Great pap Richie

It was very chilly out this morning… it reminded me of one of those days when we’d get up early and go to Suches with dad for the Indian Summer Festival. That’s next week… Anywho, so I took a walk before I ate breakfast and just went out to talk with God. The moon was sitting in the sky straight across from the sun just behind the trees. We have our first orange fall tree out… I can’t believe it’s already getting cold. I want to be able to wear jackets and hoodies and all my winter clothing (because I have more of it than Summer clothes) but sometimes the in between weather change can be so annoying when it can’t make up its mind. I was so cold this morning in my room I had to put on my flannel pjs because I don’t have any sweats, and some socks, but then I just decided it was pointless and I went to sit in the sun on the porch. It was warmer outside than in.
Monday I got out a bunch of books and picked three to start reading. I began with Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte---I love the way she writes), Much Ado about Nothing (Shakespeare), and Run, Baby Run (Nicky Cruz)… I think Run, Baby Run is the most addicting and I haven’t been able to put it down. Much Ado about Nothing is just like the movie and I can picture all the characters in my head while I read it… and well, I didn’t make it too far in Jane Eyre, but I’ll get there. Anywho, these books should keep me occupied during my boredom stages in the evenings and if not… God help me.
We had steak for dinner the other night. Dad likes his meet red; I like mine over cooked until it’s crisp and a little burnt around the edges. I literally squeezed a strip of meet in my hand until blood came dripping through my fist into a puddle on my plate… sick.
I’ve been staying up ‘till twelve every night reading. When I get tired of one book I switch to another and so the process goes on and on until I realize what time it is. All three books have been highly entertaining, and sometimes they keep me from my studies.
Last night I had a strange dream with Darryl in it… probably because Leah and I mentioned something of him about shining and not whining yesterday (something he always said at camp)… it was a creepy dream and I was always trying to run away. But then I was pulled from sleep when I heard a voice, a girl’s voice call my name. At first I thought it was in my dream… but I couldn’t find my dream anymore. So then I thought it was Stephanie, but then I remembered she isn’t here. It was a beautiful, gentle voice, so then I thought maybe it was an angel… oh well, I guess I’ll never know.
Well, I’ve started (writing) yet another book… sort of… I have some ideas for this one but I’m not sure how far it’ll actually get. Here’s what I have so far:
I thought I had escaped this life, but here I was clear as day driving through town seeing too many familiar faces. Great pap Richie had died and I was called back only two months after my escape. Of course I would never talk like this to any of the town folk… they didn’t know my dreams about living in a city and making big money as a writer... about having my own apartment and living on my own independently without a whole town of relatives and so-called relatives watching my every move. Sometimes they suffocated me like a canary in a cage. And when the cat comes to claw through the bars at me sometimes I think I’d prefer the inside of its stomach than looking through those bars at a world I’ll never experience.
I made myself cry at the funeral. And it wasn’t because of Richie either, or the old crows dabbing at their eyes with pink handkerchiefs. I cried for the soul purpose of crying over the inexplicably, painfully long service. When a person is dead, you should honor the person by giving them the shortest funeral service ever—the sooner it’s over the sooner that person can be put into the earth to deteriorate while everyone else goes home and moves on. But by keeping it as long as possible—and I mean as long as possible---you make things more dramatic than they really are. He’s dead for goodness’ sake and he’s not coming back. I hardly new Richie myself, but I was sure I’d know more about him than even his late wife did at the memorial service that afternoon when all the stories and rumors would go around and people would laugh and cry and eat pie… it was like a thanksgiving holiday, only we were getting together over a death… but I honestly couldn’t tell the difference. I was dreading those long hugs where you’re embraced for eternity in the arms of someone you don’t even know. Someone who says they knew you as a baby and all they talk about is how you’ve grown. It has always puzzled me as to how one should reply to that. “Gee, thanks I guess?” And then of course what I really want to say, “Please stop hugging me I’m about to gag from all that perfume… and don’t get so close to my face with those lipsticky fish-lips.” Either it’s a plump old woman with a big smile, a crying bony old woman with sagging boobs, or the worst: an old man hugging me so tight I feel like all my bones will crunch and I’ll slither through his arms and over his fat bear belly to the ground where I’ll lay a skin sack of bones. Sometimes I wish I only could disappear that fast.

