Today is Day Five of Banjo Playing and what better way to commemorate than with a new octopus!Today is also Exactly Two Weeks from the Big Change. Some have asked me what I've been up to during this time off, and aside from banjo playing, the activities are a blur. In fact, when asked this question yesterday, I realized that I could not recall what happened between the hours of noon and 4pm. The thought of having four unaccounted-for hours was quite alarming; after all, at 31 I am too young to be having blackouts.
So a friend suggested that I log down my activities during the day:
7:42am: Wake up. Do isometric exercises while brushing teeth. Sweep bathroom floor.
8:00am: Do a load of laundry. Water garden.
8:25am: Arrive at gym, discover iPod is out of batteries.
9:00am: Return home. Add gravel to garden bed. Load dishwasher. Play Boil Down Them Cabbage ten times.
10:25am: Go to gym second time.
11:30am: Spray paint branches for wall art.
11:52am: Weedwack, finish mowing front lawn.
12:15pm: Eat lunch. Listen to This American Life.
12:40pm: Mop kitchen and bathroom floors.
1:00pm: Eat peach. Check email.
1:20pm: Finish hanging wall art.
2:00pm: Finish shower. Leave house to visit art galleries.
2:20pm: Pick mushrooms.
2:50pm: Go to Elderberry Park to look at mountains.
3:25pm: Photograph contents of purse.
3:38pm: Finish making marinated cucumber salad.
5:15pm: Upload photos. Finish banjo practice. Call friend on phone.
6:00pm: Eat dinner with friends.
8:20pm: Buy used lawnmower.
8:45pm: Mow half of backyard.
9:30pm: Stop mowing.
10:15pm: Practice banjo.
11:00pm: Read a few pages of Cold Mountain.
11:15pm: Sleep.
The varied directions of the day were consistent with the contents of my purse. If you've ever wondered what lies in a madwoman's purse:
That's right. Yesterday I was carrying around:- 2 bolete mushrooms of questionable edibility
- 1 mosquito net
- 1 highlighter
- 1 black pen
- 1 mechanical pencil
- 1 tin labeled "MISC MEDS"
- 2 sets of Costco coupons
- 1 ear plug
- 1 unexplained dried kernel of corn
- 2 binder clips
- loose change
- 1 loose dollar bill
- 1 wallet
- 1 set of keys
- a handful of wildflowers
- 1 lens cloth
- mango lip balm
- gardeners' salve
The best thing since embarking in the New Direction is that my mind has been unfolding in unexpected ways. A person with a 9 to 5 job wouldn't be caught dead photographing the contents of her purse! I've decided that there is no better moment than now for a Period of Experimentation during which I will dutifully crawl into any nook or cranny to where my mind wants to wander.
In this State is how I arrived at Today's Experiment which was to peer at Life slowly through The Bottom of a Wine Bottle. I am five-two-and-three-quarters and admittedly of a certain ethnic descent that struggles with the metabolism of alcohol. Alcohol has made various appearances in my life, some planned, some unwanted, but never before had I decided to settle down in the day with a bottle of wine. I chose 12:19pm (when I took lunch) to open the gates.
Six hours later, I had neared the bottom of the bottle thanks to slow, deliberate sips taken over the course of the day. I stayed indoors and did artwork, avoid operating motor vehicles such as my lawnmower, and quite honestly, had a splendid time with myself.
During this Moment of Experimentation, I also decided to try wearing only monochromatic outfits. I chose pumpkin, also known as rust, or in cruder circles as "orange." What normal people who wear multicolor outfits don't know is that confining yourself to one color family is a way of giving immediate, comprehensible purpose to an otherwise insignificant activity: choosing what to wear. Although some women invest much efforts in this task, I am not one of them. Sometimes I look nice but much of the time I look frumpy.
Today, I was simply Orange.
So onward and upward through the colors of the rainbow! The Octopus needs some turquoise pants....
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