It is raining heavily. This man is wearing a yellow slicker and rain boots as he hoses down the sidewalk. There is obviously something so noxious on the pavement that he cannot wait a few minutes for the rain to wash it away. He would prefer to stand in the downpour with a hose to expedite the process.
Author: maggeh
Word of the Day
When we travel, I’ve started to take my own teabags along so I’m not stuck with Lipton when the hotel room offers hot water. On our honeymoon, I took ginger peach tea along. I was having a cup recently and suddenly I felt like I was on our hotel patio in Malaysia. I could practically hear the ocean.
What I like about the word “redolent” is that it’s a perfect expression of the relationship between smells and memory. It means:
1. Having or emitting fragrance; aromatic.
2. Reminiscent; suggestive
On the Payroll
A while back, I was reading a Salon article about how Iraqis were surprised that Saddam didn’t fight back when the troops found him. The article quoted a man who is employed by U.S. troops as a security guard. He said of Saddam’s capture, “We lost our only hope and now we are stuck with the Americans.” So that’s comforting.
presidential
In the past, I’ve tried to remain detached in the primaries. Once I choose a candidate I like, I tend to be fiercely loyal. If that person doesn’t win the nomination, I feel like a traitor when I ultimately vote for the other guy.
I spent last weekend helping Bryan with the Howard Dean campaign. He did site advance work, and I was the advance person for the hotel, which means that I missed the concert and Dean’s speech because I was watching the press core’s luggage. Though I learned very little about Dean himself, I’m hoping he gets the nomination simply because I shook his hand in a parking garage at 6 a.m. after collating his press briefing. That makes for a lame anecdote if doesn’t get elected.
New Word
Ataxia: Loss of the ability to coordinate muscular movement.
Again With the Esquire
More good stuff from “What I’ve Learned:”
Bob Lutz says, “Being able to “think outside the box” presupposes you were able to think in it. ”
You Spin Me Right Round
Last weekend, a little group of us went to see the Dance Along Nutcracker. It was exactly as it sounds: hundreds of little girls in fairy-princess costumes, and dozens of drag queens who had the same idea. Tutu rentals were $5 and worth every penny. There were toy soliders, and mice, and many a sugarplum fairy. There was also a woman who, inexplicably, took a length of pink tulle and tied a toy lamb to her head.
Checking In
In this month’s Esquire, Muhammad Ali says, “What you’re thinking is what you’re becoming.” When I shared this quote with Leslie she responded, “That’s chilling.” I’d have to agree. It’s about time to ponder the works of Mother Theresa. Or a Britney Spears video. We all have our own aspirations.
Voices
From “Pange Lingua” by Thomas Lynch:
This is the voice I talk to myself in.
The one that says, before I fall asleep,
the children will all grow up and outlive me;
my mother’s tumor will be benign;
the women who loved me will always love me.
Bourbon Cherries
For those of you who also have surplus maraschino cherries on your hands, Stace Dayment had a good tip for me:
“Dump out liquid and save for drinks/Shirley Temples. Fill back up with bourbon. Put in fridge until the next big party. Make frou-frou desserts with those cherries on top or, just serve the cherries alone.”
Mighty Girl 