It was a tough week, for many reasons of which I won't go into just now. I believe I had talked myself into illness last night, as my throat was a burning wasteland and my energy level was nil. Had Joy Division been playing and some random rope been at hand, well...I might have practiced some sailor knots while grooving to Ian's solemn promises of sadness and despair.
My good friend, to whom I confessed my unusual mood, cheered me up by taking me all over St. Louis today for some fun.
Now, I'm not one to really enjoy shopping (not your typical gal), but I do have some favorite stores through which I don't mind wandering aimlessly. We started out at Trader Joe's, the ultimate fun food store. Got all sorts of tasty vittles. We then headed over to Petsmart for dog toys - and I'm happy to say that Oliver is the proud owner of a new Ducky.
Target was a short walk away, and we ventured over there to partake in their housewares section. Picked up some smelly candles, and then traversed the parking lot to explore another of my favorite haunts, World Market. Some days, I just want to live there. Take a shower using their Red Tea/Pear milled soap, dry off with the Flint/Fog Floral Turkish Cotton Bath Towels, curl up in a papasan chair with a glass of
While at WM, I remembered I had on my list to pick up some incense. There is a little shop in the Loop, Sunshine Daydream, that sells them by the stick, and we jetted to that part of town to peruse around. I picked up 10 sticks of Jasmine. Good stuff. A little goes a long way. I don't burn incense very often, but when I do it reminds me of being a college freshman, discovering the joy of living on my own, midnight poetry, bourbon, patchouli, and Birkenstocks. All good things in my life, past and present.
It was still early, about 10, and we had a ton of time to kill until lunch. My friend knows how much I like the zoo, so we drove to Forest Park, hapened upon some rockstar parking, and walked on up to the primate house. We saw the neatest thing ever - a ring-tailed lemur had a baby last night, and she was holding it in her arms, cleaning it. It was the tiniest little beast, all spidery legs and stripey tail, and every so often the mother would look up at us and stare. Creepy and lovely all at the same time.
Hunger overtook us, and we ventured to the CWE and had us some delicious India Rasoi. Chicken Tikka Masala, naan, palak paneer, malai kofta, and gulab jamun. Just what the doctor ordered.
After an afternoon of lazing about, napping, playing with pups and watching the first five minutes of what looked to be a way-too sinister Italian WWII movie (my bad Netflix choice), I was whisked away to the Fountain on Locust, a very eclectic eatery in downtown/midtown St. Louis. It has a very soda-fountainy feel, and each booth has a small speaker that you can turn up the volume and listen to a "radio soap opera" that is new every two minutes. Kitschy! I got the 1/2 sandwich and salad dealio, which was delish. My friend had the soup trio and a Spaten. The proprietor was very chummy, and brought us an extra martini concoction that he had "mistakenly" made, which was outstanding. Great food, good atmosphere, awesome drinks and desserts. Does it get any better?
I am not sure what surprises my friend has in store for me this evening, but all in all he has succeeded in making me laugh, taking my mind off my current troubles, and being a great friend. And for that, I am thankful.
Hopefully someday, I can return the favor.
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