today was a very good day.

i texted that to a friend one day not so long ago. i didn't really have a reason, just KNEW that it was a great day. i remember what i was doing while i texted him. i was driving, and i had the biggest grin on my face for no reason. i was joyful. you know, full up with joy.

today also was a very good day. it's a bit different though, when i can actually recount the reasons why it was good. hmm. still good, but not inherently so? too intense for this hour of night.

work was slow, but too fun. it was K.'s last day so we dicked around alot and took her out for lunch. K. chose chinese food for lunch. unfortunately for all, the one chinese place in town is called Lung Fung. LUNG FUNG! what were they thinking?! we proceeded to make many creative sentences with words that rhyme with "lung" and "fung". the winner was, "we flung the dung and it hung on the rung." we went for a "drive" after lunch with another guy we work with...all the way around the river road. the hour-long drive was beautiful and relaxing (i'm sure our boss would be glad to know that we are relaxed and aware of nature's beauty, while on the clock). i threw an apple at B. and he caught it at the last minute, just before it flew onto a cop's lap thru his open window. we finished the workday with a footrace. it was close, but B. won. he was the only one not wearing 10-ton work boots. ok, maybe i'm a sore loser.

after work i bought tickets to europe!! non-stop from dc to london for $388! i'm down with that. so now i have to be in dc by the 4th, in addition to being in pa by the 1st. hmm. dilemma. i was so pumped i had to stop several places on the way home and show people my printed itinerary. they patiently showed enthusiam.

then i head for home to play noah, aka feeding the critters. yup, still got two of every kind. those damn sheep might not last too much longer if i have my way though.

after searching in vain for some companions, i headed to p-town alone. i met several interesting fellows at the army surplus store. we discussed currency and it's many varied colors. we could only think of one country that has blue money. hmm.

and then. the aforementioned "water-treatment dude" gave me tickets to his son's band. so i headed down to the "Meow-Meow". i ask you this: could there be a gayer name?? i drove up and down the street numerous times before spotting the joint, then after parking realized that it had once again disappeared. blast it all, where did the bloody place get to? it was just here! oh me, this alley is very dark and i am very alone. finally stumbled upon it again and handed my ticket in, asking, "Has Across The Sun played yet?" they were just beginning their first song. oh yeah. turns out that, A) i know half the band, and B) they are quite hardcore. again, hmm. let me explain something: i like hippy music. happy music. music that encourages peaceful swaying, rather than impulsive headbanging. but i enjoyed it, and was even smiling! their energy was catching, and the lead singer (he pumps my gas...man, i live in a small town) is a cutie-patooty.

after they played, i met a young married couple i know, at a cafe next door. they are wonderful and adorable. they, too, are playing zookeeper on a small farm, and we compared notes. it is always SO GOOD to see old friends! hint, hint. we hung out for a time, then headed for home. well, that was my intent.

i had originally planned to go to a 2nd concert, a Jim Page open house, but chose to spend time with my friends instead. as i left i decided to drive by and see where the concert had been. people were still coming out, so i drove around the block and parked. about a month ago i discovered jim page, a seattle musician, on a local radio station and fell in love with his song, Long Corner Turning:

Goodbye America,
I say I knew You then,
Well it's been a long corner turning,
Gonna be a long corner...turning back again.

well, as i pushed open the door to st. francis church tonite at 11pm (the concert was supposed to have ended at 10pm) those were the exact words that filled the air!!! i arrived just in time for one of my favorite songs in the world! it's right up there with Uncle John's Band, Hurricane, and Freebird. it was a small intimate audience, and he preluded each song with stories and history. as he started Over My Dead Body one woman stood up in the aisle and started doing a hippy dance! man, i hope that when i'm old i'll have the guts to do the hippy dance when no one else is! then one man in the front stood up and motioned for everyone else to do the same. we did, and began singing along:

They have all the power, that's what they say; But we will turn those tables, take their power away
We will not be dissuaded and we will not turn around; We will face the barricades and we will tear them down
They say they will incorporate the world
Over my dead body, over my dead body, over my dead body, over mine

too cool for words!!!

i got to shake his hand afterwards. i drove home, very happily. it was pouring rain and i blared my classical music and thought about good things. for example: life.

i took the back way home, along dark and wet and abandoned roads that i know better than the back of my hand. who looks at the back of their hand anyways? i usually watch the road instead. ok, i actually watch the scenery. i purposely drove right past my driveway and further into the hills, to where the road turns to gravel. once there i spun donuts and had a burn-off contests with myself until my hands were shaking from adrenaline.

time for bed.