Grill smell and lightning bugs

I'm home alone tonight. Not really a new or rare occurrence, but an opportunity to do exactly as I please, uninterrupted. I have to bartend later, but decided when I got home from the bookstore that I would grill out. I got home late, so it was already dusk when I fired up the charcoal and marinated the steak. I love the smooth rhythm of preparing dinner - doing dishes from earlier in the day while the charcoal becomes hot and the meat becomes tender in marinade. Heating the unshucked corn on the cob early on the not yet hot grill; laying out the steak sauce and butter for the corn and chopping lettuce and tomato for a salad. Then sitting on the deck surrounded by the scent of citronella and the aroma of charcoal grilled steak. Reading the next chapter of my art history text in preparation for teaching on Tuesday; watching the fireflies begin to light up across the yard. It was a rare moment of peace and contentment. And a lovely memory of childhood - the smell of the grill, the lightning bugs we used to collect in a mason jar with cheese cloth stretched over the top, a small area for dining outside. It is such a thrill for me to feel content and in control and channel my family and childhood all at the same time. Here's to summer nights, grilling and the ever-present security of lightning bugs in the dark.

Baffled

So, I'm driving to work the other day - past the neverending construction - travelling about 2 inches an hour, when I hit the inevitable stop...glancing to my right, I catch the eye of a construction worker through the windshield and get treated to a tongue-wagging. Yes, that's right, he stuck out his tongue, and wiggled it around in a rather suggestive way at me. The traffic started back up and I was gone. It actually happened rather quickly - wasn't sure I really saw his tongue waggle at me. But, no, I did see it. Oddly, I was completely unphased - mildly amused perhaps, but it made me think: Was I supposed to be shocked? Grossed out? Turned on? I couldn't figure it out - was he propositioning me? Or amusing himself? I'm sure there are women out there who would have been shocked or grossed out - would have reacted to him. Perhaps that is what he was hoping for. I wonder how many other women all day long are treated to his tongue. Does what he did count as flirtation (however misguided) or harrassment? Even now, days later, I am simply bemused. Mostly, I think, because it was such an out of place action. There was no real chance of interaction with me, so why do it? What was in his head when he looked up and saw me? Why did he choose a sexual action instead of something goofy or silly? Or why interact with me at all? Of course, I will never know, but I am continually amused by the random occurences in my daily life.

Woo Hoo, What a Ride!

Got this in an email - thought it was great then, still think it's great. Bring on the chocolates and martinis!

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming ~ WOO HOO what a ride!

Stop Global Warming

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http://www.stopglobalwarming.org

Cornflower, Cerulean, Prussian...

Tonight, the sky was full of clouds and heavy with moisture - not rain, but humidity. And it was a shade of blue I have never seen in the sky - so opaque, so thick and heavy. But not gray, or slate, or pewter. Not bright, or clear, or sky blue. It was the dark, pure blue of Caribbean water at twilight. Looking up, I felt as if I were in fact under water. It was amazing to see that color in the sky; to know it was in part due to the moisture suspended up there; to see the weight of the sky itself in that shade of blue - that neverending sea of dark, cerulean blue sky.

To Sum Up...

For anyone who cares or who has been silently following the saga of the basement submersion, I would like to educate you in the ways of home ownership. None of the damage to my basement, the things in it or the replacement of the water heater are covered by the warranty for which I pay a premium every month because none of these problems were considered normal wear and tear. (I do not know what "normal wear and tear" is, but backed up drains are not it.) Thank goodness we have home owner's insurance! Wait - silly me, my insurance doesn't cover any of this either - because of some clause or other in my 500 page home owner's document. However, if I wish to pay an additional premium and add sewage-pipe-back-up coverage, they will happily cover it next time.

What exactly am I paying either of these companies for? Peace of mind? What really is that? The nagging feeling that I am giving them my money - for really nothing in return? I don't find much peace in that. Perhaps I am being naive. Perhaps every other person in the world understands this policy procedure and accepts it as logical and acceptible.

I however, feel just a little bit cheated. I could expound here on the pitfalls of a system where service costs too much thus creating an a perception of need for insurance which will save you in your time of unexpected trouble, only to "legitimately and legally" fail to rescue you at all because the most common and destructive kinds of trouble are not a part of the rescue package. But why bother - it all ends up sounding like whining, and in the end, I'll still write that premium check every month just in case.

But next time, I will take the time to read the fine print and wade through all 500 pages of my policy - also, just in case.