The Microwave Room, Carpeting Memory, and Garlic Skins

I still have some left over french fries from Friday night, I was thinking I could make decent hash browns from them. I'm not a big french fry person. Ketchup is key with hash browns, and my kethcup situation is a little odd.

It looks like I may be heading to San Genaro today, via automobile, perhaps with the dog. But things are still fairly unsettled as the dog is not well, and I won't know til later if she'll be able to make it. I imagine parking won't be too much of a problem as it is Sunday. Hope I'm right. I may take 42nd street across town, as it seems that the lights on 57th are more geared for heading east. Maybe 42nd is the opposite? I try to avoid driving through times square, but maybe it's not so bad.

I wonder if I'm suffering from hypoxia. It would be nice if there were still some oxygen bars around to see how that would make me feel. It seems that that trend has passed, maybe for 10 years now. I never did try one out.

I was noticing yesterday that my carpet shows the history of my paths across it in a rather strong way, even if the sun shining on it isn't strong. The pattern is as I would have expected. The marks from the crutches I had to use a couple years back have disappeared though, so there is some lack of memory in the carpet. Probably has something to do with vacuuming and walking over those marks repeatedly. There are a few too many onion and garlic skins on the floor in the room with the microwave and in the kitchen, which is adjacent. I use a lot of garlic and onion. I let them accumulate as I don't think they're much of a sanitary issue in the scheme of things, and I'm amazingly lazy. I'm also rather fond of paper towelling, and there's typically a collection of partially used towelling scattered around the areas that I frequent. I used to give my grandmother a hard time about her paper towel usage, but now I see the error of my ways. Maybe such a trait is inherited.

I haven't thrown out any of my beer bottle caps for a good part of a year. I periodically collect them from the coffee table and put them in a plastic bag. The plastic bag is getting some heft. There must be quite a few hundred by now, maybe even appraoching 1000. There are still a few lying around that have somehow found there way to other parts of the apartment. For example, there's one approximately 2 inches from the upper left corner of the keyboard I'm typing on. Whoever keeps track of where these bottle caps should be while I'm not thinking about them does an excellent job because I don't even doubt that there's a good reason for it being there even though I don't recall putting it there. It looks to be from a Magic Hat #9, certainly a type of beer I've drank in the recent past.

I used to call the room I'm in the computer room, but from now on I think I'll call it the microwave room.

Breakfast Topics

I put my 6 bags of gym clothes in the trunk of my car just so that nobody gets any ideas. They were in the back seat, except for one pair which was in the passenger seat. I just heard an interesting story about cats falling on the radio. They do okay falling from, say less than 5 stories, and they do okay say above 9 stories, but they have problems in between. Apparently, they do okay less than 5 stories because they're not moving that fast, and they do okay above 9 stories because they've reached terminal velocity and start to relax since they're not accelerating anymore. They can then orient themselves, and tend to survive the fall. I couldn't help but be reminded of the praying mantis I had on my windshield a couple weeks ago, and how it had problems around 40 mph, but did okay at 60 mph, and less than 30-40 mph. Although in this case the bad region had nothing to do with terminal velocity. There do seem to be some parallels though.

I find it ironic that the analogy used to describe curvature of space time in general relativity, that of a mass lying on a elastic membrane which curves the membrane, relies on gravity to pull the mass downward and thereby distort the membrane.

I just had leftovers from last night for breakfast. 3 chicken wings (2 BBQ and 1 buffalo), a tortilla that once contained the contents of a fish taco, and fixins for said taco (salsa, guacamole, chopped jalapenos, and sour cream). There were also crushed red peppers involved. The best bite was when I opened the remaining part of the tortilla, cut some of the chicken meat off both types of chicken wings and put it on the tortilla, and then also filled it with the fixins. I had heated the tortilla and wings in a pan and then put the pan in the oven with a bit of oil. That bite was pretty delicious. It seemed fairly ridiculous to pack the tortilla, which was not in good shape, in with the rest of it last night, but it really worked out.

I read two headlines on a website, "Tiger that attacked man did nothing wrong" and "How are American muslims reacting to the anti-Islamic film?". They followed each other in a scroll, I first thought it said something like, "Was tiger that attacked man reacting to the anti-Islamic film?".

Vanilla Sky

My home internet continues to sort of work. I watched a good part of a documentary on Absinthe on Hulu last night just before I went to bed. I finished off the Chinese liquor during it. I think I was started to get used to its flavor a bit. At 52% alcohol it was a suitable substitute for Absinthe after finishing a six pack. This time it was Bluepoint Oktoberfest, purchased at the Gulf station on the westbound service road of Sunrise just past the exit for Southern state. Their prices are pretty reasonable. Parking wasn't great last night. I wasted a good 10 minutes.

