Driving back from NC

After a long, long day of driving, mom and I made it home to Geneva safely. Hurrah! I got up pretty early, at least for me, and got on the road. Two and a half hours later, I had arrived at Bosey's house in Union Grove. Mom was up and packed and we didn't dawdle too much there. Mom had a great time there! Hurrah! And thank you, big time, Bosey!!! We will have to do it again. :)

Next up, the drive North. My GPS said it would be about 12 hours with no stops. Arg. The trip went remarkably well. We did stop for gas and some food - well, food-like substances. I do like the occasional bit of fast food - maybe once or twice a month - pizza is not fast food, by the way... - this time it was Arby's. Curly fries! Yippee!

Next stop, a scenic overlook in Pennsylvania. Mom didn't get out of the car. She was being a trooper all things considered, but she just didn't want to get out. Oh well. It was gorgeous! Then to get gas in Williamsport, PA. And I saw a sign! Not an omen sort of sign, a sign I had seen years ago and then off and on again since - a sign for the Bullfrog Brewery and Eatery! Yippee!! It was dinner time, so I suggested we stop there.

It wasn't difficult to find (thank you GPS). Cool building, nice staff, good food, passable beer. Evan, the host, took us to a table all the way in the back. Good thing, since there was jazz in the main space and it would have been a tad difficult to chat. Brooke was our server, she had worked there 10 years and was from a town about 50 miles away. She was great! We ordered a meal to share between us - if I eat too much, I can get sleepy while driving, which isn't good - and mom doesn't really eat that much at any one meal. And we still had leftovers. Probably lunch today.

One of the upsides of mom's alzheimer's is that I can tell her my thoughts over and over again and she doesn't get bored hearing them. And I can refine them by bouncing them off her - she is still thoughtful and intelligent, just a little (ok, a lot) forgetful. So I can tell her my ideas for selling Diary of a Plate Addict, running for president, my self-help book, my theatre company... etc.

We finally got home around 10:30 pm. Phew! I unloaded the car and basically went straight to bed. Though I did take time out to write back to a Plenty of Fish woman who had written me back. Yippee! Hope springs eternal...

Pictures from June 29, 2011:


Mom and Bosey posing in the sunroom of Bosey and Bob's house!


I tend to forget negative experiences (generally) pretty quickly. I had completely forgotten that we got stopped by construction blasting for half on hour in PA. Weird.


One of the vistas from the Scenic Overlook in PA near Williamsport.


The Bullfrog Brewery and Eatery. A must visit if you are ever in Williamsport, PA and like beer and food.

Apologies to people with RSS feeds!

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, I am going to go back through all of my posts and add keywords and labels to them. I know! An exciting project. And one that I am racing to do. Ok, not so much racing. But I had the thought that each post I touch is going to be reposted and updated and that you all, however many there are of you, will get updated RSS feed post things. Mea Culpa. Hopefully, soon, going forward, I will do better about labeling posts as I create them. Probably not, but there is a faint, faint hope that I will...again, sorry!

I have posted a nub page for Diary of a Plate Addict on Facebook. I hope you all can find time to go find it and like it. Ooh, click here to go to the page. But be sure to come back again - or open the page in a new window or new tab...

Lovely day again. Yippee! I did a lot of nothing until it was time to head to the Saucer. I really needed a day of relaxation. Oh, wait, that is what I do most of the time. Anyway, it was welcome.

The Saucer was fun! Eric, Nancy, Kim, Russell, Adam and John all visited. I finished my 19th plate with a Pyramid Apricot (one of my favorite beers). I was supposed to get together with a friend, but she never called, so I went to Pie Bird for dinner without her.

Pie Bird is great. If you can't figure out where to go for food sometime, choose there at least once! I know I will go again. It feels like a cool neighborhood eatery. Everyone was very friendly. I met a brewer/rep from Huske Hardware House in Fayetteville. Teresa, the bartender and my server, was a joy. They serve local beer, and I had an Aviator I hadn't had before. For dinner I had the Antipasti Salad which was intense - lots of different flavors all melded together. Yum! And I had the Curry Chicken Pie. Delicious! I look forward to my next visit. Maybe even next time I am in Raleigh! Being a lazy foodie, I first heard about Pie Bird from another blog - A Tarheel Tastes. If you are interested in food you might want to check out her writing.

I finally got over my crush. Yippee! I deleted her blog feed, defriended her on Facebook and hid any references I could find to her. The sad thing is, she will never know nor care. Phew! I feel better now. On to the next crush! :)

I am writing this late at night/early in the morning for tomorrow/today is a driving day and I don't know when next I will be in front of the computer.

