February 22, 2008

It’s morning, and I have a lot of FATE and serendipity to crow over at (like a lunar eclipse, full and egg-yolk-esque, turning into an eyeball, and then an orb of glowing). Rewind.

Yesterday, MK and I decided post-lunch that it was time to venture to the downtown Asheville, and get out of the house and neighborhood. We took the bus, discussing Korean dating (or lack of – the karaoke bar scene where you pay $1000 as a group of men, get a room with karaoke for the night and snacks and drinks, and also a parade of woman to choose from for sex or escorting. And the woman come lined up by nationality, like a real parade).

We explored downtown by foot, starting at a cupcake shop where MK tucked in to get a bagel, and we promised to return later for cupcakes. Then we went browsing and window-shopping, to gourmet food, rare book shops, an artisan art and music shop (which was really fun – playing the instruments like the hammer dulcimer and harp, etc.). At the end of our browse, we swung back to the cupcake café and picked out some sweets and coffee and sat inside for a short while. We sat in heaven for half an hour, her German chocolate cupcake and my cream cheese brownie, and a girl walks into the shop and I began to stare at her. And finally, I tried, “Ren?” She turned and looked at me, confused. “It’s Bugs – I’m Bugs!” and a glimmer of recognition flashed in her eyes and gosh, what are the chances in hell of meeting up with Tofurky, a friend of mine from the Appalachian Trail, in that shop?

The three of us sat and talked about our lives and things/freeing ourselves of things. Ren recently had a bonfire at a friend’s house, a ceremony of sorts where she burned all of her old journals from age 16 and earlier. And MK talked about getting rid of her possessions. I explained to Tofu much later that evening about my theory of jellyfish strings-with-hooks attaching you to poisonous thoughts - those little nematocysts that keep you locked in place. And it’s only when you start detaching those bad people connections/relationships, and getting rid of extra possessions that you are really, mentally and emotionally, free. Like backpacking as a metaphor for life.

After we spent a good two hours in the shop, gleefully chatting and occasionally just glowing at the fates, MK needed to take the bus back to the Peacock’s and prepare for her phone interview for this position in Korea that she wants. “If there’s a higher power,” I said, “It’s got to be smiling down on us, grinning like a fool.” We walked to Malaprops and combed through the regional books section, Tofu and I intensively discussing the trail and what it will be like for her to be out on the trail again this year. Apparently, there is a girl starting the trail this year who was inspired to hike the trail by reading our trailjournals! FYI, Chunky Gal Trail is supposedly named after a volumptuous Cherokee girl who ran away across the mountains to marry a man of a different tribe. Yeppers, either that or a bastardization of the Cherokee word for that area.

We talked relationships, zillions of things, and when the bookstore closed, we left and walked back to her apartment in a little house of apartments, in the historic district. I met her roommate and two cats, and the three of us talked for a long while, until finally we realized that if we kept talking and trying to figure out what to do, we would miss all of the restaurants and I would be left with a brownie to stave me through the wild night. So we left at 10 pm to venture to a nearby awesome vegetarian joint called Rosetta’s kitchen and get some grub. I got a sweet peppermint tea and a seriously good veggie burger. Then as they were stacking the chairs on tables, after we had read the horoscopes aloud to eachother, we skipped down to the van and Cassie gave us a lift to a bar called Jack in the Woods.

Once we got there, both a little exhausted from life, we decided to stay and check out the bluegrass band on tap: a western Kentucky crew called Bawn in the Mash. They were just going on when we sat down, with our stouts – her Guiness and my local, dark, delicious beer. We sat back in a corner, discussing art and future (how does one chance encounter propel you to these lengths of conversation in one night?) and random acts of kindness. Until we could not longer stand the static nature of talking while good, energetic music was playing, so we started dancing in place, then standing, then finally abandoned our dark corner and drifted across the room to a more open area, and started to dance with drunk middle-aged men. Played a fake game of basketball on the dance floor, and eventually as the energy of the crowd piqued, we got more and more folks to dance with us and by the time we sweatily retreated outdoors, almost two hours after we had entered, gol-lee, the place was full of dancing fools. The band was awesome, full of cute young guys in flannel and with hip energy. “I’m glad you have no shame, too,” Tofu shouted over the music at one point.

Tired, we stepped outside into the cold night air, and sat there for a little bit, watching others enter. And after a little while, a fellow slurrily came up saying, “Do either of you girls have a cigarette?” We say no, and Ren adds, “I care about my lungs… not that you don’t. Just ever since I got sprayed in the mouth with a fire extinguisher.” And this guy was hooked by our quirk and intrigue! We talked for probably an hour, this guy was Hilarious, to the extreme. He was seriously scruffy with flannel and hiking boots, and when he mentioned wringing turkeys as a metaphor, we knew we had found a common soul in Rush. He grew up on a turkey farm for Christ-sake. We three bantered with Ren asking ballsy, probing questions, Rush responding with the funniest possible answers. Like, for example, in response to Ren’s question, “What’s your dream?” he said, “to play chess everyday.” (a pause) “And I’d probably rob a bank if I could.” Golly, an hour of that and then he said something along the lines of “Excuse me ladies” and ducked inside, and Ren and I decided it was time to go home. Around 2 am, fell asleep on the couch, drunk on serendipity and life.

I am moving to NC after graduation. I have just decided. That’s it. I am in love, and there are oodles of resources. And things to do, people to meet, education to be had.

I won’t be able to capture today right now (I hope I never truly “capture” as free and wild a day as I had in as clipped and constraining a form as language). I met Tofu at the library, then we headed to the Art Store to begin our mission – spreading random acts of kindness. Artstore, signs, author, coffee, cups, quotes, street musicians, hugs, homeless people magnet = free coffee, MK came, advice to sweet guy about his relationship, down the street we went, to corner, more hugs, homeless, to corner, and talking to the two girls who had just taken acid (one a year out of SUWS). Crazy homeless men, finishing coffee, and advice to girl about her boat in Costa Rica, returned coffee urn money in parking meters. Cassie called Ren – needed her roommate love and I pried myself away from her magnetism, and met MK at a Tibetian clothing shop she was in. We went to Salsa’s for dinner and had a really good time – talked about manifestation as a parallel to trail magic, and caused not necessarily by trail karma and interactions with others, coming full circle, but being a result of the resonance of good energy – from someone who meditates a lot. How did you two arrive here in my world? How can I make you moving orbs/souls stay close to me?

So filled with love, but by the end of the day totally sucked of energy. Falling asleep, drifting back… to a time before. To concerts at the Wednesday in the Park series near our house, popcorn and climbing on the statues.