2:29 p.m. - Oct. 02, 2002
Strange wkend speckled w/ moments of divine beauty
Part 1.
So�as I was saying�
A funny thing happened on the way to the forum. Ah, the tide turns. Ah, just as it always does. How wonderful.
This was a somewhat strange weekend, speckled with moments of sheer divine beauty.
Eltin invited me (and I accepted) and we�ve had our tickets for two + months�for the 1st Annual Austin City Limits Music Festival. It took place this past weekend, Sep 28 � 29. Eleven of us rented a three bedroom condo somewhere in the dark corners of suburbia, about 30 miles outside of Austin proper.
E-mails were circulating back and forth, all last week, as the final arrangements were being made. When I attempted to solidify some type of game plan with Eltin, he just kept saying, �Plan? What plan? I don�t want to make plans.� Ok, so he just wanted to play it by ear. It was a weekend getaway, after all � not brain surgery. I�m an extremely flexible, laid-back, roll-with-the-punches type of person � so I was ok with not making plans. All I wanted to know was, �What time do you want to head out of town on Friday?� Yadda, Yadda, Yadda let�s shoot for sometime around 7PM, when everyone else seems to be hitting the road. Sounds like a �plan.� That was Wednesday last week.
On Thursday, I heard not a word from Eltin. Ok, no worries � I was busy packing and preparing for the weekend. On Friday, I was considering leaving work a bit early. At 2:30PM, I called Eltin and asked him, �So, what time do you want to hit the road?� He acted puzzled, as if he had no idea to what I was referring. �Hit the road?� Ok, he was kidding ~ although it really wasn�t funny. Sometimes his humor hurts. Like me, he likes to push a bit. But sometimes he goes too far.
This is when he oh-so-casually mentioned to me that HE was going to ride HIS bike. And ~ it wasn�t, �Wanna ride together on my bike?� Or even, �I was considering riding my bike (although I know we�ve made these plans together MONTHS ago) what do YOU think?�
And then�
Then he asked me if I would transport some of his things, so that he wouldn�t have to strap down too much to his bike.
Well ~ when were you going to tell me that you were riding your bike? I thought that we had plans together? He made no apologies. He simply said that he planned on telling me at the first opportune moment. Well � when the fuck was THAT going to be? I mean � here it is Friday (the day that we are to leave), I have heard not a fucking word from you�and I have to chase you down at almost 3 in the afternoon, to figure out what we�re doing � only to discover that it doesn�t fucking matter at all, because YOU have already made your own damn plans. Without me. Without regard to my feelings or me.
Feeling like a fucking after-thought, a fucking obligation, a fucking thorn in his side, I decided to make the most of it ~ and made plans to ride with Lisa.
Ergh.
He knew I was angry.
After I had finalized my plans with Lisa, I called Eltin to let him know that we were planning to head out of town at 7PM � so, if he wanted me to transport some of his things, he had to have it all at my place in time. That was a voicemail I left him. He didn�t actually answer the phone when I called.
Avoidance.
Four hours later � at ten freaking minutes before 7PM, Eltin called ~ casual and without HUGE worries. But there was a semi-nervous, somewhat reluctant tone in his voice. He told me that he was heading on out, that he was traveling light, that he didn�t need to drop anything off, and that he�ll see me in Austin.
Ok.
Glad to hear the remorse in your voice for hurting my feelings and making me feel as significant as a bag of soggy peas.
