MORE random stuff about your day

[Minnie the Minx]

I bought some shoelaces yesterday and the cashier said “enjoy!” as he handed me the receipt.

So, planning on tying one on then, huh?

I did! The whole thing was considerably less thrilling than his tone suggested though.

[Six String]

[Six String]

Breadsticks, aren’t they the best thing to snack on with a beer or glass of wine before dinner?

[Minnie the Minx]

Breadsticks, aren’t they the best thing to snack on with a beer or glass of wine before dinner?

Yes!
I still have that picture of your Mum in SF outside Perry's smoking one like a cigar

[Six String]

I forgot about that. Good times.

[Minnie the Minx]

It’s a stunning, sunny Austin winter day and I’ve taken the afternoon off to sit in a very socially distanced bar, get drunk and read a book. Top day!

Until tomorrow of course.

[Minnie the Minx]

Man. I LOVE day drinking

[souphound]

It’s a stunning, sunny Austin winter day and I’ve taken the afternoon off to sit in a very socially distanced bar, get drunk and read a book. Top day!

Until tomorrow of course.

It's 5 below O Celsius here and all the bars have been off limit for months now. How I envy that feeling. I wouldn't even need a book. Just any old mag would do.

[Six String]

Man. I LOVE day drinking

Rebecca is on your team!

[harvey k-tel]

I bought some shoelaces yesterday and the cashier said “enjoy!” as he handed me the receipt.

You might enjoy The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker, the greatest novel about buying a pair of shoelaces ever written:

[Minnie the Minx]

It’s a stunning, sunny Austin winter day and I’ve taken the afternoon off to sit in a very socially distanced bar, get drunk and read a book. Top day!

Until tomorrow of course.

It's 5 below O Celsius here and all the bars have been off limit for months now. How I envy that feeling. I wouldn't even need a book. Just any old mag would do.

Well, in fairness I made my afternoon sound a lot more "pre-pandemic" fun than it actually was. When I say bar, I meant a friend's restaurant that sells alcohol and where you can completely socially distance on the patio outside. She has gone far and above what Texas says she "should" do and even though she could, she won't open the inside of her restaurant until the world is in a safe place because she cares about her staff and customers. She has also spaced out her outside space to way more than she is "technically" required to, and put partitions up between tables. Because Austin can be so beautiful during the winter, it's actually a great place to go and hang and she will almost never need heaters. She's losing so much money at the moment, and all her life savings are going into keeping it afloat but she is struggling precisely because she is trying to do things in a way that her conscience lets her. When I waved goodbye to her yesterday, she was bent over her laptop doing accounts looking completely deflated. What can you do, except....go to their places on their quiet days, drink a lot so they get a good profit on the wine, and leave big tips and great reviews. And I'm happy to keep on doing just that.

[souphound]

It’s a stunning, sunny Austin winter day and I’ve taken the afternoon off to sit in a very socially distanced bar, get drunk and read a book. Top day!

Until tomorrow of course.

It's 5 below O Celsius here and all the bars have been off limit for months now. How I envy that feeling. I wouldn't even need a book. Just any old mag would do.

Well, in fairness I made my afternoon sound a lot more "pre-pandemic" fun than it actually was. When I say bar, I meant a friend's restaurant that sells alcohol and where you can completely socially distance on the patio outside. She has gone far and above what Texas says she "should" do and even though she could, she won't open the inside of her restaurant until the world is in a safe place because she cares about her staff and customers. She has also spaced out her outside space to way more than she is "technically" required to, and put partitions up between tables. Because Austin can be so beautiful during the winter, it's actually a great place to go and hang and she will almost never need heaters. She's losing so much money at the moment, and all her life savings are going into keeping it afloat but she is struggling precisely because she is trying to do things in a way that her conscience lets her. When I waved goodbye to her yesterday, she was bent over her laptop doing accounts looking completely deflated. What can you do, except....go to their places on their quiet days, drink a lot so they get a good profit on the wine, and leave big tips and great reviews. And I'm happy to keep on doing just that.

Sad but perfect.

[Minnie the Minx]

I'm getting increasingly angsty about the amount of people experiencing homelessness around our neighbourhood who take their dogs with them when they go out asking for money. I'm aware that my PRIVILEGE allows me to twiddle my thumbs about this conundrum, but it makes me feel ill. Invariably, the dogs will be on the median on very busy roads walking up and down. Five seconds of clumsiness or a dog being startled and they are dead. Many a time they have no blanket and I sit at the light and any feelings I might have to help a person evaporate the minute that I see that they are in charge of an animal, and that animal is uncomfortable.

I know from shelter work that dogs are used to elicit a better response and I also know that some dogs are taken from their owners or shared around. I also know that some of these dogs are wonderful companions to the people who love them and some are taken great care of. But dogs being paraded up and down busy streets where they have the capacity to bolt into traffic is something I can't abide and I sit at the lights wondering when I turned into Norman Tebbit but that feeling isn't going away and if anything it's getting worse.

[Six String]

I donate money to a local charity run by an old Catholic nun. They provide food, hygiene, social services, a school for the homeless children (Rebecca taught there for a while) and other services for the homeless and this is how I can get through what I see. It’s horrible and it’s hard to sort out things without a lot of investigation so giving to Loaves And Fishes is frankly easier. They do the sorting and I’m confident they use their money where it’s needed.

[Minnie the Minx]

We were writing Xmas cards last night and to some of our favourite cousins I said that the next time we saw them I would ‘hug them till their eyes popped out.’ Unfortunately, my poor handwriting makes the ‘hug’ looks awfully similar to ‘hang’ which seems a bit off message.

[Six String]

We had our hot cocoa bomb this morning. It was fun and delicious.

[Belle Lettre]

Having an all-nighter with my daughter to give her moral support as she finishes her thesis. I feel old and achy.

[Minnie the Minx]

She owes you a Horlicks!

[Belle Lettre]

With whisky in it

[Neige]

A half-drugged selfie I posted from my hospital bed after knee surgery last night became my most successful Facebook post ever.

It made me happy.

... and I'm walking (somewhat slowly) already!