What Goes Around…

Did you ever notice how whenever you announce you’re getting a cold, someone always tells you that “there’s one going around”, as if this were some significant bit of wisdom to which only they — and now you — were privy?

Of course there’s a cold “going around”. There’s always a cold “going around.” That’s what colds do. It’s not like I whippped up a nice big batch of virus all by myself for my own use while I was cooking my eggs this morning.

OK. I feel better now. But my throat still hurts.

Roanoke

We made a last-minute drive up to Roanoke for the weekend. Mark had never been there before, and I got the chance to see some parts of the city I didn’t see last August, like the Mill Mountain overlook pictured above. Other than breakfast at the Williamson Road Pancake House (which may be one of the biggest shitholes I’ve ever dined in), it was a great trip. Roanoke pictures and commentary soon, here or maybe here.

Alas, today was probably not the best day for the aforementioned hubby to be traveling cross-country on US Airways, particularly on an itinterary that mixed US Airways and America West flights. Sorry, baby.

Gonna go watch Lanie and cook some scallops now.

Real Yahoos

I found myself at the Wal-Mart in Kernersville tonight, and I overheard this skanky 45-year-old redneck guy with long hair, a rebel flag belt buckle, and about three teeth talking about how someone “was fussin’ at me on the Yahoo chat because of some girl who posted a picture on my MySpace page and wanted to be my friend.”

My inner elitist shed a little tear for the wasted potential of the internet. Then I got over it and bought some eggs.

No Phone, No Lights

We’re getting a new breaker box installed today to replace the 44-year-old fuse box in the basement. Hopefully, it will eliminate some of the power flickers that occasionally cause numerous problems for the assorted electronics. Plus, it will advance our electrical system decisively into the 1980s.

As it turns out, though, it also means that I’ll be spending most of my Friday without electricity — and without a land line either, since the cheap phone I keep for such emergencies apparently doesn’t work anymore. Since I have to be home while the work is going on, I’m glad we have lots of books in the house.

Randomly Tuesday

Try to contain your enthusiasm upon seeing our new breaker box. I know it’s exciting, but calm down ferchrissakes. The neighbors can hear you.

Random Tuesday evening stuff:

  • It’s gotta suck when a TV station that has to announce that its own morning news anchor has been arrested for killing someone while driving drunk. The logistics of reporting a story like that can’t be very pleasant.
  • Most disturbing song heard on Muzak weekend: someone’s horrid instrumental cover of “Bad Sneakers” by Steely Dan.
  • Looks like the proposed “solution” to the problem of Charlotte’s nearly dead Eastland Mall is another vaguely new urbanist blast of banality. Wow. Who didn’t see that coming?
  • Mmmm. Vertical file. I found the most amazing stuff at the Greensboro library this weekend. I love spending warm, sunny days inside the library, where I’m protected from from the bad weather.
  • I also love Google Video much better than YouTube, because on Google, you can actually download stuff like this, edit it, and burn it to DVD so you can watch it on an actual TV.
  • Had a visit from the ex-roomie and his parents today, whereupon I reflected on how neither of us would’ve expected ten years ago that I’d end up living in his old hometown and that he’d be the one of us who was still in San Francisco. Go figure.

Member-Ownder

I headed to the credit union this afternoon to deposit a check, and realized as I parked my car that I’m no longer just a member. I’m now a “member-owner”.

Frankly, in my new ownership role, I’d like to have been consulted before they wasted all that time and money painting over the “member” signs on fifty parking spaces. I really don’t think I’d feel any less of an ownership stake if they’d skipped this particular step.

Stupid Hiker Tricks

It’s great that they found yet another hiker alive after numerous people put their own lives and good health in jeopardy looking for him. Really. I’d never want hikers and campers to fear that the entire world might some day stop coming to a halt every time they make an error in judgment while enagaging in their favorite leisure activity.

Even worse, though, if the kid had died, we might have had to hear even more about it on the local news today (if that’s possible) and even less about anything else that happened anywhere in town or on the planet. As it was, the noon news was twenty minutes of lost camper, two minutes of weather, eight minutes of commercials, and not one other single fucking thing.

And no, now that you mention it, I don’t really care that this particular hiker was only twelve years old.