Bits

My cats, Jake and Betty are both sitting on the arm of the couch looking out the terrace right now. Jake is 15 and Betty is (best we can figure) probably 3. Betty is a young girly girl. Jake is an old man who was never the sharpest knife in the drawer anyway. When he's not napping or trying to get my attention, he sometimes - like now - gets curious about Betty. It's fun to watch. In a minute he will lick her or she will lick him and they will wrestle nicely for a minute and then one of them will get carried away and Betty will run. Jake might run after her and might not. They are a nice side show.

Nice walk this morning. No rain. No wind. Not too much sun. Nice puddles. Good picture taking.

I cut an inch and a half off my own hair this morning. I cannot believe I did that. But I did. It was getting too long in the back. So I pulled it up into a pony tail at the top of my head and just cut off the part that stuck out over the rest. It's long enough now so that I think it won't scream 'haircut by chain saw'. But I still can't believe I did it. I've never in my life taken scissors to hair. Guess my time has come.

I'm heading out in a bit to the Goodwill and the grocery store. And then I'm going to wander down the street to Elliot Bay Books which is a huge, fine, old bookstore here in the 'hood. I need to check and see if they have drood's brand new book You Are SO Cursed! (by Naomi Nash) on the shelf yet. It will be my job to ensure that at least at Elliot Bay, that book is always facing out on the shelf. It's not due out until Monday but there have been sightings and Amazon deliveries.

Jake and Betty have now reconvened on the other end of the couch where they both like to lie on this one certain pillow. Betty has possession right now but Jake is moving in. They are in a stare down. Betty usually wins this. But, I have seen Jake trick her. The unemployed are very easily amused.

Bits

My cats, Jake and Betty are both sitting on the arm of the couch looking out the terrace right now. Jake is 15 and Betty is (best we can figure) probably 3. Betty is a young girly girl. Jake is an old man who was never the sharpest knife in the drawer anyway. When he's not napping or trying to get my attention, he sometimes - like now - gets curious about Betty. It's fun to watch. In a minute he will lick her or she will lick him and they will wrestle nicely for a minute and then one of them will get carried away and Betty will run. Jake might run after her and might not. They are a nice side show.

Nice walk this morning. No rain. No wind. Not too much sun. Nice puddles. Good picture taking.

I cut an inch and a half off my own hair this morning. I cannot believe I did that. But I did. It was getting too long in the back. So I pulled it up into a pony tail at the top of my head and just cut off the part that stuck out over the rest. It's long enough now so that I think it won't scream 'haircut by chain saw'. But I still can't believe I did it. I've never in my life taken scissors to hair. Guess my time has come.

I'm heading out in a bit to the Goodwill and the grocery store. And then I'm going to wander down the street to Elliot Bay Books which is a huge, fine, old bookstore here in the 'hood. I need to check and see if they have drood's brand new book You Are SO Cursed! (by Naomi Nash) on the shelf yet. It will be my job to ensure that at least at Elliot Bay, that book is always facing out on the shelf. It's not due out until Monday but there have been sightings and Amazon deliveries.

Jake and Betty have now reconvened on the other end of the couch where they both like to lie on this one certain pillow. Betty has possession right now but Jake is moving in. They are in a stare down. Betty usually wins this. But, I have seen Jake trick her. The unemployed are very easily amused.

The standoff

Betty just won this round. Jake has now taken over the TV chair. I am off to the Goodwill/grocery.

The standoff

Betty just won this round. Jake has now taken over the TV chair. I am off to the Goodwill/grocery.

Booo on Elliot Bay Books

This store rarely fails to piss me off and today they did it again. It's a fine old store with creeky wooden floors and rooms and rooms of books and funky looking (but oh so snotty) sales people and a little cafe and a room for readings... But... the snotty sales people have always been a problem. When they sold the store several years ago to a local chain (chain being, I think, 3 stores), they apparently tossed in the SSP for free cause they are still as snotty as ever. Plus, they rarely have what I want and I do not have access to the same pharmaceuticals that the person who laid out the place obviously has.

