in a coffee shop in a city

which is every coffee shop in every city

on a day which is every day

- ani difranco

I’ve got quite a few updates to post, and I know they’ve been slow coming.

The Yao, the Yao, the Yao is on Fire:

• Last night, I met a couple of friends at the Angelika to (finally) see the Yao Ming movie. Yah, yah, I still haven’t seen it. It’s a crime. Alas, 30 minutes before the movie was scheduled to start, a fire broke out next to the theater and everyone was evacuated. It was my 4th attempt to see that movie, and now I’m wondering if the universe is trying to tell me something. Well, I suppose the thick brown clouds of smoke billowing out the top of the Angelika were a good hint that I wasn’t gonna see Yao after all.

Yummy Yao:

• Speaking of Yao, I had dinner at his new restaurant last month. I would say the restaurant’s strengths lie in it’s association with Yao rather than the quality of the food (though, the orange beef was excellent). Except for a handful of Asian staff and a few tables of Asian diners (including us), the restaurant was mostly white….and there were lots of kids in the “sports bar” area. That said, the restaurant was fun to visit….the front door was Yao-sized, the “sports bar” was littered with Yao paraphenilia, and there was a huge TV screen in the main dining area.

Homefries:

• On the homefront, Skokie and I are holding up well now that it’s just the two of us. The vet called last week to say that Boerne’s ashes were ready - and even though I’ve felt OK these past few weeks, I haven’t felt strong enough to bring him back home. Bringing Boerne’s ashes home is too much of a closure for me…..I realize his death is closure in itself, but somehow his ashes makes everything final…..and I’m not ready for that. At least not yet.
• Just 4 days after Boerne died, people began encouraging me to get another pet. I’ve definitely considered it, but I’m not ready. Anyways, Kirby is staying with us for the summer, so Skokie will have some company during the day.

The Birds:

• Speaking of homefront, the bird feeder has become quite the success…much to Skokie’s delight. However, the birdseed I’m using apparently isn’t acceptable, because the birds will pick out certain seeds and spew the rest all over the place. There’s probably a half inch of seeds on my patio. The Sis warned that it might attract rats…..she and I are still traumatized after an encounter with a combative rat in Brooklyn. I’ll share that story someday. In the meantime, the patio is staying seed-free.

Ok, I’ve run out of steam for now. Time for intermission.