Well we are having a wee rest today after a very long and hard day yesterday. Yesterday was the pilgrimage around the island. It was a six to seven mile hike that lasted from about 10:15 until 4:00. It was over rocky crags and through many a sloshy bog. (David, your shoes are now well worn in. Particularly the right one, as it went ankle deep into one of the bogs. Don't fear I'll clean them off before I return them to you.) But the pilgrimage was really wonderful. The weather was beautiful. We had lunch at Columba's bay. This is the bay that St. Columba first landed on in the 500-something. He was travling by leather bound boat called the Coracle from Ireland. We had tea and flapjack on this beautiful open green that is now a golf course but an awfully difficult one. At one point on the course one has to use steps to get over a fence to get to the next hole. Plus you are constantly having to avoid the sheep that are grazing on the course. As to flapjacks, they are hard to describe. They seem close to a homemade granola bar but they are sweeter. They were quite tasty.
The schedule is quite full here, which to me is a bit of a problem. They don't really invite you into rest very much. They say that everything is option but they never just schedule empty time. Even the rest day today has something in each bit of time. So I skipped something this morning to take a nap and to do this writing. And to be sure there is plenty of time for me to do some knitting.
We went to a ceilidh, pronounced Ka-Lee, the other night. (In gaelic I'm finding that they sometimes just throw in letters for sport. Why does it need a "d"?) It is a Scottish dance party. You have a caller and dance Scottish reels and country dances. It was fun despite the fact that most people didn't really know the dances and ended up stepping all over each other.
Tonight is the concert or talent show. Chris and I are singing with a pair of English old women, Old Age Pensioners, OAPs. I don't know what we are singing. I'm fairly certain it is a funny song one of the women has written.
There is a group of American students who have been living in Belfast for the past year here with us this week. They are nice but also kind of loud, typical noisy Americans. The is one guy and I like him but the women in the group can be a little annoying.
Alright, I should stop now. I've already spent 50p-roughly $1. I still have to look up where the smurfs originated and if there was another girl smurf besides smurfette. Chris and two of the Netherlander men were having a discussion about this just a bit ago. Chris insisted that I was wrong about there being more than one girl and I need to prove that I do actually know something.
Cheers!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Iona
Well we landed in Iona on Saturday.
But first our trip getting here. We went to a local gay bar on our last night in Edinburgh. They had my favorite cider in all of the land, Scrumpy Jack. It is dry and delicious and the great thing about cider in teh UK is that it is completely respected unlike in the US where it is considered pansy beer. (But I am a pansy so I'm alright with it anywhere.)
On Friday we began our trek to Iona. We boarded a train for Glasgow from Oban. Once in Glasgow we boarded another train for Oban but that train didn't go all the way to Oban because of work on the tracks. So we had to get off the train in Crianlarich and get on a coach (aka a bus) for the last part of our scheduled train ride. Once in Oban we boarded a ferry for the isle of Mull. Then in the pouring rain we got on yet another coach to go to our guest house for the night. There is only one road on Mull and it is one lane. We told the bus driver where we were headed but he didn't know the name of the guest house. So I rummaged through my file of correspondence and went back and told him we were to say MacNeil to which he responded "aaayyyyyyeeee" Well come to find out MacNeil isn't the name of a place so much as it is a name of a clan, the MacNeils. They sort of own the land. I thought the guest house was in the village of Bunnessan (pronounced buh-nay-sun) but we drove through Bunnessan, the only village we drove throuh in tne entire house trip, and past it about a mile before we stopped--pretty much in the middle of nowhere. We were showed to our room, a tiny little room with only one double bed. So my 6 foot 4 friend and I had to sleep in the same small bed with barely anyroom to walk around the bed. But the biggest thing was that we hadn't eaten dinner yet. And when I asked the old man who greeted us about getting supper he said "oh you haven't got a car?" So he said you can walk about mile and an eighth back to Bunnessan. Fortunately he came back a few minutes later and told us some other guests were going into town and had agreed to take us. My friends Tracy and Dave had recommended the place but they had a car when they visited. We were really isolated. So we went in for dinner and then walked back. It wasn't such a bad walk really because the rain had stopped. We saw the Shetland or Highland cows on our walk. I describe them as cows that have all their hair hanging down over their eyes. They look like the skateboarders of the cow world. But as with most cows they still frighten me just a little.
