Golden Slumbers

Is one of my new favorite songs. The Beatles. So good. I'm kind of sad that it's only 1:32 long.

Once there was a way to get back homeward
Once there was a way to get back home
Sleep pretty darling do not cry
And I will sing a lullabye

Golden slumbers fill your eyes
Smiles awake you when you rise
Sleep pretty darling do not cry
And I will sing a lullabye

Once there was a way to get back homeward
Once there was a way to get back home
Sleep pretty darling do not cry
And I will sing a lullabye

Today, the sky was spitting. Emily and I thought we could find a rainbow and ran outside during lunch since it looked really bright out and it was raining (or spitting), but we were sorely disappointed.

I trimmed back Gerbert, so now he only has fresh blooms on him! He's so beautiful! He's done nothing but grow and bloom since I got him early fall quarter... he still budding! I guess he likes it here with me :)

I'm going to start posting my work for fiction writing! (and I'm adding a label for post, called writing. Sooooo inventive :)) As a note, the stories I'll post may draw inspiration from my life or from those around me (or from no one I know at all).

The assignment for this week: Take one of the opening sentences we wrote for homework (Monday), and write the first two pages of a short story starting with this opening sentence.

The last kiss we had, it tasted like Cobb salad. …Sulphurous eggs, stinky cheese, and … meat. Chicken and bacon. It’s like insult to injury, he knows I don’t eat meat. Last time I checked, there’s also avocado and tomatoes on that salad.

He said it’s because I’m not from California that I’ve never eaten good produce before.

Right, anyway, so he goes on with that bullshit taught at puberty camp for boys. You’re too good for me… I feel like I can’t treat you the way you deserve… It’s not fair to you if I can’t match your feelings, the ones that I apparently had for him. It’s like, are you kidding me? HE’S the needy one who said he couldn’t sleep unless I was there. HE’S the one who started crying when we first thought we should see other people. Remember? It was that time…

Yeah, exactly. I was like we’re graduating, I don’t have a job in California, you would be the only reason I would go. Jesus, what a mistake.

Oh right, so we met at the Starbucks on the corner in the Valley. You know, the one at Ventura and that side street… I can’t remember the name of it now, but I go there at least once a week. So we meet up there, walk in, and go up to the counter. I guess we both realized we didn’t want anything, so we say sorry and walk away. Instead of settling down at one of the nice big armchairs by the window or even one of the tables with padded seats at the very least, he wants to go outside to sit at the hard metal tables and chairs on the sidewalk right next to traffic. We might as well be on Ventura Boulevard, you know what I mean? Oh, and before we sat down, that’s when he kissed me. Cobb salad! Ugh. So we’re sitting there, with the sun shining right into our eyes. Even though it’s like 50-something degrees here in the Valley, the sun was really warm: no clouds… most definitely the opposite of school. After he kissed me, he put his cold clammy hands on my arms and said it’s really nice to see you. Yeah, right.

Yeah, what a jerk. He’s always been that way, doing things and saying things that reflect the complete opposite of what he actually feels. And, surprise, surprise, true to character, he starts dribbling out that nonsense about how we shouldn’t see each other anymore and how we should grow more as individuals. And again, it wasn’t a surprise. If he didn’t do it, I would have. He looked so pathetic sitting there, with his cabled sweater drooping across his shoulders, his awful posture, his wrinkled dress shirt… He looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks. Bags under his eyes, that whole thing. I guess that makes sense considering I haven’t stayed over with him in about that long.

Well, I had things to do. I thought I would be tied to him coming over here to California: no friends, no family… no job… but then things worked out, and we fell apart. I guess that’s no surprise, really.

The people in my lab have been really nice! They’re all about our age, some have been graduated for a while… a nice range. They’ve already got me started on writing a grant, so I’ve been working on that non-stop, aside from the projects I’m running. Long hours. It’s gotta be finished by next week.

Oh, I’m still here at the Starbucks. He left after mumbling through his speech, and once I said ok, he got up and left.

Me? Yeah, I’m alright, thanks for asking.

I don’t know about him though, he seemed pretty bad off. The sun was in my eyes so it was kind of hard to see his face. As small as that table was, he managed to stay pretty far away. Maybe he was crying, I don’t know, but the traffic also didn’t really make it easy to hear him, all those cars, and the people, too.

Alright yeah, thanks. I should go too. We’ll talk later.