a day of mixed news

I'm feeling pretty lousy. When I get a sore throat, the rest all sort of goes downhill. So I stayed home from school today. I was awakened by my boss, asking if I could work a few extra hours on saturday. I told her sure, but that I was sick today, and she gave me the night off. So that was a bonus, even though I'm losing money.. it's finals week; I can't afford to get any sicker!

Then I got a text message from my brother. My favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., has passed away :( I feel so sad, even though I know he lived a long and full life. I started reading his work when I was in middle school, beginning with Welcome to the Monkey House, a book of short stories. He remains, to me, the best writer of short stories. I went on to read a few of his books. My favorite is probably Breakfast of Champions because he pulled out a literary move that just BLEW MY MIND. If you haven't read it, I don't want to spoil it, and if you have you probably know what I mean :) It takes place in a bar, I believe. Anyhow, I don't think I'd have been so into writing and reading if it weren't for dear old Kurt. He was just one of the best of the best of the best. So it goes... Rest in Peace dear Kurt <3


Another text message revealed that my friend Mark is on the cover of a local weekly paper with his pet rooster, Mister Clucky. Mark is one of my "regulars." I work in a gallery, and because I am a captive audience, I'm often privy to the musings and dreams of strangers. There a few local eccentrics who visit often, telling stories of their lives (one guy, Nick, lived in NYC in the heyday of awesome music, spotting David Bowie at a record store before he was famous... Mark once drove a schoolbus with no brakes down from Vermont to Key West in the company of a crazy girl and a talking greyhound who was so enormous and so powerful he could jump over a car in a singlebound, and so fearsome that Mark slept with a baseball bat next to him in case the dog should attack him in the night). Mark visits almost every day, and often accompanied by Mr. Clucky. So Red and I went for a walk and scooped up the newspaper.

When I came back, this wonderful painting by Matthew Feyld was awaiting me. I already hung it up, and it looks amazing, even more beautiful in real life. I took a photo, but my camera died, so I'll have to wait to post it in its new home.



Now it is time for me to make a huge, steaming bowl of Cream of Wheat, slather it with butter, salt, & pepper, then curl up on the couch with Red to watch Amelie on this rainy, mismatched day. I've been craving that movie for a while, and now seems a good time for escapism.

posted by Samantha @ 3:13 PM Comments: 2