So anyway we had to be on Iona about 2 the next day, but we decided we would get here a little early because we didnt' have anything else to do around the guest house. So at breakfast the next morning the actual runner of the guesthouse who I had been communicating with said the bus runs by at 15 past 9. (Approximately 20 minutes away.) So Chris said "we were going to take the later coach." (We hadn't showered or anything yet because breakfast was at 8:15.) Gillian said "when does that come by?" Chris said "about 11." Gillian said very curtly "you have to be out of here by 10." So it was looking like we might have to make the 3 mile walk to the Fionffort ferry to Iona. But fortunatly the same couple who took pity on us the nigth before offered to drive us to the ferr at half past 9. So we had a little bit of time but not much for both of us to shower and get ready.
But we arrived on Iona about 15 past 10. And we spent the 4 hours before we could check in wandering around the Island. As the day progressed it got more and more beautiful. We have had fairly sunny weather since we arrived. Although it looks like some clouds are showing up today. We are going on a trip to the isle of Staffa today. It is supposed to be beautiful and there is a possibility we might see the Puffins, birds that lay their eggs on Staffa.
The people we are meeting are lovely people. There is a group of University students from the Netherlands. One of which is named Boi, a male, and he is hot!!!! However, he is here with his girlfriend Anna Marie who is also beautiful. Isn't that always the way it is? There is also a group of American students who have been living in Belfast this year as a part of a volunteer year with the Presbyterian Church USA. And there is a group of OAP, Old Age Pensioners, from England--basically four old women. And a couple of other individuals sprinkled in there.
Well that is probably enough it is costing me 50 p every 15 minutes which with the exchange comes to a $1 for every 15 minutes.
I'm sure I'll write again. We have decided to go back to Edniburgh on Friday instead of going up to Loch Ness. There is still so much to see in Edinburgh, including Dolly the sheep--you know the one that was cloned. She is stuffed now and in the Scotland Museum. I'm very excited.
Cheers!
But first our trip getting here. We went to a local gay bar on our last night in Edinburgh. They had my favorite cider in all of the land, Scrumpy Jack. It is dry and delicious and the great thing about cider in teh UK is that it is completely respected unlike in the US where it is considered pansy beer. (But I am a pansy so I'm alright with it anywhere.)
On Friday we began our trek to Iona. We boarded a train for Glasgow from Oban. Once in Glasgow we boarded another train for Oban but that train didn't go all the way to Oban because of work on the tracks. So we had to get off the train in Crianlarich and get on a coach (aka a bus) for the last part of our scheduled train ride. Once in Oban we boarded a ferry for the isle of Mull. Then in the pouring rain we got on yet another coach to go to our guest house for the night. There is only one road on Mull and it is one lane. We told the bus driver where we were headed but he didn't know the name of the guest house. So I rummaged through my file of correspondence and went back and told him we were to say MacNeil to which he responded "aaayyyyyyeeee" Well come to find out MacNeil isn't the name of a place so much as it is a name of a clan, the MacNeils. They sort of own the land. I thought the guest house was in the village of Bunnessan (pronounced buh-nay-sun) but we drove through Bunnessan, the only village we drove throuh in tne entire house trip, and past it about a mile before we stopped--pretty much in the middle of nowhere. We were showed to our room, a tiny little room with only one double bed. So my 6 foot 4 friend and I had to sleep in the same small bed with barely anyroom to walk around the bed. But the biggest thing was that we hadn't eaten dinner yet. And when I asked the old man who greeted us about getting supper he said "oh you haven't got a car?" So he said you can walk about mile and an eighth back to Bunnessan. Fortunately he came back a few minutes later and told us some other guests were going into town and had agreed to take us. My friends Tracy and Dave had recommended the place but they had a car when they visited. We were really isolated. So we went in for dinner and then walked back. It wasn't such a bad walk really because the rain had stopped. We saw the Shetland or Highland cows on our walk. I describe them as cows that have all their hair hanging down over their eyes. They look like the skateboarders of the cow world. But as with most cows they still frighten me just a little.
