I need to study more. I only knew about half of these.

I went to the grand opening of a farmers/artisan market today. It was a rather weak showing of wilty flowers and the same hand made jewelry that the 40 something woman who sells it calls her “art”. Underwhelmed and with no fruit to show for the trek, I made my way to a nearby bargain bookstore. After finding a few Shakespeare plays I was missing in the dollar bin and a book on modern Czech art, I made my way to the register. The lady at the register said hello in one of the deepest, I smoke two packs a day type of voices. I wanted to give her a glass of water thinking that speaking must be a painful experience. If she started singing Everybody Knows, I think even Leonard Cohen would have been proud. It was obvious she was a smoker, not just from the baritone voice but the yellow index and middle finger on the right hand. This however was the only part of her skin that was a non “burnt” color. This woman either sleeps in a tanning bed mistaking it for a hyperbaric chamber thinking it will extend her life or she really thinks she looks good with that healthy bathroom tile grout glow.

I know plenty of people who are trying to pickle themselves from the inside out but this woman is working both sides of the wall. I think that’s how the Berlin one came down after 28 years. She was in her late 40’s, I figure that wall is going to fall any day now. She bleaches her hair regularly though, it looked like straw. So if her hair fell out I wouldn’t know if it was the Chemo or Blonde in a Bottle.