Off The Map & Random Other Stuff

Disclaimer: I am buzzed on the one beer I drank tonight. Yes, I am a lightweight. And yes, I like it that way.

I was on my way to run in Rock Creek park when I was waylaid by Eagle Eyes. Instead of a run and dinner, I watched my favorite movie of the past two years with her-- Off The Map-- drank the Leinenkugel Honey Weiss that the corner liquor store excavated from their cellar for me this evening (it is my favorite kind of beer, which cannot be procured in California so I haven't had it in awhile, not since I was married and made trips to where it is brewed, Wisconsin. Eagle Eyes approved of the taste too).

If you want to know me, watch Off The Map. The kid in it, Bo, reminds me in looks and personality a bit of myself as a kid. I don't think I was that beautiful or precocious, but I see bits of me in her. And the life the mother and father lead is my dream life in many ways. Even the details. The mom is taken with the coyote on their property. The dad battles depression. All things I can relate to. And the IRS man, well, I won't give it all away.

Instead of dinner I had the beer, a piece of American spice cake that I brought back from North Carolina (thanks again mom!), a few cherries and some blueberries. Healthy, no? Well the alternative was leftover beans and rice from last night, which can wait till tomorrow. And I did have some veggie lasagna that Eagle Eyes made before my afternoon swim so there was some real food in there somewhere.

I almost bought another painting tonight. My rational side got the better of me. It was hanging in the window of the local fair trade cultural store and it caught my attention and I've been thinking of it ever since. The painting is of a young girl eating a mango. The girl is black, and ever since seeing Hendricks' exhibit I've been paying special attention to portraits, especially to those of black people, since they are far less common it seems. It is simple but colorful, and when I went into the shop and inquired about it, the shopkeeper told me several people have been interested in it but no one has coughed up the money for it yet. I asked about the artist. It is done by a Haitian artist called Carel Blain. I guess he's fairly well known in the Haitian art world. I like his stuff OK, there are a few that really speak to me, not all though.

Well, that's all folks. I'd better hit the sack before the buzz wears off or I won't be able to go to sleep early.