QOTD: "One should always be a little improbable." - Oscar Wilde
Reading: Harvey Rachlin, Jumbo's Hide, Elvis's Ride, and the Tooth of Buddha
Listening to: a mix CD
Decluttering accomplishments: cleaned off the kitchen counter
The punnish title of this entry refers to the celebrity death of the week. The Old Man of the Mountain is no more. I was completely shocked to read that the rocks that have so long been the emblem of New Hampshire fell down the mountain on Saturday, obliterating the "great stone face." The locals who were interviewed about it seemed to be taking it surprisingly well. Next thing you know, the Flume will be gone. (I have to admit that, despite having been there several times, I'm still not really sure what a flume is. It has something to do with cold water. Very cold water. I don't think they'll let me live in New Hampshire until I understand this better.)
I've had a fairly dull week, with the major highlight being getting my vacation tickets. I have to admit that the workdays before going away are always hard to get through. My mind is more focused on the fact that I've managed to learn only two letters of the Georgian alphabet than it is on making a checklist for my boss of how we answer technical questions with short turn-around times. I did have a few interesting odds and ends to do this week, but it's still hard to spend time thinking about work versus how much film to bring with me.
In lieu of boring lists of things I'm stressed out about (i.e. why I need a vacation), the This or That: Take Comfort edition seems like a suitable distraction instead.
Which is more comforting for you...
1. Lying down on the couch, or stretching out on a recliner?
I don't have a recliner so it's the couch by default. But what I really really like is a hammock in the backyard. Rocking chairs and porch swings are pretty cozy, too. And, of course, cuddling with Robert is high up on my list.
2. Going barefoot or wearing soft slippers?
Either, really. As long as I'm not wearing shoes, I'm happy. If it's cold, my polar fleece slipper socks are better than bare feet, but bare feet on grass are wonderful, too.
3. Eating ice cream, or pizza?
Again, both are good. It's easier to get good ice cream than to get good pizza, though I was oddly disappointed in the "Fortunate Vanilla" stuff I bought recently. The concept - vanilla ice cream with chocolate covered fortune cookie pieces - sounded good, but the stuff was too sweet. Oh, wait, I know the answer to this, now that I think hard about it. A sunny afternoon in Rome, a basket of suppli (a sort of rice croquette), followed by a stroll to Piazza Navona for the tartufo gelato at Tre Scalini, consumed standing around the Bernini fountain.
4. Watching on TV...a classic movie or a reality show?
Definitely the classic movie. But a classic book is even better. Or a not so classic book.
5. Wearing: blue jeans or sweat pants?
Sweat pants. My black fleece REI sweats are particularly cozy.
6. A long, soothing bubble bath or a quick, invigorating shower?
It depends. A bubble bath is great on a chilly or rainy day or after a hard workout. But a cool shower can be really refreshing when it's hot and humid. And I will never have as wonderful a wash as the shower I had at the Silver Sands Resort on Kanduchi Beach, outside Dar Es Salaam. Indian Ocean water - just about body temperature - but what made it so wonderful is that I was so completely filthy and muddy from the previous several days that anything vaguely warm and clean was paradise.
7. Furniture: leather, or something more on the fuzzy side?
Definitely something fuzzier. Leather is sticky.
8. Soft, classical music, or upbeat rock & roll?
It really depends on my mood. If I want the sheer relaxation, I tend to go more for jazz than for classical, quite frankly. And if I want the more upbeat stuff, it's world beat - Afropop or Cajun stuff.
9. Darkness or light?
There is nothing quite like a really dark desert night, miles from anywhere, with the sky filled with stars. Though I can also enjoy curling up in a sunny spot and taking a nap.
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: You get married, or otherwise begin cohabitating with a significant other. S/he moves into your place, but brings with them the UGLIEST chair you have ever seen! You really don't want this thing in your home, but SO says it is the most comfy chair s/he has ever sat in, and no way will they part with it. Do you: grin and bear it, or scheme to get rid of the montrosity somehow?
This is why there are upholstery shops.
Copyright 2003 Miriam H. Nadel