Author Archives: didofoot
Stealth
There’s this weird thing that happens in the afternoon here where if anyone is walking by on the far-distant sidewalk, their shadows play across the living room wall HUGE, like they’re walking right next to the window. Every time it happens I whirl around and somehow by that time the person on the sidewalk has … Continue reading
I found out why grown-ups don’t dye their hair purple…
…when I dyed little purple swirls into our lovely green couch with my wet hair today. Thank goodness for stain remover!
Dia de los Muertos: El Toro
Our car, El Toro, is on his last legs, I fear. He’s started turning his automatic transmission fluid into a yellowish-brown condensation that somehow leaks out and gets all over his rear end. It’s foul. If he were a pet doing this all the time we would probably have to put him to sleep, but … Continue reading
At home to callers
The days pass and I keep waiting for culture shock to set in, or for any indication that I have drastically changed my type and city of residence. Nothing. And then on Monday we stepped off BART into the Mission and I realized, as I passed the six homeless guys and the drunk peeing on … Continue reading
My five favorite Halloween books
My five favorite creepy books, just in time for Halloween: We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson The author of “The Lottery” brings her full powers to this book, in which an apparently innocuous beginning — two sisters living together — gradually gets terrifying. Also worth scaring yourself silly with is her … Continue reading
Decorate
It must be so strange to be the spider who lives in our tree, watching this human woman who cheerfully decorates the leaves with fake cobwebs and plastic spiders and who jumps back in fear whenever the real spider makes an appearance.
Someone’s in the ceiling
Gene’s in the ceiling! He’s putting down cable (or maybe just measuring) so we can have internet all over the house. It’s hard work; I want to be a good wife and do something for him in return. But what? Currently, my ideas are: 1. Pretend I am a villain in an eighties movie and … Continue reading
Boys becoming men, men becoming wolves
As some of you know, I’ve been very excited about having our first Halloween in this house. This will be the first time in eight years that no one will be stabbed or shot outside my home on Halloween. And we get trick-or-treaters! I feel I need to decorate the house thoroughly, so neighborhood kids … Continue reading
I’m clean puzzled, that’s what.
Two nights ago, around midnight, two fire trucks and three police cars stopped on my street and a bunch of emergency personnel went into the house two doors down. I didn’t see any signs of a fire, and no one was running towards the house or away from it, and I didn’t see anyone being … Continue reading
Homesteading!
Saturday we moved into this rambling old Alameda house, thanks to our astonishingly awesome friends who not only spent all day moving our hundreds of boxes and big heavy furniture items, but they then hung around to move boxes upstairs and set up rooms. Wow. So far I kind of love it here. We’ve already … Continue reading