Rambling

So soon after the high heat, came a record breaking chill. Parts of the Bay Area broke the record for being the coldest for this time of year in half a century. It was so freaking cold, we had to turn the heat back on and went around in them woollies when sending Nic back to campus to check into her new dorm. Summer school starts tomorrow. We didn't get to meet her new room mate who had checked in but was probably at the orientation. Hopefully, this spells the end of the Jeni nightmares.

I have been a good girl these past two days. After squandering Friday afternoon, yakking away at the Lai's, instead of walking round the track as I planned to, I have been out beating the dirt path at Iron Horse Middle School 20 rounds yesterday and today. That's 5 miles each day, 5 laps and more walking backwards. It is funny to see how the people walking by to the Arts and Winds Festival in Central Park just a few hundred feet away try so hard not to look quizzically at me. Bet they don't often see people walking as though they have eyes in the back of their heads. Ah, but little do they know that backward walking and running actually have a lot of benefits, not the least of which is it burns up a heck of a lot more calories than forward walking and actually can increase overall health and possibly (?) lifespan.

It is close to noon on Memorial Day and the Man is still hanging out with his pals from Sons of Retirement or something like that. I am pretty sure tennis is long over and they must be ribbing each other and sharing gossips over latte at Starbucks. He has been inducted and bonding regularly with this group of active and very fun loving sons of America. They even have a yearbook! Looks like we aint gonna be picking cherries and other fruits today. The weather is better today so it would have been perfect for walking the farms, baskets in hands, plucking away at the bounty of nature (and the farmers' sweat, of course).

Memorial Day is a big event here, in remembrance of soldiers who gave the highest gift of all, their lives, for their country. Like last year's Presidential election, the new is gradually making inroads into the ways they are remembered. They are now remembered on the web. Friends and families can write on pages dedicated to every single soldier who died fighting in Iraq and the like. The pagentry of the old ways still lives on, however and tiny flags grace the tombs in cemeteries all over the country.

Maybe we should go to the Arts and Winds Festival instead. Admire all the handicrafts, eat fatty bad for the heart hotdogs and sway to the rock band that is bound to be there at the heart of the fair, entertaining young and old alike. Maybe pick up something we won't know what to do with afterwards.