Drinks of Minnesota. And birds. Also writing.

[pameladean]

Eric and I had a Sunday night date rather than a Saturday night one, because he was taking the SAT training and needed to be there by nine on each weekend morning. Coming home this morning, I was startled by someone just behind me saying, "Hey, C---, it's R--- again." Oh, right, cellphone user. The voice continued, "Let me make you a recommendation. If you ever go to Asia -- " and my ears pricked up -- " -- there's a manager named Mark." Oh, boring corporate stuff. Oh well. "Have him make you a margarita." What? "Really, by my estimation, he makes probably the best margarita in the state of Minnesota." I had to suck my lips all the way into my mouth and stop breathing in order not to laugh uproariously. Presumably there is, probably in Minneapolis but certainly in the state of Minnesota, a restaurant called Asia. But the thought of a businessman roaming the spaces of the entire continent of Asia, looking for a manager named Mark to make him a margarita that is the best in Minnesota, was irresistibly funny.

Eric and I had an unexpectedly lovely date. I always have a good time with him, but expected him to be rather worn out by his weekend. We went to New Delhi (ha!) for dinner, and lavishly split fish vindaloo (salmon, ooo! Eric found it overcooked, but I hate undercooked fish and was blissed), aloo palak, and bindhi masala, plus aloo paratha. A bit of dairy in a couple of these did not upset my enjoyment at all. There were yellow tulips streaked with red on all the tables.

Toliman was his purry opinionated self. I have designated his mood changes as Dr. Koala-Nose and Mr. Munch, and Mr. Munch hardly even made an appearance. I had brought Peterson's over, at Eric's request, so he could identify a small raptor he'd seen near campus, and also some little birds he'd seen while in warmer climes the previous weekend. The latter were definitely juncoes, and I think the former looked most like a merlin. They are onlyoccasional here in the winter, but somebody has to see them sometime, if so. I read Wizard's Row and Eric studied for a while, and then things got very snuggly indeed.

In the night, it snowed. I should go shovel it. Well, my bit of it.

Chumley continues better. Ari continues annoyed that I cannot find the door into summer.

I am moving around a number of interior monologues of Thrae's and hoping they will magically form a chapter all by themselves, but at some time I will have to recognize this as the pipe dream it is and actually do some more difficult work.

Pamela

Comments

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

I do like the thought of that manager wandering Asia. While he was about his wanderings he could live on steamed and fried dumplings and thereby address the question of where pelimeny become won tons, which I really should ask my database curator, who is from Inner Mongolia, which strikes me as possibly an interesting border case.

I wonder whether I am reading your designators for Toliman's moods back to front on the grounds of knowing that koalas are prone to giving nasty bites to humans who attempt to handle them.

[pameladean]

Now I want dumplings.

As for Toliman, yes, I expect you are. It's the "Dr." vs "Mr." that makes the distinction, the primary joke being literary. I know that koalas would as soon rip your arm off as look at you, but that part is a very local joke about the shape and markings of Toliman's face.

Pamela

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

i think it's spelled azia, and it's on the corner of 26th and nicollet, kitty corner from the black forest.

[daedala.livejournal.com]

And it's very pretty inside. The manager (of some kind) gave eileenlufkin, Current Something or Other, and I a tour. The menu looked quite nice, too. It's a bit more spendy than I'm generally willing to do, but perhaps before The Grand Duke, as it's in that area.

[pameladean]

Oh, in the former location of the ill-fated second Trieu Chau? I go by it on the bus all the time. Hee.

Pamela

[noveldevice.livejournal.com]

Last year, Ranj gave me yellow tulips streaked with red (my two favorite colors) for Valentine's Day. After I had strictly instructed him to give me no flowers, because they are so expensive on V-Day. He went to the open air market and bought them at a cut flower stand. They were beautiful.

[pameladean]

Awww.

There's a tulip called Shakespeare that is those general colors. But there are a lot of others, too.

Pamela

[pyrzqxgl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, in general hearing people's cell phone conversations either cracks me up (for example, people who get on a bus and then immediately make a call to notify someone of that fact -- yes, I am very easily amused) or I find them kind of touching, ala "oh, that person has a friend to chat with". Though if I had one of those phones myself it might all get very old very fast, who knows.

[pameladean]

I do the former on a regular basis -- get on the bus, which I have only narrowly managed not to miss -- and then call Eric to tell him which bus I'm arriving on. I don't usually do long chatty stuff with the cellphone, though I have done once or twice. I usually find the surroundings too distracting for a long conversation on a bus. But it's an efficient enough use of time.

Pamela