2 posts from 2007

What was the one toy you wanted as a kid that your parents never bought you?
Submitted by Princess of Darkness.

there was a playground right across the street from my house when I was little, left over from when the administration building that's there now was a school. from a fairly young age I was allowed to go play over there by myself because my mother could see me from her kitchen window. it was pretty lame as far as playgrounds go, with just a swingset and a little monkey bar thing and a gross sandbox I would never touch, but it was better than nothing, and so after school I would go over there and play until she yelled out the back door that supper was ready.

on my way home one night, as I crossed the large field that seperated the playground from the street in front of my mother's house, I noticed that the first star of the evening had appeared, but no others. this was my chance. I closed my eyes in case other stars started to appear in my field of vision, because that would, of course, nullify the magic that was about to happen.

'star light, star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight: I wish my mom would buy me a strawberry shortcake e-z bake oven'.

I continued on home, confident that I had followed the proper procedures for securing a bounty of easy-to-make, delicious cakes cooked by light bulbs. imagine my confusion, then, when it failed to arrive.

as an adult, I've often wondered if this great disappointment led me to become a pastry chef. it's more likely that I was always just predisposed to sugar and numbers and following directions, but wouldn't it be funny if that was true?

-don't I look so stoic in that banner picture? like I'm going off to die in war or something? I love the picture, but I'm not sure if I can keep it as a banner. it makes me self-conscious. perhaps you can recognize a thinly veiled glare from behind my sunglasses- it's a long story involving unexpected new year's eve closures, brunch (or rather, a lack thereof), and an unnecessary trip from brooklyn to manhattan and back again. that day was the closest that r and I have ever come to fighting, and over the stupidest shit, too. isn't that always how it goes?

-I've been in austin for a month, and have been without a car the whole time until this morning. a couple friends of mine have gone out of town for four days and I'm house-sitting for them and borrowing their car. having never been without a car since I was sixteen (that's fourteen years, friends), I have learned some things about myself:

1) I HATE relying on others for transportation. whether that's the bus (don't even get me started on the shitty-ass public transportation in austin), cabs, or bumming rides from friends, coworkers, etc., I absolutely loathe having to depend on other people for anything. this is a running theme throughout my life, but never have I felt it so acutely as when I cannot get from point A to point B without headaches, pleading, or lots of money. just ask r about my pathetic phone call when I was incapacitated by allergies and in desperate need of pho ga and stranded on the east side. I quite seriously almost took a forty dollar cab ride to get to hai ky on e. oltorf. I really don't know how people do this whole 'no car' thing.

2) it made me realize how much I took that freedom for granted, it's almost like when you have a really bad toothache, suddenly you remember how amazing it is NOT to have a really bad toothache. fortunately I go home a week from saturday, where I can drive wherever I want (even though there's not really anyway to go, but still. I have the option). I'll be sure to give my truck a little extra love. maybe some high octane gas or something, like a present.