Makin’ Deals and Pieing Faces

An old college friend was in town recently and agreed to a pie in the face.

No wait, a fcbking friend who happened to go to the same college… and had a show on KAOS around the same time as me… and whose song I’d put on Dance O’ Dance… a friend of a friend really… in town for the other friend’s wedding… to which I wasn’t invited. Oh, dear, this is embarrassing.  The friend getting married also had a show on KAOS and put me in her infamous movie (“Love is Stupid”)… but I’d dated several of her friends… and they might have been invited to the wedding, and since everybody else lives in different cities… oh, whatever, you just can’t invite everybody to your wedding when space is limited.  I forgive you, Jenny Jenkins.

But we were talking about Caroline “Puck” Deutermann who agreed to the pie… casually, on facebook.

I take it seriously and send instructions to meet at the corner of Olympia and Washington at noon.

I splash on make-up and Oly-alt-hippy-organic-farmer costume (tie dye & overalls) and rush down there with Orion as assistant & photographer in tow.

Then I find myself waiting on the corner…. Puck didn’t take it seriously, and I forgot to bring her phone number.  It turns out that she’s around the corner at Old School or Dumpster Values or drinkin’ Artesian Well Water or sumptin.  So I decide to walk over to Whittle (the woodshop for imaginations of all sizes) and follow-up on my inquiry about custom folding fans.

Kyle decides that he can build one completely out of wood (replacing the metal pin with a wood dowel).  Once we create a production system,  we can make as many as I need and bring down the cost per unit.  I let him borrow one of my Indonesian fighting fans as a model, give him $20 for some parts and labor, and he says he’d make the wooden frame if I get the fabric.  Check back in three weeks.

We seal the deal with a handshake.

We have time to swing by the library and catch Jeff Evans doing his Aquafir Man routine for Take a Splash Read during the Imagination Celebration.

Then I head home and get Puck’s number from her fcbk info page.  She’s running late for the wedding now, so we can only visit long enough for me to deliver the pie.  Then she needs new stockings.  We meet in front of the Tea Lady’s new location near my house.

On the 30th of June (11 days later), we’re called out of town on a family emergency.  I’m back on the 11th (22 days later).  I haven’t heard from Kyle, but I also haven’t found the fabric I want.  By the 18th, I’ve obtained several yards of silk from Honey the Clown’s stash AND inspired Jerome at Rusty Cock Ridge to whip up a prototype in his shop.  Still no call from Kyle.

Yesterday, I drove downtown to find out how it was progressing.

Whittle is no longer in the storefront on Capital Blvd!

The website doesn’t show a physical address anymore, and no one answered the phone.

Hey, no fair.

Well, that’s one less birthday party option competing for parents.

[edit. update. kyle replied via email: “Things hapened quickly when we got the offer for the new space.  This doesn’t affect your fans, except tha it will be a couple more weeks for me to get completeply set up.  If that’s a problem, let me know.  I’ll call you first thing next week.” YAY, new space! Fans in a few weeks!]