January 21, 2003 - B
"Simple Pleasure Of Good Food"
It is in that spirit I'll list tonight's meal. For many months I wasn't going with Julia to the grocery store. Although we had an interesting item or two, the refrigerator grew very spacious. Now, again, I am going with her on the food shopping trips. The refrigerator is again packed with items, abundant choices as in the good old days. Laura, too, believed in much choice. Sometimes too much, as we had, besides the refrigerator, a huge ice chest also packed with frozen food items. Julia and I ate on that for several months until we emptied that freezer, combining the few remaining items with those in the little freezer.
Laura, for security's sake, needed to see such abundance. As I said, it took months to empty that big freezer. The two of us don't need such stockpiling. However, I do like a ready choice of a great variety of cheeses, breads, juices and even salad dressings.
Each Tuesday, after I get paid, it has become our custom to go to the Smart And Final, buy whatever items that appeal, and then go to the bank a few stores down the road. It is convenient and close. We selected many tasty items last night.
After important things were put away, we tucked into a veritable feast. Julia had had a eye for a different salad mix. We tried the 'Santa Barbara' bag, which contains escarole, endive and radicchio lettuce types. A bottle of Bleu cheese dressing called me. I get weary of nothing but oil and vinegar. The simple salad, with nothing more than those lettuces with the Bleu cheese dressing, was delicious.
A thick slab of sliced ham with a thin slice of Swiss cheese was also put onto a soft, thick hamburger bun covered with mayo and yellow mustard (none of that nasty Dijon mustard for me). I figured the 'ham' burger buns would do well for HAM. And they did.
Dessert was Chocolate Brownie fudge swirl ice cream, with two sticks of chocolate and almond biscotti. All of this was washed down with a small mug of grape juice. I don't know how the wealthy eat. Whatever they consume could not have been enjoyed more than we did tonight.
January 23, 2003 - A
"Let It Play Out"
I am sleepy, and I am not sure what if anything will happen this morning. But I must tell you Sebastian is having an interesting time, reliving his early memories. Oh, what a wicked scamp! And he does not even realize WHY he's wicked.
He just knows he pisses people off wherever he goes. He DOES, however, want to change this. We'll soon see if life on the farm does him any good. I don't know yet, myself, either. We have to let it play out.
While making the morning journal rounds, I learned via a favorite thoughtful site that the cloned cat C.C. bears nothing in resemblance to the original cat. The fur pattern is different, the personality is different, C.C. being more playful than the reserved Rainbow. One thing fortunate is, unlike the sheep, the cat appears to be perfectly healthy.
But those seeking exact reproductions of old pets are out of luck. I say the Mystery triumphs again, and we are MORE than a collection of genes.
In an amusing distraction, I will share a bit of what we've been discussing on the Theatre Des Vampires List. We got horribly off topic with discussing the 'Bonsai Kitten' hoax (no link, if you're curious enough, go GOOGLE) and possible cloning of humans. I had a bit of small fun, trying to lure the group back onto vampires, as well as a bit of whimsy, and offered a possible story line:
It does tickle the imagination, but, no, I don't think Michael and team will be encountering such trials. I don't know if I have sufficient skill to imagine a futuristic world. Though possibly such a world wouldn't need to be so futuristic. We have C.C., and the world isn't so radically different.Here's a fascinating idea for a way futuristic science fiction story.Good vampires vs Bad Vampires. The Bad Vamps want to clone humans, chosen for stupidity and lots of blood. The Good Vamps want to fight them, insisting on using mammals of lower intelligence, like cows, for food supply.
Anyway, it does tickle the imagination.
Who knows what our marvelous team of four, MAYBE FIVE if Sebastian can learn to fit in!, will get into. We'll have to let it play out.
January 23, 2003 - B
"Happy Sight For A Vampire"
Sunset!
Sunset as a vampire sees it!
I have two new chapters in Sebastian's past up. One, immediately after being turned, in which he declares he's Cursed! and one in which he's beginning to see possibilities in his new life.
January 25, 2003 - A
"Quite The Night"
All work today, must ready myself for that. No fun meeting this morning with pagans. But Julia and I did play last night. Oh, you should have seen Julia toss the darts! She'd had a variety of exotic drinks, which loosened her arm up. Oh, she tossed with such abandon! She did quite well at pool, as well. It was fun watching, even though I was quite sleepy, the four women and their various styles of approaching the white ball.
And the loud exuberance of the lady bartender, in recalling the thrill of her chase of a certain musical band. All except for one of its members, on account of his poor 'member' that had not been shorn as she prefers. Ah, quite the night it was, indeed.
Earlier, I, too, met the joy of the hot wax and hand massage. Perhaps I will not abuse my hands so much, now that they are being attended too, thusly. Already I am knowing some restraint.
And now I must ready myself for work, ''NOW!''
January 25, 2003 - B
"Creative Pursuits, Indeed!"
