No. 10: I have so many today!

1. This morning I was completely eavesdropping on the conversation of customers sitting down together for breakfast. Typical clientele: young white wealthy professionals. Not usually the most fascinating eavesdropping subjects. But the woman surprised me with her outburst: "Guess what happened to me today! It was the nicest thing--I didn't have enough cash to get a CTA card, so the woman in front of me just let me swipe hers! Wasn't that nice?!" I found it to be very nice, and am glad that she shared--both with her friend and [unknowingly] with me.

2. Hannah and I were discussing love and romance, and to conclude our conversation she said, "You know Mari, let's just call a hen a hen. Wait...not beat a hen over the head with a dead horse? What expression am I thinking of here?" We never did find out to which idiom she was referencing, but her confusion made me laugh for a good minute.

3. On my walk home I spotted this gigantic dog the size of a Smart Car galloping toward me. Attached to him was a tiny fragile old woman. As I passed her, she remarked "He walks me!" I had a hearty laugh at this because it was completely true.

4. A guy came in the store today to drop off an application, and in doing so gave me something of a free fashion show. He was dressed to the nines in a plaid trilby, seersucker track jacket, grey well-fitting trousers, and snappy black shoes. I told him as he handed me his resume, "I have seen a lot of well-dressed men today, but I must say you are definitely the best dressed of them all. I love your outfit. I wish The Sartorialist were here!" He laughed and thanked me, and I clumsily added that I wished to become a men's fashion designer. To that, he said, "Good for you--we need a lot more of you!"

5. A soft and pretty Damien Jurado song came on my iPod tonight and it reminded me so much of Seattle, and walking around Greenlake during the summer, and baking cookies in Ballard. I got to thinking about Seattle, how it seems so distant to me now, but became so grateful that I was able to grow up in such a gorgeous city. I complain a lot about how much I move--I have moved at least once a year for the past 6 years--but I am so lucky to have lived in such interesting and beautiful places, all with unique beauty and special intrigue.

6. My evening walks have been just breathtaking lately. One of my favorite things about the transition of the seasons is how the light changes throughout the day. In the summer there is such a beautiful couple of hours between daylight and dark: not just the usual twilight, but a couple of other stages too--the one where the sky turns cornflower blue, then the one where it's pale yellow with a little lavender over the top, and then right before dark when it's the most radiant shade of magenta.

7. I read this quote today and liked it: "It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us; it is the very sign of His presence." --C.S. Lewis

8. I was taking a walk and saw a guy coming toward me with an ironic handlebar mustache and skinny jeans over black boots. I admit I [mentally] smirked at his ensemble and erroneously expected him to ignore me. But to my surprise, he flashed me the warmest, most genuine smile I'd seen all day! It made me so happy, and was a cheersome reminder not to be so judgmental of people who make the puzzling decision to sport ironic mustaches.

9. I went to Pandora to start a new station [M. Ward], and as soon as I clicked "Create," a song started playing that I haven't heard in a very long time [You Still Believe in Me, originally by the Beach Boys, in this case covered by M. Ward]. I didn't know how many strong memories I had attached to this beautiful rendition of a really beautiful song, but I started crying as soon as it started, very hard. The emotion the song provoked completely startled me. And I must say it was not particularly pleasant to feel so incredibly sad all of a sudden, but all that emotion brought with it many good and important memories that have shaped and taught me so very much. I am really thankful for all my experiences--delightful and painful--that can still stir in me so much feeling. Such reminders let me know that I have already lived a very full and rich and wide life.

10. I have hot pink fingernails!