I am staying with my uncle and his girlfriend Linda in Norfolk, VA. From my bedroom window I can see the Chesapeake Bay, which I still don't know how to spell. Last night we drank Spotted Cow Beer (which I brought from Milwaukee) on the second floor balcony, then ate sushi and enjoyed the cool breeze coming in off the Bay. It's beautiful here.
I find it fascinating that people who live on the water always seem obsessed with ocean memorabilia. They have a home decorated with lighthouses, dolphins & seashells. I think it looks lovely, but I find it interesting that not every location is like this.
Me: I live in Milwaukee, but I don't have an apartment full of beer signs.
Uncle Jim: But some people do.
Maybe I just reject my surroundings. Maybe I refuse to be a part of any defined cultural (or geographical) movement. Maybe I just prefer to spend my money on actual beer rather than beer-related paraphernalia.
I do this thing when I'm visiting my family where I get up really early in the morning. I just don't want them to think I'm lazy. This morning I got up at 8:30am... which is 7:30 Milwaukee time. I had coffee and watched CNN so my Uncle would see how grown up I am. I wished for cartoons. It's only 11:47 and I'm exhausted. I need a nap. It's really tiring trying to keep up this early-riser, concerned-about-the-world persona.
The plan for today:
Find a new place to hide Harriet.
Harriet is the ugliest doll in all the world (something like the one on the Right, but MUCH uglier-- Image from eBay.com).
The game began about 4 years ago when my uncle and I found her at my grandma's house. "Oh my god, what is this?" my uncle exclaimed, pulling the 5" doll from the shelf above my grandma's TV. "That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen!" I replied. My grandma defended her decision to buy the doll, but it no longer belonged to her. Harriet became the property of myself and my Uncle Jim in a game which has lasted 4 years, but has never been discussed. One person hides her, the other finds her in their bed/shower/drawer/car/etc. Then without reacting or saying anything they hide her in a place the other person will find her.
The last time I saw her was a couple years ago at the house in NC. I buckled her into the back seat of my uncle's car... and I never saw her again. Until last night.
It was late and I went into the guestroom to begin turning down the bed. I removed the fancy pillows and there, between the two remaining pillows, was Harriet. I silently laughed so Uncle Jim wouldn't know I'd found her. Today I will find a new place to put her.
I'm also playing a show tonight at the Pier. I invited a woman from Walmart who was behind me in line. She's my number one Norfolk fan now.
Tomorrow afternoon I leave for North Carolina to see my Grandma. It's looking like I might head back this way at the end of my trip to spend a little more time with Uncle Jim. We're playing it by ear.
I find it fascinating that people who live on the water always seem obsessed with ocean memorabilia. They have a home decorated with lighthouses, dolphins & seashells. I think it looks lovely, but I find it interesting that not every location is like this.
Me: I live in Milwaukee, but I don't have an apartment full of beer signs.
Uncle Jim: But some people do.
Maybe I just reject my surroundings. Maybe I refuse to be a part of any defined cultural (or geographical) movement. Maybe I just prefer to spend my money on actual beer rather than beer-related paraphernalia.
I do this thing when I'm visiting my family where I get up really early in the morning. I just don't want them to think I'm lazy. This morning I got up at 8:30am... which is 7:30 Milwaukee time. I had coffee and watched CNN so my Uncle would see how grown up I am. I wished for cartoons. It's only 11:47 and I'm exhausted. I need a nap. It's really tiring trying to keep up this early-riser, concerned-about-the-world persona.
The plan for today:Find a new place to hide Harriet.
Harriet is the ugliest doll in all the world (something like the one on the Right, but MUCH uglier-- Image from eBay.com).
The game began about 4 years ago when my uncle and I found her at my grandma's house. "Oh my god, what is this?" my uncle exclaimed, pulling the 5" doll from the shelf above my grandma's TV. "That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen!" I replied. My grandma defended her decision to buy the doll, but it no longer belonged to her. Harriet became the property of myself and my Uncle Jim in a game which has lasted 4 years, but has never been discussed. One person hides her, the other finds her in their bed/shower/drawer/car/etc. Then without reacting or saying anything they hide her in a place the other person will find her.
The last time I saw her was a couple years ago at the house in NC. I buckled her into the back seat of my uncle's car... and I never saw her again. Until last night.
It was late and I went into the guestroom to begin turning down the bed. I removed the fancy pillows and there, between the two remaining pillows, was Harriet. I silently laughed so Uncle Jim wouldn't know I'd found her. Today I will find a new place to put her.
I'm also playing a show tonight at the Pier. I invited a woman from Walmart who was behind me in line. She's my number one Norfolk fan now.
Tomorrow afternoon I leave for North Carolina to see my Grandma. It's looking like I might head back this way at the end of my trip to spend a little more time with Uncle Jim. We're playing it by ear.
Here's a picture of the real harriet: 
1 comment:
Hey, speak for yourself about living in a house full of beer signs... you know where I grew up!!
I don't think my delicate nerves could stand up to this game with the creepy doll. You are definitely a tough one. I hope the show goes well!!
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