Oh, and by the way, Leslie and I communicated again and I had misspelled her name! Oops! Life is that way sometimes. :)

Pictures from June 28, 2011:


A small part of Nancy and Eric's garden! Go them!


My two hundredth beer on my 19th plate with lovely Kim!


Me about to enjoy my entree at Pie Bird.


Remind me not to celebrate my birthday at Pie Bird unless, like this gentleman, I come prepared!

Awesome Day

Ok, awesome might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it was certainly a good day.

Got up and did the normal stuff. A little routine is always good. Then helped Nancy navigate the wifi which was fun. Eventually I headed out into the world to take care of bidness (sic).

The main reason for this visit, well, one of two main reasons, was to get my car looked after. Car stuff. I got a replacement wiper (and installed it myself - aren't I handy?). Got the oil changed and tires rotated at Just Tires. I still haven't figured out where the nearest Just Tires is to me. I just looked on the internet and it seems the closest is in Maryland. Poop. Anyway, that is where I got my tires and they offer free life time tire rotations with an oil change! Saves a few shekels. Next, car inspection, which the car passed with flying colors (or at least it passed...). Yippee!

Next, I headed to the house in Clayton to collect more stuff to bring back to Geneva. A few bottle openers, my wonderful peeler - if you haven't read about the peeler - back in the archives, there is some verbiage about it. Love that peeler. My mandoline (pronounced Leeen not Line) (Thank you Jimmy). Some theatre books (one on dialects that I thought I had lost - a makeup book and a couple others). Some clothes. And a few movies. All in all two big plastic tubs worth of stuff. Yippee! Sadly, I love my stuff! Trying to be unattached - and mostly succeeding, but it will be good to have this crap with me.

Then a pleasant evening at the Saucer. My table, that I thought I had reserved, was occupied by two nice people - Lesley (I apologize if I misspelled your name - I forgot to ask how it was spelled) and Danielle (ditto) who kindly offered to move when I told them that it was my table. Lesley mentioned that she and some friends used to frequent the Saucer and had noticed my plates and wondered who I was. Now she wonders no longer. :) Anyway, the second reason for me coming down was to finish my 19th plate - my Austin plate. I started the day having only 6 beers left. At the end of the day, I somehow had seven left. I don't know what that is about, but it will get fixed today I am sure. I have again, asked that the table be reserved for me (since I am only in town for four days). Anyway, Cate joined me, as did Eric and Nancy. A few regulars came in and we all nodded at each other. Bob came and chatted for a while. Very pleasant!

Later, Cate and I had dinner at Fai Thai. We had wanted to go to Pie Bird but they were closed on Mondays. We had yummy food and a good server (Laura). Yippee!

Last night I woke up around 3 and didn't go back to sleep for a long while - maybe 2 hours. Had some wacky James Bond-esque dreams. But part of the reason I was awake was for thinking.

There were two thoughts that came from The Tipping Point that I wanted to share. I figured out why I am attracted to women who smoke. According to the book and to research, smokers are perceived as risk takers and as cool people. Both are attractive to me. The second thought is about my sometime compulsive neatening and picking up of litter. The notion that environment is a major factor in behavior was an interesting idea. So that part of my efforts are in order to stimulate others to care for and be happy and comfortable in their environment. The funny thing is, I am not so neat at home, but I will stop to pick up litter as I walk from one place to another (not all the litter all the time, but significant litter some of the time).

I had a third thought, but I neglected to write it down, so it is still floating around out there, untethered as of yet.

Don't know what the day will hold - except for another Saucer visit - but I am happy about being here!

Pictures from June 27, 2011:


"My" Just Tires in Clayton, NC. Ooh, there is a Bojangles right across the street, so I lunched there! Yum!!


While searching for the books, I came across this representation of the fabled Burnt Bear. Anybody remember Burnt Bear? This is my nephew Sam's rendering!


Lesley and Danielle (spelling still in question) were kind enough to pose for a picture while sitting at my table.


A picture of Cate and me at Fai Thai. The food was yummy!

Back in NC

For a brief visit, I am back in NC. My first full day was yesterday. And most of it was spent at the Flying Saucer. There were at least 6 plate parties yesterday - parties of people who had completed the task of drinking 200 beers at the Flying Saucer. The Saucer then contributes money to a party, based on how many times the person has completed the task. We had one person celebrating their first plate (Go Russell) and others celebrating various other plate accomplishments - most notably: 19 (for Jack) and 20 (for Teddy). Awesome! And a great time was had by many for not much money on each individual's part. Thank you plate party hosts! Jimmy, glad you are ok! Thank you Flying Saucer! Pictures from the parties will go up on Facebook (for the most part) (someday).

