Stuff I Think About

Poison ivy: Where the heck does it come from? And what is the purpose of stuff like that (see also chiggers, mosquitoes, wasps, hornets)? Seriously. Does it benefit anything? Does some insect or animal depend on it for food or shelter?

Shopping carts: Why do [most] people WALK AROUND A CART in the parking lot to get one from inside the store? That completely fascinates me. Are folks just that unconscious? Do they not see the thing they had to walk around? Do they think it's the job of someone else to deal with the parking lot carts? Or do they think the ones inside the store are better/cleaner? I'd love to stop someone and ask, but would probably get punched.

Shopping carts, continued: Why can't people walk an extra couple of feet to return the cart to the cart corral? Instead they leave them in parking spaces. Or on the sidewalk. Or half propped up on the curb. (do they think they're being considerate when they do that? only take up half a parking space that way)

Plants: Why do I buy them? It's a waste of money. I love to look at them, but hate the upkeep.

Bacon: Why is it so good? That's all.

I've also thought about F5 tornadoes and car bombings and graduation and war and the Pacific Theatre and cat carriers and drag bingo and the price of gas and how much I like staying here when everyone else goes away and scissors and pork chops and LED light bulbs and lawnmowers and changing sheets and laundry and paper bags and tomatoes with mayonnaise and dishwashers and water filters (why is mine making that noise?!) and how I have to keep calling people to finish work they agreed to do and Morocco and 1.5 million dollar condos in San Francisco and wood floors and how come I still haven't cleaned the cat puke stains (because I don't have to) and cat grass and fires and floods and staining the deck and sweeping the front porch and cat litter and vacuuming and where Finn is sleeping and why won't Lillie shut up and rearranging the furniture (always) and car inspections and vehicle registration and fixing the scraped up side of the car and beheaded soldiers in London and ravens in the Tower and Yeoman Warders and earthquakes and nuclear reactors and Japan and bracelets with carved ivory animals and elephants and pens and where the heck did I put that refill and getting dressed and returning things I bought Saturday and french fries and work tomorrow and taking videos back to the library and if it's open today (probably not) and donating my body to The Body Farm and green funerals and should I get more coffee (no) and how much I like the music of the person below.

"Summer Breeze (Set Sail)" - Giyo

"Rainfall" - Giyo

So...

Today is my baby brother's 50th birthday and I spent almost $25 dollars on glucosamine tablets, both of which make me feel old.

My hip's been painin' me for a few weeks and after a second person recommended the glucosamine, I listened. The pain makes me remember sleeping on the floor of the youth hostel in Northern Ireland oh so many years ago where the combination of jet lag, stinky duck feather pillow, and hip pain kept me awake so I could enjoy the drunken 4 AM serenades.

Took the back way home from buying my old lady drugs supplements; at one end of the street it was not raining, but at the other end (less than a mile) it was raining Florida hard. If you've ever lived in Florida you know what I'm talking about. The kind of sudden rain that comes on so hard the fastest wiper speed isn't fast enough; you can't see the front of your car. (But you do not pull over, that would admit some sort of weakness.) It rains monsoon hard for about twenty minutes, then stops.

Friday night was extra fun. Our sales director was in town for a couple of work events and we met the bosses at Fullsteam brewery.  Before the bosses arrived we meandered across the street to Motorco because the duck fat tater tot truck (aka Kokyu) was there.

Duck fat tots, Taku (korean bbq taco), sweet potato fries, spicy India slaw  pulled pork slider

We wandered back across the street to Fullsteam and after a beer or two (half pint of cream shandy for me),  we went in search of edibles that were not from a food truck. First stop, Geer Street Garden, but it was packed with a long wait. We popped into Cocoa Cinnamon across the street, but the tiny cheesecakes and other sweet things were not scratching our savory itch.
We continued along Foster Street to Piedmont Restaurant where we found great art, but no small plates (and less than par service). Up Foster another block, turned left on Chapel Hill Street, to Rue Cler, where we found fantastic small plates AND service. Asparagus with Bearnaise, pomme frites (with the same amazing Bearnaise), a slab of Gratin Dauphinois that looked like a piece of cake, kale and mushroom crepe, and salad frisee.

Sated, we sauntered down Rigsbee, stopping for a moment to watch a movie they were showing in Central Park. We had come full circle; back at Fullsteam. Durham at its best.

Happy birthday to my favorite brother. Please stay away from the Motrin.

Sunday, Sunday

I just finished my breakfast of saffron yolked poached eggs and thick center cut bacon from pork raised without antibiotics that cost $1.13 a slice (there were eight slices; I let you do the math). It was delicious (better be) - like eating a slice of pork chop. The jewel-toned eggs were topped off with hollandaise and a sprinkle of hot smoked Spanish paprika. Oscar got to clean the plate.

It's Oregon weather again today, and I'm still not complaining. It's cool and well... pretty fantastic in my book. In April, the heat was turned off, the AC on, then back off, and now, in May, I'm contemplating turning the heat on again. I refuse to put the flannel sheet (too hot blooded for plural flannel), back on the bed or take down the winter clothes - that would surely jinx everything. That reminds me, I need to put clothes in the dryer. BRB.

I don't have to clean today. Did that Friday night before friends came over for some pre-dinner refreshments. Dinner was at Dos Perros, in case you were curious. Sweet potato empanada (spell check says... Pasadena) with chipotle fig sauce. Watery, boring butternut squash soup (disappointingly so). Where were the pepitas? The guacamole was excellent though.
As a side note, if I ever cross over to the dog side and get a female dog, I am so naming her Pepita; it is just too fun to say. No name stealing now.

While following a friend through the UNC campus yesterday on our way to see Iron Man III, we stopped at a light. A young man was waiting to cross Columbia, dressed in butter yellow Bermuda shorts, short sleeved blue and white striped shirt, and tan boating shoes. He was probably 6'2", lean, slightly tan, with thick light brown hair, and the carefully manicured facial stubble that is so popular (and annoying). (It was a long light with no turn on red y'all; lots of observation time.). He looked like a Ralph Lauren ad. I thought about how young he was and how his whole life was ahead of him and just in general wondered what in the hell is it like to be so damned good-looking. King of the world.
As we waited for the movie to start, Erin leaned over and asked if I had noticed the young man at the light. She'd been thinking the same things.

There was no point to that snippet, just an ah youth kind of a thing.

Iron Man III was funny, but about 20 minutes too long, which was about the amount of time Goopy Gwyneth was on screen. Coincidence?

I'm going to go rearrange some furniture and then put it right back the way it was.

Enjoy some Jono McCleery on this gray, drizzly [fantastic] day.