Friday, June 09, 2000

"to the extent that this world surrenders its richness and diversity, it surrenders its poetry. to the extent that it relinquishes its capacity to surprise, it relinquishes its magic. to the extent that it loses its ability to tolerate ridiculous and even dangerous exceptions, it loses its grace. as its options (no matter how absurd or unlikely) diminish, so do its chances for the future."

--even cowgirls get the blues, tom robbins
posted by April Fraze 6/9/2000 06:47:17 PM| link

typically i post things as i read....things that jump off the page at me. well, i finished even cowgirls get the blues.............bookmarking the whole way..it's different this way and i like it because it forces me to go back and re-read those interesting segments after i have hit the end of the novel and digested all of the bits and pieces that help to develop the story.
posted by April Fraze 6/9/2000 06:41:31 PM| link

"new york city keeps its allotment of sunshine in a swiss bank account and tries to get by on inerest, which is compounded quarterly. in contrast, the dakota sun is as open as the books of a village church steward, and even in september, after summer's big bucks have all been spent, it is so charitable no one would think of demanding an audit......."

--even cowgirls get the blues, tom robbins
posted by April Fraze 6/9/2000 06:32:35 PM| link

"for when biological necessities did force her to stop, time and space, which she had heretofore held in abeyance (as if she were some clockworks personified), fell in on her in a gravitational rush. time and space fell in on her like a set of encyclopedias falling off a missionary's shelf onto a pygmy. and time brought along its secretary, memory, and space brought its brat, loneliness."

--even cowgirls get the blues, tom robbins

i just thought that part was pretty impressive.
posted by April Fraze 6/9/2000 06:24:42 PM| link

Wednesday, June 07, 2000

hi, my name is april and i am addicted to plants. it started as a genetic obsession resulting from a problem my grandfather had....toiling away at his garden. papaw passed when i was 9, so the obsession was not noticed until later in life. at the age of 20 i began working in the houseplant section of a greenhouse in lafayette, in. there my obsession achieved a new level.

while still subtle, the "problem" was enhanced by knowledge of new and wonderous species. beginning about 2 years ago i was the recipient of several special needs plants from my grandmother. these plants flourished under my care and before i could contain myself i was propagating everything i could find. i also purchased many new plants. during my tenure in indianapolis last year i began to sense the complicated nature of my problem. i was admiring a lush purple heart on a neighbor's balcony on my afternoon dog walks....each day i crept closer to the balcony, scavenging the ground for a recently dropped bract. finally success. unfortunately that piece fell prey to kitty paws, but i was able to find one later on this summer.

in februaury i was in an atm lobby near my home when i noticed a gorgeous concrete pedestal overflowing with swedish ivy and a green and white wandering jew. i snipped a small piece of each and both are now extremely healthy and have been growing rapidly.

a couple of weeks ago, while in a garden shop i spied a broken piece of the purple variety of wandering jew on the floor. i picked it up and pocketed it....i felt dirty, like a criminal......i then found another piece of the same plant on a shelf.....i handed it off to brad and asked him to do my dirty work. brad nervously obeyed. the garden store did not have this particular plant anywhere in sight so i rationalized it by sayig i would have bought it if it was available. those pieces are now in shot glasses of water and roots are well-developed. they reside on the kitchen window sill next to the avocado tree.

my latest breakdown occurred yesterday when i stopped at frank's to buy a single plant....something to cheer my spirits. it was my first time in a minnesota frank's. i knew there would be trouble. not only did their selection exceed other stores, but they had "sick" plant dicounts. i purchased a healthy norfolk island pine, coffeee tree, bird's nest fern, and brain cactus. from the sick area i snagged a variegated weeping fig for 27 cents and a earth star bromeliad for 97 cents. i approached the register and asked the cashier if they had a forcing vase for my hyacinth bulb....no, they didn't. i then, against my better judgement, inquired about the bromeliads on the sick table. they were battered, but recovering. healthy plants in clay pots were selling for $16...these were down to $5.97. the girl said she could get them for me a bit less....i walked out with a beautiful bromeliad for $2.97. so basically, 7 new plants plus 2 new pots for $20. i really have a problem.....
posted by April Fraze 6/7/2000 09:52:47 AM| link

