A long awaited sigh of relief

I'm wearing the ugliest pair of socks I own.

They are knitted of thick yarn in squares of all the primary colors: true red, yellow, green and blue. They are also the warmest socks I own. I can't wear them with any of my regular shoes, except maybe my hiking boots because they are so unbelievably thick. I remember when I bought these socks. We were going bowling and I was (as I often am) in a perpetual state of wearing flipflops so I needed some socks. We stopped at the local Walgreens and I was determined to get the ugliest socks I could possibly find.

It was a night during the summer after I graduated high school, and I was with my best friends from that time. Just after Rhyan had made her appointment to get the tattoos on her wrist, I had decided it was a great idea to get my belly button pierced. I turned my head as the female parlor worker prepared what was likely a gigantic needle. She asked me to breathe in and hesitating, I gasped breath as she poked through my tiny belly button and inserted the metal jewelry.

I kept the damn thing for over five years. Even after I gained 20 pounds from eating the terrible cafeteria food at college, lost it and then gained it back again I looked at that little jewel in my tummy as a thing I did for me. I was never one to show it off, and my friends often forgot I even had it, but it made me feel good... not because it was pretty but because it was something I did without really thinking too hard about it, on a whim, in a time I'd always like to remember.

Last week I took out the piercing. It closed up within the day and now only a small divot and some red scar tissue remains. It's kind of a poignant commentary I guess. That part of my life is gone, but the little mark of it still remains. I did it because I'd come to think of the piercing as silly. I even had the whole "You're too old for this" conversation with myself (internally. Not outloud. That would be funny, but weird). Time for transition. Time to grow the fuck up.

This, living in New York, is the newest chapter. So, out comes the silly piercing, in comes the office clothes, sensible style, grown-up attitude and 10 to 6 job. This last week a whole bunch of my writing was posted online. If you are interested, please check out my web exclusives at...

http://magazine.audubon.org/webexclusives/seasonsGreenings.html

http://magazine.audubon.org/webexclusives/treadingLoudly.html

And my E Magazine articles at:

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3945&src=

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3942&src=

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3939&src=

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3928&src=

The last two you'll likely only be able to see in the print version. So... pick it up. I'm especially proud of the plastic bag story.

After all the frustration of not having anything to write at Audubon comes an explosion of clips, all in one week. I feel so proud and accomplished.

Last week Mike moved in to his new apartment in Sunnyside, Queens. It's very nice and I'm glad he doesn't have to sleep on his sister's couch anymore. He bought a ticket to come visit Washington Dec. 28 to Jan 2 so I guess I better plan on showing this kid a good time in my home state. I am so happy that he wants to meet the rest of my family and see where I come from.

On Saturday I went with my cousin Audra to see "Into the Wild" and catch some dinner. I highly recommend the movie, but I discourage people against the dinner conversation with my cousin. She is six years older than me. I have always viewed her as this perfect unattainable individual with whom I could never relate, and I was mostly right. We are so alike in our determination to get what we want and our outlook on relationships, but the situation and the age difference causes both of us to be uncomfortable being around each other.

Dad emailed me today about another perfect, unattainable cousin's wedding:

"Laura and Brad's wedding was very impressive. Someone forked out some big bucks. It was catered and managed. They had wine and beer and some good food. I stayed away from the alcohol because of my cold (and I was driving). But still it was fun."

I love my dad for many reasons, but one of those is because he is so unintentionally funny.

Sunday, Mike and I set out to visit the New York Pickle Guys. This hole in the wall in the East Village supposedly has the best pickles, olives, and other pickled goodies around, and I would have to agree. We bought pepperoncinis, spicy pickles, pickled carrots and pickled peppers (Peter Piper and Shawn and Mike picked a peck of pickled peppers). The store was in a very interesting part of town, where the dominating ethnicities are orthodox Jews and Chinese people, and the guy let Mike and I eat a spicy pickle for free as long as we ate it away from the barrels. Yay New York.

I <3 New York... Like the cheesy tourist shirts say.

Reflecting on Maynard Ferguson, Serge Gainsbourg and Shiraz,

Shawno