I got some e-mail about my lack of updates on Friday – I’m responding to that on a person-by-person basis. If I haven’t e-mailed you yet, expect it by tonight. You people really need to join the update list. I revealed startling secrets, and probed the depths of my relationship with Dirk.
Anyway, I talked about stuff I didn’t want to become general knowledge. Parts of today’s entry aren’t going to make too much sense if you didn’t get/bother reading the e-mail entry. If you know I don’t like you, don’t bother trying to join. I check the membership on this thing. And they let me put up blocks, too.
Practice went fantastically. We sounded ten times better than the week before last. We got through the whole set so fast that we had time to learn a new song (one that Aaron wrote), before leaving. We also talked to the band that comes after us – they’re rednecks, but they were being civilized. I always have my mace gripped in my pocket when they first come in, just in case they decide to get cute. Basically, they get drunk halfway through practice and fuck around for the second half.
After practice was a nightmare. Dirk, Aaron and I went out to eat, and I dredged up the events of Thursday night, because I’d gotten no closure (i.e., an apology, perhaps?). Dirk got mad at me again, reiterated that he is not, in fact, twelve years old (could’ve fooled me), and turned away from me. I smoked, for a while, then retreated to the bathroom so I couldn’t scream at him in public. I stayed there for the duration of two really lousy eighties songs.
When I got back to the table, Aaron was telling him off for me. Dirk wasn’t having any of it, and discussion stopped when the food came out. I chain smoked, lighting one cigarette from the butt of the old one, then cupping it to smoke it. (If you’re a smoker, you should try it – it gives you an odd head rush). The whole quitting thing didn’t get too far, as of Thursday night.
Dirk got worried because I was smoking so much, and he tried to stop me. I snarled, “If I can’t be concerned about your safety, you can back the fuck off about mine, okay?” Dirk turned away without another word, and we left soon after.
Dirk apologized profusely afterward, both for what he did and the fact that he got angry at me. I’m still slightly pissed at him, but that should clear up sometime.
While we were waiting for Dirk to get ready to go Saturday night, Aaron was telling me about his son’s progress. Xavier’s just turned two, and already he can count to twenty (with a bit of prompting). The bemused smile on Aaron’s face as he told me this was just so touching that I felt the need to share something of my childhood. By way of response, I told him about the time my cousin was beaten with wires in front of me because she couldn’t recite the alphabet. Aaron didn’t say another word about his son.
Sunday was busy in the morning, but lazy in the afternoon. I woke up, cleaned out the fish tank and the hamster’s cage, made a list of items to purchase so I could make minestrone, and worked out a personal menu for the rest of the week. I also made a partial batch of vegetable curry to bring over to Dirk, because he was sick. I got over there and napped for most of the afternoon. At about three, Dirk rousted me so we could work on Aaron’s song some more, then I left to go shopping.
In the evening, we played pool with Jason. I really, really like pool. I was astonished by just how inept Dirk is at that game. I offered to go play pool with just Dirk whenever he wants.
I was woken up at 4:30 this morning by a rhythmic scraping sound coming from my hamster’s cage. I banged on the cage a couple times, but that didn’t stop the hamster (who was scraping her teeth along the side of her cage). After about fifteen minutes, I just picked the cage up and shook it. A bit. Didn’t hurt the hamster, I swear. But it stopped scraping.
There was a new joy awaiting me at the entrance to the Pentagon metro station – demonstrators. Apparently, they were protesting the bombing. I only saw one, this small girl with glasses and a completely unself-conscious grin, wearing a sign that was almost as big as she was. One of the men walking beside me said, “There’s one now. They’re always so goofy-looking.”
It’s been an ugly, hectic day. I’ll get back to you people tomorrow.