So anyway we had to be on Iona about 2 the next day, but we decided we would get here a little early because we didnt' have anything else to do around the guest house. So at breakfast the next morning the actual runner of the guesthouse who I had been communicating with said the bus runs by at 15 past 9. (Approximately 20 minutes away.) So Chris said "we were going to take the later coach." (We hadn't showered or anything yet because breakfast was at 8:15.) Gillian said "when does that come by?" Chris said "about 11." Gillian said very curtly "you have to be out of here by 10." So it was looking like we might have to make the 3 mile walk to the Fionffort ferry to Iona. But fortunatly the same couple who took pity on us the nigth before offered to drive us to the ferr at half past 9. So we had a little bit of time but not much for both of us to shower and get ready.
But we arrived on Iona about 15 past 10. And we spent the 4 hours before we could check in wandering around the Island. As the day progressed it got more and more beautiful. We have had fairly sunny weather since we arrived. Although it looks like some clouds are showing up today. We are going on a trip to the isle of Staffa today. It is supposed to be beautiful and there is a possibility we might see the Puffins, birds that lay their eggs on Staffa.
The people we are meeting are lovely people. There is a group of University students from the Netherlands. One of which is named Boi, a male, and he is hot!!!! However, he is here with his girlfriend Anna Marie who is also beautiful. Isn't that always the way it is? There is also a group of American students who have been living in Belfast this year as a part of a volunteer year with the Presbyterian Church USA. And there is a group of OAP, Old Age Pensioners, from England--basically four old women. And a couple of other individuals sprinkled in there.
Well that is probably enough it is costing me 50 p every 15 minutes which with the exchange comes to a $1 for every 15 minutes.
I'm sure I'll write again. We have decided to go back to Edniburgh on Friday instead of going up to Loch Ness. There is still so much to see in Edinburgh, including Dolly the sheep--you know the one that was cloned. She is stuffed now and in the Scotland Museum. I'm very excited.
Cheers!
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Greetings from Scotland
Hello all,
I'm having a great time in Scotland. I spent the weekend in New York where I saw three musicals: Young Frankenstein, Curtains, and Spamalot. They were all great. I spend Saturday morning in Central Park--it was a beautiful sunny day--perfect weather for reading New York Times. Although, I wish I had a pair of shorts with me becaus it got a little warm.
I have one nagging question about the subways. Down in one of the stations there were several groups of Scientologists--they were offering the free stress tests. On the other end of the subway station was a large group of evangelical Christians passing out flyers and screaming out mini-sermons. So here is my question: How did they decide who got which side of the station? Also, are there poor people in Scientology? And if so what does Scientology offer poor people?
I got to Endinburgh on Tuesday afternoon--had a four hour or so layover in Amsterdam. Checked in to our lovely bed and breakfast, the Ayden. The owners are Debbie and Ennis. They are, we are assuming, a lesbian couple. Ennis is the cook and Debbie is clearly the hostess. They are both great, but Debbie is especially delightful. Tuesday night we wondered down to this little bistro for dinner that Debbie had suggested. What we latered realized was that is was Edinburgh's "gay"borhood." Can you believe it? We are in Edinburgh less than a few hours and we have already found our people. (Oh yeah, I'm traveling with my friend Copey--also a big ol' queen.)
Yesterday after our delicious breakfast, we took a tour of Edinburgh castle. It was interesting in the historical sense. After that we did the Scottish Whisky experience. It was a little kitschy but it included a whisky tasting. So all memories of how tacky it was was essentially wiped from our memories. I think I may have become a whisky drinker. (This is quite a leap from my usual fruity cocktails.)
