Entries this day: Sarah Sarah_time lunch zzzz

Sarah

1:10 pm Saturday 11 May 2002

I have a new girlfriend now. Her name is Sarah. She's passionate, smart, likes to wrestle, likes the outdoors, likes to run around barefoot. She's knows some Spanish. She loves horses, and isn't afraid to ask for what she wants, nor afraid to express her emotions when she doesn't get it. She's my six year old first-cousin once-removed, and she's a fucking pain in the ass now so I just broke up with her.

This morning we played and played; she likes to pretend she's a dog; she fetches a ball with little knob things on it that she can grab with her teeth. She fetched it with reckless enthusiasm, nearly knocking her head on the piano, glass coffee table, couch, etc.

Then we took a walk in the next door field to visit the cattle, which we kept a relatively safe distance from (30 feet-ish) as I am not familiar with the personalities of these particular cattle.

Sarah, Fred and I are in Fred's car (red 1989 Camaro) en route to Tyler, Texas, for my dad's wedding tomorrow. During the first paragraph, Sarah was trying to grab all my shit - phone, keyboard, handspring, wallet, keyboard case, while I was trying to write.

I got angry a bit, which is why we broke up, but I'm sure we'll be back together later today, while we wander around on all fours like animals, neighing and mooing and barking

When I walked in last night, I was greeted by Fred and Becky talking and Sarah asleep on the floor, looking exactly like Barbie. So much so that all my old feelings of a crush on my slightly older cousin came flooding back from 20+ years past. Amazing.

She's asleep now (2:19 pm) as I write this, and we're pacing 80 mph behind an 18 wheeler, which Fred assumes will keep us (Fred) from getting a ticket since the 18 wheeler will likely know where all the cops are.

2:24 pm

Our pace-truck just got sidetracked by a weigh station.

Sarah time

2:26 pm 11-5-02

As we walked around, Sarah wanted so much to ride the horses. She believed that the farmer (our neighbor) had given her permission to ride (likely true), and she further believed it would take only five minutes to ride.

We kept telling her no though, because we didn't have enough time. We were going to leave in 15 minutes.

"But I want to ride for only five minutes!" she explained clearly. "It will take only 1 minute to talk to the farmer, and I just want to ride the horse for five minutes. Not even ride; just sit on it for five minutes."

So clear was her conviction. So accurate was the arithmetic. 1 minute plus 5 minutes equals 6 minutes, which is clearly less than 15 minutes. Why can't she ride??

So plain to me was the innocent awareness of time. No concept of what we think is "five minutes." To her five minutes means the amount of time it takes to do something fun, or the amount of time her interest can be captured by something. Anything.

But then, equally interesting in a different way was this. "Sarah, you will be able to ride the horse on Monday." "When is 'Monday'?" she asks, as Monday is plainly an undefined term in her brain. It's the day after tomorrow."

"But that's like fifty days away!!" Fifty days = infinity. Such a ridiculously monstrously long time to wait to simply ride a horse, an activity that will take only six minutes.

Thank you, Sarah, for sharing your fresh concept of time.

lunch

4:02 pm Saturday 11 May 2002

We just caught up with them in Buffalo, Texas, the same city in which our van stopped on the way to Plano Rally, but this time on the opposite side of I-45.

Sarah basically remained asleep during the entire visit during which time I talked with Hamidah, who is Dad's sister in law (via his brother Ricky), and who is from Singapore, where I now officially have family! That completely rizocks the hizouse; I love these connections that are perfectly falling into place for me.

Oh, I am reminded that Marta's dad's friend wasn't a recruiter for English teachers to Japan, but was simply in the program. The documents she gave me were an application for Aeon (which I wanted but hadn't collected yet) and some information on their program.

4:13 pm

We were supposed to go east from Buffalo, but we went 5 miles north on 45 before Fred looked at the directions. I had asked him if he knew where we were going.

If by 'yes' you mean 'no', then yes.

6:03 pm

Have just arrived in Tyler, chillin' and goofing around at the Holiday Inn Express in room 129. I think I will leave a note here behind the TV or something. All this furniture is removeable, so we may have to put it somehwere else like behind the picture maybe. Ah. That's it. I'll put it behind the picture frome over the bed. If I remember of course. If I make no other comments about it then I forgot.

Going to dinner in 35 minutes. Have to leave tomorrow morning at 9:30am.

Okay, I did it. There is a note in the bathroom behind the halfmoon over the towel shelves.

zzzz

8:40 pm Saturday 11 May 2002

Ate at China Cafe, a chinese buffet place. I gorged more than I have in recent memory. In private, I told Elise that I was still holding a grudge on her mom for when Elise was picked up from me-an-Wende's house in a most controlling way, I thought. I still think.

Elise said, "we all do [hold a grudge]" Interesting. I'd like to process more with Elise through these feelings.

1:55 am Sunday 12 May 2002

After dinner we visited Karen's parents house, and I promptly fell asleep on a couch for the majority of the visit.

Afterward, I carried Sarah on my shoulders at Wal-Mart as a few last minute items were purchased.

Back at the hotel, I chilled/wrestled with Sarah in her family's room as we watched The Cosby Show and Whose Line is it Anyway. WLiiA is *funny*! I was really impressed with the realtime skillz of those actors. That takes talent. "Chicken with an attitude" and "sing all the gospel parts of 'I am a toaster'" were the two funniest I thought. Especially when relaying them to Fred after I was able to pry the little Sarah-fingers off my clothes and wallet chain trying to keep me in their room for the night. Such tears, both from Sarah and Fred for opposite reasons.

Sent an email to Calder, and one to Bronwyn. Then shower and now bed.