Tuesday, June 06, 2000

this made me laugh my ass off!
posted by April Fraze 6/6/2000 10:17:51 PM| link

rick formally of apt.820 has found a new home. i updated the side bar....left it in its spot even though it is now out of alphabetical order...i figure i can handle the disorder.....can you?

in his blogging debut....my boyfriend brad has a site up now. we've just spent about an hour setting things up so please be patient with him.....i am not as available for questions as i may have been 3 months ago....
posted by April Fraze 6/6/2000 04:30:10 PM| link

yesterdays car ride revelation: i want to write songs about outlaws and their ponies.

i realized it on the drive home last night. i imagine there is an influence that stems from the current reading selection (see side bar), and the song unwelcome guest as performed by billy bragg and wilco (words by woody guthrie). nonetheless, i want to sing about robin hood antics and brave ponies loyal to the end.....of sad nights as heroes and misunderstood macho.....to sing about the sad side of living a good life....now doesn't that seem grand?

i've been freaked out too many times in the past week. last thursday i was contacted by the cops. apparently my ex-roommate, who never paid a dime for the time he lived with me went to the cops regarding his tape deck. you see, instead of paying me rent he bought this deck. so, being burned before, i told him i was keeping it until i saw the $ for utilities and rent. it was left at that and all seemed to be understood.....then i got the call. the officer was kind and when i explained the scenario he said he understood and there was nothing they could do...dan would have to take it to court....i said "by all means, tell him to go, and i'll be there with a countersuit." i hate being dirty, but i've never wanted added responsibility in a roommate and i think that was clear from the get-go.....apparently "i won"...at least that's what the snotty e-mail i got from the ex implied....i've tried to rationalize it, since i have a deck of my own and don't really need one, and the cost of the deck falls way short of what i am owed i think what i won was closure. the only thing good about it is i know where things stand...i now have a new deck....instead of payment...i don't have to wonder if i will be paid....i won't...

stressful scenario number 2: i come home from work last night to a mailbox loaded with nsf drafts. i had 12 returned checks total of checks: $137, total of nsf fees: $240. when you add the fees the recipients of these checks charge it turns out to beaucoup cash. i cried, i freaked, i wanted to take a good old louisville slugger and go to town (literally) on everything in my sight. so i called my mom, and i got all emotional and told her there was no way, blah, blah, blah....
,br> so i pulled out my statement, received at the beginning of may and saw a strange charge of $102 for atm fees. when i moved to minnesota i received my first atm card for this account, our bank is small town and that's why i like it. the atm card was set-up incorrectly and withdrew from another account....basically we had a mess and i had about 2 months worth of waiting while it was all straightened out. finally we got our records straight and i was given a total on my next statement. it all matched up and time passed. the april debt was residual. or i was double charged. regardless i received no notice and it messed up my world, so i called the bank and left what i hope was a rational message. i grew up with the people at my bank and i'm related to 2 of them (one of which is my family's neighbor). you really want to bitch, but you shouldn't. today i called the bank and got kelly, who used to work at my high school and is just a sweet, sweet lady. my 2nd cousin, Gloria, was working on my account and they are taking care of everything. all charges will be refunded and checks cleared. it's nice to have it handled....i like things being handled for me these days. work has been a never-ending barrage of responsibility, and i have been longing to have a comforting hand over my head....the way my mama used to comb her fingers over my scalp and through my hair as my head lay on her lap. she still does it when i visit, and i think she always will. my mom and dad always want to take care of me....in an emotional sense, and i think i'll stop fighting it so much. brad takes care of things at home these days, and i appreciate it guiltily...i think i'll try to overcome that guilt. there comes a point when your strength has been tested so heavily that you need to let someone else do the legwork...and i am completely gracious to those people who step up to the bat. i only wonder if i've made my gratitude clear.
posted by April Fraze 6/6/2000 09:31:35 AM| link