rainy day random items

* it is pouring rain right now. it’s a grey, hazy, clammy day, ideal for watching movies or having soup or napping or pondering life.

* yesterday, i was at the grocery store and went to stand in the “1 to 8 items” express lane. in front of me was an older gentleman, maybe 70, with about 15 or 16 items in his cart. i waited to see if the cashier might say something to him, even very gently, about his excess goods and perhaps respecting the item limit for that lane... but she did not. instead, she not only rang through his purchases, but let him divide his payment between two credit cards (which added even more time to his scan-and-pay process). i should point out that this wasn't a frail, unassuming senior -- he was obnoxious. all the people in line behind me began sighing in exasperated tones, and we all kind of gave the older man the stink eye as he made us all wait. finally, when he was done, he turned around to me and said, chuckling, “i’m sorry for the delay.” i looked at him and said, “well, this is the express lane, and you did have more than eight items.” AND THEN HE GOT ALL INDIGNANT! he huffed and harumphed about having split his purchase into two groupings of eight items or less (as though that’s in keeping with the point of the express lane), and then continued to yell after me, “defending” himself, as i walked out of the store after paying. poor manners and obliviousness are sometimes astounding.

* are you watching Persons Unknown on NBC? it’s wonderfully twisted and weird, and i hope against hope that it eventually reaches a smart, satisfying conclusion.

* further to my previous blog entry, i have (at long last) opened the first of the research books. i have a binder and a ream of lined, 3-holed paper on which to make copious notes. i may even go out and buy dividers/tabs to be further organized. there’s something about office-supply stores that turn my crank and make me want to sit down to be studious.

* i’ve seen You’ve Got Mail at least three dozen times, and i still get teary in all the exact same spots.

* remember when the TV season lasted from september to may, and summer meant reruns? part of me is delighted that so many networks have adopted “summer series,” but another part of me misses those three months of programming emptiness.

* further to the above, one of my favourite food network shows -- The Next Food Network Star -- returns on thursday night. i am relieved and excited.

* how many times do you have to “ignore” someone’s friend request on facebook before they get the hint and stop asking? or, alternatively, before you have to employ the “block” function? today i received attempt #4 from the same person and will click “ignore,” again, in a few days.

* young beatrix and i are going to ottawa for a few days in august. she’s heading there to visit a friend, and i’m tagging along to meander around. though i’ve criss-crossed the united states, i’ve never actually been to canada’s capital city, so i’m kind of excited. plus, it means a road trip!

* speaking of, bernard hasn’t been on an adventure in a while...