Fruit Snacks, Or How I Came Out Of My Funk And Started Making Better Art

I'm not gonna lie; I've been in a bit of a funk lately. I told Nicholas it's because I'm an artist, so every now and then I just have to do a bit of general lamenting. This time, I blamed it on the heat, and the lack of excitement in my life. It's too hot to go anywhere. It's expensive to take the bus anywhere, and buses around here are limited, and a couple miles from where I currently live. I'm worried that my phone (a Dumb Phone, now missing the back cover that goes over the battery) is the reason I haven't heard back from jobs, since it has a tendency to delay voicemails, or just not keep them. 

Blah blah blah first world problems. 

And the worst part of all was that I was frustrated with how mopey I was. I kept begging Nicholas for an adventure, anywhere, somewhere new and exciting. I just need to experience things so that I don't die inside, or whatever. And for the past few days, I haven't felt like making anything. I've read extensive amounts of Wikipedia. And I've been doing research for my eventual trip out west. Oh, and I spent an entire day watching Brad Meltzer's Decoded. I'm tellin' ya--once I start watching History Channel documentaries about conspiracy theories and everything else (especially on stormy days that make them that much more intense), I can't stop. Except for when I stop to read more about a topic on Wikipedia. Anyway.

But today, my funk is gone! 

I had an interview/hiring event for a great company, and it went really well. It was downtown, so after it ended at noon, I wandered around and looked in shops, and had a great lunch. Patat Friet. There's this awesome little food joint called Patat Spot just off of King St. downtown Charleston. If you're in the area, I definitely recommend it, especially if you like delicious, cheap food. They advertise as being a vegetarian place with meat options (awesome), and have all sorts of goodies like falafel and a salad bar. But their big seller are their friet. The first time Nicholas & I wandered in and I saw the words "Belgian style fries," I nearly cried of happiness. See, in Cleveland, there's this amazing place on the west side called Bier Markt. (Go there. Now. If you're in Cleveland, go.) And they also have Belgian style fries, called Pomme Frittes. AMAZING. But if you're in Charleston, you can get fries with your choice of 13 or 14 sauces, for half the price. So I ate fries for lunch. And they gave me an extra big helping and an extra sauce to go when I decided to take the leftovers home.

After lunch, I stopped at the Robot Candy Co. on King Street, where I purchased what was advertised as being the **World's Largest Candy Necklace** and you can bet I'll be wearing that beauty on a date with Nicholas sometime in the near future. I also bought $4 worth of gummy snacks. Because they came in every shape imaginable. And then some. It was hard for me to limit my selection. But look at this. I got a whole gummy garden. I got gummy berries and gummy cherries. Gummy dinosaurs and lobsters and gators and Angry Birds. Yes, Angry Birds. For Nicholas. I'm a swell girlfriend. And an M and an N for the cutest couple ever. D'awwww. Ok, go barf elsewhere now.

After indulging my sweet tooth, I peeked in a few stores, and ended up on a favorite clothes store trying on clothes. And even though I now live in Charleston and every day has a high of 90 or more, I went straight for the cardigans. No matter what. It always happens. Granted, they were floral print, and I do love florals. But I had to remind myself that it doesn't snow here, and I should save my  money for something more practical. Even though I still wear a cardigan. Every day. Including today. Oh well, old habits die hard. I left the store with one very cute, very cheap dress that made me feel like a million bucks. (Ciara, it has a drop waist! I never do drop waists! But this will go great with my Extra Large Candy Necklace.)

And then I explored the city a bit more. I was planning on visiting the library and hopefully finding some Derrida (Lane Cooper would be so proud), but it was hot, my shoes were giving me blisters, and it was almost time to catch the bus home.

I stopped in the Charleston Museum for a minute (mostly to enjoy one last burst of air conditioning before sitting at the bus stop), and talked to someone about their textile room. They have a textile room. With rotating displays. Of textiles. Man, am I gonna have to check that out.

And now I'm home! With a bag full of gummies and a head full of marvelous ideas. The only thing today was missing was a Mocha Coconut Frappuccino from Starbucks, and believe me, it was all I could do to keep myself from getting one of those. (And I ate so many fries that I couldn't consume anything else.)

I'm not saying money buys happiness, but sometimes you just need to take a break and do something for yourself.

Ps. Debbie, if you read this, please don't get mad at me for eating all these fruit snacks. I'm sharing them with Nicholas. And you ate alligator jerky, so there.