the eyes of strangers and the kindness of strangers

so i'm sitting on our futon this a.m. in a fine state of undress, when i look up and notice a pair of men standing on the rooftop next door. i can see them clearly through the window in my library room, which means they too can see me just fine. thus, i leaped up in search of a smock and made haste to shut the blinds. this neighboring rooftop is inches away from our building and has not caused alarm before, as i've never seen anyone on it. given today's visitors, i must make note to keep those windows covered lest i give away a pro bono peep show. this gurl don't give it up fo free now!

upon leaving the crib and weaving my way through the construction and delivery trucks that have become a permanent fixture on our block, i hopped into my car at the same moment as an unknown neighbor who happened to be parked directly in front of me. it's unusual enough to be in close proximity to anyone in the early morn, but i was astounded that a chicago resident could pull off a tiny act of kindness, especially where an automobile was involved. my car was jammed into a tight spot and i was ready to go before my car companion, so he actually pulled his car forward into the empty space in front to give me room to move out. i realize this is a very small effort, but with the attitudes expressed on these roads here, i found it refreshing.

i've been in christmas mode for a few days, just in time to head home to da lou. last night, Mole and i wrangled that oafy tree, got her lit and pretty. it really looks regal in our front window and i'm going to attempt to photograph it from the street tonight when i arrive home. after tree time, we watched "roger and me", which i had not viewed previously, but Mole had. as my man predicted, this film made me mad as hell about the injustices in our nation. i can't stop thinking about how this american community (not unlike many of the same here, i'm sure) opted to drop 13 million bones on a state of the art prison to cage up their underworked, over-extended citizenry instead of investing that money in programs to *help* these people rise above the circumstances they inherited from the industries they brought to life, who then turned their backs on them when they were no longer useful. and the yuppie sleazoid couples who attended a fat cat jailhouse fundraising party, never once thinking of how to give something back to these poor people instead of just donating money to put them out of their sight lines. let's just cage 'em up and smoke 'em out their holes! that's all they deserve, after all. while not a cheerful film, i'm glad we watched in on the cusp of the commercial holiday. keeps all the issues that i need to be more involved in at the forefront of my brain.

we continued the holiday cheer explosion at work, where literally, there were more gifts being passed around than at my family gatherings. the office ladies brought things for all of us, which makes me feel scroogey since i opted (at the proverbial last minute, mind you) to bring a little group gift. as a broke-ass independently employed working bee who isn't even exchanging gifts with the man i loves, i did what i could. admittedly, i was not looking forward to more christmas hoopla, but we did have an enjoyable afternoon. work fellowship in effect!

perhaps i'll find a coffeehouse at home where i can use a computer and add in my thoughts on my 2005 focuses (not resolutions......focuses) and the much anticipated rendering of the altercation i had with a restaurant guest on wednesday.

in greater news, the growth process of my moppy locks showed the tiniest bit of progress yesterday. i now have enough length to give myself some noticeable flips of locks hanging outside a sock hat. from the mere inches i'm used to carrying around on my cranium, this is noteworthy. gimme a head with hay-ah!