Sunday, January 13, 2002

Far more often than sheer coincidence would allow, life bares a striking resemblence to Monty Python.  Take this morning for instance... I often stop by this doughnut shop and buy the Tribe a few dozen sugar-coated, jelly-stuffed, deep-larded lumps of flour. The place I go is a former Dunken Doughnuts that was taken over by an old Greek husband and wife.  In the back is an even more elderly Iraqi man making the doughtnuts.  He also sings Iraqi songs while he is cooking.

He sings like a bird and the songs dance in the air with that beautiful Arabic style similar to the call to prayers.  I usually enjoy listening to him as I wait for the doughnuts and my egg sandwich.

This morning, though, I almost killed him.  Things have been strained for me lately for various reasons and I have not been in a good mood nor had alot of patience for much.  I stopped by this morning to get my doughnuts and standed waiting for the usual 10-15 minutes.  I was being helped by a younger woman that is there on weekends.  She barely speaks English and I'm guessing she's a newly-immigrated relative or something.  It was just like the Cheese Shop sketch of Monty Python.

"Two dozen doughnuts, assorted, no Old Fashioned, please?", I asked, "...and two egg and cheese sandwiches?".

"Du duozen?  Yes.  Whaaat kiynd, please?", she returned.

"Two dozen, assorted, please."

"Yes, yes, assooorteed, whaaat kiyd, please."

"You pick, anything is good except Old Fashioned."

A few moments pass as she scans the spectrum of doughnuts, grabbing two of each type.

"No, no, ...no Old Fashioned, please!"

"Yes, yes, no Old Fashioned.", she said as she returned the two of them to the shelf.

<lemon curry?>

She filled the box and she began to ring them on the cash register.

"...and two egg and cheese sandwiches, please?"

"Oh yes, yes."

Off to the eggs and microwave she goes, and I wait.  I wait and I watch.   Bang!  Out comes the bacon.

"...and baeecon, yes?."

"No, just egg and cheese, please!"

"Yes, yes, eeg and cheeese!  ...on bread, yes?"

"Yes!  ...on bread, please!"

Meanwhile, the Iraqi gentleman is in the back singing away as usual. 

Remember the bazouki player and dancers in the background of the Cheese Shop sketch?   I almost leaped over the counter to grab the Iraqi dude by the throat ;)

Friday, January 11, 2002

However, one must stand a rigorous guard to protect one's castle.  Too often there's the thought that a few ferns would brighten the place.  There's the stray cat or dog that almost convinces you to that them in.  Then there are the affairs of the heart.   These are the toughest battles.

Avoiding falling in love (read: "lust") is like being a night watchman at a factory.  Every night you see a woman leaving with a wheel barrel full of sand.   Every night, it's the same thing.  Night after night.  You think nothing of it, until you realize she's been stealing wheel barrels!

Thursday, January 10, 2002

Saturday, January 5, 2002

Friday, January 4, 2002

Maybe it was growing-up in the hippy dippy 1970s in a family of artists, but the fact that this was an "ethical" issue makes my stomach knot.  Nobody expects a Spanish Inquisition anymore!

I remember, at my brother's funeral (died in 1980 in a motorcycle wreck at the age of 17), my Mom pulled me aside and asked "Did Charlie, you know, did he ever get a chance to be with a girl?  Everyone should do that at least once before they go.".  Mom is so cool ;)

Yesterday, strangely enough, was Charlie's birthday.

Thursday, January 3, 2002