hiatus

well, it looks like everyone has taken

a blogging hiatus.

we were all out of our respective towns a couple weeks ago,

celebrating birthdays and summer.

BML and CMD share a birthday,

RBD follow shortly after.

so all of the boys headed out to Idaho for some

celebratory fly fishing...in the warm Idaho

SNOW.

(i am SURE one of them will tell you about it in the near future.)

on the other hand, FTD, P man, and I

headed to the Emerald coast to visit with mom/bluegee

and grandmother.

is there anything more beautiful?

maybe bathtime with aunt t

 (who learned quickly to just stay in her bathing suit)

or popsicles on the porch...

or fried crab claws, fried fish, and fried shrimp with GG.

we did it all in our short, sweet, wonderful visit

back to our home state.

we beached...

which P loved...the harder the wave smacked him in the face,

the happier his giggles.

the more sand aunt t threw in his face,

the bigger his grin.

we pooled...

 (at 830am - would hate to be there with the crowds)

and on the way back to o-town,

we over heated.

big time.
so, as every floridian would do, we stopped.
at publix.  the coldest, most awesome grocery store
in existance.

p man stole my ice cream sandwich.
it was 102 degrees.
and the car air conditioner went out on us.
he was a trooper.
FTD and I....well...that's another story.

Crime to be Broke in America

Today I went down to the ferry building because I forgot to pack my lunch. I spent $11 on a bento box that I didn't enjoy that much just because I couldn't decide what I really wanted. Then, because I have a bit of a sweet tooth, I stopped by the candy shop and spent $7 on a package of chocolate graham wafers. Later in the afternoon I went with a co-worker to grab an afternoon cup of coffee and spent $3.95 on a chai tea latte.

While we were sitting and sipping in the evasive sunshine, an old woman who looked a little worse for the wear approached. "Excuse me, pardon me for interrupting and bothering you but I am wondering if either of you can help me get something to eat" she said. I was taken aback at her demeanor, clearly downtrodden and embarrassed. I wondered what had made her choose me instead of the 25+ other people sitting in the same area. Immediately I knew that I wasn't going to be able to turn her down. "What do you need that you would like me to help with?" I replied. "Just maybe a slice of pizza or a sandwich, doesn't have to be much". Since the city has quite a large (and aggressive) homeless population, it is not unusual for people to ask for money and be upset when you offer them food. This woman seemed genuine. I asked her if she'd like to walk across the street to subway so that she could order her own sandwich. She grinned with an empty mouth and said that sounded just fine and thank you for not being rude. We quietly walked together through the crosswalk and into the shop, engaging in some small talk but unable to hear each other well. There was a lot of smiling and nodding.

The women behind the counter seemed surprised when I directed her attention to the petite woman dressed in sweats, missing some teeth when she asked for my order. My friend was fairly soft spoken, so I needed to be there to relay the requests. "What kind of bread would you like?" the server asked. Your softest kind was the response. Please add turkey and swiss cheese. Do toppings come with or are they extra? She looked at me for approval. "They come with the sandwich", I said. "Please, order what you would like". Tomatoes and a little bit of dressing. I paid the bill of $4.95 as the cashier still looked curious about the situation.

I walked back to work with a little spring in my step. I'm not sure how hungry she was or if anyone else had helped her that day. But I gained a little bit of perspective about the things that I take for granted and hope that I can remember this lesson. Everyone deserves to be shown a little kindness. Regardless of my other charitable contributions, sometimes it just feels right to give in the moment.

Don't Stand So Close To Me

I am reading a deliciously good book; one that has me grinning as I turn the page and wondering what could possibly happen next or when these idiots are going to get caught. I can't help but feel that this is the kind of book that I could write myself, if I had any knowledge of scandalous love affairs in New York City. I'm embarrassed to be enjoying it because it's not a classic or enlightening. So embarrassed in fact that I am thankful it's on my ipad so that I don't have to hide the cover on my bus rides; though I do still shield the screen from wandering eyes. The point of this is to say that on a gloomy, cold, rainy day in San Francisco I was looking forward to eating lunch at my desk and then locating a soft, comfortable reading chair somewhere with a hot tea to lose myself in Rachel and Dex's dramatic lives for what surely be a swift hour.

I try Tulley's coffee right by the office. Their chairs are less comfortable than my desk chair. I try Peet's Coffee and Tea (because it smells divine) only to realize that there are zero places to sit - forget comfortable! So I head to the old reliable Starbucks and resign myself to the fact that I'll have to get comfortable with bench seating next to two men having the typical "can I meet you for coffee to discuss my career" conversation and a woman chatting away into those ubiquitous white iphone headphones. Rachel, Darcy, Hillary and Dex beckon. I settle in with my medium vanilla latte and fire up the ipad.

Dreams squashed. Apparently I am much more approachable than people tell me. A young man, we'll call him Alex (because that's his name) sat down and without so much as a glance from me starting asking me questions. How are you? What do you do? How did you get interested in that? Are you the only girl in the office? Do you have plans this weekend? I promise, to all those readers out there who may be excited for a potential love interest in my life that they would not have entertained this particular option. Honest Promise. How do I exit the conversation gracefully? Here is how that exchange went down:

Me: I'm really interested in this book and only have a few minutes before I get back to work
Alex: Oh how great! An engineer that loves to read!
Me: Yep. (I'm half wanting to tell him that I am engrossed in chick lit but don't want to engage)
Alex: That's just so rare. What are your favorite books?
Me: All of them but maybe the one I'm trying to read now.
Alex: No, really. Pick one. I'll buy you a cupcake if we have the same one.
Me: I don't really want a cupcake but To Kill a Mockingbird or Monkey Wrench Gang
Alex: What are the chances? Me too! Chocolate, vanilla or red velvet?

Lunch time book diversion: Fail. Possible new friend in the city: Fail. Graceful exit: Fail. You can't make that stuff up my friends.