I just received the best compliment! I’m so flattered. I phoned over to the Steel Bear Deli for my favourite breakfast sandwich (egg, ham, English muffin, salt and pepper on an English muffin). The Steele Bear Deli is a wee deli/grocery shop just off the 101 (Pengrove exit in Petaluma) and within walking distance from my work. I haven’t actually phoned over there for over a month or so. I guess I’ve been eating my breakfasts at home. Anyway, I phone over to order. They take my name and say it will be ready in 5 minutes.

I walk over to get my sandwich. As I enter the deli, two people are talking about that voice. The fellow is saying: You know who she is. They look up and realize I’m there. The lady says: Oh. I love your voice. When you call on the phone. It’s so sweet. And sexy. Then they guy says: Yeah. Everybody knows Jennifer’s voice on the phone.

I am so flattered. I thought I was just another anonymous customer. I am flattered that they know who I am when I come in AND they recognize my voice on the phone. I’m not sure how to take the compliment from the lady, but, since I’m not getting many compliments now a days, I’ll take ‘em where I can get ‘em.

My first attempts at interesting coffee pot Polaroids. There are two real Polaroids and the rest I made with software. Which ones are the real Polaroids????

I was supposed to tell a story about this coffee maker except I don’t think I have one. I just found the box it came in. Apparently, I bought it at Marshall’s for $12.99. I think I was looking for a simple way to make really good, strong coffee and thought this one might do the trick. I’m all about being low tech in the kitchen. In fact, I don’t really have many appliances in my kitchen–I like the satisfaction of chopping and preparing things manually. I have a manual chopper. I have a manual cheese grater. I think the only appliances that I have in my kitchen are a crock pot (of course!!) and a blender (smmmmoothies).

I don’t think this coffee pot minded being in these pictures. Since I don’t use this coffee pot to make coffee, taking these pictures was the most action it’s ever seen. It is an interesting looking coffee pot so at least the pictures have some character. I might make myself some coffee in it tomorrow. Do a taste test with my current coffee maker. Maybe I’ll figure out why I don’t use it.

In 2000, I spent Easter weekend in San Jose, Costa Rica sitting on a park bench in the middle of the city with a fellow traveller from Argentina. First, you have to know that Central America is devout Roman Catholic and closes down entirely for the four days of Easter weekend. Nothing is open. I mean NOTHING. There is nothing to do. No shopping. No museums. No movies. No public transportation. Nothing. The only thing to do is sit on a bench in a public park and talk to your travel partner about life, the universe, and everything in between.

While we were sitting there, we observed this pigeon–a male pigeon. The moment he spotted a female pigeon, he would strut over and coo, and plump his feathers, and nuzzle. Basically, we decided, he was trying to woo her.

She would let him strut and coo and plump for a while, but in the end, she would seem to get annoyed with all the primping and fly off in a huff. As if she decided, there was no substance beneath all the plumping and cooing. He would watch the female fly off with his head cocked to one side and you could almost hear him think: What’s her problem???

While there were no other pigeons around, he would just bop around and peck at the ground. As soon as another female flew within a certain circumference, he would be over there…bumping and cooing and plumping and wooing. We sat there for quite a few hours and watched this pigeon AND he didn’t seem to score once! How many females did he try to woo? When would he learn?

I imagine he was there everyday, trying to pick up chicks so-to-speak. I wonder if he ever found the right one. One who didn’t mind his quirky ways. One who thought he was a catch too? One who found his attempts entertaining and played the mating game with him?

I figure that’s what humans do. That’s just life. We are all just pigeons in a public park. We all have certain attributes (physical, personal, characteristic). We stand around and display them in public. Interested parties flock in to investigate each other. When we meet other people, they entertain us for a bit. We may even try the dance. Sometimes we get annoyed and fly off in a huff. Sometimes, we stick around and see what they have to offer.

Yesterday, Ian showed me Picasa (free photo edititing software from Google). Today, I made some Polaroid collages from some digital pictures with a few clicks of the mouse. Click. Click. Click. 1. 2. 3. Done. Picture simplicity.

If you are Canadian, shame on you if you don’t know the origin of this statement. If you are a Quebequer, you should definitely know the origin of this statement. As a Canadian AND a federalist, I am more passionate about this statement than the original statement.

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