Hay(market) Day

Yesterday, I went to Lincoln’s Historic Haymarket for lunch with my friends Amber San and Candace. Amber and I are masters of planning had made the plans that very morning after discussing what we might do for weeks. Finding Candace is always difficult; Candace is the epitome of busy. A professional teacher and volunteer, Candace is always helping other people in any way she can and Candace has more talents than I can count. People can always find something for Candace to do, we just wanted here for lunch. She is delicious.

While waiting for Candace, Amber and I explored the Haymarket. The Haymarket was exciting when we were undergraduates. The exotic restaurants and neat stores could all be found there. Now, they are all moving to other locations in and around Lincoln. Had we wanted to buy things we would have been in luck, but neither of us are fans of kitsch or antiques so we just looked.

There was a place that looked really cool, “paint yourself silly,” and Amber and I only wanted to get paint all over ourselves but the point of the place was to buy pottery, paint it and pay them to fire it and wait a week to get it back. Amber was loath to come back to Lincoln for pottery, I am not going to be here in a week, and neither of us was excited about paying anything more than five dollars for cheesy pottery. Sure, it would have been fun but I think Amber and I got enough of a fix making fun of it as we would actually doing it.

We went into Ten Thousand Villages, a store where people sell the handicrafts of people from Third World Countries providing them with jobs and opportunities. Most of the stuff is things for your home, bric-a-brac, and I have no use for a hand carved alpaca or place mats made by Cambodian orphans, but it was nice to look. We did try on their bling-bling but their bling-bling must be for little children or something because we had a hard time getting them back off our fingers. I had that moment of terror where I said to myself, “Oh (obscenity)! I am going to have to pay $0.65 for this! Where is Alex Vance when we need him!” Next time Amber and I will put “Made in Taiwan” stickers on the bottoms of stuff for fun.

After the adventure of pulling that bling-bling off we wandered back outside to loudly wonder where Candace was, it is not like Candace to be late. College can be summed up with: Christopher and Amber doing something stupid (together or separately) and Candace screaming at us, “You idiots! Get off the roof of that building! How stupid are you?” Unlike today's silly undergraduates, we did this all under the light of day, not the cover of darkness like today's wimps.

This time Amber and I were engaged in one of our favorite hobbies, taking pictures. We like to climb on statues and interact with them or into the foliage, in both instances we like to make the picture inappropriate if possible. Art is for the masses and we are certainly the unwashed masses – on the weekends.

Candace arrived when we were taking the above picture. I like that she pretends as if it is normal for Amber and I to behave the way we do. Amber has a talent for figuring out the genius picture and then convincing me to do it. “It will be funny, Christopher, climb on there and act like you’re doing kung-fu!”

When Candace arrived we decided to go to Old Chicago because we liked that place when were in college. Also, it was right there. I am just as happy in Mc Donald’s as I am in some place fancy. Old Chicago is not fancy; it is just has silver wear in cloth-napkins and a wait staff. And, boy, did we wait. We stood in their lobby for five minutes but on ‘ADHD time,’ it seemed like eternity. Finally, someone came and helped us. I feel better being ignored in a booth than I do standing up.

The thing I took from lunch was that anorexia is really sad. I spend my time with students and then at a fast food restaurant where I work part time, I rarely see people who do not eat. I spend my time with people who should exercise more and eat better, it was shocking to see someone who needed to eat at all. Also, restaurant management needs to learn that too-skinny waitresses do not inspire confidence in their menu. If the wait staff is wasting away, why should I risk eating here, too?

It was great to catch up with Amber and Candace. They are both busy and interesting people so finding time with them is tough and almost as rare as my actually being in Nebraska. Also, unlike so many people they have something interesting to say about what they have been doing with their time, Amber is also very excited to tell you. She could sell used coffins because of her demeanor.

After lunch we walked around Lincoln, short on time together, defiled some more of their statues and wandered about the Mall of Nebraska. After mocking the Mall of Nebraska, split up until the nebulous next time. Next summer, Amber and I vowed, we would put more time into planning this and pull more people into the net.

Now I am back in Seward’s Folly working on my final project for my writing class. I have one of five chapters done. I should get back to work.

Comments

[Sommer]

It's sad to see that you had to leave Diaryland, if I had the time and patience to figure out another space on the web I would definitley do that, but life is shitty and sucky for me right now, but I have bookmarked ya' =o)

[CGG]

Thanks so much.

[Margaret]

Welcome to Typepad; I too have found them extremely responsive to problems, even when they are of my own making. (forgetting to turn off the pop-up blocker to allow me to insert a photo) Ashley works at Ten Thousand Villages in Seattle and loves it. She is always wanting some clothing, music or jewelry from there--but usually can only afford to bring home chocolate. (fine with me!)

[John]

We must all do our part to help the environment. And it appears Chris is doing just that by peeing on all that poor plant life.

[Alex Vance]

Do you wear that YALE shirt everywhere? People will think you're a locksmith.

[Christopher]

I am trying to look PRESIDENTIAL!

[Pet-nuh]

I wish I could have been there. I should have been there. I will be there next year.

[Colleen]

You know I love that Yankee cap.