Nothing, Really

I really can't stand it when parents coach their kids to perform. I'm in Panera using their wifi and ingesting loads of calories, and there's a family of women with a little girl three inches away from me and they're all hyper-focused on the averagely-cute kid. "Do you do chores, Sienna! What chores do you do! Do you clean your room! Do you have money, Sienna! Do you like to shop! Do you want to go shopping!" I really hate it. Leave the kid alone. No one for the rest of her entire life will be as interested in her as you are now. You're setting her up for disappointment.

There was a period, however, before my nephew started using words when he just meowed all the time, and I admit to asking, "What does a kitty say?" more than once. But he's way cuter than this kid.

I went to the local zoo yesterday to pass some time. It was my first visit and it turned out to be a pretty great zoo. They have lots of interesting animals and a nice walking path, and it was finally well above freezing, so it was a great day to stroll outside. I loved seeing the Asian elephants. They have little maps by the names of each animal showing the country or region they came from. These elephants came from Thailand, and it reminded me of the time I was in Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok, and I rode an elephant. I'd met a really nice guy from Seattle, I forget his name, and he had a daughter with the same name as me and about the same age. He took to me and we hung out for a while and shared an elephant ride. He was so nice, and he expressed a few times that his daughter was an important businesswoman and too busy to stay in touch with him. You could tell she'd really broken his heart. He was great. All that from a trip to the zoo.

The day before yesterday I went to the local art museum and saw a Nancy Jurs exhibit. She has a really wonderful piece called World Peace: Finding Common Ground (We're All in This Together, Do Unto Others, Your Move) that I loved. She also had a nice one called Artist Statement: My Life Has Gotten So Busy That It Now Takes Up All of My Time. Isn't she clever?

I bought new glasses. So there's that. And, you know, pedicures yesterday.

Today I might go to a movie. The Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience is playing. What do you think? Just kidding. Wendy and Lucy is playing at the local art cinema. I don't know anything about it, but it's only 1 hr. 20 min., which makes it my kind of movie. 

Sorry about all this drivel. Time isn't so much moving slowly as my brain is just moving slowly. My days are winding down here. Two more, to be exact, and I'll be on my way westward. My car and household goods shipment are held up on the east coast, so I'll easily be a week without them in Portland. I guess that means much more drivel to come.