She Should be Reading

Today's entry is going to be a round-up of things that are happening, things I'm thinking about. Rounding things up seems to be what I'm all about lately.

This photo was probably taken by FFP. I have an actual print of it so I'm not sure if it pre-dates our almost exclusive use of digital cameras but probably so. No doubt he was shooting up a roll of something else.

What you see is me in a distressed leather chair surrounded by newspapers. But I'm not reading. I'm writing! There are plants and flowers and Chalow lounges on FFP's chair. (Those chairs became too distressed becoming stained easily by lounging heads of hair and we replaced them.) I also notice that a Botero poster is on the wall behind the table. So this was taken before we bought a Mace Lucas painting which now occupies that spot.

I am trying to avoid unwieldy piles like those pictured around the house now. I'm going to put stuff away and only drag out one project at a time. And I'm going to keep the unread papers in a basket and send them to recycling as soon as I've read them. (By the way, we had about a dozen sacks of recycling today. And yet there is still more paper to be recycled. And we don't recycle the shredded stuff because it's too messy although we understand they would take it we don't know how to 'package' it. I guess you could staple the grocery bags shut. They do take staples because they take the magazines mixed in.)

I told my friend SuRu last night about my desire to keep an orderly appearance. She said "Yeah, like that is going to happen!" Still, I'm going to try. I'm going to try to keep the condo orderly, too. A taller order perhaps since we will have far less space to 'hide' the mess.

When I think about all the stuff we have already gotten rid of I'm amazed so much remains. What is true, however, is that there are lots of empty boxes and containers. Even after we stuffed everything back in cabinets and closets and made room to hide stuff away this is true. I run over in my head all the things that are gone. In pictures I catch glimpses of things we used to own, now discarded. So much gone. So much here.

Last night we went to a Frontera Fest Short Fringe. We were there to see my friend Allan Baker's short play called "Click." It was great. Allan has a great ear and eye for detail and the actors and direction were great. The play featured discarded office furniture from our house. FFP said "Don't bring it back!" Some of the other pieces had their moments, but none was really a play. More skits and performance art. The final one was beyond tedious. But the evening was worth it to see Allan's play with these actors. He lets me read his plays and it's so interesting to see how they work when presented.

Last night I could barely contain my excitement about the day I was going to have today. Why? Because today I have no appointments. FFP has three appointments this afternoon at two different coffee shops. I have nothing. No evening tix to anything. No tennis game. No appointments for my dad. (That would be one day next week that I have both those things as well as a dinner engagement to entertain a friend for her birthday.) It is amazing how I love these 'open' dates. It's entirely possible that I will do something in the evening, but it will be something that I think is the right thing at the time with FFP and whoever. I will go to the gym but I won't be rushing to get home and shower for an appointment. I may go to Dad's and get stuff to start on his taxes. But if I don't get that today then there is always tomorrow. I love blanks on the calendar. Which makes you wonder why I fill up so many of my days. My friend SuRu said last night that I usually "plan ahead." She said someone else had asked her out last night at the last minute. Indeed. I bought tickets to last night's event well in advance and invited others to come. People were getting on a waiting list for no show seats when we arrived as it was sold out. Planning ahead is good. But, ah, a blank day on the calendar!