Saturday, May 21, 2005

from my window

In the street below, people are playing lovely bluegrass music. A banjo plucks along with a fiddle and songs float up through the window into my room where I'm reading "The Spiral Staircase": Karen Armstrong. The furniture store across the street is selling (still) expensive items for sale and I wish they had these celebrations each Saturday during the Spring and Summer months. Earlier someone played an accordian.

Last night T and I had drinks with friends from his department at Radio Perfecto on Amsterdam. We ended up staying late to watch the Phoenix-Dallas NBA playoff game as it went into overtime. I don't believe T had ever seen me get excited about sports before. "She's more of a boy than I am," he said and in some ways, it's true. If you want to stick to gender stereotypes, that is.

Today we met up with Nerb and another friend for lunch at Deluxe. Afterwards, Nerb and I went back to Brooklyn and broused through the furniture store like a young yuppie couple. Funny how easy it is to pass as a heterocouple. Even two years into dating T, I don't take for granted how nice it is to operate as a couple. I know all too well what it's like to be on the other side of that coupling.

But I didn't resent it then and I don't resent it now. Every social construct ends up like a dance; one you can pick up and let go. People who wail about the conformity or privilege of such positions haven't experienced all the exceptions. And moreover, I don't know if they've ever forced themselves to be strong enough to live without or without them. For better or worse.

I'm heading back to Louisiana pretty soon for Kari's wedding and I'm so happy for her. I think deciding to get married is a really big step. For that reason, I am satisfied to be a part of a couple and yet live my own very individual life. It's odd that T is in Manhattan and I am in Brooklyn, but I like it this way. There is so much we both want to do with our lives that a borough apart is just fine.

Besides, anyone who knows both of us would wonder how we could ever fit anything other than books in our apartment. The bookshelves would block the windows and then what of that?

2 Comments:

Blogger R J Keefe said...

How nice to read about your pleasant afternoon - and weekend! I myself am about the venture out onto the balcony, armed with Hefty bags.

Sat May 21, 06:09:00 PM  
Blogger lequincampe said...

It was a lovely afternoon. Followed by a delicious dinner w/ Nerb and then a shwanky evening with RiRi. More to come.

Sun May 22, 12:17:00 AM  

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