Starbucks this morning. Today I decided to cross Austin at the light which brings me onto restaurant row. There is a new Yogurt shop Vanilla Sky to be opening where Europan used to be. I'm not too thrilled about that. What they need here is a good pub that serves food late into the night. I'm talking 3 AM on Monday late, not midnight. I enjoyed Vanilla sky (the movie), though its main character was pretty vain. I guess everything is relative.

I was walking along, across the boulevard and all, with a traffic cop not far from me for a decent part of my trek. He had his radio on, and I could hear some of the babble. I heard the word summons at least once. I started to worry that I had parked on the wrong side of the street, even though I was pretty sure that I hadn't. I find that I mix up the Thursday/Friday streets, I've made the mistake a few times. When I got to my car it was fine. It was parked a good 3-4 minutes walk further than usual. No big deal though.

Once I parked in front of a driveway, and didn't get to my car the next day until noon or so. This was probably 6 years ago and it still bothers me. I actually checked when I parked if I was in front of a driveway, and yet still I missed it. When I got there the next day there was no ticket but someone had sprayed paint across the side of it. I felt terrible. The paint came off easily, I don't blame them. I was going to go up to the door and apologize, and maybe give them some money, but I never did.

Quiet Morning on the North Side

The sign is still there. Apparently they have no intention of taking it down. The excavation has been filled, maybe they were digging to put the electrical wiring in. There were some nice low cumulus on the way to work today. There was even a sprinkle or two, but not enough to turn the wipers on, even once. I might have cleaned the windshield once if I didn't have to turn the lights on, and if my wipers were new.

I got the $1.85 coffee at 7-11, which comes out to $2 even with tax. No wax paper buttered rolls. I parked in an area where it's not clear to me whether to go to Starbucks or 7-11. Maybe the roundness of the price was a factor in my decision. No one was in the way of the coffee, the woman that works there was sort of close to where I get the cup reading a paper, she shifted a little to the right when I went for the cup. Worked out pretty well. I only gave 5 series of alternating stirs since I put my sugar in before pouring the coffee. May not even need that many, I do 6 at Starbucks.

The crowd on the boulevard is different than on Austin, where Starbucks lies. Certainly more subdued, but different also, and less medical workers out on their breaks and what not. I got the first crosswalk when the walking man signal was still up, but didn't quite get to the other side before the light became green. No biggie, probably lost about 10 seconds.

The car started well, and got on the parkway pretty smoothly. Traffic heading east at the Kew Gardens interchange was moving well, so I didn't bypass it. I still prefer the right lane, with my car shifted right of center to avoid the bumpy stretch that the right tire would fall on. I'm toying with the idea of getting over to the left lane after the low point so I don't encounter the incoming traffic coming from the on ramp that shortly follows. It's also nice to stay in the right lane so that I get some shade in the submerged portion of the parkway. It was cloudy at that time today though, so that really didn't matter this time.

Heat Conduction

Did you know that if you were ejected into interstellar space without a spacesuit you would not explode? Aside from not having any Oxygen your body would radiate about 10,000 calories a day from Blackbody radiation. If you were somehow able to eat, say prime rib, I think this rate of energy loss would be surmountable.

When they say that the temperature on the Moon during the day is 180F and at night is -200F, what exactly do they mean? As there is no air. Do they mean the surface temperature varies by that amount? Well, that's certainly a different matter than the air temperature. If they mean that the 10 molecules in the moon's atmosphere have that temperature, that doesn't matter either. I guess it's just a way to be sensational by appealing to the senses.

Actually Sunday

With the Jewish holidays approaching alternate side of the street parking will be suspended on Monday and Tuesday. This makes the option of using my car today easier, as I hate coming back on a Sunday night and trying to find a place to park.

I guess going to Roxy's is an option. So would supper at my house. I had somewhat stale and then microwaved Doritos with srirach for breakfast around 1400 hrs. I'm still a little hungry. I put half n half in my Chai tea today and I'm running low on sugar. I think I have only one bag of Chai left. After that I may have to resort to herbal teas.

My internet has mysteriously started working, for two days now. Someone must have inadvertantly fixed it.

The weather in Timbuktu is temporarily unavailable.

I may get a piece of toast. Correction, I did get a piece of toast. The A1 bottle full of Ketchup that I received for Christmas isn't the best for pouring, I microwave it for a few seconds as I keep it in the fridge. 

The Wheels are Turning!

