Early June

Howdy y'all, no huge anniversary post today. This morning I repacked my backpack to put in some Newsweeks a car washer here likes. He doesn't actually wash all that many cars and likes to practice his English in between jobs. It was early in the morning and I forgot to repack what I had written. Sorry. I'm going to Ouaga this Sunday, and I'll make amends.
Mom's led me to believe that anyone reading this thinks I hate my mother. Well, I don't hate my mother. In addition to being my mother, she is pretty funny, and one of the most thoroughly decent human beings I know. The only reason I didn't say Happy Mother's Day was because I thought I'd be at the computer the day of. The only reason I didn't say thanks for the plane ticket home was because I made all the plans with Dad, so he was in my mind when I said a quick thank you. I know it's your money too, don't turn into Chief Sitting Bull (One time the Wendy's people forgot to put a spoon in the bag with her frosty. She was not pleased. I don't know whether it was Dad or Katie who used CSB, but she was not pleased. Reading that I put this on here, I assume she will not be pleased.).
Another thank you. I just got a package from Grant, Britt, and Chris two days ago. It had a dozen comics, No Country For Old Men, a nice note, and a book by Karl Pilkington, the genius behind the Ricky Gervais Show. It also had some Dora the Explorer gummy candy that was gone in less than four seconds, and a used Chapstick that is on my nightstand. That was just a convenient term, I don't have a nightstand. I have a sudoku book, Ha Jin's War Trash, and Catch 22 stacked up next to my bed. It's on top of those. The book is probably the funniest thing I've read in a long time (not Cormac's novel - that would be kinda sick). Every night when I can't sleep (that is every night) I listen to the Ricky Gervais radio shows on my iPod. I don't have all the shows though, so it was hilarious reading all their conversations; by now I've listened to them so often that I know their accents and pauses, so I was reading with their voices and not my own. Also, No Country For Old Men is great. The pacing is so self-assured and the dialogue is probably the most realistic dialogue I've ever read. It is like Frost's dialogue in his poetry: back and forth, not too long, and revealing. I stayed up last night until 3 reading it start to finish. It makes you think about what kind of writer you want to be, and maybe even can be. I'm glad to see one of my personal favorites is back. The Hulk. In an entire productline of superheroes, he's the only one that is without a doubt a danger when he uses his powers. Everyone else tries to stabilize society, but he just smashes things. Good fodder for a story. And I like seeing (fictional) things get smashed.
As far as things being smashed, I also got a package two days ago from the bank. Now Christine is just as big a Lost fan as I am, so I'm kind of thinking there were hints about last season inside. The reason I'm leaning this way is because inside the box were: Reese's pieces (melted into a solid pound brick), a note in either Japanese, Korean, or Mandarin, and an instruction manual for what I think might be a security camera. It has to be the strangest package ever to sit on my stoop. Still though, thank you.
Also a thank you to Rashid, my neighbor. He helped me build my hangar this last week, and we put the finishing touches on it yesterday. Finding wood was kind of a nuisance, and he had to climb into the tops of many a tree with a machete to cut the branches. The branches were still living, and as such pretty full of water inside, so I had to climb up with him and hang on the branches as he cut them. My weight would bend them down until I was on the ground. I always say, If you can't think of a smart idea, just risk your life. But it was a pretty good experience. And now I have a shady place to sit outside.
Right on Mom, the goat picture last blog does include the morengas, in all their pre-pubescent, startersack glory. It also has two baby mammoth sunflowers that I'm hoping will rock my neighbors' worlds. I miss eating sunflower seeds, so I'm going to try to bake some and see how it works out. Note to anyone that might send a package soon. I miss eating sunflower seeds. And reading poetry.
I had the craziest dream last night. It was cold back in Pflugerville, and I was out on the backporch. I felt the cold in my lungs and my throat, and I felt the way it's cold under your feet against the concrete. Standing there I even felt the hems of my jeans and the long unkempt strands that were messy without being run down, like a missed haircut during summer. I looked through the window. Mom was making potato soap, Dad and Mags were playing Stratego, and Katie was camped out on one of her pallets ontop of the hunter green carpet, probably watching a movie about whales. I opened the door to go inside the same time I woke up this morning, and for half a second I could smell our house at Christmastime. I woke up at 6am to my phone ringing. It was Mom telling me that it seemed like I left only yesterday.
Work is good. A volunteer is going to be placed only 15k from me (a neighbor!), and right now I'm just figuring out ways to keep busy this summer. I'm planning a trip to Niger this July to go on a mini-giraffe safari. Hmm I guess that's a little ambiguous. I don't mean miniature giraffes like shetland ponies, I mean that the sightseeing will be only a day or two.
Okay, I think that's about all today. The place next door has egg sandwiches, which I've just got to take advantage of.
As always, all my best, Clay