This morning I had haggis, a Scottish delicacy. It is essentially sheep intestins filled with spices and such. And I had black pudding which is all of that plus pork blood. Now it sounds disgusting, but let me tell you it was tasty. I loved it. Today we are off to Holyrood palace, the queens residence when she is in Edinburgh and then the Britannia, the royal yacht.
We have not and don't plan to pack too much in to any of our days. And so far it has been really great. Leisurely breakfasts, brief excursions and walks and then a nice leisurely dinner. I want to live like this always.
Alright, keep checking back I'll write when able.
Cheers!
Oh, and welcome to the world Hannah and Isaac.
I'm having a great time in Scotland. I spent the weekend in New York where I saw three musicals: Young Frankenstein, Curtains, and Spamalot. They were all great. I spend Saturday morning in Central Park--it was a beautiful sunny day--perfect weather for reading New York Times. Although, I wish I had a pair of shorts with me becaus it got a little warm.
I have one nagging question about the subways. Down in one of the stations there were several groups of Scientologists--they were offering the free stress tests. On the other end of the subway station was a large group of evangelical Christians passing out flyers and screaming out mini-sermons. So here is my question: How did they decide who got which side of the station? Also, are there poor people in Scientology? And if so what does Scientology offer poor people?
I got to Endinburgh on Tuesday afternoon--had a four hour or so layover in Amsterdam. Checked in to our lovely bed and breakfast, the Ayden. The owners are Debbie and Ennis. They are, we are assuming, a lesbian couple. Ennis is the cook and Debbie is clearly the hostess. They are both great, but Debbie is especially delightful. Tuesday night we wondered down to this little bistro for dinner that Debbie had suggested. What we latered realized was that is was Edinburgh's "gay"borhood." Can you believe it? We are in Edinburgh less than a few hours and we have already found our people. (Oh yeah, I'm traveling with my friend Copey--also a big ol' queen.)
Yesterday after our delicious breakfast, we took a tour of Edinburgh castle. It was interesting in the historical sense. After that we did the Scottish Whisky experience. It was a little kitschy but it included a whisky tasting. So all memories of how tacky it was was essentially wiped from our memories. I think I may have become a whisky drinker. (This is quite a leap from my usual fruity cocktails.)
This morning I had haggis, a Scottish delicacy. It is essentially sheep intestins filled with spices and such. And I had black pudding which is all of that plus pork blood. Now it sounds disgusting, but let me tell you it was tasty. I loved it. Today we are off to Holyrood palace, the queens residence when she is in Edinburgh and then the Britannia, the royal yacht.
We have not and don't plan to pack too much in to any of our days. And so far it has been really great. Leisurely breakfasts, brief excursions and walks and then a nice leisurely dinner. I want to live like this always.
Alright, keep checking back I'll write when able.
Cheers!
Oh, and welcome to the world Hannah and Isaac.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Huh?!?
A woman in red striped tights and a blue and white beenie riding a unicycle. Where did I see this particular sight? A circus? No. A vaudeville-esque stage show? No. A crazy technicolored dream? No. No, I saw this at the corner of Bryant and 15th. Yep, that's right I was just driving down the road and there she was. And it kind of just seemed normal. Perhaps I have lived in San Francisco too long. Maybe she was a messenger for me. If so I wonder what message she was trying to give me.
I'm getting ready for my next trip. I leave on Friday for New York for the weekend. Then on Monday night I am headed to Scotland. Yay!!!! My friend Copey will meet me in NYC on Sunday and we will travel in Scotland together. I haven't decide if I'm taking my computer with me--not knowing if i'd have internet access where I'm staying. But I'll try and find a computer along the way to update you all on my travels. Especially if I see anyone riding a unicycle.