I also went to Best Buy and bought a wireless modem as a house present for my lovely hosts. Setting it up went very easily and now they have entered the 21st century. Wireless in their house! Yippee! Ok, it was a little self serving as I can now work on my computer anywhere in the house. :)

A major blogging goal of mine has been achieved! I was hoping to reach 25 followers by the end of the year. Number twenty-five joined yesterday! Thank you!! I guess my next goal is 50?

One of my readers, who said she is now an ex-reader, told me the reason she stopped reading was because my blog felt like my personal journal. I didn't understand why that would stop her from reading. Part of the reason I write is, of course, for me. To get my thoughts out there - a lot of which happen to be about daily and personal things. And I hope that by putting my blog out there that others will be inspired to think positively about their own lives and to realize, perhaps, that they are not alone in feeling like their lives are meaningful and worth living no matter what!

Oh, I read an article about our future President (well, she hopes to be, anyway) Michelle Buchanan. Makes me feel like the idea of me running for President isn't as far fetched as it would seem.

Today is car day, the reason I came. I hope everything goes smoothly and easily. That would be nifty!

Pictures from June 26, 2011:


I saw this sign outside of Best Buy - I wonder if it was a leftover from when the store was a Toys R Us?


Plate party picture! There will be more posted on Facebook eventually...


The woman in white was 93! I don't think she is working on a plate...


Love me some sky pictures! I think these are Mackerel Scales...

More Driving and other stuff...

And even more. Well, first things first - we had a decent night's sleep at the motel. True, our next door neighbor did like listening to her TV a little loudly. And mom did wake up at 3 in the morning and think it was time to start the day (she went back to sleep eventually). And she did get poked in the back by the nubbins on the toilet seat so badly that she actually told everyone she met that day about them. But the breakfast was good. At least the waffle that I ate was yummy - my new thing - learned at the Atlantic City Comfort Inn, was to put cream cheese on my waffle! OMG!

The drive was long and mostly uneventful. I drove through a part of Virginia that I have never driven through before. I love going places I have never been before. And meeting people I have never met before. Tasting new things, experiencing new, er, experiences. Yippee!

We got to Bosey's almost two hours before we were supposed to. Luckily, Bosey and Bob had done the same thing! We drove up while they were still just getting back from their trip. What a wonderfully warm welcome we received! I am sure mom will survive her time there. Yippee again!

After getting mom settled, I hopped in the car and drove to Raleigh - a little over two hours. So I got to the Saucer almost two hours before I had planned. Big surprise - it hadn't changed drastically! The chalkboard looks redone - I will definitely take a picture of it at some point on this trip. Other than that, nada in the way of changes. Adam came in and sat with me. As did Kim and Russel. And Richard visited for a beer before heading off to a cool sounding concert. I chatted with Jeff and he assured me that there was no grand conspiracy to quash my book. Phew! And Jessica took a long time to look through my list of beers to help me choose what I ought to have! Thank you Jessica! She also came up with a plan to ship me beers from the store and then hand in tickets for me for my next plate. I doubt it would work, but it was a clever and thoughtful idea!

After the Saucer, I stopped in at Eric and Nancy's to drop off my stuff. They are so amazing to let me crash at their house! Thank you! Then off to Kevin's party held in my honor! Ok, it wasn't held in my honor - but it was fortuitous that it was being held the one weekend I was in town! Always a great group of people. I could probably write a couple of posts just about the party! And I sort of announced my candidacy for President in 2024. Gotta start sometime. :) Pictures from the party will be posted on my Facebook page (mostly)(someday).

Wow, full day. And today is a six plate-party day. Eeek!

Pictures from June 25, 2011:


There it is - the cream cheese slathered waffle! My fav is still the Texas shaped waffle I had once!


Anyone know what flower it is that looks like a flame? Saw this at a rest stop in Virginia...


Bosey on the right, Bob on the left and mom in the middle!


Two people had plate parties while I was there - a first and a second plate. Good for them!


Lots of shoes - I love that Kevin has people take their shoes off at his parties!

Books and Travel

I had a realization the other night - my mom's house has more than 15,000 books in it. If I started reading one book a day (which I sometimes do) it would take me more than 41 years to read all the books. Eeek.

