i enjoy a good trek to my local public library..
and just like the bus,
u meet all sorts of interesting, annoying, and frightning characters there...
one may also encounter odors that stimulate the olfactory organs in ways inconceivable..

the geek computer books are neatly situated in the last row of the non-fiction section..
in the space after this last row sits 2 rows of computers,
which visually makes this area seem a bit crowded..

about 6 feet from the end of the row of 'puters are a couple of chairs... i sat down to browse a few books...
when suddenly, i *sniff sniff* noticed a pungently sickly sweet aroma..
i looked up and along comes a man who throws down his backpack and sits down in front of one of the empty terminals..
(notice, i could smell him before he came into plain view)
to describe this man, i ask u to visualize pigpen from charlie brown..
only he's probably older than 40 (i couldn't really tell from the thick layer of soot and dirt)...

as i'm regaining consciousness..
(i'll put it this way: standing next to a full dumpster smells better than this guy...)
two ladies approach the empty terminal next to mr. pigpen..
and i was hoping that in blocking my view of him, they'd somehow deter the odor from knocking me out again...
but the current from the a.c. blew the stench through them straight to me...

somehow i forced myself to stand up and leave...
and now that i think about mr. pigpen, i wonder if he was homeless...
u just don't see too many homeless guys browsing the net...
but if i were to see him again, i'd want to be equipped with a gas mask...odor-rific!

i was at this little thrift store today, like goodwill..
(apparantly sponsored by the salvation army)
anywho...
i was looking for something my mom wanted me to look for...
and ended up browsing books next to a mom and her little boy of about 7 maybe 8 years?

he was an animated, curious, expressive, happy little boy,
(not at all ur bouncing-off-the-wall ritalin kid)...
he was saying things like
"hmmm, wut books can i look at.."
"where are the kids' books?"
"oh, here they are!"
" *gasp* mom, i've never read this berenstain book before! i don't think we have this at home!"
"do you think we can buy this? how much does it cost?"

when kids start going into question mode, i find myself annoyed and impatient...
but surprisingly enough, his tone of curiosity mixed in with pure childlike honesty was comforting and could make me forget about the 90 degree weather and saddam hussein...

meanwhile, a young 30-something dad comes from the clothes rack with a terry cloth multi-colored robe...

dad: here, try this on..
son: wut is it? where's the dressing room?
dad: u don't need a dressing room..
son: (starts to remove his clothing)
dad: u don't need to take ur clothes off, u can try it on over ur clothes...
son: oh, well, wut is this?
dad: it's a robe..
son: a robe? oh!! i can wear this in the rain!! i can wear this in the rain, right?
dad: u wear it after u get out of the shower, so u don't run around naked all the time, dude...
son: (puts the hood over his head) i can use this to dry my hair! cool! i won't need a towel!.....

i felt like an anthropologist observing homo functional-familia at their best...
and i wanted to walk over to them, give them hugs, and tell them wut a great job they were doing...
but i decided not to...
as an anthropologist one should observe without seeking to change or disturb the environment...
so instead, i just smiled and walked away knowing the world isn't so bad.....

i saw finding nemo tonight...
no, i won't write some rave review telling u to go and see it...
but i'll just say this: i love pixar.

and this... think dirty thoughts...

"how are you?" has become such an inane question..
now we say it just to be moderately polite...
it has merged with "hello" and morphed into "hellohowru"..
it's not even a question anymore..

for several years now, whenever people asked me that question,
i would reply, "well, i'm alive.."
i refused to return the "fineandu?"..
cuz: 1. i'd be lying... and 2. i didn't really give a rat's behind how the other person was...

today when i was asked .. "how are u?",
for the first time in decades, i responded with, "i'm happy"...
not like instant ramen...which one could eat faster than it was made...
but all-day-feel-good-do-good-joy... even if my day has gone awry..
the kind that lasts until the next day and drools over to the following week...

and now that i've had a taste of what true happiness could be like..
i don't want to settle for anything less...
i don't want to go back to just breathing...
i want to inhale life...

verizon should come up with a new commercial...

was it good for u? good!

today i made a contribution to the community & to my life..
i went downtown, viewed the neato sand sculptures,
made a monetary donation to kids on the block, and had a spicy dog..

and what's more, i did all this with my mother...
all i can say is that i'm still alive & sanity intact..
it's all still very surreal...
... the waking dream....

on a funny note, here's a tidbit of what transpired today:

me: so, where's dad?
mom: (sic) to hit the ball... (that means golf)
me: (no response)
mom: (sing-song voice, getting louder) to hit the ball~~~
random guys sitting on the wall surrounding pioneer square: to hit the bong???
me: (thinking to myself, just keep walking)

luckily she thought they were repeating her,
so i didn't have to lie and say i didn't know what a bong is...

waking up at 5am makes me crajee enough to want breakfast.
this is not my idea of a friday.

i can try to think of something witty to say to this,
but i'm sure u can come up with something better...
all i want to say is that i can't believe it took them this long to come up with some sort of answer..

there's something about graveyards..
they don't need to put up signs telling drivers to proceed slowly..
the conscious knowledge of dead bodies dispersed everywhere is more than enough to keep my foot on the brakes..

the neatly kept grass, tall ancient trees, and strategically planted bushes..
peaceful. quiet. watching the clouds roll by.
people come and go with their flowers to pay respect to their loved ones..
i can't help but wonder who will visit my grave..
although i'd rather be cremated and scattered into the sea..

i don't think it's morbid..
if anything it makes me grateful that i'm alive and kicking..
and how i'll refuse to go gentle into that good night..
rage, rage against the dying of the light..
go out with a bang..
and i expect people to throw a big bash when i'm gone...
i just wouldn't have it any other way...

this was yesterday's horoscope (from yahoo):
you may need some time alone today, dear libra, to bring yourself back to center
independence is a key buzzword, so keep it in your back pocket at all times
make sure you are not becoming a victim of a commitment you made long ago
as the landscape changes, we must also change
stubborn actions will be extremely detrimental on a day like this
be honest and grateful for the things you have

but someone got their stars crossed cuz that should be today's...
i don't usually believe in them...and i seek to read them even less...
but these days the coincidences are plenty
and are too frequent to seem like meaningless events that happen to occur at the same precise moment..
there must be planets in alignment, pigs flying, cats barking, and dogs meowing....
whatever is happening, i can only hope that it will continue in abundance..

btw, the total eclipse will be on november 23, 2003..
and they say the best place to see it will be from antarctica

great. as if we don't already have the middle east against us.
with this the whole world can fear us or at the very least watch us make complete jackasses out of ourselves....