Out like a
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End of February through almost all of March news
1. We moved. We are happy to a) no longer be living downtown and b) have a nicer place twice the size for c) less money than we were paying to ride an elevator everyday up and down to and from our old place on the 18th floor. No more memos about concrete pours our concrete floors – we have trees and grass and bare feet (I love the ferocious vroom of new vacuum)!
2. Bicycles. While riding home (to our old place – the day before we moved out), I got stopped at a red light about 50 feet from our parking ramp. Next to my car, on the sidewalk, was a young man unchaining his bicycle from a street post. I glanced over at him and then returned my gaze forward waiting for the light to change while sipping the delicious warm Caramel Apple Spice I had gotten on a routine afternoon coffee break with Rich. It was a blissful moment. And then, it was over.
Thud! What was that?! Yes, that would be the sound of the young man’s matte red urban ride bicycle hitting the side of my Prius. I turned, he peeked through the window and shrugged. I turned the car off (I meant to put it in park but, in my startled state, could not find the button), unbuckled my seat belt and got out of the car to look at the damage. I could not see any. The gentleman was walking away at this point but turned around, shrugged his shoulders again and insincerely said, “Sorry” in a flat tone – you know, the way you say “sorry” when you aren’t really sorry and actually got some sick satisfaction out of knowing that you ruined someone’s day. (i.e. when someone cuts you off at the grocery store and you innocently nudge them with your cart and say sorry. Not that I have done that, but you can imagine.)
Any who, I pulled into the garage and looked at the car again and there it was – a dent. Then, I did what any sane person would do. I ran down the stairs, onto the street and ran in the direction that the man with the bicycle was heading. I did not find him. What would I have done if I had found him? Not sure and it is probably a good thing that I didn’t. The dent is fixed now. Thank you Richie! xoxo Prixie
3. We started archery lessons. Yes, bows and arrows – it’s a lot of fun! Rich is a natural – always accurate – the best in our class (“Do you see his form? It’s perfect. That’s what you need to be doing.”). I should be a natural (considering I am Korean and supposedly Koreans are really good at this sort of thing). Luckily, my non-existent, friendly competitive streak is kicking in and last class I did pretty well (I got the arrows to hit my target paper which was where I had set my goal). And, I got my eyes examined last week which I think may have helped (much easier to aim when when you can see where you are shooting).
4. SXSW. We went to 6th Street to see some great acts put on my Gorilla vs. Bear and My Old Kentucky Blog. It was a lot of fun! We ate lunch at the Old Pecan Street Cafe, went to shows as we pleased and spent the rest of the time people watching which was very entertaining in itself.
One of my favorites was the Golden Filter – Penelope Trappes had a fantastic outfit! And this stylish ensem was just one of many to be seen at the festival. Sure, some of the people look like they got dressed in the dark, but it worked for them! I want it to work for me too but for some reason I just can’t wrap my head around how to be eclectic without being kitschy.
5. Shreveport. We went to visit Brand – it is turning out to be an annual thing. This weekend though was particularly cold (and when I say cold, I mean Buffalo spring – the lacrosse games we were going to watch were canceled because of S-N-O-W). But we did make it to one of the casinos on the water. I felt really confident that I would win big, convinced Rich to give me $10 and lost $10 – all within less than 20 minutes. Awe shucks!
Oh, and do you know what town we drove through to get there and back?? Buffalo! Yup, there is a Buffalo, Texas USA complete with metal buffalo lawn ornaments landmarks.
6. Red’s Porch. This might just be a new favorite place to eat. It is like having dinner in a tree house overlooking the Greenbelt and the chicken fried chicken (yes, now you know we are in the south) with the bacon gravy (just to reinforce that we are in the south) is delicious!
7. Bums. There are a lot of bums down here (as I am aware that there are everywhere – but here the weather is excellent and in my opinion, the place to be if you have to be somewhere). I see them a lot on the side of the road – at stop lights, off exit ramps, etc. And I see a lot of nice people rolling down their windows and giving them money (or what appears to be a coupon, which I think makes great use of those weekly mailers). This got me thinking – do these people just extend a hand to everyone or are they basing their decision on something. And if the latter, then what is it – Is it the sign they are holding? Is it because they are punctual and never fail to be there on a daily basis? Is it because they have a furry friend to feed? Do they feel guilty?
So, I did a little exploring and I found a bum I like and here is why: He chose the road surrounding the park which receives a moderate to high amount of traffic daily (he understands probability and appreciates a nice view). His sign is simply stated: “We can all use a helping hand” (the use of “we” is collective and since he did not use the word “need” or explain how he got there, he can’t be that selfish or want any pity). He has excellent posture – stands up straight (isn’t slouching on the ground) and looks forward (doesn’t walk by your car or stare you down). And he has a beard, one bag of personal possessions and no fido.
Well, that’s all that’s new in our neck of the woods! Toodle-lu!