Do you suppose Marsha Davis had a bad day?
Friday, March 02, 2007
Thursday, March 01, 2007
A Story from Lis
I stepped across the lobby of the Hopkins Fine Arts Center on the night of Feb. 28 and stood in front of the Information Desk. The youngish (mid-20's) man behind the desk reluctantly interrupted his phone conversation.
"Yes?"
"I'm here for the writing class with The Loft."
He was impatiently confused. "A reading class?"
"Writing."
He was still confused. "Here?" He looked at his computer monitor. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure it's here."
"Are you sure it's not the Ellison Center?" [not sure if that's the name he said, but that's what I heard]
"Yeah."
I opened my padfolio and pulled out the course description and location I'd printed out earlier. "L-27 2, maybe? Is that a classroom?"
He was still puzzled. I handed him the sheet of paper.The course I am taking is on "Capturing Memory." It's about getting details to stay in your mind.
Here's a detail: It starts on March 14.
I don't even want to try to figure out how I made this mix-up. I took the paper back from the young gentleman, who was almost managing to keep a courteous tone (he's probably an actor), although his face said, "This may, indeed, be the dumbest person I've ever met."
"Well," I said, tucking the sheet back in the padfolio pocket, "I'll be back in two weeks then. Maybe I'll see you, if you're here."
"Oh, I'll be here," he said.
Darnit
"Yes?"
"I'm here for the writing class with The Loft."
He was impatiently confused. "A reading class?"
"Writing."
He was still confused. "Here?" He looked at his computer monitor. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure it's here."
"Are you sure it's not the Ellison Center?" [not sure if that's the name he said, but that's what I heard]
"Yeah."
I opened my padfolio and pulled out the course description and location I'd printed out earlier. "L-27 2, maybe? Is that a classroom?"
He was still puzzled. I handed him the sheet of paper.The course I am taking is on "Capturing Memory." It's about getting details to stay in your mind.
Here's a detail: It starts on March 14.
I don't even want to try to figure out how I made this mix-up. I took the paper back from the young gentleman, who was almost managing to keep a courteous tone (he's probably an actor), although his face said, "This may, indeed, be the dumbest person I've ever met."
"Well," I said, tucking the sheet back in the padfolio pocket, "I'll be back in two weeks then. Maybe I'll see you, if you're here."
"Oh, I'll be here," he said.
Darnit
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Pull Over! Pull Over! For Pete's Sake!
This is for all the people who fail to pull over for emergency vehicles:
You.
Suck.
Yes, I realize that is not a very refined phrase. But people! When the doohickies are flashing on the top of a firetruck, TURN THE VOLUME DOWN ON THE RADIO and listen for the siren! Then? Pull over.
I used to think people stopped pulling over for these things because they just didn't care. But I honestly now think that people just don't notice. They are so tuned into the tunes or NPR or whatever book they are "reading" that they don't notice traffic around them. Even when it's barrelling toward them with lights and sirens flashing.
What prompted this tirade? No, I have no tragic story of "failure to pull over." But you know, it coulda bin a little tragic.
Yesterday, I'm driving along to have lunch with a friend. I see the lights of a firetruck coming toward me. Maybe it's 1/4 a mile away. I start to slow down. Guy in the car behind me creeps up to my back bumper. I start to pull over. Guy in the car behind me gets so close that I doubt a slice of bread could be slid between our cars. He jerks his wheel toward the center line...obviously thinking he's going to pass this nut in the green van that has suddenly, inexplicably decided to pull over on a busy street.
Just in time he sees the firetruck.
He yanks back.
We all breathe.
I mutter "idiot."
Firetruck passes by and life goes on.
Pay attention people!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Of Garbage and Bets
I had to chuckle when I read this story (the link will probably not work after March 1) about British trash customers being upset about microchips that have been stuck to their wheeled carts. "Wheelies," they call them...the carts. They are calling the chips "bugs."
Apparently Britain has one of the lowest recycling rates in Europe. (SHAME ON THEM!) Chips were stuck to more than 500,000 "wheelie bins" to "monitor collections."
"Germans Plant Bugs in Our Wheelie Bins," was a headline in the Daily Mail in August. (Apparently two of the bin manufacturers are German companies.)
The story tells of "small-scale revolts" erupting across the UK as customers have found the devices and ripped them off the carts.
There's the whole "Big Brother" concern but there's also the idea that the chips could be used to calculate garbage charges. And officials have admitted that is a long-term goal.
The article doesn't say it, but I guess if I were a municipal garbage customer, I'd be wondering about my dollars being wasted on the devices themselves.
This afternoon I watched the movie "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days." Cute, cute movie! I was never attracted to the title before, and skipped going to see it in the theatre and never really have felt much like renting it. But it was on AMC yesterday afternoon so I recorded it.
And a good soundtrack. I'm listening to Chantal Kreviazuk on Napster right now. She had two songs in the movie, "Feels Like Home" and "Weight of the World," both enjoyable songs. I'd never heard of her before, but I think I'll put her in my playlist for a while...she's good for cooking to, I think. I'm not finding "Feels Like Home" on Napster, though.
And speaking of cooking...this afternoon I've been roasting a duck. I used to make a duck recipe of Alton Brown's that involved steaming the pieces and then roasting at a high temp in a cast iron skillet in the oven. The kids raved about it. This time I really didn't feel much like going to all that, so looked in my "Joy of Cooking" book and found recipe for slow-roasting. 3 hours at 250 and then another 45 minutes or so at 325. It's just about done and I think it's going to be great. No flame-ups, either. Pricking the skin all over and roasting it low and slow has done the trick.
It's been a good afternoon for roasting something and vegging in front of the TV. Dark and rainy all day.
Apparently Britain has one of the lowest recycling rates in Europe. (SHAME ON THEM!) Chips were stuck to more than 500,000 "wheelie bins" to "monitor collections."
"Germans Plant Bugs in Our Wheelie Bins," was a headline in the Daily Mail in August. (Apparently two of the bin manufacturers are German companies.)
The story tells of "small-scale revolts" erupting across the UK as customers have found the devices and ripped them off the carts.
There's the whole "Big Brother" concern but there's also the idea that the chips could be used to calculate garbage charges. And officials have admitted that is a long-term goal.
The article doesn't say it, but I guess if I were a municipal garbage customer, I'd be wondering about my dollars being wasted on the devices themselves.
This afternoon I watched the movie "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days." Cute, cute movie! I was never attracted to the title before, and skipped going to see it in the theatre and never really have felt much like renting it. But it was on AMC yesterday afternoon so I recorded it.
And a good soundtrack. I'm listening to Chantal Kreviazuk on Napster right now. She had two songs in the movie, "Feels Like Home" and "Weight of the World," both enjoyable songs. I'd never heard of her before, but I think I'll put her in my playlist for a while...she's good for cooking to, I think. I'm not finding "Feels Like Home" on Napster, though.
And speaking of cooking...this afternoon I've been roasting a duck. I used to make a duck recipe of Alton Brown's that involved steaming the pieces and then roasting at a high temp in a cast iron skillet in the oven. The kids raved about it. This time I really didn't feel much like going to all that, so looked in my "Joy of Cooking" book and found recipe for slow-roasting. 3 hours at 250 and then another 45 minutes or so at 325. It's just about done and I think it's going to be great. No flame-ups, either. Pricking the skin all over and roasting it low and slow has done the trick.
It's been a good afternoon for roasting something and vegging in front of the TV. Dark and rainy all day.
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