Windy weather

I know I've mentioned it before but I really, really, really hate wind. We've had gale-force gusts for a few weeks now. It happens every year, and I hate it every year. I have a few large planters on my patio. They have been toppled over every day. And they are 4-foot tall trees in 5-gallon buckets! I keep rocks on top of the dirt to prevent the squirrels from digging in them and burying nuts. The squirrels are messy little critters and I got tired of sweeping up after them, hence the rocks--it pisses them off. But now when these plants blow over, the rocks get scattered all over the porch and it is a pain in the ass to pick them up every day. My neighbors stopped by on Thanksgiving to ask if someone was throwing rocks at my windows. Then today I was in the dining room when I heard that familiar crashing sound, and everything blew over in one huge gust of wind. So I'm out there early this morning in my pajamas and robe, swearing, out loud, all by myself. Kicking the rocks out of the way, SWEARING, and moving all the plants. And even though I want calm, still weather, at least the wind chimes sound pretty.

The Bandwagon Effect

Ever since the Browns came back 10 years ago, I have been a member of the Southern California Brownsbackers Club. Every Sunday morning during football season you can find me at my local Brownsbackers bar, religiously. There is a small, faithful group of us who have shown up every week, win or lose. We look forward to seeing each other, having a few beers, and watching the Browns play. We have our seats--we're a superstitious lot, so when we win, we wear the same shirt and sit in the same seat every week. If someone doesn't show up, and we win, they can't come back the next week as we won't take a chance and upset the balance of the universe. We understand that our actions out here directly affect what happens on a field 3000 miles away, and we accept that responsibility. The Browns beat the Saints and the Patriots the last two games, and every freakin' bandwagoner showed up at OUR bar today! I don't like it. None of us did. People we've never seen before crowded into our seats. I think we lost because two of the guys were not in their regular seats! Bad karma. To make matters worse, the really loud annoying guy who stands up on every play and desperately needs some kind of medication was there. We thought he'd been permanently eighty-sixed last season. After a full period of overtime, and a lucky touchdown as time ran out, most of us had the same thought: hopefully the bandwagoners will jump off and we can get our bar back next week. Go Browns!!

Sheer boredom

I have finally reached my limit on what I can do while unemployed. I am way beyond bored. Yes, I have basic things to do everyday. I go to the gym, read the paper, walk at the beach, or go for a run, and the house is pretty clean, but I am antsy and restless all the time now. I used to love doing crossword puzzles. I do at least 3 or 4 every day and I'm starting to hate them, but I can't stop. It's like a horrible addiction I can't shake. And I don't know of any Crosswords Anonymous meetings I could attend! I'm sitting at the computer just to avoid that crossword puzzles book that is sitting on my coffee table. I guess I could read a book since I just went to the library the other day, but I feel too antsy to sit still much longer. I could go for a walk, although I've already been to the gym today, and it's 90 freakin' degrees outside--on November 3rd! What's up with that?? The bottom line is that I'm open to suggestions on combatting sheer boredom. I've run out of ideas.

Plastic Bags

California has considered proposing a law to ban plastic bags at all grocery and retail outlets. Some cities have already enacted this legislation. I love this idea--it needs to be statewide, and eventually nationwide. California needs to lead the way, just like we did with smoking bans. According to info on the Internet, Americans use at least 380 BILLION plastic bags a year, and only 1 % are recycled. Plastic lives forever. It pollutes our land and waterways, harms animals and fish, and can cause outages and even fires if it gets hung up on power lines. It's been windy and rainy here lately and I've seen a ton of plastic bags blowing around outside this week. I always take reusable canvas bags to the grocery store with me. I just have one suggestion: train the clerks and baggers to fill the canvas bags properly. I stop at the front of the store on my way out, rebag my groceries, and dump the extra plastic bags in the handy recycling bin before I even leave the store. Putting 3 or 4 items in my canvas bags is ridiculous. Fill them up! Canvas is a lot stronger than plastic. Reusable bags can take it! Many clerks won't bag certain items together. It's not like stuff is unwrapped. Meat comes in its own separate, sealed package, and I wash all my veggies when I get them home anyhow--so throw them all in the same canvas bag. I hope that if this legislation ever comes to pass, that we can learn to fill the bags correctly. Reusable bags are a great idea, and banning plastic bags saves money and helps the environment. A win-win situation!

paint and carpet

I am so excited--I'm getting a fresh coat of paint and new carpet at my place this week! I've put it off for years, so it's way overdue. It's a hassle taking all the pictures down, and packing up all the knick-knacks, but I will be very happy when it's all over. And everything will be super clean since I'll be polishing and washing everything before it gets put back in place. I started boxing up stuff today and realized why my friends sneeze at my house--I am not a good duster! I hate dusting! Hate, hate, hate it!! I love swiffering the floors, but I hate moving stuff to dust, so I don't do it very often. Everyone who knows me, knows that my house is usually neat and tidy, but you just can't see the dust I miss, on purpose. Moving everything off the shelves exposes it all. And believe me, there's a lot! Right now, the place smells like Endust, lemony fresh! I know more dust will be created when they rip the carpet up, but with nothing on the bookshelves, hutch or entertainment center, it will be easy to clean. I'll probably get allergies now since it'll be spotless. I'm sure I've built up immunities to it all over the years. I'm looking forward to the fresh start, maybe it'll spill over into other aspects of my life, too!

The Tillman Story

I finally went to see The Tillman Story today. It's the documentary about the friendly-fire death of Pat Tillman, the NFLer-turned-Army Ranger. I've read all the accounts in the news and I knew the movie would make my liberal heart even madder once I saw it. I was right--I was pissed off about 10 seconds into the film. It brought back all the anger I have about the US being in a stupid, senseless war. It brought back all the sadness of attending the funeral of my friend's son, who was killed in Iraq a few months after Pat Tillman died. Why is it so hard, in the military, in government, in business; why is it so fucking hard to tell the truth? All the Tillman family wants is for someone to admit the truth. Why is it so damn easy to blame someone else, then cross your fingers and hope it all blows over? Why can't someone man-up and say "Oh my God, we really fucked up. We're responsible. We can't change the outcome but we'll work hard to prevent it from happening again." And I applaud the Tillman family for not backing down, for continuing to ask the hard questions, because that's what democracy is about, that's why Pat Tillman joined up, that's what our founding fathers envisioned for America. We should be grateful to those who stand up and question authority. Blind allegiance to a leader is irresponsible. We should question, research, and learn the facts, not the rhetoric. Too many leaders abuse their power, lose sight of what is important, and the power itself becomes the end-all. And that is a very dangerous thing.

Food Trucks

The food truck craze is huge in Los Angeles. No longer the 'roach coach' days of old, these are gourmet restaurants on wheels. And, finally, my little corner of Orange County has gotten in on all the rage. Food Truck Fare Thursdays happens every week at the fairgrounds, just around the corner from my house. I went this week. Told my friends I felt really hip doing it! I started off with the spicy pork taco from the Korean/Mexican fusion truck. Oh my God--it was excellent! Really flavorful, and only $2! After that, it was the caprese empanada from the South American truck. Mozzarella, basil and tomato with an awesome herb dipping spread. It was also only two bucks. A great deal for great food. Didn't check out the Dogzilla truck but their hot dogs and sausages smelled really good. Different trucks are going to be there each week, but I hope ChunknChip comes back. I need to try their rocky road ice cream brownie sandwich. It looked wonderfully decadent, and I'm not averse to doing ice cream for lunch! The Greek truck is on my list too, and I hope they're on the schedule soon, since I'll be back every Thursday. So, count me among the food truck aficionados. I'm happy to be with the crowd!