Last night I parked on the street where 7-11 is on the corner, so I got my 6-pack of Magic hats there. I also got 2 Japanese noodle soups, and a Haagen Daz dark chocolate chocolate pop. They have good noodle soups there, though there collection was rather sparse by previous standards, there were still some that looked acceptable, though I don't think I've had them. I forget the brand, Sapporo maybe? The pop was the only one remaining, and it was in a box at the bottom of the freezer with some assorted ice cream products. It was a little beat up. It cost 3 dolluhs. I had it last night, it was a little crystallized, but definitely edibible. I thought about the idea of asking for a discount, because the box was all beat up, as I was eating it. It's sometimes a dubious venture buying ice cream during the summer from convenience stores in this neck of the woods, but this 7-11 is pretty good.

Having parked on that street, I knew where I was gonna get my coffee this morning. This time they weren't out of it. I'm often a little annoyed at how people hang out where the coffee is. Don't they know I have to get stirrers, and half n half, and so forth? I typically have no justification for this feeling though, but I can't stop it from happening. I don't think they had any buttered rolls in the wax paper today, though I hardly even looked.

The coolant leak is definitely getting worse. I intend to have them take a look when I get my next oil change in about 3000 mi (~5 weeks). I hope it holds up til then and it isn't anything serious.

As I drove by the sign on the GCP (heading east, the sign is on the west side), I saw a crew that was excavating around it. So, they're taking it out, I wondered? Pretty crazy. Finally some action!

Encounter with a Praying Mantis

I had a prolonged encounter with a Praying Mantis yesterday. In hindsight it reminds me of a conversation I had in the alleyway at work with someone. He told me about how a grasshopper at the beach, in Michigan I think, had once signaled to him to get people off the beach. The grasshopper had selected him because he was the alpha male. He and his friends started leaving the beach at once, and then I think the rest of the people there also left. Soon after there was a tornado, or windstorm, or something. So, the signaling was successful.

Yesterday afternoon, when I drove from the parking lot by the building I work in to the gym (a tenth of a mile or 2) I noticed, when I was half way or so to the gym, that there was a praying mantis in the center of the windshield on the passenger side. He was huge. Throughout the time he was on the windshield I thought he (could be a she, I guess) was a grasshopper. Now I realize he was not a grasshopper. I parked by the gym and was surprised that he wasn't blown off by the wind from the car moving. I was concerned that he had lost his habitat by the other building, but I just left him there anyway. I went to the gym, and when I got back to the car I had forgotten about him and started my trip home.

Around the time I was approaching the exit to the place that I work, about a 3 minute drive, to my astonishment, I noticed that he was still there. I was very surprised that not only didn't he get off the car, but he was able to hold on-at times I must've been going 30 mph or so. At that point I just kept on driving and turned onto the parkway where speeds get up to around 60 mph. I watched him as I accelerated and he oriented himself into the wind. He would sometimes bring his right arm up, but he looked surprisingly stable. I thought that, since I had to get gas, I would go to the closest gas station on the way home and let him off there. First I had to get onto the expressway, and then get off a couple miles later. The gas station was not far from there.

As I exited the parkway to get on the expressway I had to slow down. I noticed, as maybe I had noticed before, that he seemed to be having more trouble as I slowed down. He fidgeted all over the place. I got down to maybe 40 mph, and then got on the expressway and got up to about 55-60 mph. I tried to go slower than usual, and stayed in the right lane. He was still moving his right arm around quite a bit, but, to my surprise, he was doing ok.

Then I exited the expressway, and slowed down as I got on the service road and started to prepare to make a right turn. I probably slowed down sooner than I normally would have, out of concern for him. But he really started to struggle, and before I knew it he went flying off. I wasn't happy about that, but there was little I could do about it at that point. At least I had tried, though it seemed that speeds around 40 were more problematic than 60, something I hadn't imagined. I guess that the winds right on the windshield are worse at 40 mph than at 60 mph due to some aerodynamic phenomenon.

I called my mother on the way home, as I usually do, and told her about it, expressing my concern for it. She said, I'm sure it's OK. Well, I'm not.

In the alleyway today I saw a hummingbird, which is very unusual for me, and the crickets are getting louder, as they do this time of year.

