a hazy, warm summer Saturday

Summer finally hit last Monday, a wall of sunshine and patches of cloud that will stretch until mid-to-late August, when our 6-week quota of warm weather dries up. It was a hottish week, temperature reaching 28C but the water and 33 inland. I've been low energy in the heat of my condo, falling asleep stretched out naked on top of my sheets and throwing one sheet over my legs in the middle of the night when the night air cools off.

Last night a thin layer of clouds came in, more a streaky haze than actual cloud. It has lowered the temperatures a little and made working on my glass work a definite possibility today. I went to bed late but woke up early, around 7, a filtered sunlight already streaking through the red-orange-gold-tan coloured abstract mosaic I put into my French doors that separate my bedroom from my workshop.

I was at Joe's Diner by 8:10 and on my way to Kona to buy more background glass for Yves' bamboo window. I am using Duncan "Rain", an elegant and expensive glue chip I am quite fond of but which Kona will soon stop restocking. I bought 4 sq ft just to have a little extra around. The half-hour bus ride to the store was pleasant but already getting warm. I am glad I got this done early. From the upper part of Knight St the blue, almost snow-free mountains don't look so wonderful through the warm brown haze. Still, the sunshine and warmth, accompanied by the early morning quiet and the promise of a full day ahead of me, put me in a positive and loving mood. I was thinking that if I had someone, it would be a perfect day for cuddling romantically in each others' arms.

But no such luck. I finally connected with Craig P after Kal forwarded his e-mail. It has been perhaps 5 months or more since I last saw him at the Fountainhead Pub. That last time I held his shoulders in a gentle, protective embrace as we chatted. He seemed very receptive to my touch and later suggested to Kal that he bring him to my place to see my glass. Months passed. For some strange reason I thought about him again the week before last and the next day Kal told me he had received an e-mail from him asking again when Kal would bring him over to my place. With a little reminder from me, Kal sent his e-mail and I contacted him directly to invite him to visit me.

Nothing has happened since then. Craig said he was probably coming downtown last night (he lives in New Westminster) but he didn't contact me. He hasn't yet phoned me or offered me his number. Ours will be an e-mail relationship for now, until he either decides to respond to my show of interest (which will probably not happen now that I have expressed it) or until we lose interest in the endless procrastination. He emailed me this morning to say he is off home to Newfoundland for his summer vacation very soon. The optimism of a new friendship has been moved to the back burner after only two days.

But there is always the glass and the writing inviting me to spend quality alone time with myself. I have only 47 pieces left on the bamboo window, most of which I hope to have done by this evening.