my mind almost 10 years ago

June 3rd, 2006

Monday evening @ 11 o'clock

Dear Friend,

Hello from my new home in beautiful Grantsburg

My first week back in Grantsburg has been an easy transition (with the only possible exception thus far being, moving my furniture indoors.) My cats (Sam and Sal, in particular) have settled in quite nicely. Ana is being a bit timid but has started sneaking down from my room in the attic. I love the work that they did on the attic in order to make it more hospitable for me to live in. Lloyd built a wonderful set of shelves for my books (or at least that's the main use they are serving.) Lloyd is an incredible handy-man! Today, he gave my car a look over to see if it needed any sort of maintenance work.

Sal just hopped unto my lap. Any time he hears the tapping of the keys on my keyboard, he likes to make a bee-line for my lap (usually edging his way across the keyboard in the process, a habit I am slowly coaxing him out of.) The other cats in the house (Lloyd's two girl cats: Squeak & Tiger and Linda's two boy cats : Amos & Andy) are either hiding from my two male cats, observing them, being chased/chasing, or hiding. It's interesting to be living in a three story house (with a basement) with 7 cats roaming about.

I worked my second night of work tonight. During my first few weeks at the restaurant, I will be training as a bartender and as a busperson. The restaurant is called the Chucky T's. It serves fine Southwestern cuisine and caters to a more progressive clientele by: not allowing smoking on the premises (yeah!), using only fresh ingredients (no pre-fab sauces or mixes anywhere on the premises-- including the bar...the margaritas, for example, are made of tequila, fresh lime juice which is fresh squeezed, sugar, and triple sec, cool, eh? No sour mix is used!) The owners are a husband- wife team from Chi-town. She runs the floor and does the books. Trisha is a short, blonde women with very pale, pale blue eyes (sometimes almost a steel blue). She intends to train me as a front waitress but is about to go on a five day vacation to Kenny Buckport, Maine (the area where George Bush has a vacation home.)

Her husband, Gregory, a fairly attractive man with a wonderful sense of humor, is an accomplished chef who runs the kitchen. Among the entire staff (which does not consist of very many people) only two are men. Both men work in the kitchen. I tended bar for my first time tonight. Fortunately, it is a fairly limited bar and the restaurant specializes in margaritas (which are easy to make...or so I think now, after having worked a very slow night.)

I think about Ishmael A LOT! It will be hard being away from him but I plan to keep very busy. Not to mention the fact that I fully intend to bribe (and seduce) him up north. He is intending to use this summer to put together the funds and the means of leaving the hip Olathe, KS (as well as the chaos of living with his dysfunctional family.) I like both of his parents. His brothers, on the other hand, need to learn how to treat other people in a more respectful and basically, decent manner (i.e. stop manipulating, using, and stealing from others.) Ishmael is so different from his family that his parents have a hard time understanding him and vice versa. As a result, the house is often filled with tension. It will be good for him to move away...if only it could be closer to me. (Sigh) On the other hand, as much as I am going to miss him, this summer of "singleness" will be good for me.

This summer I intend to do more of the following:
*take long walks
*read...Erica Jong, material on wines (for work), magazines, philosophy (articles, essays, novels, etc.), etc. , etc.
...I already went and got a new library card.
*listen to live music (which Grantsburg abounds with)
*write long letters (this endeavor relies upon the support and responses of *friends like you ;) , ok? I don't expect volumes, just responses...
*journal (maybe even finish my current one)
*become more adept at navigating my way around my computer (William installed Windows 95 for me!)
*write lots of e-mail
* spend more time with my mother, brother, and father
* explore Grantsburg

I have a fairly full summer ahead. Hopefully, I will hear from you soon!