Hither and Yon
Dec. 23rd, 2002 08:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pameladeanI'm utterly exhausted, though I hardly know why. Well, maybe I do.
Saturday I went with David to a very small tea party at elisem and Juan's house. It was very pleasant. I saw people I hadn't seen since Minicon, like elisem's dear Mr. Ford, who astounded us by giving us a Calphalon frying pan for the household; and C and J, whom I saw only in passing there; and Victor, whom I hadn't seen in ever so much longer and who was gloating because this coming semester is his last semester of classes, "ever." He says. And Lynn too, though I didn't actually get to talk to her. Elise gave me a splendid hat ("Because you always lose your hat, obel," which is quite true. Now I can put the gorgeous Renfest one away and maybe it will last longer.). We brought some blackcurrant jelly as a small offering. I ate wasabi peas and nuts and very scary colored Vanilla Wafers. Eeeep. Elise also provided some glow-in-the-dark plastic jellyfish for my hermit.
David went off to the Minn-Stf meeting after an hour or so, and I had theoretically wished to go to it, as I theoretically wish to go to most of them, but I was well settled, so I stayed. Elise read aloud from the book she reviewed recently. Good heavens. C and J gave Mike and me rides to our respective homes. A very pleasant afternoon.
From which I was catapulted into the need to clean up the kitchen so I could cook dinner and to do some laundry before I went off to spend the weekend with Eric, who is spending two weeks in California. It's the longest we've been separated since we started dating, and I must say I do not care for it.
The weekend was excellent, though. I made fried tempeh in a spicy tomatoey gingery sauce with onions and peapods, and steamed Swiss chard and steamed brussels sprouts on the side, and brown rice. I got very ennervated by the time I was done washing the dishes I needed to get dirty again, but Eric, who was also tired from doing ten thousand last-minute things, heroically cut up most of the vegetables. When I asked David earlier if Lydy was coming with us to Elise's, he said that it was his understanding that Lydy was opposed to the idea that apes should walk on their hind legs, so she wasn't coming. She did emerge to have some dinner, and we had an annoyed political conversation and then some old gossip. I suppose those two are not so far apart after a century or two, but they seem different enough now.
Eric went off on his bike to placate his cat. I packed and had a snuggle with Raphael and a conversation with David, who had come home from Minn-Stf with some wild notions about our hosting a meeting, and took a bus to Eric's. Said cat greeted me voluminously, and Eric was very nice to me too. He had borrowed the first two volumes of my Gibbon (of "Scribble, scribble, scribble, eh!" fame, yes) and regaled me with tidbits from it. I had brought with me two of the lighter-looking Peter Dickenson books that Papersky kindly handed me at WFC, but became discombobulated when I discovered that they were both about the same detective but in the second one he was retired and disabled. So I played with the cat and daydreamed.
After a rare leisurely morning, David picked us up and we went to Southdale and met Lydy and Beth, who had been attempting to shop but looked rather discouraged about it all, and we all went to see That Movie. Then we went to Taste of India for dinner, a real treat all around for both company and food, and discussed That Movie extensively. Then we dropped Eric off and I went home long enough to take a shower, be purred at by my own cat, close out the extra Simon's order for the Christmas vegetables, move some laundry along, talk to Raphael (though zie was much involved in work), and forget all the things I was supposed to lend Eric for his trip -- bird-watching binoculars, Dorothy Sayers's WHOSE BODY, a couple of Mary Renault's novels, and the new piece of Chapter 3. I took a rather late bus back to his place on Sunday, but it was quite lively with people. Most of them were either lugging suitcases to the Greyhound station or burdened with shopping bags.
