Thursday, August 19, 2010

A Very Good Thursday

I thought today was going to suck. After all, yesterday's downtown day ended with me watching TV on the sofa until I fell asleep at some unmentionable morning hour, stomach in full-on cramp mode. Then my alarm did not wake me up when I had planned, so I had to scramble through a shower in order to meet one of my very best friends for coffee at nine o'clock A.M.

But it was totally worth it. Well, of course it was. I haven't seen this amazing woman in over a year, since when she and her new hubby moved to Texas. I would have dragged myself out of the house even if my stomach had not stopped staging a protest, although I'm thankful it did. That way I could fully focus on laughing/sharing/whining/visiting/vomiting (emotionally) for the nearly three hours that we spent sipping coffee and catching up. Unfortunately, this is a quick visit, but I was glad to be able to savor the time we had. It felt so wonderful. Ain't girlfriends grand?

After my friend headed off for her next social call (she's keeping very busy, trying to visit with all the old friends and family during her brief visit), I had planned on going home for lunch. But, since I don't make it downtown very often, I decided to wander around with my notebook for a while. Then, while passing a little restaurant I've always wanted to try but never have, I decided to treat myself.

Catalyst

I snagged an upstairs table and enjoyed the quiet, clean atmosphere while I waited for my food. I've never gone out to eat by myself like this, so it was both a challenge and an adventure!

Salad of the day

I ordered the salad of the day. It had arugula, roasted beets (which I love), goat cheese, almonds, and a very light touch of ginger dressing, plus a bit of French bread on the side. It was delicious, although small for the price. I was clearly paying for the experience -- which, for me, was victoriously worth it.

The fun did not stop there, however! Still wandering by my lonesome (and not feeling lonely in the least), I was heading back to my car when I paused outside of a used bookshop. I've passed this shop often in the five-ish years I've lived in Montana, and yet I've never gone inside. Today, I rectified that.

It was insanely amazing. The bookshop was stuffy, drab, and smelled of old paper. In other words, it was heaven for me. I adore stores (especially bookstores) that have towering shelves of books in various stages of newness, stairs, nooks and crannies and hideaways, and older books that shouldn't be forgotten but have. Words cannot describe how delicious and therapeutic this bookstore was, so I'll just let the photos do the talking.

P1130107

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On second thought, even pictures don't capture the bookshop's cozy and ramshackle atmosphere. This is a place that must be experienced. If you're ever in town, I'll take you to explore it myself.

But guess what? The courageous fun still didn't stop there! After a pit stop at the library, I took myself to a park for a hooping session. In public. By myself. (And I was hooping for no more than five minutes before I was propositioned by a very tan and dreadlocked guy who wanted to know if I smoked pot and if I was part of the Rainbow Warriors. Which I don't, and I'm not. )




All that to say . . . it was a very good day. A very good day indeed (stoned and silly hippies excepted).

3 comments:

  1. LMAO about the hippy!

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  2. Girl, I am so proud of you for venturing out on your own like that! And your hooping looks good - kudos for having the hoop with you and putting it to use, hippy or no. ;)

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  3. What a wonderful day. A friend to visit with, a lovely meal, a bookstore to explore ... fantastic. Your hooping video was great. Impressive coordination!!! I'll stick with sitting in a chair with my book. =)

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"I am glad you are here with me."
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King