As the frame held still for fifteen minutes while I sketched quickly, I imagined the rest of the picture. The art of Frida Kahlo inspired me to not waste the background space and introduce symbolism. Also, I tried to have a dynamic linear quality.
Afraid!
January 26, 2003
"Something Quite Different"
Sebastian's relived some more memories, in ''Enduring Love, Enduring Hatred'' I have an idea for the book's title, ''All Things in Good Time'', or did I mean ''All Good Things in Time''?
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Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and file' gumbo 'Cause tonight I’m gonna see my ma cher amio Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou
chorus from On the Bayou, |
No, I haven't been to the bayou. The way Anne Rice describes New Orleans, Louisiana sounds like a fun place to visit. But Julia and I did have a delightful meal at Monarch's Rest this afternoon. I had a spicy jambalaya with chicken, huge shrimp and sausage slices in it, all mixed with orzo rice in a zesty tomato based sauce. I do not know yet what 'crawfish pie' or 'file' gumbo' is, but my food culture has been broadened this much.
My waistline, sadly, has been broadened, as well. I admitted defeat today and bought a new leather belt, waist 38 inches (96.52 Centimeters) at one of the shops in Old Town. My old 32 inch (81.28 Centimeters) belts have become useless. Later today, I also put several of my too tight blouses in the big blue bin, which already held items since outgrown.
The weight straining my clothes rod in the closet is at least lighter, now, if nothing else.
Later this afternoon, I looked at more of the pictures I'd taken yesterday of the quilts from this years Quilt Show. I've remarked before on the mandala-like characteristics of many of the quilt designs.
As I played with one cropped section from a quilt photo, it gradually evolved into something quite different. It is now a mandala, still bearing something of the fabric qualities with which it began:
Happy Pinwheel
In that lovely hymn, the second stansa is as follows:
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Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven Like the first dewfall, on the first grass Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden Sprung in completeness where his feet pass
Eleanor Farjeon |
Of course, I did a little gender-change to 'Sprung in completeness where Her feet pass.
Later, when I showed Julia the impromptu picture, she waxed 'Julian'. Well, what else does one call the strange sort of word associations Julia does? She waxed GREEK, actually, and said a Greek would make a pun using the word TOKALOS, meaning 'the beautiful' and pronounced 'Toe Callus'
This morning, I pronounce Julia's feet beautiful, and really quite without callouses.
January 29, 2003
"Why I Don't Answer E-Mail"
The curvaceous leafy form impressed me. I first only had in mind to adapt it for a subject divider:
Morning has come, and all it needed was four circular spots and saving under medium resolution, however still keeping the compression down to minimum. It's now 123K of wild growth.
But that's why I don't answer e-mail. I get too easily distracted.
February 1, 2003
"Shuttle Disaster"
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for:
Rick D. Husband, 45, Commander; William C. McCool, 40, Pilot; Michael P. Anderson, 42, Payload Commander; David M. Brown, 46, Mission Specialist; Kalpana Chawla, 41, Mission Specialist; Laurel Clark, 41, Mission Specialist, Ilan Ramon, 47, Payload Specialist
Julia vividly remembers the first space exploration tragedy, which happened January 27, 1967. It was an Apollo I space capsule, in which a fire took place, worsened by the dangerous pure oxygen they used then. Three men were claimed on that sad day.
It is strange that all of these accidents occurred within the same week of the year.
Perhaps in answer to the worries of these fearful days, an administration official said the shuttle's altitude, over 200,000 feet, made it "highly unlikely" that the shuttle fell victim to a terrorist act.
No doubt much research will be done to determine what went wrong.
February 2, 2003 - A
"Mysterious Mechanical Failure"
We've shut it off, hoping something magical will happen when we turn it back on. It will be so sad if it does not turn on. That computer has the only working floppy disk, so it will only be with great difficulty that photographs are put to the web. Also, the scanner is on that computer. And it is the only one with a CD writer. Oh, I do hope something magical will fix it. We are like primitive peoples. Maybe if we do the proper dance, and appease the proper gods, the thing will right itself.
In order that this entry be not entirely a thing of lament, I report a few nice things. Small signs had been placed on street corners, announcing a 50% off sale at SUPER K, which is sadly going out of business. I guided Julia there, and we made a profit off of their misery. I have four new short sleeved blouses, which cost altogether less than 30 bucks! There's a green leafy one, an orange one with a pattern through out it, a light green with a jazzy design, and a solid pinkish-orangish one. Today, I will wear the light green one.
Also, we got a hot-air popcorn maker, a large tea pot (we usually use the 'coffee maker' for tea, but it's good to have a back-up), a syrup dispenser, another stainless steel bowl (18/8 quality), and a pasta spoon which works great for egg dipping and back scratching as well! All of those goodies, along with the blouses, cost under 80 bucks!
But, as you notice, there are no pictures of said blouses, and there WOULD have been, as I so often like to do.
