and it ain't three buck chuck!

yesterday the most amazing thing happened: i saw my good karma returned directly to me. i know that karma is really a much more complex and serious concept than the way we like to throw it around, but hey, i'm from california--cut me a break!

so it's morning. i've been super busy and not in a happy way. in short, i've actually been in quite a funk lately. so i'm bumbling around the postage stamp--i mean--apartment, sweating in the humidity, swearing under my breath like a displaced fallen jw from oklahoma, probably looking for my keys*. Basically, the usual 'running late' routine. keys finally pulled from the depths of that bag, no that other bag i was using the day before, i thrust open the door with exaggerated haste. like, "feel my pain, no one in the history of the world has been late and frustrated before". except i can't storm into the hallways as intended because a really large, (and i mean almost as large as when my dad and uncle sent my darkroom enlarger in the mail) and equally heavy package is sitting there looking up at me like, "ooh, have i got a surprise for you!"

maria, the elderly polish lady who lives next door, who, through the seamless workings of my perfect cross-cultural communication, thinks my name is also 'maria'--is standing, little arms crossed, leaning into her door jam shaking her head and saying, "me no know! JU PEE ESS!" i imagine her standing on the other side of the door just like that through my prior huffing and puffing and key finding shenanigans. just waiting to announce this most unusual apparition.

there are so many unusual things about this package. in addition to its size and weight, there is the fact that it's actually addressed to me. it's not some magical cord or piece of secret recording gear that emre ordered off ebay. it's from california, which makes sense, except st. helena? not exactly my stomping grounds. instead of just opening it i stand there, sweat forgotten, puzzling over what it could be. this is how the racing mind works. it loves suspense and unlikely tales. who do i know in napa? ezra's brother. let's see, recently ezra's brother's girlfriend was invited to mieke's bridal shower, which i threw. maybe she accidentally sent mieke's gift to me, thinking the shower was here. but how would she have my address?

so the sleuthing skills are obviously not cutting it. i grab a knife to open and there lies a card from rutherford ranch winery. "dear kitty joe, thanks for your gracious help and suggestions for a wonderful trip. have a nice summer. --leonard" and below, an entire case of wine, perfectly separately and carefully packed in molded hi-tech cardboard. excuse me while i marvel over someone sending me AN ENTIRE CASE OF WINE in the mail! like i'm some rich executive receiving meaningless gifts from rich people. except i'm not rich and this is so meaningful!

leonard is a slightly cantankerous man who has been taking the art history class that i 'teacher's assist' literally, for twenty years. every day he sits in front of my work station, warning me not to knock over his coffee, disapproving of my tattoos and thanking me for my smile that brightens his day. leonard likes to argue and disapprove of some of the more 'colorful' or rebellious artists who come as guest lecturers to my class--like my boss. and once, leonard decided not to come to class because he didn't want to hear the lecture about the miami art basel fair. but when i mentioned that my dad would be attending, he said, "now i have to come! i must meet your father!"

leonard is a bit of a jet setting man, so i love to question him about upcoming travel. before heading to cuba, he said, he'd be going to san francisco and the wine country. naturally i had to chime in and brag about my beautiful homeland and where he should go. i fretted momentarily that my suggestions would be greeted with laughter, as his plans involved things like "dinner at the french laundry". if you're too lazy to click that link, it's a wikipedia entry that says "the french laundry is considered by critics to be one of the best restaurants in the united states AND THE WORLD." how's that for a review? nevertheless, i sent leonard a tailored version of this travel guide.

and the rest is box of wine in the mail history.



*more on key finding tomorrow, perhaps