who was having a party celebrating some sort of athletic contest today. College football, I believe. Some school with red and white colors. I know this because our common spaces are festooned with the most vulgar balloons and cheap streamers in these colors. There are also all kinds of folks walking around in red and black clothing, drinking out of plastic cups and spouting nonsense about how THEIR team is the best and "heh heh heh..I'm really going to enjoy taking your money when the game's over" and other such krap. Call me a snob, but I just can't stand the culture that surrounds college and professional football. Gross. And they're taking up all of my parking spaces.

Since our good-for-nothing management company refuses to address the malfunctioning garage until TUESDAY (due to the holiday), I decided to avoid a possible ticket-and-towing scenario and park my car at the OSW's house. He's out of town, and I was planning a "car free" weekend anyway. So I drove over there, parked, watered his plants, and strolled back home.

My mood shifted when I called the OSW to let him know that I was parking at his house. He's up in PTown, and basically he let me know that I had made a mark on the town, and that the mark remains. He told me that he felt like he was home, and that he misses me. I look very much forward to the time when we're not giving each other reports on the phone, across that great distance.

I walked back home, listening to extraordinary music and once again giving thanks to whatever, for everything. I even scaled down my hatred of the idiots in my building, but just a little bit.

what the...?

This is a new favorite thing.



I think I know what I'll do for Halloween...go to a cemetery and re-enact "Steel Magnolias!"

shall we all meet in the autumn?

Here it is, only mid-August, and the leaves are already changing. It's very subtle, but there is a dustiness to the maple trees that border my home, and I know enough to know that it won't be too long before the fireworks begin. I'm curious about the effect of this drought on this year's autumnal palette.

It is strange to me that for the first time, I do not mourn the passing of the summer. It always brought anxiety to me when I was in school (all that early rising and schoolwork), and now that I work in the same environment, I'm surprised that those feelings have not been resurrected. I had the best summer of my life, a summer that a small part of me wishes had never ended.

But I have many great things looming on the horizon. I've got some pretty great travel plans in the works for the fall and winter. I've gone back to work and have found great satisfaction and inspiration there. And I'm excited about some other stuff that I frankly don't wish to explain in detail - but trust me: it's all good.

In other, more banal news:

* I'm not working today, and will try to have a "no driving" day.
* Two appliances at my home have had a meltdown, but I'm handy enough to fix them (or just do the American thing and throw them out and purchase new ones)
* Since I came home last week, I've dined FOUR times with the OSW
* My tenant left my home in impeccable condition (which I'm inclined to maintain)
* I'm still coughing up the mold and mildew of Grey Gardens (at least, I hope that's the source of this ridiculous, persistent cough). Cue scene from "Camille..."
* On tap for the weekend: dinner with friends tonight, work, a party, work, and the first Family Roundup since we all got back to Atlanta from points north. At my sister's new home.

Life in America is hard, y'all...

what i did in provincetown this summah

You know what? When I told everyone that I planned to spend six weeks in Provincetown this summer, they all asked the same question: What are you going to do for six weeks in Provincetown if you're not working?

To that end, ladies and gentlemen, here is my very, VERY long list of Things I Did in Provincetown this Summah:


Saw Varla Jean Merman’s new show, Victory Lap Dance and was amazed by it
Saw The Wau Wau Sisters and befriended them
Saw Dina Martina’s show and must see it again to process it all (dialysis humor and “useless at-risk kids”)
Saw Miss Richfield’s show and hated it
Saw Two Boys in Bed on a Cold Winter’s Night and didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would
Laughed ‘til it hurt at Showgirls talent show
Gave several impromptu performances of my own on the street and in various parlours
Read five books: Land’s End by Michael Cunningham, Absolute Brightness by James Lecesne, When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and Tennessee Williams in Provincetown by David Kaplan
Swam in the ocean every day when it was fair
Got an amazing tan
Went whale watching and saw over fifty humpback whales
Spoke with God a couple of times
Did three art crawls in the East End art galleries and chatted with some artists
Dined at the Lobster Pot – several times
Was told by the ladies at the Pot that I was “one of them” (commence tears)
Looked at some real estate
Went to a family reunion in Orleans
Had lunch with Mom, Dad, Sister and Aunts when they visited
Watched the Fourth of July Parade
Watched the Fourth of July fireworks over the marina
Got a Townie Pass to the Boatslip
Threw up behind the A House
Almost got arrested for “open container”
Wished that I’d been arrested so I could say that I spent the night in the PTown Clink
Ate at just about every restaurant in town
Went back to Orleans for dinner with my aunt and uncle
Rode my bike on or walked on just about every little street in this town
Saw a couple of people on Segways and thought the looked retarded
Took the pontoon ferry over to Long Point for an exquisite afternoon on the beach
Hosted a host of friends at Grey Gardens
Saw a movie (the new Batman film) on a “Rainy Day Matinee”
Caught Cape Croup and had a mild nervous breakdown because of it
Made a dozen or so new friends
Spent all of my money
Drank my weight in Rose Kennedys, Long Island Iced Teas (w/ raspberry vodka), and Smirnoff Lime Rickys
Declared this summer the “Summer of the Hot Ginger”
Was temporarily a part of a roving band of loonies on bikes called the “Gay Marauders”
Witnessed the birth of a beautiful relationship
Developed the wonderful habit of reading the New York Times print edition every day
Lost my phone service and put a curse on T-Mobile
Shopped regularly at the Far Land Provisions – the best little grocery store in the world
Gained a few pounds and lost a few pounds
Climbed Pilgrim Monument
Embraced the marvelous power of gratitude
Danced
Laughed
Exhaled
Came up with a plan

Oh…and I kinda fell in love.

Not a bad summah.

the pot

I’ve made it a bit of a habit to stop by the Lobster Pot for a late lunch. The true lunch hours are very, very busy, and I like a little nosh before I go about my afternoon adventures. Usually I’ll go to the beach and read, then hit the restaurant for a nice little lunch at the bar at the Top o’ the Pot.

Having done this quite a bit in recent weeks, I’ve developed a little rapport with the staff. They are an amazing bunch, some of whom have worked there for ten or more years. It’s a bit of a cliché to say so, but these ladies are a bunch of gems.

So imagine my mortification when I was told by one of them that I had accidentally underpaid my bill on a previous visit. I went in for my usual lunch (a cup of chowdah, tuna tartare, and a Stella), and the bartender Marie said, “Hey, Eric…you accidentally underpaid your bill the last time you were here, so Cassie covered it for you. You owe her four bucks.”

Well, I was appalled for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that I had also stiffed Marie on her tip (which she graciously omitted from her tale). So I ate, and settled up, and made amends to all parties.

Cut to today. I went upstairs to the bar, and Rima held a seat for me despite the crowd. Cassie was behind the bar, and we shared a laugh about it. She said (in her cool Caribbean accent), “Hey, it’s no big deal. We see you in here all the time, and we knew you’d be good for it. Anyway, you’re one of us, so we were happy to cover it.” Then she bought me a beer.

That’s right. The Ladies of the Lobster Pot consider me to be one of them. I almost wept.

It was the second best thing to happen to me during this insanely wonderful summer.