Thus concludes a truly remarkable (final) day of being lived by The Bailey Sisters! Man it was great.
I hardly know where to begin.
Let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start)
In the morning, I let 1. The Coin of Destiny do the talking. I made lots of decisions. Now, after a long night at the casino, I’m not sure if I remember any of them. But among them:
- Should I follow a commenters’ either/or directive today? (NO)
- Should I wear the black or grey shoes? (BLACK)
- Should I eat at Nuba or somewhere new? (NEW)
- Coke or Snapple? (SNAPPLE)
& so forth. I lived “my life” & eventually ended up at home. All unfamiliar food, black shoes, & Snapple.
When I returned home, my phone was waiting for me in the mailbox! Loaded with texts, of course.
Thanks, Mom!
I didn’t need to 2. Consult the I Ching to determine which Radio Lab podcast to listen to today as the I Ching had, by process of elimination, decided that I would listen to “Musical Languange.”
Now there was a magical experience! I listened as if it were going out of style.
Very good. I made a video of me listening, but the 3. Coin of Destiny said I shouldn’t post it. Sorry, guys.
Well, I was supposed to 4. go to the Casino tonight. Wearing 5. red lipstick and 6. jeans, hoodie, & sunglasses. Managed the lipstick ok. Jeans too. Hoodie as well. As for the sunglasses? That was a little more difficult. But I drew some sunglasses on my wrist & hung a sunglass around my neck. Thus, covered all bases.
I put the awe in awesome.
Eventually, the Bailey sisters (or two of them) arrived at my home. Luck was a latey tonight.
I can build them a bike...
They’ve been feeling disenchanted with me lately. I’m all loopholes & semantics. & there were certainly more semantics ahead! Was there ANY WAY to rectify this? I thought I might be able to do it through song.
Outtakes will be available on the members only site. The outtakes are actually the best part of the project this week! Anyway, I managed to convince them (through song & liberally flowing champagne) that “bike” was open to interpretation. On the way to the casino, I would sing them improvised songs, all about bicycles & cycling. & thus, I’d 7. bike. Good.
I won them over to my cause. We headed over, singing all the while.
We took a cab over, at their insistence, where I serenaded them & the cab driver at length. We made a video but (sigh) I accidentally deleted it.
Nearing the gates
After the cab we found ourselves, very excited, in the casino. We took some amazing pictures too, but the casino owners made us delete them. So we took another picture outside with the bouncer.
Nobody NOSE the trouble I've seen
Yeah, I look like the joker. But it’s the best I can do, under the circumstances.
Then we headed in to play a few games. I was only allowed the 8. hard bar so I drank some whiskey. While my friends enjoyed the (much more moderately priced) beer.
Then I 9. Flipped the Coin of Destiny to determine what games I would play
- Blackjack
- Slots
- Slots
In Blackjack I put 15 down & won 25! Then I played slots, where I put $20 in & won $50. I had a 9. budget of $81 but, after some fudging, I made it. Regardless, I won over $40. Most of it on slots. Lucky me! I talked to the dealers, none of whom gamble on their free time, & they all agreed I was lucky.
So many amazing pictures uploaded that don’t quite fit in with the theme of today’s blog. It’s a pity. Those of you who actually know me will likely see these appear on facebook. Small consolation, I know.
As far as tomorrow, the first day of Week 10, goes? Well, a commenter favorite (Ben Trafford) has stepped in. He’s proven to be a remarkable understudy. You should all aspire to such heights.
I have his schedule up, & his bio too.
In the next few days you should witness me getting down & nerdy.
Still high off my gains at the casino (more than $30 for sure!) I’m up for anything.
In the front of Book #1, the book to give away for strangers, I wrote a little rainbow-colored poem:
I gave him the second (partially colored in) book.
Week 9, Day 5
8 09 2009& thus another long & strange day of being lived by The Bailey Sisters draws to a close! I hardly know where to begin. I could tell you where I end: on a pile of cushions underneath my mother’s dining room table. But how did I get here? Let me turn back the clock & lead you by hand.
I woke up this morning to Jess on the phone. “I’ll be outside at nine!” she told me.
“Yes, of course!” I responded cheerily, reflexively hiding the fact that she’d just woken me up. WHY was she calling me before 7:00am? As I hung up I saw the time on my cell phone. 8:47! So it looks like my alarm didn’t go off after all.
Somehow I made it out the door. Bella was very excited that we were about to go on a long trip but her face when I reached the door & begin to leave without her nearly killed me! I could hear her mournful wails in the elevator. But Jess will have taken her for a walk tonight.
only destiny is awake
Stumbled into the car (I’ll buy Jess breakfast another day) & began the drive to the Horseshoe Bay Ferries. Today I was supposed to travel with 1. the soundtrack provided by the Bailey sisters. The soundtrack turned out to be silence. & the occasional song + static on Jess’ car radio. It’s ok. It lent an air of reality to the whole thing.
Fortunately I made it. Did Jess come with me? No. The Coin of Destiny had determined that I would 2. travel alone. Travel alone I did, bleary-eyed & unbathed as any decent hobo.