Liquor, Gym Clothes, and Parking

I had 6 Bluepoint Toasted Lager bottles at home last night after 1 Pinot Noir at supper. I did not have any of the Chinese liquor, which I received as a gift, and which is in the freezer. I had hoped that the flavor of Chinese liquor would be helped (suppressed) by putting it in the freezer. And though it is no worse, the flavor is not much weaker. I'm told it should be drank warm, which doesn't sound good at all. I don't like warm Sake either. The liquor is pretty strong, 52% alcohol. There is about 1/3 of the bottle left. It is a very peculiar flavor to the western palate, it tastes a little like something rancid, but nothing could live in that. Don't misunderstand me, I'm grateful for it, and I'll drink it. Of course, some western alcohol tastes bad too, but this tastes bad in a different way. I imagine it may be an acquired taste with all that entails. I wonder if it is typical to add to it and make some sort of cocktail. I tend to think not. I don't have much to add to it anyway, but maybe some fruit juice would help. I thought about having some last night after the beer, but I decided not to, and today I'm glad.

The box that the liquor came in is very elaborate. It took me some effort to open it, and I still don't know what the right way to open it would be. The bottle is significantly smaller than the box. I wonder, when I said to the giver, that there was 1/3 left if she thought I had drank more than I actually had. She expressed some disapproval at the small amount remaining.

I brought 3 sets of gym clothes with me today on my back. I normally bring one set at a time, but I decided to fill the annoying sketchers backpack thing with 3 instead of carrying a plastic bag each day. Carrying a bag is a bit tedious when getting coffee, with the stirring and all particularly.

I continue to park regularly on the north side of the boulevard. Tonight, being Tuesday, is a particularly good night for this. I remember when I thought Tuesday was the worst night to park. At that time I parked almost exclusively on the south side. It takes a long time for me to develop a parking strategy, and I also imagine it will change over time, as the factors that determine an optimal parking spot change, and perhaps to a lesser extent, as I learn more. I am subject to alternate side of the street parking and I have been for over 8 years. One thing I've learned is that it's not worth looking around for a good spot too much. A lot of times taking a spot that's further away is quicker in the long run. It's also not worth trying to fit in a tight spot. It can make the adjacent parkees upset, and it takes a toll on the power steering. I like to leave at least a foot on either side. Sometimes I break that last rule though, and sometimes I regret having broken it. The worst part is often worrying about it after I've parked. It's just not worth it for someone with my temperament.

Beer Glasses

I crossed the boulevard a number of times over the weekend, but I'll try not to dwell on that. There is a new bar on 44th st, between 8th and 9th avenues, in the city proper. I don't recall the name. My friend and I went in to check it out Sunday. She had a Guinness and I a Stella. A man there sitting next to us had just taken a transatlantic cruise, and tested me on what they call Stella in England. I said I knew, because I did, they call it wifebeater. He said it was called that because most beers in England are 3% alcohol, and Stella is 5%. So, men there are not used to that level of alcohol, and get more drunk than they expect. I did not know that. I'm not sure if I believe it, but he seemed pretty competent.

The Stella and Guinness were both in the miniature glasses they have now. Especially around New Year's they hiked the average price of a beer around here from $6 to $7, and started serving it in smaller glasses. I'd guess these glasses are about 13 oz. They actually even keep the shape of the glass the same in some cases (e.g.-Guinness) to make it harder to tell. This really makes a person feel like they're being ripped off. If you're gonna increase the price of a beer, than don't shrink the glass too. I actually feel embarrassed when visitors come to New York and are met by this underhanded maneuver. I wouldn't think it would trick anybody, but unfortunately, it must work to some degree or else they wouldn't do it. I have seen some bars revert back to the nominal size, so there must be some repercussions. The guy at the bar maintained that it looked like a proper pint. I can't imagine why, although perhaps it was the disorientation from the cruise. Either way, I remain a bit puzzled.

We were considering some chicken wings. They had 6 chicken wings for $11. Which is also ridiculous. It's hard to imagine how good these chicken wings would have to be to warrant that, but there was no particular reason to think that they would be that good. So, we passed, and went elsewhere. We wound up at one of the few reasonably priced restaurants remaining in the area. It was Indian, we found it up on 53rd, I think. Not bad.

Previous to that I had driven to Westchester with her, her dog and bird. Her dog barked a lot at the bird, who kept on saying "Hi Cutie". Reportedly, the bird kept on saying this because he was stressed out. I don't blame him with the dog and all.

Crossing the Boulevard, Part 2

People think plants are green, but plants reflect green light, making them purple, the opposite of green. In the same way, people appear as what they reflect, and so they're appearance is the opposite in a way of what they are. Coming home last night I was crossing the boulevard again, having parked on the north side of it. A woman was well on her way across it, carrying a 12 pack of Corona in one hand and talking on her cell phone with the other. She was carrying the 12-pack in a bag, no doubt from Walgreen's too. She put it down a couple times, mainly because she had to stop at the islands because the traffic was bad. Walgreen's only sells 12 packs. I wonder if that's a good idea for city living. I once carried a 6 pack across the boulevard on crutches in one turn of the lights. It's about 16 lanes.

