the 35th week

President's Day. Because we were superbly slow during work, I shut down everything early and got a jump-start on my day (which is to say I took my nap forty minutes early; Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are my nap days, and there's concrete logic behind that decision; perhaps another time?). Amos closed the store at 4:30 (an hour early), and he was pissed when he got home, because not only was I sleeping, but so was everyone else: Blake, Ams, and Andy, all of us curled up sleeping in our beds at 5:30 P.M. "This is bullshit!" he shouted, rousing everyone awake to begin the night. Brandy and John came over, and Blake made pasta, we watched The Walking Dead (the usual Monday occurrence), and we closed off the night playing Black Ops (Brandy's cool, 'cause she's a girl who likes shooting games). 

Tuesday. Amos and I went to The Anchor before closing the store. We got out late, it was a frustrating day. These days, they're becoming more common. I've slumped into a "blue mood", if you will. Really, it's just sadness. 'Bout what? Lots of things, really, though most are existential rather than situational; i.e., nothing super "bad" has happened, per se, but again the weight of the world--its clueless chaos, its senseless barbarism, the great depths of the Unknown, the Uncertainty, the dark nature of epistemology. The world grows darker, and I fear my heart treads softly behind. All during work I was in a foul mood, mostly sadness interspersed with bits of frustration and anger thrown in here-&-there; it was one of those days where everything gets under you skin, but it's getting under your skin not by its own virtue but because you're already stuck in that icky place. When we left work I felt a bit better, but though the shadows were drawn, I know they'll lengthen again. "Such is life." Or so I'm told; I'm only (hopefully) 1/3 through it. 

Wednesday. Isaac and I left work at the same time, walking downtown to our cars and smoking cigarettes and drinking traditional cappuccinos. On his way into work, Amos saw a hobo named Randy fall off his bike and hurt himself, so he called 911. "The dude was just lying there on Glenway in shock." The spurts of "the blues" continued, this time focused on Jessica and Carly, and what it was like to hang out with them, and how I really grew to care for them, and how--one day--it all just ended. I attached a lot of meaning to those friendships, and though we were hanging out for only about 3-4 months (and it's been 3 times that since), I still think about them often. Mostly I think about Carly (which would've surprised me not nine months ago, seeing as I was wine-drunk infatuated with Jessica). I miss Cars a lot, and I drowned my sorrow with "Explosions in the Sky" and took my scheduled nap till 6:00. Amos, Andy and I spent the evening playing video games and zoning out: it's nice to drown out the noises of the world with a ballistic knife in one hand and a tomahawk in the other. "Apache class."

Thursday. I did some writing at The Anchor before a swift and solid close. Rhino apparently moved to Texas, so Bob's been roasting for the last couple days as we try to figure out just what the hell to do. Our roasters keep bailing on us! Back home Amos, Andy and I played video games, and I spent most of the evening hanging out with Ams. She read through Act III and likes it like she liked Act I (of my zombie story, of all things). That's certainly good news. 

Friday. After work Blake, Ams and I kicked off the weekend by hanging out and then taking--you guessed it--our respective naps. Blake's was so good that he just didn't get up. Amos, Andy and I spent the evening watching TV and hanging out, and C. Isaac came over after a wearying day. It started raining ice so he decided to spend the night, and a good thing, too: he'd had more than a few beers, and couple this with a long-ass workday, and the end end result is a lanky, tattoo-scarred, shaggy-bearded fellow sprawled on your sofa. If that's what you're into, get over to the Claypole House stat. "Stat means NOW!" Cat told me today after work that she's quitting Tazza Mia; she broke the news to Bob, who didn't know what to say. And now with Rhino gone and Cat out the door, the landscape at the Tazz is changing, and it'll be interesting to see how the next month or two unfolds.

Saturday. I hit up The Anchor before grabbing Dusmesh with Andy. We hung out with Blake for a while when we got back, and then I took a short nap--a "quickie", if you will--and then ran to Kroger for snacks (all because of a sweet-toothed dream). Ginger snaps, iced molasses cookies, peanut butter crunchy granola bars, and pretzel twists. The last item didn't make it through to the next day, and none lasted past Sunday. You'll have that in a communal house like this, a good price to pay. Isaac came by, and he, Blake and Andy went to the 1215 Wine Bar that's now open (and doing super well, from what I've gathered). Amos worked there all morning, so we just played video games in the living room. Cat broke the news to him today; she's going to recommend him for the S.M. position. I hope and pray he gets it, and agree with his game-plan if he doesn't. Most everyone was in bed by 11:00, but I stayed up late hanging out with Ams, and around midnight T.J. came over after playing a show, and we drank some beers and laughed our asses off. 

Sunday. I woke to find Blake smoking hookah--"Sex on the beach!"--and I joined him, and then we got The Anchor for breakfast and talked about the millennia-old wrestling match between theism and atheism and how the conflict may never end because it's worldview pitted against worldview, and unverifiable assumptions on either side don't easily die. I spent most of the day reading, but here are gathered "adventures" (if you can call them that): Ams and I got lunch at Rock Bottom, and most of it was comped by the manager, and I got to keep my recent $25 which I intended to use today. Brandy came over for a while, and so did the soon-to-be-wed Jeff. I talked to Mandy K. for a while. It was good, lots of catching up and lots of laughter.