Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Life at its Most Goodnessful
Fish here. I have meant to write for a while now, but I have found myself the past few days with camera in hand, preoccupied with burning questions that have waylaid even my stringent short story writing schedule. For example:

Aren't clouds just amazing?

What's more beautiful than a row of Bloomfield houses through an overpass fence?

Doesn't a blurry photo of a dapper old man on a downtown street glowingly reaffirm this bustling whirlwind of a planet?

Tumble has twice told me to stop humming to myself so loudly in the hallway. Chestnut has politely asked me to stop running inside to show him every autumn leaf I find in the backyard, regardless of how "incredible" I've determined it to be.

The tally stands at two letters and 8 1/2 phonecalls between Carly and my Chestnut-disguised self (the half-phonecall being when I just ended up sighing into her answering machine over and over). We have agreed on dinner and set a date. I have told her to be on the lookout for a guy of average height with curly hair and a tie. She has told me to be on the lookout for the happiest girl in the place. I have a file folder with transcripts of our interactions ready to hand off to Chestnut on his way to the best date of his life.

The date is in five days, so I think I'll tell him Thursday.

Friday at the latest.

posted @ 01:04 AM est [link]

Friday, September 15, 2006

Prose By Proxy
I have been trading emails disguised as Chestnut with Carly willy-nilly, discussing everything from peak oil to our top five all-time favorite kinds of pasta. We even spoke on the phone for the first time last night and ended up reenacting the entire second half of Back to School (I played Thornton Mellon, and rousingly so).

I haven't yet told Chestnut about his future date, although I will. The see-sawing weather has wreaked havoc on Chestnut's immune system and he's been fighting a cold all week. Once he is well enough to dine out, I will inform him of his good fortune. Plus, I have promised myself to take advantage of this extra time to write down all of Carly's likes and dislikes into a sort of Carly Cliffs Notes that Chestnut can take on his first date.

Chapter One will have to be entitled "She Has the Loveliest Voice in the World."
posted @ 01:55 PM est [link]

Friday, September 8, 2006

A Name Now Faced
I received Carly's photos in the mail today and Sweet Lord, I hope this isn't a prank.

Mustering all musterable charm, I've just written back to her (as Chestnut, of course) suggesting dinner capped off with a bottle of port and a profiterole or two. I'm going to surprise Chestnut with the news as soon as I hear a "yes". Chestnut may have once gotten food poisoning from a postage stamp, but right now, he is a lucky, lucky man. I wish I had someone like her to look forward to.

-F
posted @ 02:04 PM est [link]

Friday, September 1, 2006

A Bite Has Been Bitten
I spotted something while thumbing through Tumble's pile of rejected responses, a letter presumably tossed aside because it lacked a photo:

This is certainly the best entrant so far! I sent an email (as Chestnut) politely coaxing a photo out of her, so hopefully her looks will match her taste.