smithy

I kissed a toad

I’m sitting here eating animal crackers and listening to Death Cab for Cutie’s “I’ll follow you into the dark”. I assume these are real animal crackers… this one might be a cow… I’m not really sure. I think the donkey is the only animal you can tell is an actual animal and not some deformed piece of cracker clumped together… donkeys are probably the least appetizing, though… I mean honestly, who would want to eat a donkey?
Well, Friday I drove to Murphy with mom. I’m getting better at driving… well, except when a cop tails me. I pulled onto 19129 and then noticed the car behind me. “Oh crap, is that a cop?” I immediately thought of Stephanie and all the times I’ve yelled cop in the car and she’d scream and go off the road. I went five under the speed limit half the way there until he finally passed me and I could breathe again. I know that cops are supposed to be the good guys, but can I help it if I hate them sometimes for tailing me? I will never understand how those directors managed to make the popo fat lazy bad guys who sit around all day eating doughnuts—now that’s just a dirty twisted insult… they drive around all day looking for someone to pull over just for the fun of it, and they don’t eat doughnuts they eat Blimpies.
I got my hair trimmed and layered more. And I also got a red-ish purple highlight in the back… I like it. Cheri (the woman who did my hair) also straightened it which was awesome because I’ve never been able to straighten my hair before… so it was a new experience for me and it looked pretty cool. I got my ear pierced again so now I have three in one ear. And I found some jeans… that never happens. My mom actually bought two whole outfits (it’s a miracle—that never ever happens). It was so boring sitting in that salon waiting for the dye to kick in… I sat there for thirty minutes looking at stupid magazines reading about Brittany Spears and the people in and out of her life now… lol… and there were these dumb flies going around the room that kept buzzing near my head. That killed me. When my hair was finally done and it looked all cool and everything I was browsing around Wal-Mart and this oldish guy probably in his forties was walking by and he was smiling at me so of course I smiled back… wouldn’t you? Only then I realized from the way he asked, “how are you?” that I probably shouldn’t have smiled… oh boy. That was rather disturbing. What’s with the creepy old farts always winking?
On the way home I was pulling out of this gas station on a hill and so I’m just waiting there with my blinker on, waiting for the traffic to go by so I could pull out… so this dude at the end of the line is coming and he’s got his blinker on so of course I’m thinking—well, he’s turning, I can just go… right? Wrong. Never trust those blinkers. He could have hit me if it weren’t for mom yelling (probably the first time she’s ever said anything than just sitting there holding on with wide eyes when I drive… just kidding)… so I pulled off the road and let that stupid idiot pass me… whew.
And now for the whole purpose of this entry--if the title wasn't driving you nuts already... yes, it's true. I kissed a toad! I found a big toad the other night but it got away… otherwise I probably would have kissed it then. Don’t ask why, I just felt like it… just for the purpose of being able to say: “I have kissed a toad.” So, I found the toad again today and I picked it up and kissed it. It wasn’t so bad… lol… don’t say it, I know I’m insane. But I did brush my teeth—and lips—after I kissed him so I won’t get warts… most likely… haha. I’m rather disappointed… where’s prince charming? Maybe it was a girl toad… How can you tell the difference with toads?
Well, I shall take my leave after that most disgusting news you've probably heard all day so you can ponder why you are friends with me... avua!

smithy

i'm not dead... i'm getting better... i'm feeling happy!

well... i just decided to post because i haven't posted in forever and yeah... no reason, really, just that it's late and i'm the only person up in my house and i have nothing else to do... so there you have it. This is my post... and now i'm thinkin i'd like to find some ice cream. I'll post more (hopefully) someday soon for all you homies out there... toodles
smithy