Fantastic and well-penned OP, Plynck! That sounds like just about the perfect lazy and warm fall day. A beach, a book, and a newfound buddy.
I love having chats with elderly folks. Even the ones whose lives were relatively mundane have nevertheless lived through a time lost past in a way I can’t directly relate to but find fascinating just the same. (That’s part of the reason that I love leafing through the pages of Shorpy; each picture is a story unto itself.) The ones with stories though, I could listen to them for hours and have several dozen questions afterwards. And I wouldn’t worry about co-opting the MMP. They’re generally scheduled but it’s a pretty informal thing. If you really want to atone however, we like pie. Pie and chocolate. And baklava. Pie, chocolate, and baklava. Oh! And beer. A lot of us like beer, too. Okay, so, pie, chocolate, baklava, beer, and salted cashews. And vanilla fudge. Wait, I’ll come in again…
Anyway, caffeinating, but still waking up and having difficulty with pronouns. This weekend went way too fast, and I still managed to get too little sleep. I had to claw my way out of bed this morning. I suspect this was partly because it’s also overcast and a bit miserable out, which only made me want to crawl deeper under the covers.
I did just start taking a multivitamin though. Specifically, One-a-Day, the men’s formula. I’m not entirely sure what benefit this men’s formula is supposed to have over the generic (or even women’s) formula from a practical standpoint, but – well, I’m a man, so it seemed to make some kind of sense that I take one tailored for a man. (MindWife started taking the women’s formula one, too – actually, it was her desire to do so which made me try.) I’m curious to see if there are any noticeable long-term benefits like more energy or something. Og knows I probably neglect my diet such that I’m probably missing this vitamin one day and that mineral the next, so maybe this will kinda level things out and maybe even improve things in the long run.
In an apparent move to foil all of those wonderful health benefits however, it seems my work-local supermarket has changed the recipe of their chick pea salad. Where it was once a nice dressing of tangy vinegar with a bit of oil and a few spices, they appear to have decided that they had the proportions reversed. My chick pea salad is now treading a pool of olive oil tempered by a few drops of vinegar and a dusting of spices. (This is only partly a joke; I’ve only had a few forkfuls and it’s pooling where I removed some beans/peas.) Is it a new chef, or did someone actually complain that there isn’t nearly enough oil? Jebus. After I’m done there will undoubtedly be enough oil left over for a small Sicilian town to dip their panini bread in.
And I bought this salad because – hey, it’s low fat, high fiber. Now, apparently, with 800% more lube to help that fiber snake the plumbing!
VBob - Be glad you aren’t a fireman at my local FD. Of the roughly two and a half billion fire alarms in my building alone (there are 4 in the complex) it is estimated that five of them were for legitemate purposes. Of those five, two were because some poor kid, having evidently lost his unanchored brain down the garbage chute in the small hours of the morning, decided to toss some flaming trash down after it to see if he could locate it. At least, that is the hypothesis that lets me retain a few iotas of hope for today’s youth.
Doggio - Of course, you already know this, but your cat is only making nice with Nelly because he wants your attention on the new pet while he goes out and cuts your brake lines.