Oblivio: Stories and such by Michael Barrish

Skip to primary content

Totalled | Jan 10 2002

My bathroom-mate Michelle, who I would turn in to the FBI under certain circumstances, make this nice sketch of me last week. She warned me that her pictures don’t often resemble their subjects, but that, I think, is praiseworthy: nothing should ever have to look like the thing that inspired it; nor like anything, really. We had a lovely chat and she told me about getting totalled at her company’s holiday party and deciding with a friend that they would each try to take home one of the bigshot editors, whom no one in her department is supposed to talk to, let alone try to take home. Michelle made two advances on her chosen editor and was rebuffed each time, but the way I look at it is, you give it your best shot and live with the results. I think Michelle feels the same way.

These days we have mice, Michelle and I, and all I can say is, I wouldn’t want to be one of those mice right now, because Michelle and I are both the kind of people who once we decide to do something, do it, thank you very much, the thing with the editor notwithstanding.