(no subject)
Today:
- woke early, because the gutter folk were coming this morning. They did show up, and we now have clean gutters, and I am deliriously happy about it. The head gutter guy told me that the gutter along the front of our roof was "like a planter," with all kinds of stuff growing in it. Oops!
- no rain! Hurrah! No rain!
- went out to lunch at La Note and lived life dangerously, partaking of the forbidden food we call "omelette" (after waiting outside about an *hour* for a table - sheesh!). I did not get sick afterward, and so my gamble paid off. And, anyway, their "Côte Ouest" omelette w/ratatouille is worth the risk. Yum!
- continued reading the Franzen novel Freedom, and continued to enjoy it. I'm only 100 pages in, but I'm thinking that Shannon might like it, too, though it's perhaps more "literary" than he usually prefers.
- chatted with the woman at the next table about the Franzen novel, as she had recently read about it in the NY Times and saw me reading it and was curious what I thought of it so far. We talked fondly about character-driven stories and non-linear narratives, until her husband returned from the bathroom and I returned to my book. Usually I can't read comfortably somewhere so noisy (the acoustics at La Note are horrific, and the place was *packed*), but I didn't seem to be having much difficulty today. Perhaps because the book is so interesting?
- was tremendously flattered when one of the other restaurant patrons, passing by, interrupted my reading to compliment me on my bookmark, which was sitting on the table beside my book while I read. It was the "Serial Comma" bookmark I made for myself at Christmas, and the fellow seemed quite taken aback when I told him it was my own creation. He asked to look at it more closely, and I let him, and I was feeling all proud and artsy and cool. (I never would have expected someone to interrupt a stranger's reading, just to comment on their bookmark! I didn't mind, but I was surprised.)
- had other things I wanted to do today, but ended up sleeping and sleeping and sleeping. Seriously, after waking up around 8 and dealing with the gutters, I slept like 11:30-12:30, then again from 2:30-5:00. It's ridiculous. I did laundry, washed my hair, and a few other minor things, but I didn't get to cross anything off my "To Do" list, and that was disappointing.
- had frozen banana slices w/Nutella for dessert tonight, and it was delicious. Also, so convenient that you can slice up bananas and freeze them when they get overripe, and then later they can be a tasty treat! Voila! No time pressure re: the ripeness of fruit!
- - -
Tomorrow Ting and his crew are coming back to install sheet rock in our almost-finished garage. I am hoping they will finally finish their work tomorrow, and that we will then be able to get the door guys to come install a door and then it will all be done! And we can start actually using the garage! It will be tremendous! No more hauling our bikes -- especially wet, muddy bikes when it's been raining -- through the foyer and into the house! Huzzah! No more dealing with contractors constantly! No more construction noise!
Also tomorrow, I'm hoping to take care of some of the stuff I didn't accomplish today, which consists largely of visiting libraries in Berkeley and Oakland (to return books *and* pick up books that are on hold for me) and perusing the shelves at Trader Joe's. Maybe I'll ride my bike.
Also, I am inordinately fond of my new rain-related icon. It is from what is perhaps the best-known scene in My Neighbor Totoro, when Totoro and the little girl are standing at the bus stop on a rainy night. I tried to get both Totoro and the girl into the frame, but when I did that the whole thing ended up too small to recognize anything at all. But I have other Totoro icons, so I figured I could leave him out of this one.
- woke early, because the gutter folk were coming this morning. They did show up, and we now have clean gutters, and I am deliriously happy about it. The head gutter guy told me that the gutter along the front of our roof was "like a planter," with all kinds of stuff growing in it. Oops!
- no rain! Hurrah! No rain!
- went out to lunch at La Note and lived life dangerously, partaking of the forbidden food we call "omelette" (after waiting outside about an *hour* for a table - sheesh!). I did not get sick afterward, and so my gamble paid off. And, anyway, their "Côte Ouest" omelette w/ratatouille is worth the risk. Yum!
- continued reading the Franzen novel Freedom, and continued to enjoy it. I'm only 100 pages in, but I'm thinking that Shannon might like it, too, though it's perhaps more "literary" than he usually prefers.
- chatted with the woman at the next table about the Franzen novel, as she had recently read about it in the NY Times and saw me reading it and was curious what I thought of it so far. We talked fondly about character-driven stories and non-linear narratives, until her husband returned from the bathroom and I returned to my book. Usually I can't read comfortably somewhere so noisy (the acoustics at La Note are horrific, and the place was *packed*), but I didn't seem to be having much difficulty today. Perhaps because the book is so interesting?
- was tremendously flattered when one of the other restaurant patrons, passing by, interrupted my reading to compliment me on my bookmark, which was sitting on the table beside my book while I read. It was the "Serial Comma" bookmark I made for myself at Christmas, and the fellow seemed quite taken aback when I told him it was my own creation. He asked to look at it more closely, and I let him, and I was feeling all proud and artsy and cool. (I never would have expected someone to interrupt a stranger's reading, just to comment on their bookmark! I didn't mind, but I was surprised.)
- had other things I wanted to do today, but ended up sleeping and sleeping and sleeping. Seriously, after waking up around 8 and dealing with the gutters, I slept like 11:30-12:30, then again from 2:30-5:00. It's ridiculous. I did laundry, washed my hair, and a few other minor things, but I didn't get to cross anything off my "To Do" list, and that was disappointing.
- had frozen banana slices w/Nutella for dessert tonight, and it was delicious. Also, so convenient that you can slice up bananas and freeze them when they get overripe, and then later they can be a tasty treat! Voila! No time pressure re: the ripeness of fruit!
- - -
Tomorrow Ting and his crew are coming back to install sheet rock in our almost-finished garage. I am hoping they will finally finish their work tomorrow, and that we will then be able to get the door guys to come install a door and then it will all be done! And we can start actually using the garage! It will be tremendous! No more hauling our bikes -- especially wet, muddy bikes when it's been raining -- through the foyer and into the house! Huzzah! No more dealing with contractors constantly! No more construction noise!
Also tomorrow, I'm hoping to take care of some of the stuff I didn't accomplish today, which consists largely of visiting libraries in Berkeley and Oakland (to return books *and* pick up books that are on hold for me) and perusing the shelves at Trader Joe's. Maybe I'll ride my bike.
Also, I am inordinately fond of my new rain-related icon. It is from what is perhaps the best-known scene in My Neighbor Totoro, when Totoro and the little girl are standing at the bus stop on a rainy night. I tried to get both Totoro and the girl into the frame, but when I did that the whole thing ended up too small to recognize anything at all. But I have other Totoro icons, so I figured I could leave him out of this one.