I keep thinking today's the 11th, which makes no sense, because I spent all night writing 1-10-99 on all my paperwork, so I should know what the date is.

I went to KMart and picked out about a dozen paint sample cards, then went home and taped them all over my living room in an effort to decide what color I'm going to paint the place. I think I have it narrowed down to two samples, both a sort of taupe-ish gold, but different shades. I'm going to leave them on the wall for a while though, to see if my tastes change, and also to get opinions from the various people who wander through my house. It's so hard to decide on a color for an entire room from a tiny little 2x2 card. A couple of the samples were instantly eliminated as soon as I stuck them on the wall. The lighting in my living room is very different from the lighting at KMart.

While I was at KMart I also wandered into the sporting goods section and looked at fishing stuff for a while. I love fishing, but never get a chance to go, and I left what little fishing equipment I had with my ex. Back when he and I worked the same shift (which lasted about a year) we used to get off work in the middle of the night, then go buy some bait and grab the poles and head to one of the piers. It was great, and we usually came home with a pile of flounder, or maybe some speckled trout. But then when I went back on graveyard shift we just sort of stopped going.

But I've been fishing most of my life, though I'm no great angler or anything. When I was a very small kid I used to go fishing with a cane pole and bread in the pond near where we lived. I'd catch four or five tiny little brim, which my wonderful mother would then actually cook for supper. As I got older I progressed to a rod and reel and the occasional bait other than bread or marshmallows. (Don't laugh--I actually caught fish with marshmallows.) I stopped fishing for a long time after I cut my foot very badly while wading in a bayou. 20 stitches and dang near took my heel clean off. I was on crutches for a month. Then I guess I didn't pick it up again with any seriousness until my husband and I started fishing together.

So, as soon as I get my LA drivers license I'm also going to pick up a fishing license. What the hell.

Oh, and if you want to read a journal entry that darn near made me fall out of my chair laughing, be sure to check out Ron Collins' entry for today, Jan 10, 1999.