A second very fine date with Eric but a much less leisurely morning. I went round to the coffee shop for coffee and discovered that it's harder than Eric made it look to carry two 20-oz paper cups of it three blocks. We agreed that I'd mail some stuff for him so he wouldn't have to cram a post office trip into the time before his plane left. We pored over the title to his car, presently sitting in David's side of the garage and destined to be donated to charity. He gave me the key and the title and the phone numbers of the place he'd be staying and a breakfast of leftovers and many kisses, and suggested that since he would be dashing about madly until he left, we might want to just say goodbye now. I felt there was something wrong with this plan, but I couldn't pin it down and decided I was just doing my usual hanging on until after the last possible minute goodbye performance, so I left. I was standing in line at the post office, running over in my mind the things I need to do in the next few days. I must not forget that I am cat-sitting, I thought. I remembered a minor thing Eric had wanted to do, and called him on my cellphone to remind him, but he had already done it.
Then, about five minutes after we hung up, I knew why it was wrong for me to have left before he did. His apartment management, like others in this beknighted age, doesn't want tenants to have more than one key to their own damn apartments. Ace Hardware has a line for "Do Not Copy" in their price lists for making keys, so I tried to get a copy made there, but the actual key says "Unlawful to Copy" and they wouldn't do it. This dopey situation has caused both pleasing and annoying situations to develop, but the point just now is that I had forgotten to get the apartment key from Eric. I got out the cellphone and called him again. He told me not to stress myself out, that his academic mentor and he had determined that he did not actually have to stop in at school before leaving, so there was time for me to come back. I went back and got the key and accompanied him to the bus stop. It was very pleasant indeed to get a second goodbye.
Then I went back to the post office, and finally walked home from there as my daily walk. It had been bright and sunny earlier, but it was quite cloudy and almost apocalyptic by the time I got home. My cat was glad to see me. I had a lot of email.
I apologize to those of you who are foolish enough to have me on your Friends lists. I need to take the time to learn to use cut tags.
Pamela
Saturday I went with David to a very small tea party at elisem and Juan's house. It was very pleasant. I saw people I hadn't seen since Minicon, like elisem's dear Mr. Ford, who astounded us by giving us a Calphalon frying pan for the household; and C and J, whom I saw only in passing there; and Victor, whom I hadn't seen in ever so much longer and who was gloating because this coming semester is his last semester of classes, "ever." He says. And Lynn too, though I didn't actually get to talk to her. Elise gave me a splendid hat ("Because you always lose your hat, obel," which is quite true. Now I can put the gorgeous Renfest one away and maybe it will last longer.). We brought some blackcurrant jelly as a small offering. I ate wasabi peas and nuts and very scary colored Vanilla Wafers. Eeeep. Elise also provided some glow-in-the-dark plastic jellyfish for my hermit.
David went off to the Minn-Stf meeting after an hour or so, and I had theoretically wished to go to it, as I theoretically wish to go to most of them, but I was well settled, so I stayed. Elise read aloud from the book she reviewed recently. Good heavens. C and J gave Mike and me rides to our respective homes. A very pleasant afternoon.
From which I was catapulted into the need to clean up the kitchen so I could cook dinner and to do some laundry before I went off to spend the weekend with Eric, who is spending two weeks in California. It's the longest we've been separated since we started dating, and I must say I do not care for it.
The weekend was excellent, though. I made fried tempeh in a spicy tomatoey gingery sauce with onions and peapods, and steamed Swiss chard and steamed brussels sprouts on the side, and brown rice. I got very ennervated by the time I was done washing the dishes I needed to get dirty again, but Eric, who was also tired from doing ten thousand last-minute things, heroically cut up most of the vegetables. When I asked David earlier if Lydy was coming with us to Elise's, he said that it was his understanding that Lydy was opposed to the idea that apes should walk on their hind legs, so she wasn't coming. She did emerge to have some dinner, and we had an annoyed political conversation and then some old gossip. I suppose those two are not so far apart after a century or two, but they seem different enough now.
Eric went off on his bike to placate his cat. I packed and had a snuggle with Raphael and a conversation with David, who had come home from Minn-Stf with some wild notions about our hosting a meeting, and took a bus to Eric's. Said cat greeted me voluminously, and Eric was very nice to me too. He had borrowed the first two volumes of my Gibbon (of "Scribble, scribble, scribble, eh!" fame, yes) and regaled me with tidbits from it. I had brought with me two of the lighter-looking Peter Dickenson books that Papersky kindly handed me at WFC, but became discombobulated when I discovered that they were both about the same detective but in the second one he was retired and disabled. So I played with the cat and daydreamed.
