Remember when you could still go into the airport terminal to meet someone coming off a plane? I used to love people watching at the gates. When I was waiting for a plane to arrive, I would look at the people waiting with me and try to guess who they were waiting for. A boyfriend? Grandma? A friend from college? I loved the debarking, when I would find out how many reunions I had guessed correctly.
You can't judge a book by its cover and all that jazz, but there are always clues. I'm the kind of person who likes browsing the bookshelves at people's houses, especially people I've just met, to see what kind of person they might be. Sometimes I look over my own bookshelves and try to see them from an acquaintance's perspective. What kind of person has a book collection that includes reams of poetry, hundreds of illustrated children's books, everything Barbara Kingsolver has ever written, all the Harry Potter books, a library of autism titles, and stacks of folklore and knitting books?
Thomas and I were robbed soon after moving into our house on 10th street in 2000. After that incident, I walked through the house differently for several weeks. Was the thief hasty, noticing only the stereo, jewelry, and power tools? Or did he (I'm assuming he) also notice the wedding photo on the mantel, the plastic fruit hanging from the kitchen ceiling, and the piles of law school books?
This week, as I approached my car in a parking garage, I wondered what someone could tell about me just by looking at my car. I think my car actually gives away a good deal about me. If you made a circle around my car that day, looking inside and out, here is what you would have seen.
1. A mid-nineties Subaru wagon with plenty of scratches and dings and Oregon plates.
2. Three Burning Man and Black Rock City bumper stickers.
3. Two bumper stickers promoting breastfeeding, including nursing in public.
4. One bumper sticker in support of natural childbirth.
5. One bumper sticker promoting autism awareness.
6. A bumper sticker of the Irish flag.
7. Two knitting bumper stickers - one being Knitters for Obama.
8. Window stickers for NPR, OPB, and the Oregon Zoo.
9. Two car seats - one for an older child and one for an infant, and a few baby toys.
10. Buttons over the rear view mirror of American Idol contestants from the past 4 seasons.
11. A clock and compass mounted to the dashboard.
12. A copy of Twilight and a Grey's Anatomy Season 4 DVD on the passenger seat.
13. Cloth grocery bags, a collapsable stroller, blankets, and an emergency kit in the way back.
14. No trash or extraneous items ANYWHERE in the car.
It's me, no? Would I be able to get to know you so well by inspecting your car or bookshelves?
And speaking of clues, here is Elliot, master of all things clue-like. He's posing with his little dog Ebb on the 1921 Parker Carousel at Jantzen Beach. It was Imogen's first carousel ride, and she loved it. She was up in the backpack on my back, though, so I don't have any pictures for you of her glee.
Happy weekend, everyone!
You can't judge a book by its cover and all that jazz, but there are always clues. I'm the kind of person who likes browsing the bookshelves at people's houses, especially people I've just met, to see what kind of person they might be. Sometimes I look over my own bookshelves and try to see them from an acquaintance's perspective. What kind of person has a book collection that includes reams of poetry, hundreds of illustrated children's books, everything Barbara Kingsolver has ever written, all the Harry Potter books, a library of autism titles, and stacks of folklore and knitting books?
Thomas and I were robbed soon after moving into our house on 10th street in 2000. After that incident, I walked through the house differently for several weeks. Was the thief hasty, noticing only the stereo, jewelry, and power tools? Or did he (I'm assuming he) also notice the wedding photo on the mantel, the plastic fruit hanging from the kitchen ceiling, and the piles of law school books?
This week, as I approached my car in a parking garage, I wondered what someone could tell about me just by looking at my car. I think my car actually gives away a good deal about me. If you made a circle around my car that day, looking inside and out, here is what you would have seen.
1. A mid-nineties Subaru wagon with plenty of scratches and dings and Oregon plates.
2. Three Burning Man and Black Rock City bumper stickers.
3. Two bumper stickers promoting breastfeeding, including nursing in public.
4. One bumper sticker in support of natural childbirth.
5. One bumper sticker promoting autism awareness.
6. A bumper sticker of the Irish flag.
7. Two knitting bumper stickers - one being Knitters for Obama.
8. Window stickers for NPR, OPB, and the Oregon Zoo.
9. Two car seats - one for an older child and one for an infant, and a few baby toys.
10. Buttons over the rear view mirror of American Idol contestants from the past 4 seasons.
11. A clock and compass mounted to the dashboard.
12. A copy of Twilight and a Grey's Anatomy Season 4 DVD on the passenger seat.
13. Cloth grocery bags, a collapsable stroller, blankets, and an emergency kit in the way back.
14. No trash or extraneous items ANYWHERE in the car.
It's me, no? Would I be able to get to know you so well by inspecting your car or bookshelves?
And speaking of clues, here is Elliot, master of all things clue-like. He's posing with his little dog Ebb on the 1921 Parker Carousel at Jantzen Beach. It was Imogen's first carousel ride, and she loved it. She was up in the backpack on my back, though, so I don't have any pictures for you of her glee.
Happy weekend, everyone!
1 comment:
I'm with you on the airport thing. I could spend an entire day there, crying right along with strangers as they say goodbye and hug hello.
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