"In vacant or in pensive mood..." I am: Bekah; 24; Law Student / Favorite Things: Carbs (so there!), Johnny Damon, Smiling at babies, Grilled cheese, Comfortable silence / Favorite Supreme Court Justice: Brennan / Favorite Wilson: Owen by an inch / Today's Special: Song: Elliott Smith, "Bled White"; Quote: "You know, there's like a butt-load of gangs at this school. This one gang kept wanting me to join because I'm pretty good with a bowstaff." Please love me: mmbekah@yahoo.com

 
Putting Greens and White Trash

After a heated, hyperbolic argument that resulted in our being pretty pissed at each other for a while (am I allowed to write that? I guess I'll find out...), J and I reconciled last night by heading to the suburbs for a few friendly rounds of Putt-Putt. I hadn't played for a long time, and it showed. My sister and I used to play all the time in the summers. At the conclusion of an emotional 18-holes, we'd climb back up to the mountain house, one of us gleefully holding the score card, the other silent, red-faced and frustrated, both of us ready for our quest for the best Jelly Belly combination recipe to recommence. In a few days, we'd forget any ill-feelings caused by the last game and go back for more.

Putt-Putt is actually a pretty good judge of character. There are people who throw the club if the game isn't going their way. There are those who curse and stomp. There are those who are a little too proud of their putting skills. And there are those, like me, who remain optimistic and egomaniacal in the face of serious suckage ("This is just the warm-up round--I'm going to demolish you next time"). I did not do very well. Though I did get a hole in one once. J kept telling me that I was "lipping out" so much because I was hitting the ball too hard. My aim was good; I just couldn't tone the swing down enough to succeed on such a flattened out putting green. I'm just too intense a person for such a muted, low-key game. Or I guess it's possible that J may possibly be slightly better than I am, at least in the conventional sense.

The best part of Putt-Putt wasn't actually playing. The best part was, as is so often the case, the people-watching. A group of teenagers in front of us were so bored of the game it was ludicrous that they were even there. The girl, carrying a huge plastic purse the whole time, held the putter like it was a dead animal. Her swing was of the obnoxiously apathetic one-handed variety; she drug and prodded the ball around the green about twelve or thirteen times before each hard-won victory. When the ball finally went in the hole, she would sigh, pick it up, and drag her feet to the nearest bench to count the minutes until she had to putt again. The guys she was with were equally moronic, but their voices weren't quite as irritating so they didn't offend me so much.

The best sight was a little boy having a temper tantrum. The kid's face was flushed, and his hair was stuck to his forehead with perspiration. He was doing that stressed-out kid hyperventilation number--he'd worked himself up so much that he had to take breaths in forced, painful gulps. The kid was sitting on the ground, freaking out about his dad and sister "cheating." Then, without warning, he screamed at his dad, "You're meaner than the DEVIL!" It was awesome. I feel bad though, because I don't think his parents read to him enough, and as a result he's probably going to have to start taking a cocktail of ritalin and horse sedatives to fix his inappropriate behavior quickly and efficiently.

So yeah, Putt-Putt was fun. I've also been reading the most recent McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, the comics edition, which is simply wonderful. I recommend purchasing a copy, because it is only $24 and I've never seen a more meticulously crafted and beautifully organized book. I've also been doing some watercolors and watching The Sopranos and The Office. And I've been going to work and visiting with old friends who were in town for the weekend. If anyone has suggestions for other activities to occupy my summer, I'm all ears. And don't say writing more on the blog, because it's better not to force these things, and I'm just going a little slow for a few months to regain my blogging energy. I promise, once I'm rested, things will go back to normal.

posted by Bekah at 2:49 PM :: |