But, today... today they really really pissed me off. They not only do not have drood's book (You are SO Cursed! by Naomi Nash), according to the multi-pierced dreadlocked ever so bored SSP I talked to, they don't intend on carrying it. "I can get you a copy in a few days..." Well, so can Amazon, you fool - with a discount and without the 'tude!

"Who can I talk to, please, about possibly adding it to your shelf stock?" "Save yourself the trouble, if it's not in the computer, it won't happen. I can get you a copy in a few days..."

Tomorrow, I head downtown - the copy at Boarders needs to be faced out. GRRRRRR

Booo on Elliot Bay Books

This store rarely fails to piss me off and today they did it again. It's a fine old store with creeky wooden floors and rooms and rooms of books and funky looking (but oh so snotty) sales people and a little cafe and a room for readings... But... the snotty sales people have always been a problem. When they sold the store several years ago to a local chain (chain being, I think, 3 stores), they apparently tossed in the SSP for free cause they are still as snotty as ever. Plus, they rarely have what I want and I do not have access to the same pharmaceuticals that the person who laid out the place obviously has.

But, today... today they really really pissed me off. They not only do not have drood's book (You are SO Cursed! by Naomi Nash), according to the multi-pierced dreadlocked ever so bored SSP I talked to, they don't intend on carrying it. "I can get you a copy in a few days..." Well, so can Amazon, you fool - with a discount and without the 'tude!

"Who can I talk to, please, about possibly adding it to your shelf stock?" "Save yourself the trouble, if it's not in the computer, it won't happen. I can get you a copy in a few days..."

Tomorrow, I head downtown - the copy at Boarders needs to be faced out. GRRRRRR

Grandma's Grocery

In the parking lot at the Safeway this morning, I saw this grocery cart tucked in with the others waiting to be picked up and taken back into the store. It cracked me up. It's not often I want to be a little girl again - in fact, nearly never, but I'd love to be one just once so I could ride in this. And, I'd like my Grandma to push me.

I had two grandmothers growing up. My father's mother was a skinning old mean bitch who didn't like me either. But my mother's mother was The Perfect Grandma. She was sweet and wonderful and had big squishy arms and gave the best hugs of anyone on the face of the earth. Ever.

She lived in Oklahoma City and we lived in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina. So we didn't get to see a lot of her, but when we did, it was magic. She even had a fabulous grocery store. The IGA near her house was probably tiny but seemed huge to me. And it would have been pretty cool if it was only a grocery store.

But, there, just inside the front door was a cartoon booth. It was a big black box with a bench on one side - big enough for 4 or 5 kids - and a screen on the other and it showed an endless loop of cartoons. How brilliant is that??? I'd BEG Grandma to go to the grocery. I'd make a beeline for the black box and she would have to drag me out when she was done. I've never seen another one since but I'll never forget that one.

This little cart would be about as cool, frankly.

Grandma's Grocery

In the parking lot at the Safeway this morning, I saw this grocery cart tucked in with the others waiting to be picked up and taken back into the store. It cracked me up. It's not often I want to be a little girl again - in fact, nearly never, but I'd love to be one just once so I could ride in this. And, I'd like my Grandma to push me.

I had two grandmothers growing up. My father's mother was a skinning old mean bitch who didn't like me either. But my mother's mother was The Perfect Grandma. She was sweet and wonderful and had big squishy arms and gave the best hugs of anyone on the face of the earth. Ever.

She lived in Oklahoma City and we lived in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Missouri and North Carolina. So we didn't get to see a lot of her, but when we did, it was magic. She even had a fabulous grocery store. The IGA near her house was probably tiny but seemed huge to me. And it would have been pretty cool if it was only a grocery store.

But, there, just inside the front door was a cartoon booth. It was a big black box with a bench on one side - big enough for 4 or 5 kids - and a screen on the other and it showed an endless loop of cartoons. How brilliant is that??? I'd BEG Grandma to go to the grocery. I'd make a beeline for the black box and she would have to drag me out when she was done. I've never seen another one since but I'll never forget that one.

This little cart would be about as cool, frankly.