One day in the not too distant future, I am going to sit down and label and add keywords to all of my past posts. Yippee! I bet there are some commonalities. And maybe it will help people to find and read the excitement that is this blog! :)

Yesterday was a driving day. Got up, got the car packed and got mom, eventually, into the car. 6 hours on the road. About halfway to Union Grove, we stopped for the night. Winchester, VA. I asked the motel desk clerk for a suggestion for dinner and she sent us to a place called Backseat Bar and Grill. Food was ok - beer selection was for crap. I had a Rolling Rock. I am so damned lazy! I should have just googled (which I did just now) - found 5 places that all sounded worlds better just a few minutes away. Sigh. Oh well - live and learn. Maybe we will go to one of them on the way back, if we stop...

My realization for the day is that a little mom goes a long way. I spend as much of a day apart from her as I can when we are in Geneva. I pop in, check to see she is ok, feed her, do whatever she might require - but I do my best not to spend long periods of time with her. It is the ceaseless repetition that drives me batty! And it does drive me batty! So, lesson learned. But how to mitigate those effects while on a trip like this, that is the question? Maybe just asking her for a few minutes silence - though that hasn't worked in the past. Maybe just going for a walk would do it. But I think I need a good hour or so to detox. Sigh. Am I evil?

Another driving day today - Saucer tonight and a party at Kevin's for a bit. Huzzah.

Pictures from June 24 2011:


Some flowers at the house in Geneva - I think they are roses!


Our lovely motel room in Winchester, VA.


Mom loves have her picture taken - ok, no she doesn't. I can see in this photo why people say she doesn't look 81. She looks 65 maybe. Or at least what I think 65 used to look like...

Career-ish Choices

I am thinking seriously of choosing a next career and possibly going back to school. As many of you who have read this blog before are well aware.

First but not foremost we have comedian. Ok, so I do think I can be funny. Can I be funny consistently and to the masses? I think I can be. Really. I do. Honestly. I am not joking. Trust me. Damn, I said it. Poop. Anyway, moving on.

Psychologist - helping people part with their money so I can tell them a) things they already know and b) things they think they know and don't want to hear and c) things that they will probably never understand and think that I am just having another acid flashback. (Sorry Jeff - this is still in the running...)

Game designer - computer games specifically. If there is a methodology, I would like to learn it, apply it and transcend it. Mr. Modesty rides again.

Hair stylist - so, I love hair - I love women - most people who go to hair stylists are women. Ipso facto it would be a good career choice - at least for the short term. I don't think that anyone mentioned this in the brainstorming session! (Thank you everyone who came out for that - you are awesomeness personified!!)

Then there are the also rans - or rather the fields of study that it would just be cool to know - chef, rocket scientist, shoe salesman, pizza maker, heavy machine operator, pilot, massage therapist (though I have already taken enough hours and performed enough massage that I could probably pass an exam and get a license in the states that need one...) etc.

Did laundry and some shopping yesterday. Got a cool picnic basket that was a smidge too large for what I wanted it for - as a food storage place for the car. Oh well. It is still cool. And in a few hours, we hit the road and head for NC. Huzzah!

Pictures from June 23, 2011:


I am handy - I just don't really like to be - so mom and I are thinking of hiring a handy person - I like that this handyman is a handywoman. I'll call her when we return from NC.


The New McDonald's building is proceeding apace. They were working on paving the roads near it while I was doing laundry.


If I were a painter, this is what I would paint. I just love clouds and sky pictures...


The house and kitchen are chock full of great things - like this wide mouthed funnel! Perfect for anything you want in something else that could use a funnel but is too big for a regular one!


Remember when I mentioned wanting to clean out the front room of the attic - this is its current state...

Fear is the Mindkiller

So, my brain is a little dead now and again. I am afraid, off and on (I try not to dwell on fear causing thoughts) about a lot of things. All in the future - so they aren't really worth being afraid of. That being said, I just thought I would share.

I guess what I am most fearful of is what happens when mom can't be left alone by herself in the house. And what to do about that eventual eventuality. I hope it isn't for a long time yet, but apparently I need to be prepared for it. I worry about money, since I have so little coming in. And expenses just keep increasing. Sigh. And of course there are other things - like ending up in a similar way to my mom - I wonder what it feels like to lose one's ability to remember. And to be alone - without a significant other. I know we are all alone really, but still, it would be nice to share that aloneness with someone. :) I think couples live longer, don't they?

Gee, that was pleasant.

Ok, moving on. Yesterday was another day. And tomorrow will be too.

