I'm sitting next to the goldfish tank, and noticing that E is harassing Z. E is swimming along right next to or right behind, literally with her nose in Z's tail fins. It's kind of weird, actually. Z is larger than E, but E is the undisputed queen of the goldfish tank. E isn't nipping at Z, but se's flicking her dorsal fins up and down as she swims behind z. (I think of both E and Z as female, which may or may not be true; it's kind of difficult to tell with goldfish.)I've had a nice day. I went and finished up most of my Christmas shopping and bought wrapping paper, so now all of my gifts are wrapped and ready to go, except what i'm getting for my dad. I'm puzzled by this, because usually I'm very last-minute about these sorts of things.
I braved the crowds downtown today to go to Cost Plus, where I bought my wrapping paper. I've loved Cost Plus ever since I was very small and spending a dollar on an Oriental fan was a big purchase. The store downtown lacks the classic Cost Plus scent, that mixture of rattan and exotic woods and coffee. I'm not sure if all of them have lost that smell--I hope not. It's the smell of adventure and cheap glassware, paper lanterns and odd wooden fertility gods. I wonder if they still sell those paper fans...
After Cost Plus, I walked up to the new mall downtown, Pacific Place. The main attraction of the place to me is the fact that it makes it possible to traverse from 7th and Pine to the bus stop at 3rd and Pine without ever going outside. When it's pouring down rain, knowing dry ways to get to bus stops becomes important.For the most Part, Pacific Place feels just like every other upscale West coast mall I've ever been to. Lots of indoor plants (mostly dieffenbachia and philodendrons), families with well-behaved and neatly dressed children, women wearing large earrings, their clothing saying, 'I may have money, but my taste is questionable.' Pacific Place tries hard. The security guards are all plainclothes, and make an effort to blend into the crowd. Spots not taken up by stores have large photo murals on them. There are escalators on both sides ot the large open space in the middle of the mall. The eateries are all trendy--no food court here, nope. Cafe Starbucks it is! (They apparently serve food outside of the category of things that go well with coffee.) I can tell that one of these days I'm going to have to take an afternoon off, dress up, and go slumming.
I took a bath tonight and Lilith had no idea what was up with that. She peered into the tub, confused, and patted at the bubbles.E is trying to eat the maid. E! Stop that! (The maid is an otto catfish who lives in the tank.) I had to give up keeping snails in this tank because the goldfish kept on eating them. The catfish has had better luck.
I think it's time to go curl up on the couch and let the TV kill a few more brain cells.
Now you can feel the rain, raining everywhere, wherever it feels right, and take the heat, and swim to shore powerfully; now you can eat ravenously, sleep like a baby, and make love with your whole body.—Sequel, Jane Miller
book: August Zero, Jane Miller
music: 7, Mannheim Steamroller
outside: moon, just past full
doing: getting ready for the holidays
link: I get this paper.
dream: Dreamt that the leak in the basement had turned into a torrent, and the water actually avoided all of the towels I put down. i gave up and watched it flow to the drain.
