a few nice things

OK gals and boys, this is a quick little post because I am home before midnight and want to do the only sensible thing - get straight into bed and sleep as much as possible before sun rises and I find myself out the door and walking for a train. Commute still wacky. Last week I fell asleep and went too far, ended up home with enough time to sleep for (was it even?) 3 hours before rising and leaving again. Ho hum. Goddess only knows what I will wear tomorrow as I have worn my fave black work pants already and I have no idea of what is clean in that zany wardrobe of mine. Shame I can't wear the same trousers all week- well, same outfit really. It's funny coz some days I could happily get changed a few times in one day as the whim takes me and other times I could just get one really fun getup and live in it.

So, just quickly: thanks to Betty Sue for her reminder about red shoes. While my new boots are black and I love them I had forgotten about my (cheap and falling apart but much loved) red mary janes. AND I had a presentation to give today so it was just the day to be a little bit swingy. So I wore red shoes and the presentation was a hit (despite being a little bit of a last minute jobbie I had actually put some effort in - not least illustrating it with tiny little snippets of my own illustration, which remarkably was also a hit). I love that feeling of running a good workshop session where you have this ring of interested faces looking expectant and hoping that you wont bore them or confuse them...and you keep the atmosphere light and happy, but honest, and people feel safe and a bit adventurous, and together you fill an hour with a good experience. It can be really fun when this temporary bubble of good will gets made and you all suspend disbelief together and stop being self conscious about the being in a workshop together and just jump right in and make it fun. So yeah, happy bout the red shoes.

And hello Miss Ivy! Welcome to the sea green lounge! You can't see it from here but the Sea Green Lounge I imagine as kind of 60's sci fi underwater city - think large rounded easy chairs overlooking a large plate glass window that looks out into the depths of the ocean and has large cheesy sharks superimposed and swimming close by every few seconds. Maybe some cool creamy green lava lamps and a dangly bead curtain or too. As you enter you would be offered something fabulous in a tall glass from someone with good cheeckbones and a feathery fringe and tall silver boots on, maybe offered a canape, and be lead away to the sounds of funky space music. Aaah.

Ooh, where was I? Sorry back to the computer and away from the underwater conversation den/ observation bay...

A few things from my day that I wanted to share:
- A man in a beanie standing in the vestible (gotta love that word - even if I think I just misspelt it) of the train about to get off at the next stop says 'oh! I forgot something!' and opens the door to the carriage and runs up stairs to his seat and gets...? An umbrella? His bag? A magazine? No - an empty chip packet and empty take away coffee cup - to put in the bin rather than leave on the train. How cute is that??
- A man with face tattoos who is living around Central station at the moment wraps his large black Rottweiler in a blanket to sleep
- A long coffee break with a work mate to discuss the ways of the world and being quite honest and laughing a lot while the cafe closes around you and they say 'another coffee?' and you say 'yeah' and watch the sun start to creep down while the cafe stays warm and lit
- Walking home when it is so cold that cars have frosted rooves that glitter like a diamond crust, and you sing to keep warm and find yourself singing 'Summertime' while your nose and chin are so cold they may become ice, but you find it both amusing and somehow warming so keep singing it quietly through big, wide, empty picturesque streets

Hope your days had diamonds too.