It's kind of amazing how the subtlest things can trigger a memory to bubble up from the furthest part of the back of your mind. Be it a song, a setting, a smell...
After work yesterday, I went to a bar called My X Wife's place to meet my friend Kevin to celebrate him leaving a shitty job. I arrived before he did, and because it was just barely 6 p.m., the bar was mostly empty. I went outside to the back patio, because the weather was beautiful, and sat alone for a little while wishing I had my sketchbook with me.
I remember once, when I was living in Berkeley, CA, sitting outside alone at a rice noodle restaurant. It was early in the day but past lunch time, so there were very few people about. About 15-20 feet away from me was a girl talking on her cell phone. It seemed to me that she was having a lover's quarrel, complete with nervous hands and slumped shoulders. After hanging up on the person she was speaking with, she screamed out loud in frustration, tears flowing freely down her face. Then she stopped. Took a deep breath and started laughing as she made her way down the sidewalk. Our eyes met and I gave her a look of sympathy. She gave me a look that said that she was completely unapologetic for her actions and public outcry.
Funny how a simple thing as sitting outside with no one else around for a little while brings about the strangest of memories.
On a completely different note, I'm working on a stuffed toy hotdog. I'll post pictures of it when I'm finished.
