Ok ok ok,
I know I promised not to write so much about my day to day stuff, and that I would just send out a link to my blog instead of the whole written out email, but I just had to share a little bit of my evening while it was still fresh in my memory. (you all know from this morning how I feel like it is beginning to go.)
As some of you may know I am not the kind of person who likes to go out to bars, especially alone, I do not drink much, and of course way back in the day I hated being around all that smoke.
But after a bike ride around the bay I felt like having my favorite Maine meal of steamed clams, so I stopped into a local favorite called J’s Oyster, and the only place to sit is at the bar if you do not want to wait for ever with the tourists for a table. So I ended up sitting next to a man that I found to be rather loud and a little obnoxious, and who sprayed me with his lemon when squirting his oysters, but I decided to ignore him and enjoy my clams, but when they came the waitress, who presumably knew him, served them to him, though I know I ordered first, so I piped up, uh is that a large or small order, she said it was a medium, then I said I think those are for me since he ordered a large, she apologized and he responded by saying to her you are the saviour in the land of sin (or something like that). he then promptly went out to make a phone call and left me to enjoy my clams (which were quite yummy.) By the time he got back his steamers had already been delivered and he seemed to have a very sad look on his face as he said goodbye to his father. After a little bit he asked me where I was from, and said NY and he said I hope you do not mind me asking but are you a writer, I said I am an artist, but a visual artist, which started him rolling. I felt like I was living out some kind of scene in a movie, he said I was the first person other than his father who he just told that he was going into chemo therapy tomorrow, and decided to go out and enjoy one of his favorite meals. And that he was an actor, and moved to Portland after living in NY to raise his daughter, but now his wife left him to marry his best friend, and that he had an NEA grant to write a play based on some of Walt Whitman’s poetry, but that he was not sure he would be able to, asked me if I knew any other artists in town, and he just happened to know the one artist I introduced myself to just yesterday. oh man it just keeps going and going and going, he then asked me if I was doing anything for the 4th and not to sound too forward of him, but wanted to invite me to a party held at the biggest house in Portland overlooking the bay where the fireworks will be where the owner was one of the first curators for the Guggenheim, and always has a great gathering of artists, writers and left wing politicos at his place for the 4th. He just kept on hoping I would come. I said I would, and I guess I have to, but it should make for an interesting July 4th for someone the likes of me who is really excited to be here in this new city for the summer to work, but was feeling a bit lonely during this holiday weekend.
Best,
Michele