Yesterday, all my troubles...anyway - we successfully navigated all of our errands. Huzzah! Mom had her 10 minutes with Dr. Ryan and was not, as usual, thrilled with his attentiveness or lack thereof. I didn't go in with her since I do not have a health power of attorney yet. Next time - in four months, I will. Nothing too drastic was reported to me by mom - for what that is worth. Next was the library, where we once again were surprised to learn that mom has misplaced a couple of library books. One has subsequently been found! Yippee! Post office, nothing too exciting there. And we stopped in to see Morgan, the bartender. She had not practiced juggling! Although the visit was pleasant, I left feeling vaguely dissatisfied with the experience. I think mom had a good time, sipping her soda water and chatting with people. We met the sons of the Registrar from Hobart.

We had Mark's Pizzeria Pizza for dinner last night. Not scintillating. Glad to have experienced it but probably won't go that road again for a few years. Then the opera meeting. Suzanne needs someone to help her, so that is what I will do. I have offered to help in any way that she needs. We aren't communicating about the opera again until early July, so it is still mostly unclear to me what she expects, but I am ok with that. I will get my makeup book from Clayton, but other than that, no clue. Oh well. It will just be good to be participating in a production again!

Tomorrow, mom and I head to NC. I am not really looking forward to the trip - the drive especially. Posting may be lumpy, so please bear with me!

Pictures from June 22, 2011:


One of the myriad reasons I like my iPhone is for the ability to take stealthy pictures - like this one - I am not practiced at it enough to try it on people but maybe one day...


This was puffy pizza - not my favorite - but yummy enough.


Love, love, love this tree! I took four or five pictures of it yesterday!


There is just something amusing about this tree to me. And a little sad and droopy...

New Thought and Guilty Pleasure

Sadly, one of my guilty pleasures has come to an end. For the past few weeks, I have been watching a British series about Robin Hood. Fun stuff. Reminded me a bit of Xena and Hercules. There were three seasons and they were mostly enjoyable. Poop. Guess I have to look around and see what else is available on Net Flix.

My new thought was this - head off a little early to go to Maine and stop in Vermont on the way. I could then visit a few breweries - like Harpoon and Magic Hat to name two. Yippee! I will have to see if I can convince mom to do that. Then again, with the opera, I might not be as free to go. We shall see.

Juggled a bit yesterday. I have decided that I am going to get decent with four clubs. And the flourish. Gives me something to practice without getting bored. I most like passing but it is hard to pass by oneself...

My plan all along had been that last night we would go to the Seneca Falls Parker's for dinner - but at the last minute I decided that we would go to the Red Dove Tavern instead. Good choice! The food was good, the service ok, the beer tasty. I had a stout from Slyfox and a Bock from Naked Dove. Mom and I shared an antipasto board - a bit light on content, but yummy. And we shared mussels with sausage - about a dozen mussels and a sliced up sausage link - also light but yummy. And then a hamburger - which was pretty good - and the thin fries were great! We chatted with Lianne, our server who was very personable. And Abby, the bartender. He wasn't sure where Clown Shoes brewery was - Massachusetts apparently. The cool thing is that he recognized mom! He was once the postmaster at the Colleges post office. She was just tickled that she was recognized!

Today is an errand day. Mom has a doctor's appointment. We need to go to the library and post office (stop the mail). I am also planning on taking mom to Eddie O'Brien's to meet Morgan (and to see if she has done any practice juggling). Still don't know what we are doing for dinner tonight and tomorrow - one night is going to be pasta - I think maybe pizza tonight and pasta tomorrow night...

Not looking forward to the heat in NC. Eeeek!

Pictures from June 21, 2011:


While juggling, this view struck me - so I pictured it!


Me and mom at the Red Dove Tavern. (Mom is on the left in the picture...)

Odd and Good

My mom remembers the weirdest things. Yesterday she asked me if I had thrown away a lamp shade frame. I said I had. It took a few tries to convince her that it was gone. She was pretty insistent that she had wanted it so that "one day" she might recover it and use it. And since all things are possible, this might have happened. The frame had been sitting on the porch for years - at least 3. And there are two more out there - though those are are still covered...

The Chinese woman didn't call yesterday, so I guess my days as an ESL teacher are over for now. Kinda sad. But it is her loss.

I took another test ride yesterday. Now I can't decide between the Trek 7.2 and the Trek 7.3. My brain will cogitate on it for a while. They are both more expensive than I would like. And there are the accoutrement that I would need - lock, helmet, rack, etc. to add to the price. And being geeky, I wouldn't mind a bike computer of some kind - that will tell me mileage and speed and things like that. I don't think I need a GPS, but...Glarg. Well, I don't need the bike right now, with a trip looming on the horizon. Oh, and a bike car rack of some kind probably. Sigh.