Once on the ferry, I 3. flipped the Coin to see if I could have Coke for breakfast. NO. 4. Coke with breakfast? YES! Well, what do you know.
I 3. ate out on the ferry, not sure if I’d have a chance on the island. There’s a photograph of the meal for evidence, but do you really want to see a picture of a tray of egg & toast? The most exciting part is the big paper cup of Coca-Cola. Boy does that stuff make my heart sing.
After a few bites of mystery meat & so forth, I headed to the top deck. Where I pondered things.
i should be wearing a yellow pantsuit
Then I found a seat & (rather sheepishly) 4. consulted the I Ching to see which 5. Radio Lab podcast I should listen to.
sixteen going on seventeen
Well I got Hexagram 16 (Following) with the variable Hexagram 17 (Providing). The answer is clear, right?
“Choice.” That’s what I listened to. It was good & relevant in a way my notes on it aren’t. It lasted just as long as the ferry ride. Then I got off the ferry.
On the way up the gangplank or whatever it’s called I flipped the Coin again.
Eventually I encountered my mother, who greeted me by doing what she soon explained was 6. a goldfish dance. Intriguing. & very strange. That wasn’t my plan for “goldfish” but it seemed to be destiny. I decided to keep her goldfish dance as a back-up.
On the drive over, I faced a barrage of decisions. Did I want to go horseback riding? Which of the following seven restaurants did I want to eat at? & what about Christmas plans? Did I want to drive a few hours for oysters? Sit in the front seat? So many decisions! I politely refused to make any of them, & things calmed down a little. Though accidental attempts to force me into decision-making did recur on occasion throughout the day. If I flipped a coin for each of the options my mother gave me, I’d probably be floating in a hot air balloon somewhere over Mexico right now.
Just how do you think I got where I am today?
We ate out again. At a pub. For lunch.
Eventually, we arrived at my mother’s home. She headed out with her husband to buy a trillion oysters & I, after coordinating some things for the project, (& seeing a friend’s post on facebook about a sick goldfish getting an injection at a fish hospital in India!) took the family station wagon out to 7. Qualicum to see the Free Spirit Spheres.
I traveled alone & in silence. As specified by The Coin. Oh I also had a 8. lighter in my pocket.
I got lost, but only a little. Isn’t it nice out there?
HESITATE
That’s me turning around.
oh, bother
I eventually found the spheres but, as I suspected, no visitors without appointments. My fault? No. 9. wasn’t allowed to make reservations so I wheeled back around. But someday I’d like to go stay in those spheres. They sound interesting.
Disappointed? Remember what they tell you on inspirational posters. It’s about the _______, not the ___________.
& this was a journey full of interesting private revelations.
On the way back I picked up a bottle of wine for dinner & remembered I had to flip for a 10. either/or directive set provided by one of my commenters.
I selected Ben Trafford’s, & ended up with HEADS.
why, kissing is gross?
I have to 11. tell you why I think kissing is gross.
I believe I said something to that effect on Twitter a long time ago?
Anyway, kissing is gross, I don’t just think it is. The human mouth is absolutely filthy, much filthier than a dog’s mouth, & it’s a little strange that people like to put their mouths on each other’s mouths & lick each other’s tongues. Did they always do that? Before dental hygiene? I certainly hope not.
I like to think they call it French kissing because the English didn’t do it at all until recently.
However, just because I think kissing is gross doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it on occasion. You don’t kiss with your brain, you know.
Satisfied? Titillated? I wouldn’t be, but to each his own. Next!
Several hours later, I was back in my mother’s home. On 12. the water.
not pictured: shoes, ships, sealing wax
She’d returned with an absolute bounty of oysters! Five dozen, to be precise. First, her husband put some on the grill.
(Cover your eyes, Ptolemy! I’m about to have a wholesome good time).
So I ate a barbecued one. I hope you don’t get fired for looking at a picture of it:
oh dear.
Then I set to work shucking. I’ve never done it before but I became very good very quickly! I think I may have found my calling. I only cut myself once. I prised open an oyster & told it “HA! Serves you right for being an oyster.” & then it cut my hand. I was very proud of it.
gluttony is its own reward
The oyster, not my hand.
I asked the coin if I should pick one of these three to release into the wild.
tails. sorry guys.
So I ate 36 oysters. A dozen for each Bailey sister. Proud?
& then tucked into a dinner of steak.
I flipped The Coin periodically throughout the day in several minor, uninteresting situations. Eg., on the theme of steak “Should I put Tabasco on?” So you get the point.
After dinner, we explored the obedience of the dog by balancing meat on his paws & cheese on his head.
there's got to be more than this
Then it was time to 13. Go camping.
The video is rather long, but full of voyeuristic delights. & I think you should see the kind of ingenuity that runs in the family.
After my tent was set up, I went for a walk along the ocean.
As for my date tomorrow? I’m flipping now.
As for Vancouver, should I go back in the morning or afternoon? (MORNING. noooooooo.)
Once I’m done with this entry, I’ll go to the water again. I’m supposed to do something involving a 14. poem, I believe. I’ll attempt to write out there. But if that fails, I’ll recite something.
Then? To bed:
q. did you hear about the fire at the circus? a. it was in tents
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