Unoriginal Fortune Cookies
It was a weird day today.
I agreed to take the car in to get serviced while my mom had her class. I took it to the Honda dealership, and they said it would be about 3 hours til it was finished. The shuttle took me to the metro station at my request. I didn't exactly have any destination in mind, but I was inspired to hop off the train at Twinbrook because there was a Starbucks I could walk to.
The place was packed for 9:30am in Rockville. I ordered an americano and found a counter seat facing a window. The sun decided to come out, and it was shining directly on me, in my eyes. This made me squint and it made me hot (I was wearing all black). I scribbled a few phrases in my small cahier moleskine, but soon was annoyed enough to move on into Barnes and Noble. The americano was crap anyway.
I veered into the greeting card/journal section at the front of the store. I gazed at the different covers and cracked open a few of the journals. Mostly they contain lined paper. At an endcap there was an assortment of boxed notecards. I was absolutely stunned to see a set of fortune cookie cards.
I made fortune cookie valentines for a few friends that came over last weekend, as I wrote about in one of my recent posts.
I investigated the mass produced cards. The fortune cookie featured on the card was photographic; an actual fortune cookie on the outside front of the card. Mine were illustrative; each carefully cut out and glued into the card.
A few pre-printed fortunes were included with the set, presented on a conveniently perforated sheet. Mine were hand written with custom messages.
I looked closely and saw the clincher. There was a die-cut slit along the edge of the cookie for the fortune to stick out. I had done the same exact thing with an exacto knife, though I must admit I think the placement of mine was a little more artful.
Still, I guess it just goes to show that there truly are no original ideas.
*sighs*
Grumbling, I made my way upstairs to the art section. It was sparse to say the least. Not one book spoke to me to even look at. I did flip through an "Encaustic Painting Workshop" book in the craft section which was pretty cool. I think it would be fun to paint with wax. I really like the depth and subtlety of many encaustic paintings I've seen.
While I was in the bookstore the weather decided to change. When I entered it was cool and overcast, though the sun had started to peek through a bit (note the sun that made me all hot and uncomfortable in Starbucks). When I left it was piercingly clear and blastingly windy.
Walking back to the metro I had either tears or gravel bits in my eyes the entire time. I took refuge in an art store and ended up buying one marker.
I had an odd robotic exchange with the guy at the counter. He asked if I had a savings card. I said, "yes," and he replied, "I figured you probably did since you look familiar." Ok. Toward the end he said, "Have a nice day." I said, "Thanks, you too." To which he responded rather seriously and with a bit of fervor, "ok." Anyway, perhaps in my retelling it doesn't translate, but it was just odd.
I hopped on the metro back to Shady Grove and got a call from the car place that my car was finished just as the train was pulling into the station. That was the most perfect part of the day probably.
After being shuttled back to pick up my car, I was on my way home very quickly.
When I got back, I immediately started making spaghetti which I'd decided that I must eat while I was driving. I ate too much of it, as I always do when it comes to pasta. Then I took a 2 hour nap. Then I woke up and fed the dogs and took a short walk. It was still so cold and blustery that I didn't get very far.
Tonight I have felt like doing absolutely zero things. I don't want to draw. I don't want to clean up. I don't want to work on the basement. I don't want to read. I don't want to watch a movie. I don't want to go to bed. I don't want to eat anything. I don't want to listen to music. I didn't really even want to write in this journal, but I started jotting down a list of things I would like to draw (though apparently not tonight):
artichokes
armadillos
pretzels
fortune cookies
and when I got to fortune cookies, I remembered what happened earlier in the day and then wanted to write about that at least. So I guess I did want to do that.
Now that's done, so now what?
I agreed to take the car in to get serviced while my mom had her class. I took it to the Honda dealership, and they said it would be about 3 hours til it was finished. The shuttle took me to the metro station at my request. I didn't exactly have any destination in mind, but I was inspired to hop off the train at Twinbrook because there was a Starbucks I could walk to.
The place was packed for 9:30am in Rockville. I ordered an americano and found a counter seat facing a window. The sun decided to come out, and it was shining directly on me, in my eyes. This made me squint and it made me hot (I was wearing all black). I scribbled a few phrases in my small cahier moleskine, but soon was annoyed enough to move on into Barnes and Noble. The americano was crap anyway.
I veered into the greeting card/journal section at the front of the store. I gazed at the different covers and cracked open a few of the journals. Mostly they contain lined paper. At an endcap there was an assortment of boxed notecards. I was absolutely stunned to see a set of fortune cookie cards.
I made fortune cookie valentines for a few friends that came over last weekend, as I wrote about in one of my recent posts.
I investigated the mass produced cards. The fortune cookie featured on the card was photographic; an actual fortune cookie on the outside front of the card. Mine were illustrative; each carefully cut out and glued into the card.
A few pre-printed fortunes were included with the set, presented on a conveniently perforated sheet. Mine were hand written with custom messages.
I looked closely and saw the clincher. There was a die-cut slit along the edge of the cookie for the fortune to stick out. I had done the same exact thing with an exacto knife, though I must admit I think the placement of mine was a little more artful.
Still, I guess it just goes to show that there truly are no original ideas.
*sighs*
Grumbling, I made my way upstairs to the art section. It was sparse to say the least. Not one book spoke to me to even look at. I did flip through an "Encaustic Painting Workshop" book in the craft section which was pretty cool. I think it would be fun to paint with wax. I really like the depth and subtlety of many encaustic paintings I've seen.
While I was in the bookstore the weather decided to change. When I entered it was cool and overcast, though the sun had started to peek through a bit (note the sun that made me all hot and uncomfortable in Starbucks). When I left it was piercingly clear and blastingly windy.
Walking back to the metro I had either tears or gravel bits in my eyes the entire time. I took refuge in an art store and ended up buying one marker.
I had an odd robotic exchange with the guy at the counter. He asked if I had a savings card. I said, "yes," and he replied, "I figured you probably did since you look familiar." Ok. Toward the end he said, "Have a nice day." I said, "Thanks, you too." To which he responded rather seriously and with a bit of fervor, "ok." Anyway, perhaps in my retelling it doesn't translate, but it was just odd.
I hopped on the metro back to Shady Grove and got a call from the car place that my car was finished just as the train was pulling into the station. That was the most perfect part of the day probably.
After being shuttled back to pick up my car, I was on my way home very quickly.
When I got back, I immediately started making spaghetti which I'd decided that I must eat while I was driving. I ate too much of it, as I always do when it comes to pasta. Then I took a 2 hour nap. Then I woke up and fed the dogs and took a short walk. It was still so cold and blustery that I didn't get very far.
Tonight I have felt like doing absolutely zero things. I don't want to draw. I don't want to clean up. I don't want to work on the basement. I don't want to read. I don't want to watch a movie. I don't want to go to bed. I don't want to eat anything. I don't want to listen to music. I didn't really even want to write in this journal, but I started jotting down a list of things I would like to draw (though apparently not tonight):
artichokes
armadillos
pretzels
fortune cookies
and when I got to fortune cookies, I remembered what happened earlier in the day and then wanted to write about that at least. So I guess I did want to do that.
Now that's done, so now what?