peaceful early summer

Today with the babies was invigorating; Christopher the Drool-King exudes an aura of calm, so that even when he is not calm himself (such as when you abruptly put him down to take care of something else) he is so ridiculously relaxing to be around that I love working in the infant room. This child climbs into my lap at any given opportunity, usually accompanied by a self-launch at my face to wrap his arms around my neck and make happy baby noises. Today he topped off the gesture by fitting my whole chin into his mouth; I assume this was meant to be a kiss.

So freaking cute. I can't stand it.

I also caught up on bills today and rediscovered my kitchen table. The dishes are washed as well, so now I can sit back and thoroughly enjoy the evening at my leisure.

I bought The Master Butcher's Singing Club by Louise Erdrich at a discount at Barnes and Noble yesterday (what better way to spend part of a holiday than by browsing through my favorite place on earth) and I've already begun to read it -- a record for me, shameless purchaser of books which then accumulate dust on the shelf (but at least I own them). It's so good to be able to read again; the past few months have been full of planning, packing, moving, unpacking, and worrying when I wasn't doing anything else. So now, with no real worries that merit attention, I can once again take up my favorite hobby: Reading my eyes fuzzy.

Oh, haha, and a particularly boring individual at church (dubbed Chris with a House by Marianne et moi, because when we first met him and couldn't remember his name the fact that he owned a house was the only thing we knew about him), who has used every Sunday to wait doggedly by my shoulder until courtesy requires me to turn to him and ask about his week, where he then launches into a monotone tirade about how awful his job is and all the problems with his house and how much his week sucked, received a comeuppance a couple of weeks ago. I interrupted him mid-"I hate my boss" to say pointedly (though with a smile), "You know, it would be REALLY nice to hear 'My week was great and I'm doing well' from you sometime." --At which he sheepishly kept complaining.

The following week I determined to be outright rude to him; NEVER hearing a positive thing from his mouth had made me really angry with him -- I barely know this guy, why on earth would he pour out all his woes on my shoulder? What do I care? Besides which, QUIT WHINING and make the best out of your life that you can (BE A MAN) -- but he wasn't there, so I was saved from myself.

However, this past Sunday he was present, so I chatted animatedly to everyone else and didn't speak to him; after the service he came up and tapped my elbow and BECKONED me aside (I almost called him on it -- no one beckons me to do anything -- but decided I had been rude enough already), so I followed him out of everyone else's earshot with a momentary horror that he was going to ask me out, when he said, "Thanks for a couple of weeks ago."

"Oh?" I said, quickly switching gears to feigned innocence. "What was a couple of weeks ago?"

"A wake-up call you gave me."

"Oh," I said, really surprised, and so dropping the pretense. "So...you've had a good week?"

"A great one," he said. "Things at work are going much better."

"Well...good. That's -- that's really good to hear!"

The conversation didn't go on much longer than that. Apparently I can pleasantly tolerate his presence from now on. And once again, I speak the truth not in love and some poor dope eats it out of my hand and thanks me for it.

I've gotta quit doing that. Although, must admit, it will be nice not to hear a string of complaints when I ask about his week anymore. Maybe if I learn to be blunt with love instead of irritation at heart...

But we can't hope for too much at once.