laundry cat

I saw a cat on a hot aluminum roof. And I said, oh, how cute.


The cat must have thought I was cute too, because he came over for a closer look. And I said, oh, how cute!


But I quickly realized it wasn’t about me. It wasn’t so cute after that.

(click images to enlarge)

this

is not a frozen pea.

But it is a compelling reason not to cook in a pressure cooker.

Tidbits

Just finished my Ben and Jerry's ice cream, after about three days of working on it, barefoot, in my freezing humid basement. No wonder my cold wouldn't pass. Maybe now it's my chance. I'm hitting the swimming pool first thing in the morning.


This girl showed up at our house in Sounio, and she's definitely here to stay. Still, I want my turtles...


She has this bright spot on her forehead, that looks like a ray of sunlight is hitting it wherever she goes. It's naming period, I guess.


On other news, P is nuts.


(And adventurous too)


And the employees at my local health centre are losing it (I won't even attempt to translate this, sorry...).


PS. Here's what an Italian sweet American potato from Africa looks like.

fill

I found it harder than expected to find a woman (and I’m not the only one) . Everybody said they knew somebody, but nothing came of any of it. I felt railroaded and disappointed, but also determined to see the situation as the opportunity it was: I said I would be the woman. I told my boss I wasn’t coming back. And what did he care? I’d already signed my resignation.

But then things started to happen. I spent a week interviewing various women, foreign and domestic, on the phone, and in person. And then I hired one. She started yesterday. I’m afraid to say much more about that.

Just after Christmas, the house got shelves, lots of shelves, floor to ceiling and all the way around one room. The boxes that were being hideously stored behind the yellow couch were emptied, and about half the shelves were filled with their contents. The rest of the shelves, practically one whole wall, even now, remain empty. Personally, I like them that way. It’s silly to like an empty shelf, but I see a promise in them, of more books, more stuff. Or maybe an absent burden. The shelves alone are imposing. Everyone has to comment on them, and inevitably, the fact that so many are empty. “As a man,” said one guest last weekend, “when I see something empty, I want to fill it.” The implications of this continue to boggle my mind.


---

By the way, since I don’t know why I’m blogging now or when I’ll blog again, I wanted to take the opportunity to mention the post Thomas wrote about certain parts of my city. It’s lovely.

Eleanor, Put Your Boots On

Eleanor put those boots back on
Kick the heels into the Brooklyn dirt
I know it isn't dignified to run
But if you run
You can run to the Coney Island rollercoaster
Ride to the highest point and leap across the filthy water
Leap until the Gulf Stream's brought you down

I could be there when you land
I could be there when you land

So Eleanor take a Greenpoint three-point turn
Towards the hidden sun
You know you are so elegant when you run
Oh if you run
You can run to that statue with the dictionary
Climb to her fingernail and
Leap, yeah take an atmospheric leap and
Let the jet stream set you down

I could be there when you land
I could be there when you land
I could be there when you land

So Eleanor put those boots back on
Put the boots back on and run
Come, come on over here

-- Franz Ferdinand, "You Could Have it so Much Better", 2005.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

Or does it?...

everybody loves somebody

My father gave me an electronic Sudoku game I’ve been playing like a maniac. It has an annoying beep for every button, so I play it with the sound off, until I’m about to win. Then I toggle it on (I love the language in the instruction booklet), just in time to hear the victory tune. Otherwise, there’s no clear indication of completion, of closure, except a grid full of numbers and and a 0 errors message on the menu screen.

In Greece, it’s traditional this time of year to play lucky games. It has something to do with bringing good luck in the new year. Some people go to casinos to play it big; others stay home and play cards with friends. I bought some lottery tickets, and I won! Twenty-five euros. All things considered, no small sum. Unfortunately, it’s considered better luck to lose than to win. A person can be “lucky in cards” or lucky in love, but not both. It’s okay. My Sudoku logic tells me this year will be about a different kind of love than last.

Happy 2007 to all.