Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Ya Wanna Get Ants?

This morning I managed to shower, dress, dry and put up my hair, pack a lunch, make and drink my coffee and eat about half a piece of toast and marmalade, (Note: what is it about early mornings, that the effort of eating is so much more than the desire to satisfy appetite?  I was thinking and thinking of delicious hot, crispy, buttered toast, with fresh, tangy orange marmalade to try and stir up some appetite, and my stomach was not responding at all.  I made it anyway, thinking that the smell/taste would help, but it didn't at all.  I managed to take my vitamins, and then left the remaining piece and half on the plate on the counter -- "ya wanna get ants?  Cuz that's how you get ANTS!") all quickly enough that I was also able to put two quarts of oil in my car before the TIME TO LEAVE! alarm went off on my phone.

Morning View

This morning as I drove over the bridge shoulder to get to Burnside, I looked out over the skyline.  I always like to see the pattern -- new every time! --  of the old St Patrick church dome and cupola, within the larger dome and arch of the Fremont Bridge.  It was quite dark, but I saw that the sky, which was black, shading to deep purple, faded into a faint glimmer of green at the bottom edge, which was tipped with a fine, fine line of yellow.  It really looked like a dark shade drawn over a window with brilliant sun behind it, that can only be seen in a thin golden band at the bottom.  

As I drove through downtown Portland, the radio told me that Burnside had a burst water main -- chilly this morning! -- and I should look for an alternate route across the river.  As I registered this in dismay, I saw the orange Detour sign looming up in the spray of headlights.  So I went around a few quick blocks in a  square, which took me a little out of my way, and gave me a second view of the night sky, from a different and unfamiliar angle.  This time, the shades of green and yellow were completely gone, and the sky was a more uniform shading of deep navy, from darker to lighter, looking very like that crushed velvet skirt I used to have -- what did they call that briefly popular dye job?  Ombre?  Never knew what that meant, always made me think of a Cockney Spaniard.  Oy, 'ombre!

Half an hour later, and the sky is a pale Federal blue, shading through white into delicate seashell pink at the bottom.  Wouldn't it be fun to just sit and register, possibly write down, all the permutations of color that the sky goes through in the course of a year?  It would be different for every place, of course -- trees, mountains, pollution all making it change differently... and possibly it would be a terrible bore, but I think I would enjoy it.

Cold weather, the radio said!  At the moment it's 32, so right at freezing, and zero precipitation predicted, which has got to be unusual.  Funny, I came out without a coat, and didn't feel cold, but then, I am well-insulated personally, and wasn't standing about on street corners with cardboard signs -- the beggars I regularly pass did look uncomfortable -- I just climbed into my car and drove away.  Had to turn off the heater before I even crossed the river -- too warm.  Had I been waiting at the bus stop, I would have been chilly, but then I also would have been coated.

Monday, October 14, 2013

If I'm Not Receiving, Than How Can This be Reception?

First call of the day!  At 2:15 in the afternoon.  Sheesh.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

In Some Lab, Somewhere

So I have become, at last, a child of my times.  I am sitting in Starbucks, drinking Starbucks coffee, with a laptop on my lap, using Starbucks WiFi. How more contemporary could I be?  I guess I could be using the voice-to-text app and murmuring into my iPhone, while looking through a Google Glass (tm) but that would make me much younger than I am.  Anyway, I have a deep-seated disbelief in those applications.  They cannot actually exist, can they? Not in regular people's possession.  Possibly in some laboratory somewhere.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Very Grimm

This morning I left the apartment building a little later than usual, since it was Monday, and I was going to make a stop at my credit union.  Only Monday and Thursday mornings, it's available to me.  As I left the lobby, I was thinking about the filming of "Grimm", which was scheduled to be happening today, and wondering if I might catch sight of any of the actors -- none of whom speak to me in any particular way, but all of whom are familiar, and it would have been fun.  I walked up to the bank, deposited the check and exchanged a few pleasantries with the teller, and then began walking back down Thurman to my bus stop.  I was horrified to see a banner across the street, saying "Northwest Christmas Village"  and several large street decoration-type Christmas decorations.  There was even a Christmas tree lot, with hot chocolate stand set up in a parking lot.  I fumed! It isn't even Hallowe'en yet, it's barely October!  What the hell?  And why, in Northwest, has this sort of small-town silliness taken hold?  And so early!

And so forth and so on.  Until I saw the enormous floodlights and the camera truck.  And I had just been thinking about "Grimm", too!  Heavens.

Friday, October 4, 2013

There You Feel Free

When I am driving just to get somewhere, then I almost always prefer freeways and high speeds and on-ramps and off-ramps.  Cuz on the freeways, there you feel free.  Thank you, Tim Powers.

But driving between home and work, on Friday mornings, I always take the overland route.  I do this to avoid the congestion of the Evil Banfield, which has no shoulders of any kind, and is just a terrible, fiery, twisted metal wreck waiting to happen, but I am really enjoying it for its own sake.  Driving along Burnside has all kinds of things to look at and enjoy, and I can usually drive about ten miles over the speed limit, cuz of no traffic at all, and still see the lovely houses and apartments with which it is lined.

Bus routes are not on highways or freeways, either, and the 15 meanders along over Mount Tabor and through the Belmont neighborhood, and then around Mall 205 from behind, and all -- past many beautiful houses and lovely old brickers and gorgeous yards and big, stunning trees.  It is making me love Portland more than ever.