gurdymonkey | Yawn - what to do today..... (Reply)

Proceeding on the fact that it was actually slightly cooler outside than inside my un-air conditioned apartment with the big skylight in the garret, I went out for a bit yesterday afternoon for a bit of shopping therapy.

Saw one of those sandwich board signs on a street corner in Berkeley and followed it to the studio of a local potter named Mary Law. I was greeted by a very sweet black and white mutt she adopted all of three days ago, so I got my pooch fix. (I miss having a pet, but I can't have one where I am now and as this apartment is an excellent one, I shall deal.) She has a very nice set up in back of her house with kilns in and out and lots of space in the back studio for work. I made a purchase as I need a gift for someone. I could tell you what it is, but I'd have to kill you.

Remember me bitching about not being able to find a cute summer dress I liked and buying some silk to make one? Yesterday I found a cute summer dress I liked. At Ross. For all of $16.99!!!! Black and white polka dot cotton sun dress which has a retro late 50's/early 60's movie starlet kinda vibe to it. I don't look like a whale in it either, but I'll need to shorten the shoulder straps about an inch.

danabren, I have onigiri molds for you and will send them out next week. I also picked up a bag of rice, a bento lunch ominously labeled "tuna puke" and some wakame at Berkeley's Tokyo Fish Market. The bento consisted of chunks of raw tuna sprinkled with sesame seeds, sprouts and a splash of oil. Nice little market, with the accent on fish, of course. Next time I need to make a sake buy, I'm stopping here - they had a nice selection. The adjoining gift shop has kitchen items, serve-ware and so forth.

Set up the desk fan on top of the toilet so I could actually stand to get dressed for the Regency ball last night. There was no way I was going to "distress" the gown I made out of Shinto vestment silk just to comply with the evening's "shipwreck" theme, so I had hot glued some seashells to hair barrettes and some bobby pins and put them into my do, and hung a string of tiny snail shells as a necklace.

Mercifully, temperatures were starting to drop by the time I arrived at the hall, though it was still significantly warmer in than out. I was hanging out on the "lanai" with

bovil,

kproche and some of their friends when a gentleman in a grass skirt and not much else, press-ganged myself and the other lady into joining a set dance. I also waltzed with Cyn, but we mostly spent the evening outside sipping sangria and socializing, before heading over to Lisa (another one!) and Chris' place nearby for port and pizza.

It was about 4:30 when I got home this morning.

How did I get a social life at THIS late stage of the game?

So I am now awake, quite hungry and it's GORGEOUS outside. Decisions, decisions.

EDIT. I had a shower. (Note: I'm with

sasha_khan on Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap these days.

gcmadtown81 opened some when he was here and I've showered with it for the last couple days. It's lovely and cooling while you're actually under the showerhead on a hot day, but I ended up dry and itchy, particularly the skin on my legs. I'm back to the South of France mango, which at least has some olive oil in it.)

I had cereal.

I had a nap - which I evidently needed after several nights of spotty sleep. (Under a fleece throw. In June. In Alameda. THIS is more like it.)

I accompanied Messrs. Adams, Jeffferson, Franklin et. al. to the drafting and signing of a declaration of independency from the tyrannical rule of His Majesty George III, in print at least. (Must look for more McCullough after I'm done with this. It's excellent.)

In other words, I did absolutely NOTHING productive today.

I refuse to feel guilty about it either.

So there.