ant-smell-fever

a couple years ago my aunt M--- told me that her most loathed smell is crushed-ant-aroma. i thought she was crazy, but then i smashed an ant between thumb and forefinger and sniffed....
ever since then i am plagued by the curiosity if that ant will smell when i crush her/him. alas, some ants' innards do not carry the toxic scent of ant-death, some just smell like dirt.
yesterday, while lunching in the back of a work-truck, i saw an ant crawl by so reached out and smashed it. D---, S---, and S--- gave me shit about it, claiming i had a fixation for smells or something. unfortunately these ants were dirt-scented. but today i received a call around lunch time and it was S---, he excitedly told me that he killed an ant and smelled it's guts to discover that it smelled of epoxy (i guess it smells differently to everyone).
so, now that you know, i pass on the ant-smell-fever that leads us to kill an ant and waft its guts up to our faces just in case it smells like tangy-chemicals. i know that you are questioning my sanity right now, which is fine. but, let me warn you, you will always be curious when you see an ant crawling by. so, i challenge you: squish it, smell it, and then tell me who's crazy.

npr makes me weepy

it all began within the first few minutes of a drive that would last 4 hours (the all-too-familiar Flagstaff to Tucson trek). i usually didn't listen to talk-radio, but i decided to give it a try, it usually keeps me more awake than music. i happened to catch the middle of This American Life and a program about the ten commandments. and after 2 minutes i was hooked.
later that afternoon, on a music show, there was an interview with a Cambodian musician (rapper?), but i can't seem to find it. it was so moving to hear how this young man started hearing all these terrible stories from his older brother about the life they left behind in Cambodia. at first the musician retold the stories in poems etc, but soon discovered how he could integrate the story of his family's struggle to immigrate into his music-making. apparently his parents chose to remain silent about those humiliating and scarring encounters, which left the young musician disconnected from his own story. anyway, i wish i could share it with you here, but no such luck. sorry.
another story that was really engaging was about pigeons. i know, it sounds crazy, but it's fascinating. and i think it really shatters the American preconception about pigeons. they are actually intelligent, relational, and loyal creatures. one carrier pigeon was assumed lost after it did not return from a flight. but, weeks later, the owner opened his front door to find the pigeon waiting on the porch. apparently, the pigeon had broken its wing and walked home.
lastly is the story of a Delaware student with cerebral palsy and his dedicated mother who accompanied him to all his classes--or retyping entire novels so that her son could listen to them using audio software. anyway, it's heartwrenchingly good. the best part is that i was listening to it on the way to work. picture it--getting weepy from NPR while on my way to build/tear down some homes.

weekend disasters

yesterday i went over to a co-worker's house for a little bbq party. little did i know that minor disasters would follow me all day.
minor disaster 1......i was really excited to go this party because i was alone in the house all weekend. so, i was a little giddy when my ride pulled up to the house. i sort of jogged out to the truck, wine bottle in hand, and somehow missed the curb and ate it, big time. i scraped my toe against the sidewalk, my shin against something, and my knee too. so, driving to the party i was trying not to pay too much attention to my bleeding shin, my torn toenail, or my scraped knee. it was pretty embarrassing considering that i've been very careful and uninjured during my first week on the construction sites, navigating inside dumpsters, using chop saws, etc. but, i hurt myself getting into a truck. smooth.
minor disaster 2......once arrived at the party i was tending my wound when bella, the newly adopted dog sidled up to me. i thought she was coming to say hello so i started rubbing her head. oh, how i was wrong. next thing i know she's trying to bite my face off. sweet. it totally freaked me out, but i tried to stay calm by concentrating on sipping my g & t. fortunately, she didn't break the skin, but pretty freakin' close. only one tooth left a mark--a small reddish bruise one inch above my lip.
if you know me, you'll know that i try to act tough most of the time, so in neither of these situations could i act as affected as i actually was. oh, the effort to carry such a burden.
so, when i go back to work on tuesday i will have marks to prove that i lived it up this memorial day weekend.
cheers.

RDU represent!

if you couldn't tell, i've taken a long break from blogging. this summer i've decided to start up again.
first things first. i'm in durham for a couple months this summer. i'm living with my brother(I---), sister in law (K---), and their cat(Pepito). i'm working part-time doing some construction-type work, but it's mostly hauling and dumping and organizing building materials. though, on thursday i worked on a bathroom demolition project. it was my first time tearing down walls, it was fun. with my other time i will be volunteering at SEEDS and Anathoth Community Garden

i also have a long "to-do" list. mostly crafty things, books to read, and things to try. i'm getting into embroidery (jellyfish on throw pillows is the one i'm working on now) and i've read two books thus far:
--DBC Pierre's Vernon God Little
--Javier Marias' Your Face Tomorrow: Fever and Spear