I didn't have work until 6 pm today (we somehow agreed to screen A Passage to India at 8.00 pm and it's a three hour film...) so I spent most of the morning working on some Ink Blot related stuff in preparation for a meeting I have in a few weeks. I don't want to jinx anything, but I am SUPER psyched about this one. Firstly because the owner of the store in question is covered in tattoos and I foolishly assume this means she'll be super cool, and secondly because her merchandise is awesome and I based on my own enthusiasm for her goods, I think I'd be a great fit. My mom and I bought a very solid kitchen table for $25 a few weeks ago because - as Barb claimed herself - the wood used to build it would've been way more than that. I was resistant at first, but I have to hand it to the little lady. It's the ideal work table for me. And this is what it looked like at noon today:
Those second pictures are for atmosphere, of course. (My mom's gentleman caller gifted us that insanely big TV after how many years of making fun of our ancient one we rarely used.) I like sitting here because our three feline beasts stare at me through the screen door and I like to imagine they're miniature panthers.
That was weird. I acknowledge that.
I got my camera out not to show you how much cutting and ironing I've been doing, but to show you this, primarily:
Can you believe how fucking awesome that is? What the pink item is I can only guess, but it is glorious. (For the record - is it a bra hanger?) And the couple hanger? Genius. Those little guys are coming with me wherever I go. Where did these fabulous gifts come from?
Why from Seoul, South Korea! In an impressive box that says "KOREA POST" and contained a myriad of unbelievably, cute, sweet, and hilarious goodies care of one Miss Laura. There were too many things in this treasure trove to photograph, so I picked out a few of the funnier / more exotic items.
Those cute little Korean munchkins are toothbrush holders, and that little bumble bee (?) is in fact a white-out dispenser. And the precious little bear? He's a pin! And he's covered in little Eiffel Towers!
Seriously. How cute is he? A million thank yous to the lovely Laura. She really truly outdid herself, and I cried when I got her package and then proceeded to hug it in front of my rather concerned mother.
I got another unprecedentedly bitchin' gift from another lovely Bordelaise. Actually, she too surprised me with one hell of a package complete with a brochure for a Segway tour of Vienna (!!!), two beautiful soaps, and this:
It took me a few days to understand precisely what this is because a) I don't read Czech, and b) because I'm a moron. Can you guess? Don't cheat, now.
This is The One and Only, The Book That Changed Everything For Me in High School. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. I love Philip Pullman as you all know and would probably take a bullet for the dude, but Milan... Milan is my other love. He's a misogynist bastard, but he's a genius. And this... this is most famous work in his own language. Un. Believably. AWESOME. Thank you also times a million, Kate. You fucking rule.
Just in case you thought I was kidding:
I wasn't. I really am a geek.
My friend and coworker Amy gave me this card:
Aside from being generally bad ass, this card is extra special because it's a hand-pulled linocut. Meaning some patient soul block printed it, exactly like I do when I make my cards at my dining room table. Someone out there is making cards exactly like I do, and s/he is selling them to stores. Stores like the one I'm meeting with in a few weeks. (By "like" I mean the exact same one!!!!) WHOA.
MY FRIENDS ARE SO COOL ! YOU ARE SO COOL !
also cool?
Katie and I were walking back to her apartment in San Francisco and I heard her say "Anya! There's a robot behind us." Uhh... what? I didn't want to turn around suddenly because it would've been supremely obvious. I imagined a crazy person walking a robot dog, or maybe a kid with a little robot toy. But no. No. It was a person. Dressed as a robot. Wow. I stopped to "check my phone" and she said "you thought I was kidding." Lesson learned. Katie and San Francisco - they NEVER kid.
All this to say: thank you friends for your incredible birthday generosity and kindness. I got so many lovely cards and emails and phone calls and texts from you, and about a billion facebook messages, and every one of them was so special. They really boosted my spirits during a pretty tough week.
Barb and I did ourselves a major solid today and bought an ice cream maker. You read that right. AN ICE CREAM MAKER. Holy hell. It's with only mild embarrassment that I tell you I almost wet myself with excitement when I brought it into the house.
So - the question is. What do I make first on Saturday, my day off??
love you,
a.
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