No tennis yesterday, but I did get out and juggle for a while. People often seem surprised that I can juggle. I don't know why. I wonder what percentage of the population can actually do a decent three ball cascade...(Side rant - it is 7:30 in the morning here in Beautiful Geneva NY and the Hobart and William Smith Colleges landscapers are hard at work with power tools! What the heck is that about? Not that I am asleep, but I could be. Goodness gracious, when will it end!!) I started Morgan (the bartender at Eddie O'Brien's for those of you who haven't read all of my blogs - and shame on you - get reading - you aren't getting any younger and you have to catch up!!) on the juggling road. With limes. We shall see if she did any practice. I have decided to take mom there after her doctor's appointment on Wednesday.

Had a lovely time at Beef and Brew - chatted with two visitors from PA, Larry and Amy. Mostly about beer, but a bit about life and such. :) And on the walk home, I met a woman who knew my mom! How weird is that? And my mom remembered her, which is even weirder!

By the way - for newer readers (if there are any - hello? Is this thing on?), the ostensible reason for this blog currently is a picture a day...

Pictures from June 20, 2011:

The third bike I have test ridden - this was a trek 7.2 with a 22" frame.


New clubs from Renegade!


I have always liked the bush in the back of this picture. I don't know what it is, but it is cool!


Huge mutant dandelion! Eeek! Run away!!!

reblogging and blogging and blogged

How does one know if one has been reblogged? I can't imagine that I have, but anything is possible. The stats continue to amaze me. I am getting visitors from all over the world. True, not many of them, but still...

More tennis yesterday. Not a lot more, but still...I like that phrase - but still...

Finished reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - moved to tears here and there. I would recommend it to people who like to read. :) Whether or not I will read his first novel, Everything is Illuminated, remains to be seen. I doubt I will get it from the library before we leave. Yup, we are leaving. Friday. Lots to do before that...

I got a call out of the blue - I like it when that happens - from a professor of mine from Hobart and William Smith. She is producing an opera and was wondering if I wanted to be in the Chorus. I told her I would be interested in helping out in any way that I could - and that I was traveling around the time of the performance, so I wasn't sure what I could do to help. There is an organizational meeting on Wednesday at Houghton House. Yippee!

Wednesday is also a doctor's appointment for mom. Life is good.

Oh, I get to take another bike for a test spin today. It might be "the one." Why can't finding a relationship be like buying a bicycle? :) Hmm, maybe it is...Now I just need to find a good "bicycle shop!"

Will Kelly, my Chinese English Student call again today? Anything is possible...

Pictures from June 19, 2011:


Now, who wouldn't want a piece of that? :) I like self timers on cameras!


And there it is - the camera that I have been using for most of the past 8 years!

Juicer

I bought my mom a juicer several years ago. Hmm, I wonder how many years ago...Anyway, she never used it. Understandably. It is huge and intimidating. And has a lot of parts that need to be cleaned.Cleaning right away works best. Anyway, I have mentioned it here before. I just like it. I think once a week or twice a week for fresh juice is not a bad thing. Yesterday's juice was grapes mostly, plus one nectarine and one apple. Yum! I have another watermelon to make more juice, but that will probably wait until Monday or so.

Two things I would like to accomplish in the nearish future: clean out a second drawer in the dresser in my room; I need a place to put pants and things. And one pass through one of the attic rooms. The front room. It is fairly neat already, but I would like to take a look and see if there is anything that is crying out to be gotten rid of. And maybe I will make that the sale room - put anything that might go up for sale in a yard sale in there. Anything is possible...

Oh, I tennised yesterday. All by myself. For about 20 minutes. I figure I need to start out slow. My hand was about to be sore from holding the racquet. It has been at least ten years, maybe longer, since I put racquet to ball. So two dozen serves, a dozen forehands and two dozen backhands and I called it a day. Yippee!

I give out cards as frequently as I can and hope that they don't all end up in the trash. I gave one to a woman from Brazil yesterday who I have crossed paths with a couple of times already. Perhaps people actually look at the blog. Not one has actually contacted me from the card. Yet. Hope springs eternal. There are very few good correspondents out there. Jeff is probably thinking that I am a bad one for not having responded to his last missives - but I will, Jeff - I will! And others - well, isn't it polite to ask questions of the other person? To show that one is interested in the other person's life? Statements do not a dialogue make...Oh, I still haven't heard from or remet the Turkish girls. Oh well.

