Monday, May 30, 2011

Hello French toothpaste

I have such awesome friends. A few weeks ago I came home to find a mysterious and unexpected package in the mail. When I opened it, inside I found a tube of French toothpaste. My friend Robin had seen my post about Swedish toothpaste and so when she was in Paris she picked up a tube of toothpaste as a surprise for me. How sweet is that?! It's so nice to feel understood.

Part II of the story is that last night, my brother asked me if I would illustrate the chapter headings for the book he's writing. I said yes and asked what style did he want them in. He said, "you know, like that Pepsodent tube you did". So this morning, while painting my French toothpaste, I was listening to the radio and they were recommending books to read this summer. One of the books was "The Sisters Brothers", which is the book you would end up with if you crossed Cormac McCarthy with the Coen Brothers. The reviewer was trying to explain the book and chose the example of how the brothers discover this great invention, the toothbrush, and how it connects them with other people in the story.

Isn't that slightly strange and coincidental? I mean how often to they mention dental hygiene on NPR? I won't mention that I turned off the radio after that, but then turned it on again a little while later, just as a woman who was reporting on military life, was saying, "a brother or a sister..."

I like coincidences. They make me feel I am aligning myself well with the hidden forces of the universe.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Back in the saddle again*

First day on the bike in 2011, and a perfect day for it! Some of the things I saw on my commute:
  • A young woman sobbing at the bus stop with her suitcase.
  • The row of lilacs coming into bloom in the Arboretum.
  • Several gaggles of Canada goslings, so yellow and fluffy. (In a few months they will be attacking and hissing at me, but right now, they are cute.)
  • A guy with bizarrely huge quadriceps running by in his shorts.
  • A woman with pink hair and big white sunglasses.
  • Three dogs chasing me, including a St. Bernard.
  • Starlings swooping after a crow.
What did you see today?

* If you would like to hear "Back in the Saddle Again", click here. (I wish my helmet could look like a cowboy hat!)