I'm getting ready for my next trip. I leave on Friday for New York for the weekend. Then on Monday night I am headed to Scotland. Yay!!!! My friend Copey will meet me in NYC on Sunday and we will travel in Scotland together. I haven't decide if I'm taking my computer with me--not knowing if i'd have internet access where I'm staying. But I'll try and find a computer along the way to update you all on my travels. Especially if I see anyone riding a unicycle.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Who came up with this?
I just saw an ad for Old Spice Hair and Body Wash. There is so, so much wrong with that. First I don't care if it has been "developed" to be multi-use, you should not use the same soap on both your body and your hair. And Second, even if you did do that it should never, ever---never, never--be made by Old Spice. I mean do you really want your whole body to smell like that? That is unless you are an 80 year old man.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
The icee
Every Sunday, my family gathers at my Maternal Grandmother's house for lunch. When I was young we all went to the same church and then we would get in our cars and go to her house. We ate at her house two times a week, Sunday afternoons and Tuesday nights. Tuesday was her day off from her job at Woolworth so we always had fried chicken on Tuesday night because she had all day. But on Sunday we had a ham or a roast because she could put it in the oven before church and set a timer and by the time we got there it would be done. My brother and I always wanted to ride with our grandparents from church to their house because we always knew that my Grandfather would stop at the convenience store on the way. I can't remember what the name of the store was--it wasn't a 7-11--just a generic quick stop. We always got an icee. And as I remember there were usually only 2 flavors, coke and some other flavor that I think was almost always something red. I think I always went for the red flavor. I have said many times that food holds and carries our collective stories. And for me an icee is one of those foods because it holds a memory of now two people who are no longer alive, my grandfather and my brother.
Although, I'm not sure you can call an icee food. And here is why I say that today. I read a blog of a friend of mine today who wrote about getting an icee at Target recently. (When I was in Atlanta my friend Mary Sue and I would often get an icee at the Target as well. The flavor was something like cherry ice--it was white.) So I had to go to Target today and I thought I'll get an icee as well--you know it holding memories and such. I got the cherry coke flavor. The woman at the counter gave me a cup and I got the domed shape lid with the hole in the top, the nipple portion of the lid. And I proceeded to fill up the cup with the icee. I filled it up and started to grab a straw and the icee began flooding out of the cup. It was like a volcanic eruption except it didn't shoot up in the air like those coke/mentos videos on Youtube. And it just kept going. It was all over my hand, all over the counter. I finally put the cup back on the dispenser drain and let it do its thing while I cleaned up the spill. But here is my question: what is in the icee that makes it expand? I watch a whole lot of This Old House and other such shows and there is an insulation material that does the same thing. It goes into the walls and then expands. But this theoretically should just have some soda syrup and ice right? Whatever it is that's just not right.
But it tasted kind of good, but not as good as I remember from when my brother and I would rush into the convenience store. Actually, if I'm honest I'm feeling a little gross now. Maybe some things are better left as memories.
Peace out.
Although, I'm not sure you can call an icee food. And here is why I say that today. I read a blog of a friend of mine today who wrote about getting an icee at Target recently. (When I was in Atlanta my friend Mary Sue and I would often get an icee at the Target as well. The flavor was something like cherry ice--it was white.) So I had to go to Target today and I thought I'll get an icee as well--you know it holding memories and such. I got the cherry coke flavor. The woman at the counter gave me a cup and I got the domed shape lid with the hole in the top, the nipple portion of the lid. And I proceeded to fill up the cup with the icee. I filled it up and started to grab a straw and the icee began flooding out of the cup. It was like a volcanic eruption except it didn't shoot up in the air like those coke/mentos videos on Youtube. And it just kept going. It was all over my hand, all over the counter. I finally put the cup back on the dispenser drain and let it do its thing while I cleaned up the spill. But here is my question: what is in the icee that makes it expand? I watch a whole lot of This Old House and other such shows and there is an insulation material that does the same thing. It goes into the walls and then expands. But this theoretically should just have some soda syrup and ice right? Whatever it is that's just not right.
