the hypothetical wren

Thanks to everyone who answered my request for non-awful Chinese restaurants last week. I now have a couple of places to try the next time I get a craving for the stuff.

In other news:

1. I am very tired of this semester. I have a ton of things to do, and I don’t want to do any of them. I would like some leisure time again, please.

2. I finally had some actual pho at Pho #1 (the Vietnamese restaurant on San Pedro across from El Mesquite Market [a place I keep meaning to visit]). I’ve been there a few times, but I always ordered something else. Anyway, it was very good pho. It hit all the spots that needed attending to. The broth was tasty, the beef was tender, and they offer their pho in sizes. I can never come even close to finishing your standard bowl of pho, so I was glad to see that Pho #1 sells a “small” order of pho. Which is still large, just not quite as large.

3. I was watching TV last night, and saw a political commercial telling me to vote “yes” on Colorado’s Referenda C & D. This was on channel 13, right after the 10 p.m. news. Now, they didn’t need to persuade me, since I’m already voting for them (sorry, mayoral candidates, it’s important for me to vote in the Home State this year). But, is this some sort of mistake? Why would this be shown on TV in Albuquerque? My only answer is that there are, like it or not, a lot of Coloradans in New Mexico, many of whom (like me) still qualify to vote back home.

Sounds like a good idea to me: Discardia, a “floating holiday to celebrate letting go.”

Even better:

…this is a very good holiday. It doesn’t involve obligations or expense or overblown expectations of specialness. It does not require you to interact with people whom you do not wish to interact with. In fact, it doesn’t require you to do anything…

Discardia is celebrated by getting rid of stuff and ideas you no longer need. It’s about letting go, abdicating from obligation and guilt, being true to the self you are now. Discardia is the time to get rid of things that no longer add value to your life, shed bad habits, let go of emotional baggage and generally lighten your load.

Dear The Weather:

It is late September. This means that it is time for fall. It is time for it to stop being almost 90 degrees outside.

Fall is my favorite season; whereas summer is my least favorite. I am tired of my summer clothes. I am tired of my sandals [1] I would like to be able to wear these items: long-sleeved shirts, corduroy pants, and my many, many cardigan sweaters. I would like to be able to cook soups again, and roast chicken, as my apartment is small enough that cooking anything for a long time heats up the entire place. I am ready to use the following adjectives with regards to the temperature: “crisp,” “brisk,” “cool,” “stimulating.” I am ready to see my breath again.

It’s bad enough that we have to devote three whole months — June, July, and August — to hot temperatures, overabundant air conditioning, and sweaty feet. But September, too? Come on. Bring on the fall weather.

Thank you,

HW

P.S. Stop it with the hurricanes, as well.

[1] I have only one pair of even remotely work-appropriate sandals (these, which are good enough for academia), and even though I love them, and they are incredibly comfortable, I am so sick of wearing them.