Pictures from June 18, 2011:


Mom wanted me to mark my tennis balls for some reason. So I did.


Not a lot of people playing tennis yesterday. Maybe I will go up again today...

Stats

Maybe I will go back to school to study statistics. Or maybe economics. Ok, probably not the latter. The former though - I have always enjoyed numbers. When I was younger I was good at math and math-like endeavors. Lately, not so much. But I digress. Recently I added Sitemeter to the bottom of the website - I don't know if any of you noticed. It is a way to see what sort of traffic this site is getting. Cool stuff - it captures a bunch of information and is a teeny bit of an obsession with me. I like seeing that people are actually coming to the site. Yippee!

Then yesterday, I noticed that one of the tabs in the blogger window is a "Stats" option. Woo hoo! Who knew that I had visitors from Russia? Or Brazil? Cool. So, now I look at both of them. So, keep on reading, and I will keep looking at the numbers.

Diary of a Plate Addict is back in Heather's capable hands. I went through the book yesterday with a fat toothed comb. Ok, my heart wasn't in it and I just went over the text of every page and caught what I could catch. The next version of the book will be sent to a variety of people who, I hope, will actually take the time to look at it and give me comments - unlike the Saucer people. I am sure something is going on there. Two people said they would give me comments and neither did - this was after none of the managers sent me anything. Sigh. Looks like my dreams of selling oodles of copies were just that - dreams. Without even a tacit acceptance from the Saucer Gods I will be lucky to sell 100 copies. Poop! So much for retiring in style. :)

Yesterday I felt a bit blue. I am wondering if it has something to do with the phases of the moon - a slight letdown after the full moon perhaps? I don't know.

Dinner was pasta with easy Alfredo sauce. Yum! Coming up with dinner ideas night after night after night is exhausting. How do people do it all the time? And for larger families? Mom is really easy going and eats just about anything I put in front of her. What happens when you have a picky eater in the mix? Eeek!

No exciting weekend plans. Just the lull before the long drive to NC and back next weekend.

Pictures from June 17, 2011:


Weeds or flowers - you tell me. Mom says they are flowers - they look like pretty weeds to me...


Working on the book!


Easy Alfredo - again, lots of left overs. Yippee!

Inaugural Finger Lakes Craft Beer Festival

Rooster Fish! I don't know why that name doesn't stick in my head better. But it will now. They were one of the sponsors of the beer event last night. Their staff and their t-shirts were ubiquitous. They also provided the hot food. But no dessert! :)

To start at the beginning - I actually worked my plan yesterday. I did exactly what I said I was going to. Yippee! The kitchen was looking pretty sharp when I got done with it. I accomplished the work on Diary of a Plate Addict that I wanted to accomplish: I put up 21 more plates and reposted some 15 glasses. Huzzah!

Then, at 5 pm or so, I headed south to Watkins Glen for the beer festival. I got a little lost - the place they were holding it was a campground in the middle of nowhere New York. Hmm - is there a real Nowhere NY? No, there isn't - except for a bar in NYC but that doesn't count...I finally saw a teeny weeny light blue sign that was barely visible saying that I was on the right path! It must have been all of 8 inches square!

The ticket people were warm and friendly. Terri even gave me a hug because I was acting stressed out. Nice way to start the festival! I wonder if she gave everyone a hug. Anyway, we got a tasting glass and twenty tickets - I guess we were supposed to only have 20 tastes. Oops. There were twelve beer companies represented, each with two or three beers. Two different areas - one under a tent, the other in a building. There was some donated cold food - sandwiches, some peanut sauced pasta, a few marinated vegetables (including some marinated artichokes) - and some hot food - bratwurst and another type of sausage and some pirogi. Also two musician spots - one in each area. Picnic tables were scattered around as well.

It dripped a little when I first arrived, but mostly it was clear and dry. I chatted with sundry people, gave out a few business cards, drank beer and ate food. There were people I actually had met before there - the brewer, Seth, from Rooster Fish - John the brewer from Two Goats (who had shaved so I didn't recognize him at first). And new people - lots of new to me people. The longest chat I had was with Cate-Ellen - Catherine-Eleanor. Bon Voyage mademoiselle!

I got there around 6 and left around 9:30 I think. I didn't look at the clock. My gps and my audio book saw me safely home.

About the beer - nothing really leapt out at me. Nothing terrible either. Good thing I don't write about beer for a living... :)

Pictures from June 16, 2011:


Mom's flower arrangement - all from the garden, such as it is...


