28 October 2002 - 18:57

I'm cutting my characteristically long fingernails completely off a few days before Halloween, even though I have a penchant for dressing up as a dragon-girl. (Yes, I am a child who has found a favorite costume and sticks with it). I also use them for sculpting and opening packages and scratching myself. They grow very quickly.

There is a new orphaned baby whale, an underweight little boy named Armand, at the whale & dolphin hospital of Mote Marine Lab. A friend (but bordering on aquaintance) puts in massive amounts of time there. I haven't been for over two years (although of course, I hang around the lab a lot and everyone kinda recognizes me).

She was the only one scheduled with this boy for the 4 am to 8 am shift tonight, and I thought that wasn't right, and also that for once I would have a ride, in her snazzy two seater convertible. And Tuesday is one of my days off. And maybe this will remind me why I'm filling in all this paperwork for graduate school and scholarships.

So I'm hacking off my talons, because cetaceans have very sensitive skin. I should save my finger nail clippings and label them and send them to Platypus. Platypus is authorized to play with the nuclear reactor at Reed, where he is a student. He says if I send him labeled fingernail clippings, he can tell me which finger(s) I wear rings on from trace amounts of metal in my nails.

Yet I am not sure how I would package and label these sharp little fragments of self for this modern-day witch craft and I probably won't do it just yet, but simply keep intending to.

I feel once again strangely close to my youth.