But it tasted kind of good, but not as good as I remember from when my brother and I would rush into the convenience store. Actually, if I'm honest I'm feeling a little gross now. Maybe some things are better left as memories.
Peace out.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Adventures in the Air
I know it has been a while since I posted. But I have been kind of low energy when it comes to writing. I returned to San Francisco on Sunday, via a planned lay over in Atlanta Saturday night. Any while there is all sorts of things I could write about, probably the greatest of which would be the funeral and surrounding days, I'm not ready to write about much of it. So instead I'm going to write about the two plane trips.
(1) Saturday, Orlando to Atlanta: We were delayed by about 20 minutes leaving. The reason was that when the baggage handlers were loading the aircraft one of the heavy bags with a lock on it--not mine, my luggage was just heavy, it didn't have a lock on it--had scratched the plane. So it wasn't a major safety issue but it still had to be recorded in the plane's maintenance log--FAA rules and such. So instead of noting it in the log and then returning it to the plane it apparently had to go to the maintenance office and then returned to the plane. And of course that took a while. But I'll say it again it was only about 20 minutes. Well the story really is not about that issue it is about the woman sitting behind me. She had one of those smokers voices, you know what I"m talking about kind of raspy but not full on emphysema raspy just a little. She was also clearly a little nervous about flying and that manifested itself in constant inane talking. Here is how the conversation with I'm assuming her husband or god forbid the poor soul who was unfortunate enough to get seated by her.
Imagine the voice raspy and rednecky
"This is just ridiculous" "I cain't believe we have to wait for this" "This is takin' forever" "This is the last time I ever let such and such talk me into flying." "We coulda already drove to Atlanta by now." "This is just ridiculous" "They scraped the paint." "The pilot just said its gonna be 10 more minutes." "What did he say?" "For our next vacation I think I want to go to Savannah." BLAH, BLAH, BLAH
And the talking never, stopped. Never! Fast forward 45 minutes, a few minutes from landing and the subsequent minutes
"I am just tired of bein' on this plane." "I have been on here for too long." "I'm hungry" "I have to go to the bathroom." "Alright you landed now you got to slow down." (Apparently she thought an airplane stops like a car.) "I am just tired of bein on this plane" (Did I tell you it was a freakin 45 minute flight?)
So we land and we are waiting to deplane. (I know not at all a word. It bugs me too.) I'm sitting in my seat waiting to stand up when the aisle empties out and they don't even wait for me to stand up they just sweep past me. I stand up and walk out behind them. She is still talking and she is rubbing her arms complaining about cold she is. I didn't know it was going to be so cold here." The reason she was cold is because she had on a lavender tank top and these short purple vinyl shorts. I'm sorry but that is just trashy. T-R-A-S-H-Y!!! I wanted to hurl something heavy and sharp at her.
Sunday: Atlanta to San Francisco: Three women sitting behind me clearly on a girls trip to San Francisco. They had met up from other places at the Atlanta airport to head west. They also talked most of the flight but were a little less annoying that the trashy woman from the day before. But they were clearly fairly sheltered southerners. At one point I came back from the bathroom and one of them was asking if the other had had her baby dedicated. (This is a Baptist thing that is done when a child is an infant usually as a way of welcoming them into the family of God. They later can choose to be baptized.) And I don't remember what the answer was but what ensued was a conversation of what denominations do infant baptism. It really was spurred when one of them said "only Catholics baptize babies." To which the one of the others said "no lutherans do too." Again I kind of wanted to hurl something heavy and sharp at them. But he kicker was one of them was doing the airline crossword puzzle and I guess the clue was something about "The Odd Couple" To which one of them said "Oh it must be the play The Odd Couple by Paul Simon." Paul Simon?!? Really? When do you think he wrote that before or after he and Garfunkel broke up? Now I'll give you that I often make faux pas like that. I misspeak. But normally I know when I have done that. I think she really believes Paul Simon wrote "The Odd Couple."