This morning I crossed the boulevard again, not surprisingly. I got my coffee at 7-11. They didn't have regular coffee. They only had decaf and pumpkin spice. I opted for the pumpkin spice. They had light cream available so I used that instead of half n half. I put too much in. I usually put it in the cup before I put the coffee in, maybe I should put it in afterwards, since it's not hard to mix like sugar and I can better gauge the amount I'm putting in by the cloudiness of the coffee. I wish they had the buttered rolls in wax paper there. They've only had the ones in cellophane lately. Aside from the fact that the ones in wax paper are generally fresher, the ones in cellophane don't keep well. I think the cellophane doesn't breath, and the water vapor inside ruins the roll. Or maybe the rolls they use are softer to begin with, or maybe both, but they're generally not worth getting.

Crossing the Boulevard

I went to Walgreen's yesterday getting back after work. I needed toilet paper and paper towels. I was also out of shaving cream. Lately, I've been using soap, but I received some shaving cream and I was using that most recently. I actually don't remember how I came by the shaving cream, but I had just run out of it and although I think using soap is quite doable I have to admit that shaving cream is easier, and I decided I would get some. I was almost at the counter when I realized I had forgotten to get some. As I was carrying a not small package of TP, 2 rolls of paper towels, a Delish! brand frozen pizza (which didn't fit in the basket), and a 12 pack of becks (bottles) I wasn't happy about going for the shaving cream, but I did. I had regular type shaving cream a la Barbasol or the like, but this time I got Edge with Aloe. I had to walk home from here, about a five minute walk.

They still don't have Excedrin, which I prefer. What is going on with that? I know there was a recall many months ago, but I've yet to see signs of it since then. I got the Walgreen's brand, extra strength, 100 tablets, which I guess is fine. I wonder if the ratio of Aspirin to Acetaminophen is the same as with Excedrin? By itself, Acetaminophen does nothing for my headaches.

The walk across the boulevard is long and I feel a bit foolish carrying the 12 pack, which was not in a bag. I got the Nice! brand TP, which is rather thick and therefore will go relatively fast, but that's OK. I think it was a 6 pack. That was the smallest size they had, of any brand, except for the single rolls. The 12-pack was only $14 plus tax, it was on special. I don't think many people realize, but Duane Reade is owned by Walgreen's.

I brought my umbrella yesterday. I left it in the car. I think I have 2 sets of dirty gym clothes in there too, and a bottle of Apple syrup (which was a gift). I should bring those things in tomorrow, as I'd like to do laundry over the weekend.

I had 7 Beck's last night, but I didn't feel them much. I guess I ate a lot.

The Trip

The trip to Tennessee went without a hitch. The oil level remained constant, and I had no coolant alarms, or issues. I stopped off in western Virginia and had the third pound cheeseburger at Hardee's. It was just fine, but the distinctive charbroiled flavor of my youth is apparently lost to the sands of time. I also wish they just had the regular cheeseburgers they used to have back in the day. Why do they have to get bigger and fancier? You can always eat a lot of the smaller ones if you want more. I had also stopped off at a burger king further up I-81 a few hours earlier. I got 2 double cheeseburgers. They were fresh, and pretty delicious (such was not the case at a Burger King heading back. The double cheeseburger I had then had been sitting around a bit). The patty on top of one of them, the only one I looked at, seemed pretty small, but it was good anyway. Nothing to drink at that location. It was near a carnival.

I didn't make the trip down non-stop. I stopped overnight at an Econo Lodge. It was a little suspect, but turned out just fine. Came out to $62 and change.

Getting back to the Burger King experience I had heading back. It was in Stauton, Virginia. I had taken some coffee there too. I initially got off the highway there to get some coffee at Starbuck's, but I had a bit of trouble finding it and wound up at Burger King (again). Figured I'd get the coffee there, and have a double cheese while I was at it. The cashier said I'd have to wait for the coffee. A couple minutes later he came back with it (a little curious), and also gave me some things of half n' half. I went over to stir my 2 packets of sugar into my medium coffee while the double cheese was being 'prepared'. Initially, I couldn't find the stirrers at the soda bar, so I used a straw. After I started using it I saw a few stirrers in a tray there mixed in with some used sugar packets. I went over to the counter and stirred my coffee as I waited for the double cheese. The cashier asked me if there were many stirrers left, seeing that I was using a straw. I said, that there were, I just didn't see them. Then, I said that they were a little low, but there were some. Later, as I ate my double cheese (to stay), I think he may have gone over to the soda bar to check...