AMERICAN SNAPSHOT

What’s going on in my house, 1PM, June 28, 2010.

I’m drinking my second cup of coffee of the day out of a huge black mug with the official seal of the Supreme Court of the United States engraved on it, while watching a live stream on the internet of Elena Kagan’s SCOTUS nomination hearings. I have on an MTV t-shirt and black pajama pants, no socks. I’m reading multiple opinions on multiple SCOTUS opinions delivered today and my Twitter feed as it rolls along, with a video of a woman falling at a Metallica cover band concert queued up on a Firefox tab, ready to play later.

In the living room, CouchTeen blows his nose, suffering from a mighty head cold. This sound perfectly matches the constant nasal drone of the vuvuzela horns heard on the World Cup match he is watching on TV.

In the front room, MissSeven quietly plays a girly game on her Nintendo DS, sitting with her legs under her on an overstuffed red couch. She is staying home from summer camp today, having vomited out an expensive sushi meal most of last night. She yawns, I yawn, Couch Teen and The Vuvuzela Experience honk in unity.

The dog sleeps on the cool dirt outside in the tiny garden, twitching and semi-barking as she dreams, the gentle breeze ruffling her long black fur in waves. A crow balancing on a slim branch in the red Japanese maple tree regards her impassively, too clever for her.

The sun plays hide-and-seek with the cottony clouds outside my window. An expensive silver car crawls by, unsure of an address, heading down the hill towards the lake. I stare at the sky for a moment, searching.