enumeration

enumeration: the act of counting off, or naming off, one by one.

today my official enumerating for the us census began.  it involved the following:

- meeting with my fellow enumerators and laughing.

- getting my assigned units.  i have about 25 apartments that i need to visit and have them fill out a census questionnaire.

- was told by a fellow enumerator who had been to my apartment place the day before that one door he knocked on was opened by a naked man.

- going back to my apt.  changing clothes.  playing volleyball.  lying in the sun.

- putting work clothes back on, hiking two streets down and getting to the door.

- contemplating the entryway which is decorated entirely in mirrors.

- luckily some guy comes out so i can get into the building.

- 25 units later, i have knocked left 25 "notice of visits" (meaning no one is home).  wait, let me rephrase... 25 units later, i knocked on two doors that had music/television coming from them, but no human answering the door, one door where i know someone shuffled up to peep at me through the peephole but not answer, one door in which a cat answered (or a human making cat noises, who knows), one door that was opened to a man saying he has been there for a week, just got in from greece, but was staying only a week and wondered if i wanted to do dinner later that night (he was 65 years old).  trying to be encouraging, but firm i told him, "keep dreaming."  my intention was to encourage him to not be disappointed by my refusal by continuing to dream that another young girl might say yes... but it came out entirely wrong... and why am i encouraging an old man to hit on innocent young women like myself?!?!

- one hour later, i was done with my enumerating and went back to my house to wait for tenants to call me at the phone number i'd left for them.

i told them they could call until 10pm.

it is 9:12pm and my phone hasn't rang once.

but i have read over 100 pages of fiction.  and that, is nice.