Conversations with Dear Friend S., part 539027 in a series
"Don't buy any more nail polish before the end of the year."
"And hello to you, too. Where are you?"
"Coming up on Hamilton: I'm low on gas and so far three of these gas stations won't take my state fuel card."
"Do you have cash on you?"
"I'm on my way to field school near the Lower Elwah, of course I have cash on me - I just don't want to spend it."
"Sweets, you may have to file some paperwork. Why am I not buying nail polish?"
"I'd sooner eat snails than deal with expense reports, who knows when I'd get my money back? Oh, hey, there's another station, let's try that one. There's a feminist cosmetics collective in Tacoma -"
(At this point I hit the mute button and clap one hand over my mouth anyway, to muffle the shrieks.)
"- and they have a fantastic line of polishes, you're getting some for the WFOG. Damn it, it's not taking the number, I'm going inside, hold on. Afternoon! Do you accept Washington state fuel cards?"
"Oh, sure, hon! We just have to run them in here. How much do you need?"
"THANK YOU. Sixty dollars' worth, please, I'm in the red F-150 at pump 3. I'm going to start this and then flop over with relief, I was about on fumes."
"This is where I would say 'You know better' except that I know you do, in fact, know better."
"I had to run out and look at a thing on Guemes Island. Pro tip: don't count on the general store having gas."
"And yet the Shell refinery is right there."
"Irony, yes. So, no nail polish for you."
"Got it. You're getting tea and yarn."
"No more tea at Uwajimaya, yep."
"You mostly run on coffee anyway - which reminds me, what was that blend you like at your local roaster? I want some for DS."
"Dancing Goats, but you should get him a bag of the Multitasker for giggles."
(For those of you who watch Alton and Elizabeth's Quarantine Quitchen: yeah, that coffee. S.'s local roaster blends it. Buy it straight from them! They are nice folks, S. has hauled me to their tasting room!)
"He's getting Underground, how much coffee can one skinny man drink?"
"Have you met your adult offspring? You bought him an Aeropress and a variable temperature kettle as a 'Welcome to Washington!' present, how can you even ask this question?"
"I don't drink coffee, S.! A bag would last me ten years!"
"And yet we are best friends."
Talking of friends, one of Dear Friend H.'s said yesterday "I'm going to IKEA, you need anything?" and being a sweet person, she rang me and passed the question along. I am now well stocked on fair-trade chocolate and rectangular KVARNVIK storage boxes, but if I'd known they're discontinuing my favorite plant pots I'd have asked her to fill the back of the truck. :( (P. has pointed out that 10 is probably enough on a small balcony.)
P. is having a happy morning: he got to tell two of his people they're getting raises, and neither of them were expecting it. DS is also having a happy morning: he asked me for glögg recipes and I was able to offer six. Scandi Christmas cookbooks have a lot of them! I pulled two, one of which is alcohol-free, and he's spending the morning pottering around in the kitchen while Melodie sniffs at the spices. He just picked up a bag of decorticated cardamom at the Indian market and the smell is filling his apartment; I have been told to go to Intercontinental Foods in Bellingham ("You've got family up there, right? Head into town when you're visiting and load up") for similar things once we've moved. After a long conversation yesterday with DS, we've confirmed that we're all going together - the amount he has saved for a house down payment is astonishing - in late summer/early autumn of next year. "Is [former roommate] M. coming too?" "No, he's unwilling to live anywhere he can't have breakfast delivered at 3 am. But he'll happily drive up with me to look at neighborhoods."
"And hello to you, too. Where are you?"
"Coming up on Hamilton: I'm low on gas and so far three of these gas stations won't take my state fuel card."
"Do you have cash on you?"
"I'm on my way to field school near the Lower Elwah, of course I have cash on me - I just don't want to spend it."
"Sweets, you may have to file some paperwork. Why am I not buying nail polish?"
"I'd sooner eat snails than deal with expense reports, who knows when I'd get my money back? Oh, hey, there's another station, let's try that one. There's a feminist cosmetics collective in Tacoma -"
(At this point I hit the mute button and clap one hand over my mouth anyway, to muffle the shrieks.)
"- and they have a fantastic line of polishes, you're getting some for the WFOG. Damn it, it's not taking the number, I'm going inside, hold on. Afternoon! Do you accept Washington state fuel cards?"
"Oh, sure, hon! We just have to run them in here. How much do you need?"
"THANK YOU. Sixty dollars' worth, please, I'm in the red F-150 at pump 3. I'm going to start this and then flop over with relief, I was about on fumes."
"This is where I would say 'You know better' except that I know you do, in fact, know better."
"I had to run out and look at a thing on Guemes Island. Pro tip: don't count on the general store having gas."
"And yet the Shell refinery is right there."
"Irony, yes. So, no nail polish for you."
"Got it. You're getting tea and yarn."
"No more tea at Uwajimaya, yep."
"You mostly run on coffee anyway - which reminds me, what was that blend you like at your local roaster? I want some for DS."
"Dancing Goats, but you should get him a bag of the Multitasker for giggles."
(For those of you who watch Alton and Elizabeth's Quarantine Quitchen: yeah, that coffee. S.'s local roaster blends it. Buy it straight from them! They are nice folks, S. has hauled me to their tasting room!)
"He's getting Underground, how much coffee can one skinny man drink?"
"Have you met your adult offspring? You bought him an Aeropress and a variable temperature kettle as a 'Welcome to Washington!' present, how can you even ask this question?"
"I don't drink coffee, S.! A bag would last me ten years!"
"And yet we are best friends."
Talking of friends, one of Dear Friend H.'s said yesterday "I'm going to IKEA, you need anything?" and being a sweet person, she rang me and passed the question along. I am now well stocked on fair-trade chocolate and rectangular KVARNVIK storage boxes, but if I'd known they're discontinuing my favorite plant pots I'd have asked her to fill the back of the truck. :( (P. has pointed out that 10 is probably enough on a small balcony.)
P. is having a happy morning: he got to tell two of his people they're getting raises, and neither of them were expecting it. DS is also having a happy morning: he asked me for glögg recipes and I was able to offer six. Scandi Christmas cookbooks have a lot of them! I pulled two, one of which is alcohol-free, and he's spending the morning pottering around in the kitchen while Melodie sniffs at the spices. He just picked up a bag of decorticated cardamom at the Indian market and the smell is filling his apartment; I have been told to go to Intercontinental Foods in Bellingham ("You've got family up there, right? Head into town when you're visiting and load up") for similar things once we've moved. After a long conversation yesterday with DS, we've confirmed that we're all going together - the amount he has saved for a house down payment is astonishing - in late summer/early autumn of next year. "Is [former roommate] M. coming too?" "No, he's unwilling to live anywhere he can't have breakfast delivered at 3 am. But he'll happily drive up with me to look at neighborhoods."