breaking up is hard to do

This morning my very wonderful brother helped me put the last of the things in storage. Carrying the dresser up the stairs to the storage unit, he kept asking, "Are you good?" I'd reply, "Yeah I'm good. Are you good?" "Yeah, I'm good. Are you STILL good?" [halfway up the flight, me taking the stairs backwards] "Oh, I'm still good! You cool?" "Yeah, I'm cool...."

After that, we were masters of efficiency and the geometry of a 5x10 space. As I locked the door, I took one last look, and said, "Goodbye Memphis." Chris said, "Goodbye America!" rather joyfully, for me in a way. We negotiated some last-minute business, one being the pick-up time of My Piano Monday morning. I am going to miss My Piano very much, he was a good friend, a sentient drinking partner, and over our last year together, we weathered a lot of ups and downs. Breaking up is, indeed, hard to do.

I drove along Madison Avenue, the grey sky above downtown. I passed empty buildings, and wreckless men pushing grocery carts; the streets were a bit deserted, it was quiet and windy. The river was just ahead, behind the city. All I could think was, "Yeah, I'm cool..."

giant puffy vests

Today I braved the frigidity to find myself a giant puffy vest. This sort of item would not usually be found in my closet, especially because they have the tendency to make very small people look much puffier than they actually are; almost, even, as puffy as the morning after a night of very heavy drinking. I decided that I needed a giant puffy vest because I am now more afraid of the temperature in Hamburg that I previously had the imagination for, and because puffy vest works better for athletic activities than puffy coat. So rachel went with me, and we finally found an acceptable puffy vest in the men's department. (all the women's ones were like pink or shiny or something equally weird.) I will be a red puffer.

I think that pufficity will be useful not only to battle the cold, but also because it is important to go off with a bang. See Mr. Webster:
puffy

Main Entry:
puff
Function:
noun
Date:
13th century
1 a: an act or instance of puffing : whiff b: a slight explosive sound accompanying a puff c: a perceptible cloud or aura emitted in a puff d: draw 1a
2: a light round hollow pastry
3 a: a slight swelling : protuberance b: a fluffy mass: as (1): pouf 2 (2): a small fluffy pad for applying cosmetic powder (3): a soft loose roll of hair (4): a quilted bed covering
4: a commendatory or promotional notice or review
5: an enlarged region of a chromosome that is associated with intensely active genes involved in RNA synthesis

Also, for some reason, I really like the idea that my chromosomes might be enlarged right now.

four days out

It is a very cold day here in Memphis, the gods I suppose giving me a small taste of what is to come. On Monday, I fly to Hamburg, Germany to begin work riding Jumper horses. It is pretty exciting, but also very empowering when you finally make old dreams come true. Cheesy, right? Perhaps, but to me it is just another example of the importance of imagination: once a thing has been conceived, it's not too far from being.