tali c

hey it’s me you might know me as “the girl who fell” from 19 october’s year in philadelphia entry called TYLER’S BIG DAY and well I’m happy to report that on 7 december I did not fall down here is what I did instead —

woke up with TO HECK WITH OLE SANTA CLAUSE by loretta lynn stuck in my head particularly the I’d like to hit him in his ho-ho-ho part and sang that in my head on loop while I brushed my teeth a new bakery opened on my block called NEW JUNE so I go and stand in line at 9AM for some reason it’s early-ish into the  w i n t e r  but I am already sick of wearing my coat so I put leggings on under my jeans and a jean jacket over my shirt and a scarf over that too and go down the block I buy a slice of carrot cake and a big thick heart shaped sugar cookie when they ask me which one I want I say the one that uhh that one that uhh looks like its got a tennis court on top of it please thank you ha-ha-ha can I get a sicker too the local news was on location doing the news on NEW JUNE the new bakery and it made me antsy so I go home and eat my piece of carrot cake with two purple flowers on top of it for breakfast and decide to save the tennis court for later get a text from the pharmacy that one of my scripts is ready which reminds me to take my pills and vitamins too so I take my pills and vitamins too because I’ve recently decided to try being alive like I really really mean it for real for once and the carrot cake was really good I forgot to mention that I stand in my kitchen for a while thinking about what to do with my  d a y  in  p h i l a d e l p h i a  then text jordy to see if he wants to go to the fiber arts market in the BOK building later with me put my shoes back on and the scarf and the jean jacket too and walk to the coffee shop skateboard shop down the block that I like a lot a lot martha’s working and thanks me for the mug I made them sara is working and ron’s at the back table putting grip tape on a custom deck TOGETHER is ron and sara’s shop but ron’s been doing some film and or production work lately so I don’t see him that much anymore I order an oat latte and sara brings it to me because I don’t hear her when it’s ready ron and I are busy kibitzing (he is a self-identified kibitzer) ron says he’s not great at timing ron says that’s a picture of gennero behind you on the wall ron says he heard something like if you’re friends with someone that like if you make it to five years being friends with someone you’ll be friends for life I’ve lived in philly longer than five years so I guess we’re friends for life philly ron says are you a street photographer after I take his picture and I laugh sara sticks around to kibitz with us and we talk about the shows and spin offs they used to work on then martha says sara and we all realize it’s gotten busy in the shop I get outta there before I wreck anything and the abandoned dollhouse is still in the street so I take a picture of it but it comes out washed I drive to rite aid and get the script and a box of tampons back home I do my physical therapy homework part of that whole being alive on purpose thing for some reason it’s a lot of jumping today I listen to GAMI GANG while I move open the notes section on the forward lunge assignment and give it a THUMBS DOWN booo forward lunges have you heard the good word of the open book stretch I do a couple of those after my homework is done because it feels very nice to my spine I check my phone which is something I am doing less these days since deleting most of my apps jordy texted he can go to the fiber arts market at 1:00 or anytime after which is I think three-ish hours from where we are at present in the story I realize I can get some reading in and flip through NIGHT MOVES by jessica hopper because I figure it will be good inspo for my one day of assigned autobiographical slash docu-journalism slash confessional-blog-zine-of-the-day type thing going on here and there are two notes in the cover of my copy of NIGHT MOVES I won’t be sharing the contents with you don’t ask but you should read the book it’s one of my favorites I marked an entry for you and it goes like this

I just need to go home and stare into Tito's furry face and cry with love, stare into all my friends' faces and cry with love, finish a manuscript, ride around listening to Adina Howard tapes on bikes wiff Ben til 4 a.m., sleep not on the floor, stand atop the train bridge facing east and channel the ghost of Sandburg's bow-tie to purge my mortal fears, go rest my face on the cool granite floors of the empty atrium atop Harold Washington Library, kiss a copy of Neon Wilderness three times for luck and ask god what's next. 

