I volunteered at the gallery again. It's cold and rainy out (again) so the first hour not much went on. Then, because the gallery is in a rundown/industrial area with train tracks on 2 sides, a train came by...I ran over with my camera phone to take a picture. Just then a guy (who looked spanish) came out of Canopy (the place that had the childrens' party last time) and did a double take at me. I knew he would come in and look around. He went to the other set of double doors (the ones that are unlocked) and came in. I went back to the desk (yep, I only got 2 pics of the train going by). Since we are supposed to suggest that people sign the guest book, I suggested it. And he did. He walked around the gallery, then donated 4 dollars. Before that there was only 3 dollars in there, with a post-it note that says "3 dollars starter money".

He then proceeded to tell me that he comes to Canopy quiet often, but had never noticed the gallery being open. I told him in 2 weeks there would be a new opening, and new art.

Then he left. I read a cool Science Fiction short story by John Updike, "The Chaste Planet". Wish I could reprint it here. I also listened to a mixture of Concrete Blonde, The Cure and Green Day on my mp3 player and drank coffee.(It's very cold in the gallery, even when I turn the heat up as far as allowed -- 70 degrees).

So then, the strange artist (Brian Buchanan? Jacob Wenzka (I LOVE his art) ?) who hangs out in the back came in the double doors. He even spoke to me. He said "Hi".

I looked for another sci-fi story to read but then the really strange thing happened. Another guy comes in. I start to begin the "Do you want to sign the guest book" thing and I stopped because he headed somewhere in the back and retreaved some keys. He used the keys on a door across the entry way from the reception desk.

While the guy was in the the room across the way, the artist came back out from the back, with his headphones on and...smoking a cigarette. Because I am only a slightly reformed slight smoker (I never bought my own)I almost followed him out.

So, the guy in the room across the way comes out and starts loading in white uniforms and little square wooden boards. On one of the trips he says "You better finish reading" and I removed a headphone and said "what?" and he said "its going to get loud in here in just a few minutes. You better finish reading". By then I had figured out that they were about to have a martial arts class in that room. That is when the kids and parents started filing in...all removing their shoes in the entry way. It was so cute.

So I had fun. I interacted with 3 men- an artist, a martial artist and a spanish man. Woo hoo!