Two Bad Weeks, Not One Tear...And A Payoff

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Right now I am listening to Tilly and the Wall's debut album "Wild Like Children". I just purchased it recently and I really like it a lot. Their label is Team Love, started by Bright Eye's Conor Oberst and his friend named Nate. Some of the members of the group were in the band Park Ave. with Conor back when they were still in HS, and one of them occaisionally plays for Bright Eyes. This whole album was recorded in a basement, and the really cool part is that a lot of the percussion on the tracks isn't actually drums, it's tap-dancing. Very original. If you like Saddle Creek, you should check them out for sure.I can't seem to find where to add the links for these...it seems blogger is going through some renovations, maybe? I'll add them when I can.
So, anyways, my life has been very crazy lately. I haven't been able to focus one one particular thing, because if I did I would lose track of everything else and it would all fall apart. First off, my dad having a near stroke was pretty de-railing. Then there, of course, have been many things school-related that I have had to worry about with the term coming to a close. Not this past weekend, but the one before that my best, or more accurately put, "closest" friend got drunk, spit on my face more times than I care to recount and then hit me twice. I even had a little shiner for a few days.
That was fantastic.
Then, theres life around the apartment...one of my roomates lately has held a steady diregard for the cleanliness of the place. Every evening when I get home from school I have a huge mess to clean up. And I'm talking sick food messes. Bio-hazard country.
And to top it all off, the little kitten Johnson whom I have grown to love so dearly is being taken back to Pendleton and out of my life forever. This may not seem like such a big deal, but I really loved that kitten and it loved me back, it was a really good feeling.
So my life has been a sad story lately. Well, not really.
It could be worse, I could have broken my leg or crashed my car or lost a good friend to malaria. I'm not going to wallow, but it will take effort...I'm really good at letting this stuff get to me. I need to be strong. Yeah, as corny as it sounds.
At least I have my health. Ugh.
This most recent weekend was fun, though. I went back to Portland to visit the homestead and take my Dad to Sushiland for his birthday. I got to hang out with some old high-school friends (Dane and Derek) and get totally pissy-drunk. A cute boy kissed me at a party Dane and I had crashed while looking for something interesting to do.
It's actually a sweet story, so I'll tell it.
Listen:
As I had said, Dane and I were walking around the Hawthorne district in Portland a little tipsy and pretty damned bored. We heard some talking and laughing coming from the balcony of an old duplex, so we though we ought to check it out. What did we have to lose, really? So we go up to the door, which was unlocked, and let ourselves in. There were a decent amount of people there, but the place was big so it wasn't crowded. We introduced ourselves to a few people to get a feel for the crowd, and they all proved to be amiable and laid back. One of them made the mistake of telling us where to get the booze, so we went to the back porch to find two small kegs and a rack of beer. We helped ourselves and then went out to mingle. The average age of the crowd seemed to be about 20-25, and everyone had something interesting to say. We told jokes, talked about music, discussed the columbine shootings (spawned from someone bringing up the movie Elephant) and shared stories. Then this relatively tall guy came into the picture and provided us with a few new jokes and invited us to try some of this concoction he and a freind had brought for the party. They worked at a local micro-brewery and I guess it was one of their specialties. It was a mix consisting of Pink Lemonade, a fifth of Vodka and, believe it or not, Beer. Yeah, I know it sounds funky but it was delicious. After a few cups of that I was good to go.
So this tall guy and I ended up talking about this and that and, frankly, I thought he was pretty cool. He had a really big smile. One of the topics we brushed on was the sheer excellence of the Goodwill Outlet stores we have in the city. I had gotten the shirt I was wearing that night there, a little blue number that said "I need a kiss" and had a pile of Hershey's Kisses on the front. He said he dug it and I was flattered.
Eventually we parted ways and started conversing with new people about new things. One of the guys that lived at the place turned out to be an artist. He showed me some of his recent works and I was in awe. I wish I could create such original things. All in good time, I guess.
So, after talking to the artist for a while I realized that I hadn't seen Dane for probably an hour or more, and that I should probably try to at least touch bases with him. I was walking down the hall, when out of nowhere popped the tall boy with the big smile. He walked right up to me, grabbed my face, and gave me a huge smooch right on the lips. This, though, was no ordinary smooch...our lips locked and it tasted like chocolate. Before I knew it I had a Hershey's Kiss melting in my mouth! I have to admit, it was weird at first...not excpecting the kiss, let alone the chocolate...but it was the sweetest thing ever. I was so flattered and he looked so pleased with himself, it was a precious moment. We ended up sitting on the couch talking about God knows what and holding hands. We kissed a little more, then just sat there watching and listening. I probably sat there in silence for about 10 minutes when Dane found me and suggested taking off. He looked really tired and it was getting late so I agreed. I said goodbye to my smooching buddy and walked off with Dane into the night. I'm really sad that I can't remember his name now, but I suppose I shouldn't fret, assuming I will probably never see him again. Oh, well.
It was an interesting night to say the least, refreshing in a way. An event that occured out of the routine that has become my life recently.
Now, with the Thanksgiving Holiday drawing near...I am hoping to find more new and exciting things to keep my mind occupied. With the loss of my closest friend, due to his lack of self control (among other things), I have been attempting to get my lazy ass in gear and find myself a new scene. So far, my efforts have been semi-successful and I know I can't expect anything except what I get.
Speaking of effort, I have a Psych assignment due tomorrow that I haven't yet started. Ciao, and I hope the winter is treating you all well!