July 09, 2008

jess hopp is writing autobiographically from chicago in NIGHT MOVES last year I went to a talk of her’s in philly with jordy and miranda and lit jess hopp’s cigarette for her after the show I read a little more think it would be cool to find a 7 december entry from her to put here but there isn’t one I get restless again and decide to go pick up the ornaments I made in a handbuilding workshop a few weekends ago I check the weather thirty-nine degrees real feel thirty-one the wind is making it feel cooler I skip the jacket settle for just the scarf add a beanie back to the car passing the abandoned doll house once more listen to REAL FEEL 105 off the new BRIGHT EYES album jordy calls me and we tee-hee-hee over the bluetooth he says jonny’s car wouldn’t start I say do you need me to come jump it he says jonny took an uber to work already I offer to investigate it in the afternoon I ask jordy if he’s eaten and he has and I say I’m on my way to CLOUD 9 CLAY and will head to his after but I don’t know when that will be because sometimes it takes me forty minutes to go two miles across the city I say can I have some snacks when I get there I love CLOUD 9 CLAY I have taken a few workshops from them over the years peyton is my favorite ceramicist in the city her work inspires a lot of my own ceramic work but I didn’t do ceramics this day so let’s get back to the point I get to CLOUD 9 and rez dog is there wearing his baby blue bandana I give him lots of pets he shows me his firm belly does this count as genuflecting I say I’m here to pick up my workshop pieces tali my name is tali the person working the weekend shift brings me a bag with my pieces wrapped in bubble paper I say hey can I ask you a strange question I say hey my friend is doing this zine project thing and can I take your picture and I take a picture of them pointing to an ornament peyton made hanging on the shop’s christmas tree hey wait I forgot to tell you that this morning after I brushed my teeth I stared longingly lovingly languish-ly at my own christmas tree before unplugging the lights some other people come into the shop at CLOUD 9 and I want to leave so I do even though I actually want to stay and look at all the luster dipped clay back in the car headed towards the delaware I short stop to avoid slamming into a red truck that says THE CHRISTMAS TREE GUY on the side and all my things slide from the passenger side seat to the passenger side seat footwell and there are crystals and lighters everywhere oh well I am alive and so is christmas and or christmas tree guy I get to jordy’s and put all the stuff back in my bag give big hugs to jordy (best friend) and tiny smooches to nick (jordy’s dog) I give jordy a sandwich baggie of manuka honey cough drops and a unopened bottle of vitamin D I make him hold them up while I take his picture and we both agree he looks cutie to the kitchen where jordy has made me what he is calling TALI SNACKS and it’s frozen spanakopita and his leftover pasta with fresh mozzy on top yum yum yum I eat it standing up in his kitchen leaning on the counter while we catch up on many things including but not limited to how [redacted] brought me flowers when they spent the night thursday jonny’s maybe dead battery how much we both love the book NIGHT MOVES what other books might have today’s date in them and how temple university is the biggest jester flop in the town square plus a few other things I put my dishes in the sink and plan to wash them later we both wrap green scarfs around our necks and head to the BOK building for the fiber arts market we buy some things for ourselves and for gift giving and we run into an ex-co-worker we both had jordy tells me I did a good job holding the conversation but I’m not convinced I love the BOK building I make jordy take the elevator with me to the sixth floor to see if my old pottery teacher ERIK is in his studio he isn’t and I leave a silly note washi taped to his door jordy opens an empty locker and mimes getting stuffed in it we make a funny joke that no one hears and the ballet class down the hall moves across the dance floor to live piano in the elevator a couple dressed up nicely asks us what the deal is with this building because we look like we know they say they are on their way to a wedding at irwin’s and we compliment their outfits we walk home and see a bloody clown doll tied to the hood of blue honda civic at home I ask jordy if he feels like finishing the national theatre recording of ANGELS IN AMERICA by which I mean starting the second half which is called PERESTROIKA he says yes and so we do and it is so so so good we had watched the first half before thanksgiving we watch the second half now and drink coffee with oat milk egg nog in it I take mine out of an xmas mug and when it’s gone we rinse the cups out and make ginger mint tea on the TV prior walter screams in belize’s face PROPHET PROPHET I PROPHESIZE and I take out my phone to take a picture for you we order chinese food and I am overjoyed to see they sent the crunchy things with our chicken soup they don’t always do that PERESTROIKA ends six minutes before we have to leave to go pick up jordy’s partner jonny from work remember him from before with the dead car battery I wash a few dishes until jordy tells me to leave it I pack my stuff and off we go I try to take a picture of jonny walking up to the car but it’s too night too flash too unsteady I drive the bois back home and ask jonny to try and start his car for me it won’t start but all the lights come on so that’s a good sign he turns the key and it doesn’t click-click-click I tell him to turn the key again and press down on the gas and it still doesn’t start I say pop the hood hunnybun and he does I show him and jordy how to use my autonomous jumpstarter and jump start jonny’s car he turns it off and jordy and I both rush to say no leave it on I leave the jumpstarter with them say call me tomorrow if you need a ride to work I say even if you think you’re bothering me you’re not bothering me I am offering I say okay question mark and they say okay full stop give big hugs to jon jon big hugs to jo jo and back into the car I listen to the new BRIGHT EYES again and find a decent spot on my street when I get home the outlet timer I ordered has arrived and I hurry up the stairs to set it up for my christmas tree I add the new ornaments and there is now about forty-eight minutes left of my  d a y in p h i l a d e l p h i a  I scan all the detritus from the day into my laptop and figure I will make a collage for you tomorrow I eat the tennis court from before-before wash the sink dishes take my night meds and the day  e n d s  okay the day ENDS love you call me back bye this is tali by the way bye !!

tali c is a maximalist idiot weaponizing their MFA and on 7 december they had cake for breakfast // you can find them on instagram @uhhhh.tali (but they aren't there much) kiss kiss kiss