I was glad to be home.
(1) Saturday, Orlando to Atlanta: We were delayed by about 20 minutes leaving. The reason was that when the baggage handlers were loading the aircraft one of the heavy bags with a lock on it--not mine, my luggage was just heavy, it didn't have a lock on it--had scratched the plane. So it wasn't a major safety issue but it still had to be recorded in the plane's maintenance log--FAA rules and such. So instead of noting it in the log and then returning it to the plane it apparently had to go to the maintenance office and then returned to the plane. And of course that took a while. But I'll say it again it was only about 20 minutes. Well the story really is not about that issue it is about the woman sitting behind me. She had one of those smokers voices, you know what I"m talking about kind of raspy but not full on emphysema raspy just a little. She was also clearly a little nervous about flying and that manifested itself in constant inane talking. Here is how the conversation with I'm assuming her husband or god forbid the poor soul who was unfortunate enough to get seated by her.
Imagine the voice raspy and rednecky
"This is just ridiculous" "I cain't believe we have to wait for this" "This is takin' forever" "This is the last time I ever let such and such talk me into flying." "We coulda already drove to Atlanta by now." "This is just ridiculous" "They scraped the paint." "The pilot just said its gonna be 10 more minutes." "What did he say?" "For our next vacation I think I want to go to Savannah." BLAH, BLAH, BLAH
And the talking never, stopped. Never! Fast forward 45 minutes, a few minutes from landing and the subsequent minutes
"I am just tired of bein' on this plane." "I have been on here for too long." "I'm hungry" "I have to go to the bathroom." "Alright you landed now you got to slow down." (Apparently she thought an airplane stops like a car.) "I am just tired of bein on this plane" (Did I tell you it was a freakin 45 minute flight?)
So we land and we are waiting to deplane. (I know not at all a word. It bugs me too.) I'm sitting in my seat waiting to stand up when the aisle empties out and they don't even wait for me to stand up they just sweep past me. I stand up and walk out behind them. She is still talking and she is rubbing her arms complaining about cold she is. I didn't know it was going to be so cold here." The reason she was cold is because she had on a lavender tank top and these short purple vinyl shorts. I'm sorry but that is just trashy. T-R-A-S-H-Y!!! I wanted to hurl something heavy and sharp at her.
Sunday: Atlanta to San Francisco: Three women sitting behind me clearly on a girls trip to San Francisco. They had met up from other places at the Atlanta airport to head west. They also talked most of the flight but were a little less annoying that the trashy woman from the day before. But they were clearly fairly sheltered southerners. At one point I came back from the bathroom and one of them was asking if the other had had her baby dedicated. (This is a Baptist thing that is done when a child is an infant usually as a way of welcoming them into the family of God. They later can choose to be baptized.) And I don't remember what the answer was but what ensued was a conversation of what denominations do infant baptism. It really was spurred when one of them said "only Catholics baptize babies." To which the one of the others said "no lutherans do too." Again I kind of wanted to hurl something heavy and sharp at them. But he kicker was one of them was doing the airline crossword puzzle and I guess the clue was something about "The Odd Couple" To which one of them said "Oh it must be the play The Odd Couple by Paul Simon." Paul Simon?!? Really? When do you think he wrote that before or after he and Garfunkel broke up? Now I'll give you that I often make faux pas like that. I misspeak. But normally I know when I have done that. I think she really believes Paul Simon wrote "The Odd Couple."
I was glad to be home.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Is this going to happen to me?
My grandmother is a farting machine. Seriously, it never stops. And she knows it. She talks about when she was younger and she worked for Woolworth. She just couldn't believe the old women who would come into the store and pass gas as if it was nothing at all. Now she understands that they couldn't control it because she can't control it.
But wow, it is like a flatulence gatling gun I'm fairly certain why this happens as we age. But I've never heard them come in such constant and quick succession. Fortunately for all concerned there isn't a real odor associated with them. It just makes me laugh. I can't believe I just wrote a whole blog about my grandmother's gas. I know I promised to only tell my story, and this isn't technically my story, except for the fact that it is my story because for the last three weeks I have been the one to witness this.
