penstonville

I got my hair cut tonight. Just needed to note the date. That is all.

Tired

So, you get a pic. From the last trip to Scotland. Messing with the ISO in the rain.

Mr. Never Gonna Retire and I went to lunch at King Taco today. Always the best carne asada burrito that money can buy. We take the light rail to get there. On the way back we sat at the end of a car where the seats are along the sides. Standing in the nearby “between” the cars space were two Metro Cops. Our soon-to-be acquaintance strolled into the car with a big cup of fancy coffee. No food or drink allowed. He sees the Metro Cops and does a 180 so quick, it looked as if he was on a skateboard, but he wasn’t. Almost before the Metro Cops can give him the nasty eyeball, he’s back aboard, sitting down, explaining how he was just about to put that cup in the trash, you see. Our skinny, gregarious train-mate has a gift for gab. He comments on Mr. Never Gonna Retire’s company badge and explains that he once lived near the Puerto Rico facility. He speaks, somewhat longingly, about his time there and the lifestyle he had there. Says (in too many words) the natural allure combined with a laidback attitude was second only to Hawaii as a place to drift and waste time. Sounds pretty good! He and Mr. Never Gonna Retire discussed some specific locations, as Mr. Never Gonna Retire has been there before. Our stop came quickly and we left our chatty pal. After we got off the train, I asked Mr. Never Gonna Retire if he had noticed that the fingernails of our acquaintance were all painted an almost black midnight blue. He said he hadn’t.

The Laker season was extended eight weeks beyond the regular season. And just look at this place the last eight weeks. Five posts. Of which, three were Laker related. We need to catch up on everything else. But eight weeks is much to recall. Not sure I even do. Should I start back eight weeks and work forward? Or begin here and go backwards? Wait, I have something. But it may be from more than eight weeks ago. And I may have written about it before. I’ll do a search of the blog. Nothing there, so it’s a tale to be told. Hold on. Why not go even further back? All right, then. Eleven weeks ago, this mesmerizing piece of crap stopped spinning and began a revolt against revolution.

The defiant drive was replaced and a very plain computer suddenly appeared where once ours had vibrated so luminously. Not to worry, I’ve backed up almost everything. Everything except the last ten days. The damn thing lulled me into a false sense of…something. What is lost* from these last ten days? A remix with a really good groove, better than anything before it. Some original digital paintings, again, the best so far. But I’ve begun the plan for data retrieval. *I’m thinking I get one of these and then somehow determine just how long to freeze Mr. Attitude Drive as part of his big adventure.

I’ve been watching the Lakers for over forty years. The game last night has to be one of the all-time lows.

Just got back from lunch. I didn’t go to Trader Joe’s. I’m kinda burnt out on TJ’s right now. And tomorrow is the Mexican restaurant, as Wednesday is picadillo taco day. Even though I’m also kinda burnt out on picadillo tacos. So, I took a bit of a walk to a place that features a dollar menu. Four items from the dollar menu cost me…four dollars. Now I’m burnt out on 100-cent cheeseburgers. But the milk was good. On the way there I waved to no less than four fellow employees driving around in their fossil fueled vehicles. One even offered me a ride. I declined because I planned on peering at puppies at the local pet store. Not that I need one. I just like seeing what’s new caninerly. My left thumb still hurts. Yesterday that hand suffered an inflammation attack. Right around dinnertime. I experienced, first hand, the challenge of tending the barby with reduced prehensility. Due to the circumstances, Mrs. p was quickly promoted to barby-buntender. I’d give her effort two thumbs up. If only I could.

On Saturday we drove up the coast to visit Hearst Castle. First, we had a picnic at the beach right across the street. The almost empty pier -

After the bus ride up the hill, we took a tour. No camera flashes were allowed inside the buildings. The Neptune pool –

I did try to get her phone number -

In the billiards room, a five-year ceiling-cleaning project was underway. It looked to me a bit like an art installation -

The indoor pool was the last stop on the tour -