Thursday, Sep. 22, 2005 - 5:08 p.m.
It is officially autumn. But I’m still waiting for the beautiful changing color of the season. The cool air, that smell of changing weather. Instead, the weather is confusing the trees. Nature knows it’s time for something to happen. The leaves are beginning to change, but rather than turning gold and red and shades of yellow, they are simply turning a sickly brown and sitting on the trees. Like the heat is drying them out to quickly, robbing them of their final glory.
And my life has started to revolve around weekends. Not to say that there aren’t nice weekdays, but all of my plans now stem around the weekends. And there’s been a lot that has happened in the past month or so and I haven’t had a chance to sit down and think about it, let alone write it down. But now I want to.
Back at the end of August, the 27th in fact, jairo and I went to the beach (at Sherwood Island, CT) with James, Brooke and Al. the day was sunny and the water was cold. But the sand was not soft, it stabled our feet with rocks and shells. The water was a far cry from what I’d experience earlier in the summer. It was not bright and clear, it was dark and lots of seaweed floated at it’s edge, and in it, the sand under my feet felt a little bit slimy, like frogs skin.
Things were pleasant and relaxing until James and Al started asking me questions about my life. They thought they were being helpful. They came across as judgemental. At one point, Al said something about my job hunting, and he said “what have you done lately?” James said something like it’s better to try and fail than to not try. This came from Al, who lives at home and doesn’t even have a job. James is also living at home and borrowing money from his mom to buy a place. One of the things they said was that I should borrow money. And that I should make Jairo pay for stuff for me (such as a place to live). All in all, I ended up frustrated and angry. Little did I realize this would enter drama that would unfold over the next few weeks.
That evening, despite being tired from the sun, we headed to a bar in the city called “The Magician.” We had to get a little lost to get there, taking an east/west subway, which Jairo’s not used to. The bar was empty when we got there save one table with about 8 people and Brendan, whose birthday we were all there to celebrate, had yet to show up. Eventually he did and it seemed that along with him came the weekend night atmosphere because within an hour the bar was packed. I spent the evening catching up with him and some friends and getting to know some of his friends. A friend of his took many photos (at least one with my joker grin) and the night felt like something too pleasant to be completely real, like it was a scene pulled from a movie to show the idyllic times from someone’s life. These are the kind of people I wish I saw more often, lived next door to or something, instead of having to plan events to see them.
Brendan caught me up on his creative endeavors and Christa, his girlfriend, said we’d have to go to the museum sometime. She took my email address in case a website she edits needs freelancers. All in all, it was a good day with a minor glitch
On Sunday August 28th me and Jairo hung out with his friend Brandon and Brandon’s girlfriend Grace. We did what we always do – we went to Chinatown. We ate at one of the same two restaurants we always do, we checked out the same video and video game and anime shops as always, and we wandered around buying vegetables and fish for their parents. It’s not that I dislike doing these things so much as that a change would be nice sometimes. And I have very little in common with Brandon and nothing whatsoever in common with Grace, who usually spends every outing alternately pouting or glaring at Brandon.
The next weekend was labor day weekend. However, for me that just meant more rest, no trips. I think most people didn’t travel this year because every time we went out everywhere was packed. We went to see “The Transporter 2” with Jason on Sunday and while on our way back got a call from James.
He wanted to know if we wanted to go to a bar with him and some friends. I looked at Jairo and could tell the answer was no. So I said no. Then James said, “If I never called you guys would you call me?” and the mood I was in with him at that moment made me answer in a less than ideal way, “Probably.”
After all of this I finally responded to an email he’d sent me in which he was pushing an ongoing argument of his that I should ask Jairo to help me to pay for certain things (such as housing). And he responded saying he felt like he’d overstepped his bounds, which he sort of had. But he added in a part where he said that he felt like Jairo was only friends with him because they were the only ones that hadn’t moved away, and that he was growing apart from him (to paraphrase). I responded again by explaining why I’d disagreed with him about several things, and telling him that Jairo had no lack of friendship for him.
On Tuesday the 7th I got a haircut. The place was nice and expensive. They washed my hair and I showed the hairdresser my photos. He seemed to understand what I wanted. And yet, when he was doing it up at the end, he had it all sticking up in a textured fro. Too long in the back, too short on the top. I mentioned something about it and he huffily said that it looked just like the picture I’d brought. It did not, but it was beyond argument. I had him trim the back a little more to my liking, paid and left. In all honesty, it’s not a bad cut, it’s just not quite what I want. And attitude given when I try to explain what I want is the last way to get me back in the door.
That following Saturday (9/10), I started my search for a new place to live. On a beautiful day Jairo and I found our way to a wonderful tree lined residential street. We met the lady and she showed me the attic apartment. It was part of her grandparent’s house. They had renovated to live in only half the house, making the other half into 2 aparmtents. The one I looked at was cute. One main room, a kitchen and a small bathroom. It was bright and well lit. Unfortunately, the woman wanted a year long lease and had rules about people visiting. I’m looking for more freedom, not the same amount or less. So, it was a no go, but it got my hopes up.
We spent the rest of the day walking around the city because it was familiar to Jairo. His college had been nearby and he’d gone there to buy art supplies. We spent a period of time in the art store. He bought me a book of blank paper. We had delicious sundried tomatoe bagles and we wandered around the flea market. It was a lazy, warm, content afternoon.
In the midst of this I got an overly apologetic email from James that also said he felt like he hadn’t seen us in forever. And just some dramatic things.
The next Saturday (9/17) he and Brooke showed up early in the morning at Jairo’s door. They walked in James hugged Jairo and said that was what he came over for. It was weird though because it was such an awkward hug. I’ve also never seen a guy come over just to hug their friend. Oh well.
Then we hung out for a little while, went to breakfast, and parted ways in time for James to go to work in the afternoon. The rest of the day we didn’t do anything particular. It was frustrating because we were supposed to have gone to a renaissance festival with Jason. But it was supposed to rain on Saturday, so everyone had decided they didn’t want to go and instead we were going on Sunday. I was annoyed because I just wanted to hang out with Jason and could care less what everyone else was doing. And ironically, instead of raining on Saturday it was a wonderful day.
But thankfully, Sunday was also very nice.
So we met Jason and went to the Ren Fair. Jason told us on the way there about a possible job he might be getting as the wind swirled the hair on top of my head (he insisted on having the roof down in his convertible). I’ve only been to 2 renaissance festivals. One in TN near a castle built by an eccentric rich man and this one in the northern country of New York with small period style buildings made especially for the occasion. I’m not sure which was better.
These kind of things are mostly about shopping really. We wandered from themed shop to themed shop. We were joined by Phil and Trish. We ate food without utensils and watched a glass blower and a daredevil of sorts. We also saw an exhibition of birds of prey. Jason made me try on period clothes and he bought some really well made horns. We all played the ax and knife throwing games. I managed to get one of my knives to stick, convincing me that I’m a natural and potentially deadly. It was a nice day. Jairo got a little crowd-a-phobic near the end, I could tell, but he tried not to show it. And Trish and Phil were ok. But in the end I think I would’ve had more fun with just Jason on this particular thing. He and I share an ability to have a youthful enthusiasm for silly-ish things.
And that catches me up to around my birthday.
