meanwhile...

So I went home last night, and was very glad to find myself on the same train as Andy. That was comforting, even though we basically each read, one sitting and the other standing. Just being together is a help, sometimes.

I got the snapdragons planted. I'd bought them Sunday at the Queens Botanical Garden, $2.71 including tax for sixteen little flowers (that's half off the regular price, because nobody buys annuals at the end of August, except procrastinators and people who were away for two weeks of dry weather and found dead marigolds when they returned. Both of these apply to me). I dug up the soil around one of our street trees, careful of the roots, but wanting to loosen it a bit, then arranged snapdragons in the resulting circle. While I was planting, one of the men who hangs out around the bodega came over and picked up an empty plastic bottle someone had tossed on the ground next to the tree. I thanked him, and he said I was making it beautiful. I agreed, and kept arranging flowers, putting the soil back, and making sure the earthworms were in good places before I watered. Everything looked good this morning; it's amazing the difference a bit of foliage makes, even without many flowers.

Dinner was a bit experimental. I took the basic flexible rice pilaf, but made it with chicken I cut and sauteed on the spot, instead of throwing in leftover cooked poultry. That didn't work so well--the chicken didn't pick up the flavors--but the pine nuts I toasted, then added at the end, were a fine thing. I'll definitely be doing that again.

The pine nuts were a bonus from Sunday--we went to get ice cream, and there was a store that sold things like that, teas, dried fruit, spices, and all. The pine nuts were at a very good price, so I bought some, figuring I'd use them for something. Toasting nuts turns out to be easy--all you need is a frying pan and a bit of attention, then let them cool, and eat them.

meanwhile...

So I went home last night, and was very glad to find myself on the same train as Andy. That was comforting, even though we basically each read, one sitting and the other standing. Just being together is a help, sometimes.

I got the snapdragons planted. I'd bought them Sunday at the Queens Botanical Garden, $2.71 including tax for sixteen little flowers (that's half off the regular price, because nobody buys annuals at the end of August, except procrastinators and people who were away for two weeks of dry weather and found dead marigolds when they returned. Both of these apply to me). I dug up the soil around one of our street trees, careful of the roots, but wanting to loosen it a bit, then arranged snapdragons in the resulting circle. While I was planting, one of the men who hangs out around the bodega came over and picked up an empty plastic bottle someone had tossed on the ground next to the tree. I thanked him, and he said I was making it beautiful. I agreed, and kept arranging flowers, putting the soil back, and making sure the earthworms were in good places before I watered. Everything looked good this morning; it's amazing the difference a bit of foliage makes, even without many flowers.

Dinner was a bit experimental. I took the basic flexible rice pilaf, but made it with chicken I cut and sauteed on the spot, instead of throwing in leftover cooked poultry. That didn't work so well--the chicken didn't pick up the flavors--but the pine nuts I toasted, then added at the end, were a fine thing. I'll definitely be doing that again.

The pine nuts were a bonus from Sunday--we went to get ice cream, and there was a store that sold things like that, teas, dried fruit, spices, and all. The pine nuts were at a very good price, so I bought some, figuring I'd use them for something. Toasting nuts turns out to be easy--all you need is a frying pan and a bit of attention, then let them cool, and eat them.

faking it

Looking at a description of a weekend immersion language course, I found a pointer to a self-test at parlo.com. I took it and was advised to enroll in their "Interactive French 2", with the comment that I had probably taken some French courses before, and was ready to add more advanced structures to my knowledge.

The problem is, I was guessing on some, and extrapolating from similarities of grammatical structure on others. I got the "right" answer, in terms of grammar, when filling in blanks in sentences I didn't understand.

faking it

Looking at a description of a weekend immersion language course, I found a pointer to a self-test at parlo.com. I took it and was advised to enroll in their "Interactive French 2", with the comment that I had probably taken some French courses before, and was ready to add more advanced structures to my knowledge.

The problem is, I was guessing on some, and extrapolating from similarities of grammatical structure on others. I got the "right" answer, in terms of grammar, when filling in blanks in sentences I didn't understand.

talking to people

I ran into a co-worker on my way in, and we talked as we walked from the subway station to the office. Being in another department, she'd heard nothing about the cuts over here, only that one person was transferred to her area.

When I told Irene, she was shocked and sympathetic. And offered to pass my resume to some people who might be helpful--connections including her aunt's granddaughter.

Meanwhile, management is rumored to want us not to discuss this: maybe they think nobody will notice when a third of Pubs is suddenly absent on October 1. But that's rumor: officially, I've been told it's okay to tell people, so I'm talking as I see fit.

talking to people

I ran into a co-worker on my way in, and we talked as we walked from the subway station to the office. Being in another department, she'd heard nothing about the cuts over here, only that one person was transferred to her area.

When I told Irene, she was shocked and sympathetic. And offered to pass my resume to some people who might be helpful--connections including her aunt's granddaughter.

Meanwhile, management is rumored to want us not to discuss this: maybe they think nobody will notice when a third of Pubs is suddenly absent on October 1. But that's rumor: officially, I've been told it's okay to tell people, so I'm talking as I see fit.