I'm ready to go back home. I'm ready to sleep in my own bed. I'm ready for the only gas that is passed to be my own.
But wow, it is like a flatulence gatling gun I'm fairly certain why this happens as we age. But I've never heard them come in such constant and quick succession. Fortunately for all concerned there isn't a real odor associated with them. It just makes me laugh. I can't believe I just wrote a whole blog about my grandmother's gas. I know I promised to only tell my story, and this isn't technically my story, except for the fact that it is my story because for the last three weeks I have been the one to witness this.
I'm ready to go back home. I'm ready to sleep in my own bed. I'm ready for the only gas that is passed to be my own.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
The Best Sandwich Ever!
As any regular reader of this blog knows, I love to eat. I love good food. Well this weekend I had some really good food. But I want to talk about one item in particular. On Saturday afternoon we went to Liuzza's by the Track. This is a real hole in the wall kind of place. It is in mid-city which is about a 10 minute drive from the French Quarter. Liuzza's is really in the middle of a residential area. But it is near the horse track, hence the name. I didn't even know they had a horse track in New Orleans. The track is also home to the New Orleans Jazz Festival. Well anyway we had to wait about a half hour for a seat, but it was worth the wait. Despite the fact that the bathroom was kind of nasty. (You know those hand towel machines that use an actually cloth towel that is on a roll and should roll back into itself. Well in this bathroom it was broken and there was just a a big ol' loop of dirty towel circling the sink.) And despite the fact that a large portion of the dining area had been taken away so that they could have video poker machines which apparently in New Orleans can exist as long as they are enclosed by walls and a low roof and there a saloon type doors partially restricting entrance.
Despite all of these things, I had the best sandwich I have ever eaten. Ever! It was a barbecue shrimp po'boy. It was so good!!!! They first took a french roll, sliced off the end at an angle, and then hollowed out the center. Then they filled that with delicious barbecue shrimp. It was like a hot pocket. Then it was all floating in a garlic pepper gravy. I devoured the sandwich. And then I had to get a whole other loaf of french bread so that my friend Ranger and I could sop up the gravy. ("sop up" is a good southern word that means make a big ol' pig of yourself by using bread or your fingers to absorb all gravy or pan drippings so that it can be eaten.) I have not been able to stop talking about this sandwich. It came in at about $12, which is about average for a sandwich in New Orleans. You could get a plain fried shrimp or catfish po'boy for about $9. My friends said that the catfish po'boy was also very, very good. But why would you when for just a few dollars more you could have a little piece of heaven in your mouth?
So next time you are in NOLA plan a trip to Liuzza's. You head north on Carrollton, hang a right on Esplanade and then a left on North Lopez.
Hmm, Hmmm, Good!
Despite all of these things, I had the best sandwich I have ever eaten. Ever! It was a barbecue shrimp po'boy. It was so good!!!! They first took a french roll, sliced off the end at an angle, and then hollowed out the center. Then they filled that with delicious barbecue shrimp. It was like a hot pocket. Then it was all floating in a garlic pepper gravy. I devoured the sandwich. And then I had to get a whole other loaf of french bread so that my friend Ranger and I could sop up the gravy. ("sop up" is a good southern word that means make a big ol' pig of yourself by using bread or your fingers to absorb all gravy or pan drippings so that it can be eaten.) I have not been able to stop talking about this sandwich. It came in at about $12, which is about average for a sandwich in New Orleans. You could get a plain fried shrimp or catfish po'boy for about $9. My friends said that the catfish po'boy was also very, very good. But why would you when for just a few dollars more you could have a little piece of heaven in your mouth?
So next time you are in NOLA plan a trip to Liuzza's. You head north on Carrollton, hang a right on Esplanade and then a left on North Lopez.
Hmm, Hmmm, Good!
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