[i]☼ ○ ▬
Hanging out with a few friends in a public setting. A cute
girl approaches us with a proposition. She’s looking for a sexual partner to
test out a new brand of condom. I’m eyed at. In the back of my mind I’m
thinking this is a joke or a prank. I ponder for a few seconds then reply, “Hm.
I’ll do it.”
The girl seems pleased. We go on a hunt for a location.
Apparently we’re required to do this thing while a dance class is in session in
a room nearby. Down the hallway we go. We decide on a restroom but the door
won’t lock properly and it’s imperative that we’re not disturbed. We try
another restroom but something else is wrong with the lock and a little boy is
using it. We keep going down the line...around the corner. Last bathroom.
Me: “Here we go! This one will be fine.”
We step in and close the door. We discover the lock is
broken. What will we do? We never get to complete our sexual mission.
▬ ○ ☼
Waking up at 1:24 p.m.
Banana.
Vacuuming the house. Anthony is present, deejaying on the computer.
Grilled Cheese with Tomato and Hummus. Salt n Vinegar Chips.
Honey Green Tea.
Errands.
Picking up Aysena from the Baltic house. We hang out in my
room just like yesterday – making love – exchanging sweet affections.
...
Noticing we both have a tiny freckle on our fingers, one on
her right middle finger and one on my left index finger.
Me: “We’re freckle mates. Like soul mates but freckle
mates.”
She attempts to describe something she notices about me...
Her: “You...love...everything. All the stuff in this room
you love all of them. But I have the same room too with all the stuff but I can
love just few things cause I have no so much feeling inside me. I can’t give
all of them my love.”
Me: “Okay. But what about me?”
Her: “You have a lot of feelings...sincerity.”
...
She does this thing whenever I say Oh my gosh, she
responds with, “Oh your gosh!” I find this comical.
...
She lies on the bed reading through an issue of Adbusters
memorizing an excerpt to help train in her English speaking while I run through
a session of Russian on Rosetta Stone. This is a good moment.
I’ve got a paying Musicplayer gig with Mike Gombas at Wing
King on the corner of Rosemont and VB Blvd. I invited everyone I know. The
cavalry: Aysena, Tristan, Anthony, Kevin, Skippy, Jessa Potter, and a few
others I haven’t seen in a good while.
I go on first with a 45-minute set of a few originals mixed in with
Weezer tunes and other crowd pleasing covers of the like. Anthony accompanies
me with harmonica on “All I Want Is You”. Before playing “Hound Dog” I request
a tambourine player from the audience. A lady in her 40’s enthusiastically
obliges. Even though she gets off beat for a little bit she’s thrilled to be a
part. This makes for a warm and beautiful moment on stage.
Having a few Blue Moons on draft and experiencing a fun
loose drunkenness that only enhances this late evening with music and friends.
Mike Gomas and Chris Kendrick go on next and perform a plethora of covers and
originals. We gather a bunch to sing along on stage to The Beatles, “I Want To
Hold Your Hand.” – another warm and beautiful moment. Then attempting to do
lead vocals for “Creep” by Radiohead, which turns out decent.
...
Sharing Buffalo Shrimp with Tristan, Anthony, and Aysena.
Time to go home. Still a little tipsy from the beer but I
think I’ll be fine driving. I crank up Semisonic’s, “Closing Time” and a
nostalgic scent fills the air.
Back home. There’s a crowd of people casually hanging
around. Aysena is tired and so am I but I feel inclined to make cookies and
socialize downstairs for a bit. I tuck Ays into bed.
Me: “You are exotic.”
Aysena: “My mother told me men who say you are exotic, don’t
believe them.”
Me: “Don’t believe them? Ha. You can believe me.”
Devon left for Radford tonight and I heard Darren got
somewhat emotionally distraught about it so I brought him the leftover
scrapings from the cookie dough bowl to cheer him up which I know he loves.
Sharing Chocolate Chip Cookies with Milk in the kitchen.
Josiah, Richie, Jamal, and Jennuh are present.
While in discussion Josiah briefly interrupts, “Can I just
be super Asian real quick and fix a problem for you guys in like three
minutes?” then takes the scour pad and scrubs off the dirty stovetop.
Darren: “No that only gets clean like once a month.”
Josiah: “Three minutes!”
Clean stovetop complete.
...
Getting into a side conversation with Jennuh about attention
and personality observations.
Jennuh: “I don’t feel the need to impress people. But people
feel like I crave attention.”
Me: “I don’t think you crave it I think you get it.”
Jennuh: “It’s not that I don’t like attention whatsoever...”
Me: “Everyone likes attention.”
Jennuh: “But I don’t like being the center of attention like
in a big room.”
...
In the living room. Jessa, Calum, and Dan present. I’ve been
carrying around a bag of select chocolate chip cookies to save for later. I’m
given a hard time about why I’ve been carrying this around for the past hour.
Calum notices something in my voice, “You have a Russian
intonation going on here.”
Me: “Intonation.”
Calum: “Yeah the inflection is very Russian.”
Me: “Well I did spend at least thirty minutes on Rosetta
Stone.”
...
Calum suggest we play music with Jessa.
Me: “What does Jessa play?”
Calum: “She doesn’t play anything. That’s the point. It’s
fucked up.”
Jessa: “There you go.”
Me: “Man, these concept projects get to me sometimes.”
Jessa: “Robert’s so full of concepts. His agenda is
literally concept after concept.”
Me: “I’m actually really classic. I have more of a classic
mindset when it comes to music but I’m totally down to dabble in concepts.”
I return to the bedroom where Aysena is fast asleep. I join
her at 4:30 a.m.
[i] All images
by Aysena or me.
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