Right Before The Rapture

I bashed up my car today. I'm sad about it. My car is old, but it's my little blue friend. Now it has a big dent in the driver-side door, and it's totally my fault. I raked it against an unyielding yellow pole as I was trying to navigate an alley outside my hair salon. Stupid pole.

I got a bit saucy during my hair appointment. I feel like I spend a lot of time chiding people for expecting others to read their minds (I'm just supportive like that) but I think I might be just as guilty. So today I decided--niceties be damned--I was going to speak my truth with my stylist. Normally I would just stew about things that make no sense, and whine to David later. My stylist was rhapsodizing about a hair gel (i.e. trying to convince me to buy it) and she said "Unlike what you're using, it has no kind of alcohol in it. So it's not at all drying to the hair." She turned her back briefly, and I snatched the bottle off her shelf and casually studied it, like I was admiring the logo. I was actually reading the ingredients. Of which the third one was "cetearyl alcohol." I took a deep breath and said cheerfully, "It says it has alcohol." She got a squidge bristly but didn't hesitate. "Oh, that's a different kind of alcohol. Way more nurturing." "Oh!" I said agreeably. "I didn't know. Okay."

So I guess I didn't really push it. But I'm still proud of myself for saying anything, rather than the thing I usually do which is act my little heart out in a weird, fake play in which I'm the only one who knows I'm an actor. That always feels so awkward, but I do it all the time anyway, to be ingratiating, I guess. What is my problem?

Tonight we made some friends at Burger Lounge. Jarrah climbed a lamp post, which attracted the attention of a little boy, who joined her. They played for so long I started wondering where his parents were. He pointed out his mom, eating a salad, who waved us over. We started talking and ended up going to the park together. She was very friendly, and even suggested we get pizza sometime. Jarrah and the little boy were totally in love. They happily punched each other and ran up and down the street for over an hour. They even peed together, which I might have delicately advised against, had anyone consulted me before locking the door. It's nice to see strangers getting along so well, especially right before the world ends. Although David assured me it won't end, because it's already tomorrow in Australia and they seem to be fine over there.

So that's a relief.