June 1, 2002
5:15 p.m.

I ended up not going out with Darren and the others last night. I just didn't have the money. I wouldn't have been good company, anyway. I was too depressed about being forced to sell more of my possesions in a sad attempt to cover my rent. Oh well, let what must be done, be done.

Yesterday I went to the library on another fruitless search for an Artemis Fowl book. I headed to the check-out counter with an armfull of second choices when I ran right into a little Asian boy. He looked up at me and grinned as if getting stepped on by a large woman was fun. It took a while for my brain to translate his childish babble into comprehensible words, especially because he had some kind of accent. It sounded slightly British.

I'm not good with children, so the sudden appearance of this small boy made me quite nervous. I couldn't seem to get rid of him. He was fascinated with my cd Walkman and kept asking to listen to it. I lied and told him it was broken simply because I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want his absent mother showing up and thinking some stanger allowed her kid to listen to inappropriate music (however inappropriate Jill Scott may be). He advised me to take it home so my dad can fix it.

That's one of the reasons why I love kids. Their thinking is so simple. They do things like assume everyone has a dad who can fix Walkmans. I wish it really were that easy.

This morning I watched the episode of Arthur that tells how he began wearing glasses. I was amazed because I had nearly the same experience. I was about the same age as Arthur when I got glasses. I also found out my need for them during a school mandated vision screening, as he did. The other kids thought I was in trouble because I didn't pass the vision test, just as Arthur's friends did. I'm sure lot of kids had the same experience, but it still seemed odd for my personal story to be so close to the storyline of a cartoon.

Speaking of glasses, it may be time for me to get a new prescription. Things have been kind of blurry lately. Besides, it will be a good excuse for me to pick out stylish new frames.