In Case You Forgot...

...why you came, this is a subtle reminder that you were craving a hamburger...cooked exactly as you like it, with or without a combination of blue cheese, swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, lettuce, avocado, chili or jalapeños.

I had to go for some x-rays this morning ( or "images" as they say now) and it was all so quick and efficient that I was finished in less than an hour. I continue to marvel at how much easier this kind of thing is to do here than it was in Berkeley. I used to dread having to set aside half a day to make these appointments, spending most of the time wading through a menu, listening to annoying music while on hold, and talking to people who are not very pleasant and sound like they are reading from a script from which they are unable to deviate. Here, a real person answers the phone when you call for an appointment. They are friendly and organized and manage to make an experience that nobody relishes a little easier once you get there.

With the morning stretching before me, I decided to reward myself with a coffee at Peet's and wander around downtown in search of a blip. The coffee was as good as ever, although I had to turn my back on the tattoo covered guy sitting next to me with a sewing machine leg that would not stop jumping up and down....

The civic art in downtown Santa Rosa is...well,...awful. I halfheartedly took some pictures of an old building with a nice clock cupola on top, outlined against a bright blue sky, a series of fountains and pools filled with water that was a peculiar yellow color, and an interesting frieze depicting early Santa Rosa with a strange little figure reclining in the sky on a sunburst cloud--hard to tell whether it was a mythological, religious or historical figure. Perhaps I will blip it one day so that you can weigh in....

I got really dispirited when I went into the mall looking for a Verizon store, er, kiosk where I could upgrade my phone to one with a better camera. There is a huge white marble dismembered hand surrounded by nicely planted boxes in front. Inside all is blaring music, stores catering to teens, the smell of cheap, sugar and fat filled food and bright white lights. I was rescued from venturing much past the main entrance by OilMan inviting me to meet him at Carmen's for lunch.

I'll upgrade the phone tomorrow. There is a Verizon place right next to the exercise studio....