These people are all either a) funnier than me, b) more introspective than me, c) smarter than me, and/or d) more revelatory than me. Why do you guys read this, anyway?
Well, I'm glad you do. If nothing else, for the support you offer when I'm down. I need the egoboo sometimes, or the advice, or the information. Please do not underestimate how much your letters help.
On a totally different note, I'm feeling a little guilty this morning because Ellie made me breakfast in bed and I woke up and tottered out to the kitchen before she could bring it to me. And I'm sort of glad, 'cause I couldn't have eaten it right then anyway, 'cause she made fried stuff. The tomato plants were starting to go, and we had a lot of green tomatoes, so she pulled up the plants (and cut back the roses, industrious chick) and made fried green tomatoes and also fried parsnips (just 'cause we had some, don't ask me why), which are pretty yummy -- it's like a cross between fried potatoes and fried bananas -- the best of both worlds. But I just can't take a lot of grease, especially not early in the morning. So now my breakfast tray is sitting forlornly on the kitchen counter, and I'm picking at the parsnips in between waiting for my tea to steep.. Sigh.
On a tea note, I found Stash Chai! I've been hunting for it for a while, since I got addicted to it in Seattle over Clarion. No trouble in Salt Lake, but somehow couldn't find it here. Very weird. But the Berkeley Bowl (a huge organic store that I believe is built in an old bowling alley) had it -- Chris and I stopped there last night while we waited for our restaurant to open. Remember Chris? I made a vest for him around Halloween? Well, he'd promised to take me to restaurant for a nice dinner in exchange, and we finally managed that last night.
I can't quite remember the name of the restaurant, unfortunately. It's Japanese, right next to the Berkeley Bowl, and starts with a K, I think. In any case, the place is tremendously good. I was pretty conservative, and ordered my standard sushi combo with a side of unagi (the barbecued eel that I absolutely adore)...then I decided to live dangerously and also got a little side of wasabi-basted chicken from the grill. Yum. The special roll included in my combo was a spicy tuna roll that was really delicious. Chris was much more daring than I, ordering, in addition to his fried tofu appetizer, a plate of very tender calamari (squid) and an assortment of sushi which included yummy spider rolls (soft shell crab) and rather terrifying uni. I might have tried the uni (the sexual organs of something or other), except that they came topped with quail's egg, and the gooey, wobbling egg was just more than I could bring myself to pop into my mouth. I'm a wimp. It's only this last year that I've learned to eat eggs over easy instead of always getting them scrambled -- and sunny-side up is still beyond me.
Okay, I should get to work. Plan for today -- send out revised "Minal in Winter" and "Esthely Blue" and resend "Interruptions" somewhere. I really know nothing about mainstream lit markets. Meep. Also revise my tech writing resume and send it to Brian. Also clean my darn room. Also post the resume at DICE and start the whole job-hunting thing seriously. Also move some CS stuff to archive if I get motivated. Also take a driving lesson from 5:30 - 7:30. Also watch the fluffy Hugh Grant movie that I need to return today. Ummm...that's all, folks! Have a good day, and a good weekend if I don't talk to you again before then.