Life Coach texted me some writing advice just now:
Posts under ‘Conserved Conversations’
If the shoehorn fits
My co-worker Samson is a bit of an oddball. He was born in Nigeria, and then went to boarding school in London and college in upstate New York. Now he’s a reformed skirt chaser in NYC.
We go to lunch a few times a week and find ourselves - and sometimes eavesdroppers - cackling at the banter back and forth.
And then there are the IM conversations.
Not punctuation this time
It’s the start of our session. I’m eating a piece of cake Jing’s mom brought me, and Jing’s giving me a recap of the latest happenings at school.
Report cards come up. Jing mentions that she never sat out in gym all grading period, but she still got a lower grade. I ask if girls don’t swim when they have their periods. She nods.
Then she drops a bombshell.
Reunited, and it feels so random
I’ve started tutoring Jing again. After a few months with no contact, we’re back in the groove.
I can’t believe how much she’s grown. She’s started saying some of the most brilliant things, and her braces are coming off next week. Like, OMG!
And she’s still the reigning Junior Miss Non Sequitur.
Tell me about your childhood
My friend Nate, the recovering canned fruit addict, is one of those tall, quiet types to watch out for.
When we went to see R. Crumb awhile back, we talked about our impressions of each other. I had mine of him, some of which he shot down. But his impressions of me were dead-on.
I’ve really enjoyed getting to know Nate. Next stop: psychoanalysis.
Kicking the habit
With Thanksgiving a few grocery store fisticuffs away, I’ve been daydreaming of cranberry sauce. The real stuff. Not that gelatinous, cylindrical mass with the can indentations.
I try to convert the unenlightened. This year, I’ve started with my friend Nate. He likes canned fruit. Really likes it.
But hey, admitting it is the first step to recovery.
Which makes me a very picky casting director
I regale my co-worker friend Clark with my more interesting dating stories. And believe me, they’ve been interesting. Alas, I can’t blog most of them.
So I just tell friends offline, including Clark. It’s nice to get a guy’s - especially a normal guy’s - opinion.
Show me your tics
I recently went on one of the most bizarre dates of my life. It was at a lively restaurant where my date and I had some trouble hearing each other.
Him: You keep licking your lips.
Me: Really?
Him: Yeah.
Whimsy while you work
My current job is the best one I’ve had since college. I may dread the commute or getting out a warm bed, but I never dread having to go to work.
It helps that I have some wonderful co-workers. Also, I read and write and talk to people all day. I feel confident doing these things, yet they still make me grow.
But even now, sometimes I get in this mindset where I start thinking the days are really long and tiring.