After a rare leisurely morning, David picked us up and we went to Southdale and met Lydy and Beth, who had been attempting to shop but looked rather discouraged about it all, and we all went to see That Movie. Then we went to Taste of India for dinner, a real treat all around for both company and food, and discussed That Movie extensively. Then we dropped Eric off and I went home long enough to take a shower, be purred at by my own cat, close out the extra Simon's order for the Christmas vegetables, move some laundry along, talk to Raphael (though zie was much involved in work), and forget all the things I was supposed to lend Eric for his trip -- bird-watching binoculars, Dorothy Sayers's WHOSE BODY, a couple of Mary Renault's novels, and the new piece of Chapter 3. I took a rather late bus back to his place on Sunday, but it was quite lively with people. Most of them were either lugging suitcases to the Greyhound station or burdened with shopping bags.
A second very fine date with Eric but a much less leisurely morning. I went round to the coffee shop for coffee and discovered that it's harder than Eric made it look to carry two 20-oz paper cups of it three blocks. We agreed that I'd mail some stuff for him so he wouldn't have to cram a post office trip into the time before his plane left. We pored over the title to his car, presently sitting in David's side of the garage and destined to be donated to charity. He gave me the key and the title and the phone numbers of the place he'd be staying and a breakfast of leftovers and many kisses, and suggested that since he would be dashing about madly until he left, we might want to just say goodbye now. I felt there was something wrong with this plan, but I couldn't pin it down and decided I was just doing my usual hanging on until after the last possible minute goodbye performance, so I left. I was standing in line at the post office, running over in my mind the things I need to do in the next few days. I must not forget that I am cat-sitting, I thought. I remembered a minor thing Eric had wanted to do, and called him on my cellphone to remind him, but he had already done it.
Then, about five minutes after we hung up, I knew why it was wrong for me to have left before he did. His apartment management, like others in this beknighted age, doesn't want tenants to have more than one key to their own damn apartments. Ace Hardware has a line for "Do Not Copy" in their price lists for making keys, so I tried to get a copy made there, but the actual key says "Unlawful to Copy" and they wouldn't do it. This dopey situation has caused both pleasing and annoying situations to develop, but the point just now is that I had forgotten to get the apartment key from Eric. I got out the cellphone and called him again. He told me not to stress myself out, that his academic mentor and he had determined that he did not actually have to stop in at school before leaving, so there was time for me to come back. I went back and got the key and accompanied him to the bus stop. It was very pleasant indeed to get a second goodbye.
Then I went back to the post office, and finally walked home from there as my daily walk. It had been bright and sunny earlier, but it was quite cloudy and almost apocalyptic by the time I got home. My cat was glad to see me. I had a lot of email.
I apologize to those of you who are foolish enough to have me on your Friends lists. I need to take the time to learn to use cut tags.
Pamela
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no subject
Date: 2002-12-23 08:16 pm (UTC)can i come and visit and eat your cooking? it sounds delicious.
no subject
Date: 2002-12-24 11:13 am (UTC)Pamela
no subject
Date: 2002-12-23 08:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-12-23 09:03 pm (UTC)B
no subject
Date: 2002-12-24 10:09 am (UTC)P.
no subject
Date: 2002-12-24 04:42 am (UTC)I don't suppose I could persuade you to make a post with the recipe you used for this?
no subject
Date: 2002-12-24 10:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-12-24 05:48 am (UTC)It sounds like a busy few days and I'm not at all surprised you're tired.
no subject
Date: 2002-12-24 10:13 am (UTC)I am very easily discombobulated, anyway. It's quite recoverable from.
Pamela
no subject
Date: 2002-12-27 02:07 pm (UTC)I went on a Dickinson re-reading binge earlier this year and read nothing but Dickinson for about a fortnight. It was wonderful.