Luna(tic) Park

Weekend update, y'all!

Friday
I possibly drank too much wine with dinner at my friend's house. Then, we had Girl Scout cookies and talked about boys. The End.


Saturday
I headed to the Alemany Farmers' Market bright and early. Items purchased: leeks, potatoes (COMBINE!), pumpkin bolani, sweet jalapeno jelly, oro blanco (which I think is a cross between a pomelo and a grapefruit?), Asian pears, Pink Lady apples, anemones, ranunculas,

A very dear friend is moving, so I accompanied him to IKEA. This really says something about our friendship, because - much as I love that store - I have a pact with myself to never, ever go on a weekend. I don't think my friend was much impressed with my mad IKEA skills. (I can recognize most items by name! And tell you what other finishes are available! And tell you what other pieces are part of the collection!)

I met some friends in the Mission for dinner. Perhaps I should have reminded all parties involved that parking in the Mission is NOT for sissies. It is practically a full-contact sport. You must must must leave yourself adequate time, or it all becomes way too stressful. When we all finally amassed in front of Luna Park, we had missed our reservation. (Their policy is that, when your party is complete, they put you at the top of the waitlist. I think this parking fiasco-thing has played havoc with a lot of reservations.) Our meals were absolutely delicious (minus some strangely way overcooked vegetables.) With our late start, we were finishing up dessert after 10 pm. Which is when "Living on Prayer" came over the Muzak/iPod/sound system. My friend and I started singing (quietly) into our thumbs. ("Tommy used to work on the docks") (And, as you may recall, I really really can not sing.) When we got to the chorus, we realized that ... other tables were also singing! (Whooah, we're half way there/Livin' on a prayer!") It was made of awesome.

Walking back to the car, I found a five dollar bill! I picked it up, and my friend's fiance immediately said "Is there poop in it??" It turns out some of his college buddies, actually, I can't go any further with that thought. (Use your imagination.)

So, Bon Jovi sing-along and $5! Woo hoo!


Sunday
After all the hijinks on Saturday, this was largely a day of rest. I did manage to clear out my closet (SCAAARY!) I'm moving along (month 2) in my plan to go through all of my stuff. I'm using this book, which is pretty great. Next month's project: the KITCHEN! (And there is a lot of work to be done there!)

55 Fiction Friday: Little Red Hen edition

Friday serves it up!

There was a sort of virtue in it: saving the recipe, purchasing the eggs at the farmers market, laying out the ingredients on the nearly non-existent counter, assembling the cake with a deft hand, sliding it into the Holly Hobby-sized oven. And now, simply waiting, while the apartment filled up with the smell of love.

missed connections

When I lived in DC, one of my favorite things to do was to get the CityPaper and sit down and read the I Saw You section. I'm not even sure I can pinpoint why I enjoyed it so much - some of it was purely voyeuristic, I'm sure. But, I also liked seeing how people described the situation/characters ('I was wearing a white t-shirt' Wow. Helpful.) Some people wrote with some wit and flair, and some .... did not.

Craigslist has, of course, moved it to a whole nutha level with Missed Connections. I think people are more likely to write because it now has an immediacy. (Can you believe people used to write it up on a piece of paper and mail it in??) I wonder how often people connect through Missed Connections, and what comes of it.

Recently, I borrowed (yet another) book from the library. Flipping through the book, I came across a little slip of scrap paper with subjects and call numbers written on it. Knitting - check. Sewing - check. Thai cooking - check. Legal practice - check! I wish I could meet this person - I even like their handwriting. We'd have so much to talk about! Maybe we could talk about legal practice over some Thai food....

hypnotic

As you know, I will try anything to reduce/eliminate allergies. I had come to a kind of understanding with my seasonal allergies: cut waaay back on the gluten, and use a neti pot, and I'm golden. Then, it started to rain. And rain some more. And more, and more. And I discovered that I have some heinous post-rain allergies (molds?), and my current methods weren't working. After going through the whole killer sneezing every morning, Hoover dam of congestion every day thing, I decided to get even further out there.

I went and saw a hypnotist. For realz. As always, I bring you what it was like. We had a "phone consultation" first - talked about what was going on with me, what I hoped for, etc. I liked our vibe, so I made an appointment with her. Her office is very low-key. We sat and talked a little more, then I hopped up on a covered massage table. She tucked me in with pillows, an eye mask, and a blankie. (Honestly, I'd go again just for that treatment!) She turned on a CD of a deep, deep tone and started talking. Here, things go a little fuzzy, to my mind - I fell asleep, but apparently, not entirely. After about half an hour (I think?), she brought me out of the state and left me to put myself back together a little. We sat and talked again and she walked me through a self-hypnosis exercise to "reset/reduce" sneezing and congestion (it's basically a visualization.)

And, I've been using it for weeks. I can't say that my congestion is miraculously gone, it's not. BUT, when I get into my sneezing fits - I can self-hypnotize, do my visualization, and stop the sneezing. This is a big, big deal. My allergy sneezing leaves me wiped out, and can get so bad that I feel like I can't leave the house. So, the sneezing is way down - a wonderful thing! Although I can't completely eliminate the congestion, even that I feel like I can dial back. (And that might just be my perception, but in a way, who cares? I feel a lot better!)

So, there you have it - another "out there" idea for your anti-allergy arsenal!

snow day

I remember just what it was like: waking up pre-dawn and having that thought streak through your head like an arrow "SNOW!" Leaning over to the window and prying open the shade to gaze out at the lawn. Was it white? Was it white enough? Turning on the radio by the bed, and scrolling away impatiently trying to catch a station announcing the school closures. Waiting, breath held, for the announcement. Perhaps being joined by a little brother or two (allowed on your bed only to increase the fervent Snow Day Prayer energy.) It was a little like rolling the dice - "Big Money, No Whammies." Here, a whammy would be a 1 or 2 hour delay - just enough to throw the parentals off their game (and into Grumpsville), but not enough to get you out of anything. And, oh, the announcement of YOUR county's schools being closed! The joy! The excitement of romping in the snow with the neighbor kids (until Mikey loses a boot and is convinced he has frostbite, even thought he can SEE the house from where he is lying.) The grilled cheese and tomato soup you can almost taste!

I miss that incipient excitement, that surrender of responsibilities. It might just be time for me to call a growns-up Snow Day of my own.

Joy of Twitter

After letting my twitterverse know that I had this song stuck in my head, one of my twitter peeps hit me up to ask:

"Is it wrong that I sing that song to my infant son all the time? "Boy don't try to front, I-I know just-just what you a-a-are""