My tummy was killing me yesterday. It was menstrual cramps, not my general gastrointestinal extravaganza, but I didn't tell them at work when I was complaining.

My Christ, I'm 37 years old, how can I still have incapacitating cramps where I have to go home early from work and lie down!

I was sitting on the train, which was pretty full, but the seat diagonally from me was empty.

This mother and her little girl, around four years old, came on at the next stop, and the little girl clambered into the seat while mother stood above her, holding onto the bar. The little girl was giving me the eye, I could tell, even though I was reading. Finally, I heard, "Hello!"

I looked up, and she was talking to me. "Hello!" I answered.

"What's your name?" she asked.
"My name is Sally, what's yours?"
"My name is Claire."
"That's a very pretty name."
"Blah blah blah mumble mumble something unintelligible."
"What did you say?"
"I said blah blah blah mumble mumble something unintelligible!"
"Really, that's cool."
"It's very nice to meet you, Sally!"
"Well, it's very nice to meet you, too, Claire!"
"Mommy, I made a new friend!"
"Okay, Claire, this is my stop. Bye-bye!"
"Bye Sally! Bye Sally! Mommy, my friend Sally has pink hair!"

You may be wondering about the whole Sally thing.

It wasn't a lie, not really, though we all know that that isn't exactly my actual name, it's kind of complicated. I make up stories all the time to entertain myself about cool things that happen to me, it's like a soap opera where I am the main character, and I re-tell the stories and expand upon them, and it's just something I do to entertain myself, I'm sure you do pretty much the same thing yourself.

Anyway, in one of these stories, one I am very attached to, I got the nickname Sally, as in Sally Brown, Charlie Brown's little sister, and I have sort of started thinking as though that were a real nickname, not one that I gave myself in my head in a situation that wasn't real. So when Claire asked my name, I opened my mouth and said, "Sally, my name is Sally."

Maybe I thought that it made the daydream real by saying that was my name. I felt kind of bad that I hadn't told Claire my real name, because she was such a darling girl, but like I said, I wasn't exactly lying, because secretly I am Sally, after all.

Today's horoscope:
People around you might seesaw between a picky focus on petty issues to an erratic, unpredictable cutting loose. Flexibility wins.

One year ago today:
And now it's times for Rate-a-Trailer™!

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Last Updated Sun 20 January 21:44:09 2002