Flotsam: September 2009 Archives

His name is Seymour. He's going to be made into soup, so don't get too attached.

But you want to, don't you? Don't you just want to establish the Seymour Fan Club? Go around wearing buttons with his picture on them? Such is the life of the fall vegetable. So charming, so photogenic. So...delicious.

Big farmer's market day, even though I'd only planned to get a few things. Rode home with a giant juicy bunch of leeks hanging out the top of the bag. Kitwich went leek-crazy. Managed to tear off a green stalk and chased it around the house. I found it on the bedroom rug.

Last fall it was all about the apples. She'd climb right onto the kitchen table for them. Now she doesn't seem to give a hoot about apples. When she was little she used to chew on bits of kale or collard green that had fallen to the floor. I don't know what she's thinking. When she opens her mouth all you see is fangs - she has no teeth for eating these things.

I thought about my own teeth a few moments ago, how there are, in fact, a couple of stray canines there, which suggest a naturally omnivorous diet, but how I seem to only want to eat vegetable matter. The older I get, the less animal products appeal to me.

It came up last night because I was at a party, and the restaurant had nothing I could eat. I managed to cobble together a few side dishes, and the chef sent out a little bowl of mixed beans in a warm vinagrette as a sort of apology for having removed the only vegan item from the menu. But it was awkward, and wildly overpriced, and I thought some about the social prejudice against people who don't eat meat or dairy.

It's not one of those things that's intentional; it's just ingrained, as if there is a Normal way of eating, and it means meat, with side dishes of vegetables (usually cooked in butter). It isn't that way worldwide, of course, and this city is a lot easier to find vegan food in than most other places in the US. But it's weirdly polarized.

For the most part, there are vegan restaurants and there are meat restaurants. The meat restaurants will often have one vegetarian item on the menu, but it's always full of cheese.

I'm not militant in any way about food choices; I can happily dine with my steak-eating girls without batting an eyelash, and I'd never try and tell someone what they should or shouldn't eat. But last night was frustrating. In all honesty, it made me angry. I didn't have any say in where we were going because it wasn't my party, and I did check the menu online beforehand, and I was nervous about the fact that they had only one thing on the menu I could eat. And that's before we even get into the fact that this was an expensive restaurant, and I am scrambling for rent and grocery money, and then the people who chose the place wanted to split the bill evenly, essentially expecting me to help pay for their appetizers and wine and desserts. Ugh.

I was starving, having ridden a fair amount that day and only having had a snack before dinner, and dinner not being until 9pm. Anyway, blah blah blah, complain complain. But I have to say, if I were asking a friend to join me for dinner at a restaurant where no meat was served, I'd warn them of that in advance, and I'd ask how they felt about it. I don't like being thrust into the role of high-maintenance dinner guest, who's being "difficult."

One of the many things I'm worried about, with bicycle touring, is being able to find food in the wilds of upstate. And last night made me realize I'd better make a lot of room in my panniers for peanut butter.

1. I cannot for the life of me get enough apples. I bought a bunch at the Saturday farmer's market, and today I had to go and buy a bunch more at the Wednesday one.
2. My bag contains, in addition to its usual complement of snacks and H2O and tools, 1 rain jacket, 1 merino wool sweater, 1 pair legwarmers, and 1 neckwarmer (tight-fitting cowl). Oh, and a change of (wool) socks.
3. I am knitting again(!) Every year I worry that I've simply lost the urge, and every year it comes right back with the first breath of cool air. I've made one hat and am two-thirds of the way done with another.
4. I have cut off two pairs of jeans in the last week. I know, that sounds like a sign of summer, but for me, making new cutoffs is paradoxically a sign of fall, because it means I am in need of heavyweight short pants for cool-weather cycling (see note about legwarmers, above).
5. The boys all look adorable to me again. Well, okay, that may have more to do with having given the one I was non-dating the boot recently, but I also think cool weather makes boy sports more appealing.

I suppose hats are my way of getting the knitting muscles warmed up. What I really need to manage to knit is a fine-gauge sweater to wear on the bike. I had one on needles somewhere, if only I could find it. Much of my knitting is still languishing in cardboard boxes, since I moved during warm weather and can't, as mentioned on many previous occasions, get it up for knitting in warm weather.

The cat would appreciate some knitted toys, I believe. Especially since I killed that very large insect she'd been playing with the other day.

You know, there are times when I'd really like to blog and just can't muster it up. I'm afraid there have been a lot of those lately.

It's usually because there's too much going on that's personal, that I don't want to talk about because it will be too much like prodding a bruise.

It's times like those when a list of random thoughts or observations is a girl's best friend.

1. I'd like to get a new nose-ring. I've looked and don't see any I like yet.
2. I broke up with that boy I wasn't dating.
3. As a gift to myself, I then went to see (flirt with) the other boy I also wasn't dating. It was nice to see him, but it didn't help much.
4. I feel sad about breaking up with the boy I wasn't dating.
5. I don't necessarily feel like it's the wrong decision, but it is not so easy. I mean, one clever little text does not really solve anything. There are still a tangle of raggedy edges in my chest with his name all over them.
6. Also, there is the lust, which will no doubt be a problem the next time I see him.
7. Oy.
8. See? Even when I set out to make a random list, it is anything but, and the true thing that's occupying my thoughts comes right out front. I might as well stop this list right now and lapse into paragraphy.
9. Though if I do that, I might be tempted into other lapses as well.
10. Consciousness. Employment. Judgment.

Also, I am thirsty, which seems like a metaphor somehow.

The funny thing is, as soon as I decide to lapse into paragraphy, I get all pithy and listlike.

I am a perverse creature. In more ways than (the obvious) one.

It seems to be setting out to be a week of making prudent decisions which I rapidly regret and then pine about. I had also decided not to spend some additional money on a bicycle I can't afford. And now I am sad about that, too.

I think I am still not ready to relinquish my extended adolescent funfest. Despite summer being patently on its way out. Appropriately enough, I am also nervous because my period is a little late. Dudes, that is taking teenage verisimilitude a little too far. Cramps and blood, please. Stat.

Note: Photo courtesy of cell phone cam.

"If it comes down to you or them, send flowers." - Robert Redford, as Nathan Muir

Oh goody, it's....still not Friday.

What a weird week this has been. Every day I think it's Friday - not just think, but am convinced, utterly and completely. And then I'm very frustrated.

I want Friday!

I want to play!

I want to ride to the beach!

I want! I want! I want!

I want to have not spent $4 on a single heirloom organic tomato at the damn grocery store, which then turns out to be all mushy and disgusting.

I want to ride my bike every day for hours, with no ill effects on knees or any other part of me.

I want something delicious. Preferably fruit or this dark chocolate.

I want that mouse under the stove to stay where it is and never come out. No wait. I want it to go away, far away.

I want pineapple.

I want some snuggling, with a cute boy, please. Nowish would be good. Or at least Friday.

I want all my bikes to be done and ready to ride soon soon soon yippeeeee.

I want to tell you a secret:

I am riding my bicycle to Rhinebeck this year. Yessiree. And ye shall know her by her wobbly legs and chain grease.