Sunday, November 4, 2007

Taxidermy and Fun

Well I found a great use for my surplus. On Friday night a few co-workers and I set out for an evening of admiring real and imagined animals that are now dead and preserved in such a way as they can be constantly admired. We went to a taxidermy contest at The Secret Science Club in Union Hall, a bar with actual boccee courts inside. And no, the contest wasn't a race to see who could stuff a sewer rat the fastest, but rather a chance for the wonders of preserved nature to be viewed, admired and ultimately judged.

There I saw a two headed calf, the skeleton of a cat with two faces, a bird of paradise, a mermaid, and something called a sea rabbit. The pope of squirrels made an appearance, along with vicious polar voles. And all of this transpired under the frightening, inscrutable vision of the rump ape. One of the best things about the evening was the judges. They had a novelist, a member of the Minnesota Rouge Taxidermists, a DJ and a person from the Natural History museum. The natural scientist functioned well a soothsayer. He spotted the gaffs, corrected the presenters and even provided some history when it came to various stuffed beasts.

Before this I spent money on food. It was great to actually relax and have money to blow. Midway through the meal I felt this overwhelming sense of joy. It was a vaguely familiar feeling, then I realized it. I was having fun. So this is what it's like. It was odd.

I woke up feeling all the fun I had the next morning. So after stitching up my hangover with coffee, ibuprofen and multivitamins I started my weekend project of cleaning. I was supposed to be writing a novel (still am actually) but I was distracted. I went out and spent some money on cleaning supplies and then invested a lot of time scrubbing. My kitchen floor is something I'm proud of now.


BREAKDOWN
Starting Balance: $41.75

IN: $40

Friday
Union Hall: $45

Saturday
Cleaning Supplies: $13.75
Chinese Food: $5

Sunday
Gyro Sandwich: $3
Bread: $4.50
Ham: $3
Tomatoes: $.75
Beer: $3
Laundry $12

Monday:
Parsley: $1

Balance: -$9.50

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