A typical lunch - chicken curry salad sandwich, Augustus made coleslaw, pringles and some cottage cheese. Yum!


The tasting tickets and the tasting glass.

There is an album on Facebook of 19 pictures from the Festival.

Also, if you didn't see it, I put up a stealth post last night about a high school memory...

Thank you for reading!

Memories...

My mom remembers the weirdest stuff. I wonder how those sorts of things get stuck in the memory banks. This past evening, she brought up an event from 32 years ago. I had just graduated from high school - Andover (my browser says this is misspelled...) - not my greatest moment or fondest memory. It is, though, fairly indelibly etched in my brain. Talking with my mom, though, I came to a realization. I am pretty darn awesome. :) Though this may not be evident from the following narrative - please stipulate it as a possibility...

Anyway, this is the gist of the story - parties, parties, parties - in New York City in the late Spring, early Summer of 1979. A whole bunch of us had graduated and survived high school and our hormonally amped years. And we celebrated like the end of times was nigh! I don't recall how many parties I attended that evening. But it was a few. And they weren't your parent's parties. They were your parent's dealer's supplier's backers parties! And more. And this went on for hours and hours and hours. This was the first day of the parties - just to put it in some kind of perspective.

Anyway - 'round about midnight, I left one of the house parties, stuff in tow - stuff being a backpack - one that I still think about to this day - a blue backpack, made out of parachute material - that collapsed to a belt packet sized item - stuffed full of most of my high school prized possessions: a galabeya and a shirt from Egypt which I had gotten just the previous summer (1978), my favorite striated juggling balls and Burnt Bear - which is a story for another time...I went to a bar that had been mentioned by the cool kids as the place to be. And sure enough, the coolest of the cool were there. DO, and JT were in attendance (as well as SW and JK...). And me. Me who didn't really belong to any of the groups. A floater. An "also was there." Or maybe not. Who the heck knows...We did shots of 151. I am pretty sure that I did at least three before deciding that the time was right for me to head back to my crash zone.

No fanfare. No farewells. I am surprised that anyone escaped that evening unscathed. I found myself awake, in a gutter, as my mom is happy to say, at around 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning. It was summer, so the days were long and the nights were intense! The crystal on my wonderfully geeky watch was broken - there was a bit of vomit in my hair, and my backpack and Burnt Bear were not readily visible. Being practical and not particularly maudlin, I decided to head to where I was guaranteed a place to rest my head. The door man, though not amused, was also not surprised or distressed, and buzzed me in. At around 10, my friend stumbled out of his room and exclaimed "You are alive!" and went to get himself some coffee, some orange juice and a bagel. And I slept on...

The Tipping Point

I am not sure where I heard about this book, but I did and I am reading it. The Tipping Point: How Little Things can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell. Worthwhile read if you are interested in how things change in a dramatic fashion, sometimes. I am reading, which is a good thing.

Ok, I have a plan today. I plan to get this blog done. That's it. The whole plan. Ta da!

Ok, no, that isn't the whole plan. After the blog, I am going to get up and do my morning stuff. Then, dishes or neatening the kitchen. Then I plan to actually get some work done on Diary of a Plate Addict. The week will be ending soon and I want to be finished with my part of the editing so that I can get it to Heather. I figure two more drafts and I will be done, such as it is. I am still worried since I didn't hear back from any of the Saucers. Sigh. I really would like to sell some copies of the book - and I think I could with a modicum of support from the Saucer Universe. Glargh. (I like that non-word).

Then, after that, I will head to the beer festival in Watkins Glen. Woo hoo!

Yesterday was a nice day. I took a walk to the bank, stopped in to say hi to Morgan. Then mom and I went to see Madame Butterfly - a rebroadcast of a performance earlier in the year. Great production - very cool - used some Bunraku techniques and a lot of fun stagecraft. A bit too much singing for my taste, but that's what one gets in opera...

It ended too late for us to have Indian Food, so we stopped at Denny's. Oh and Geneva is getting a Denny's again. The last one closed, hmm, 20 years ago? Could it be that long ago?

Oh, plans for heading to North Carolina proceed apace. It looks like we will be leaving here on Friday, June 24 and heading back to NYS on Wednesday, June 29. Mom will spend most of that time with a family friend, Bosey, while I do what I need to do in and around Raleigh. Yippee!

Thank you all for reading! Tell your friends! I need more visitors and more followers if I am to reach my goal of 25 by year's end...

Pictures from June 15, 2011:


The view again - I never get tired of it.


The benches along the view!