dog days

Are we officially into Canis Major in the macrocosmic orbit? Are you waiting with bated breath for the opening ceremonies in Beijing? Are you all excited about the anticlimactic political conventions in St. Paul and Denver? Have you been to the State Fair yet? At what point does this dry spell become a drought?

Closer to home, what did I do this weekend when I was supposed to be working?

I forgot all about promising to help Zelda move a couch a friend had given her. I'm one brewski into unwinding after work on Friday, my phone rings and she's waiting for me halfway across town at Lane Ave. My bad. Luckily she had a backup plan that worked out fine. But still.

I took a nice, longish, against-the-wind bike ride to get my ya-yas out, and on the way back saw a car with license plates YAH YAH.

I watched a couple of sad movies. Or I sadly watched a couple of movies. Or I watched a couple of movies sadly. Or, sadly, I watched... Whatever the syntax, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Antisemitism make for sobering viewing.

I made two batches of bread and a pot of lentil soup.

I talked to Jessi on the phone and got an update on hot town, summer in the city. His garden is producing lots of cucumbers, and with a salt brine, some garlic and dill, he's been making pickles. They also have collards, beans, and tomatoes. He painted his room orange and built shelves for a stereo. His band had a show a while ago, but they're having trouble finding space and time to practice.

I took a break from the text and cut down one-third of a pear tree that was already damaged by a storm. It came down harmlessly except for clipping a branch of an apple tree and half of a rope swing. Something sad (that word again) about seeing a swing hanging all lopsided from one rope. I'm also feeling the effects of chainsaw use in my left shoulder - my old friend Rotator Cuff Tendonitis - which I'm dealing with day to day. I think I'll write a Lou Reed-type song and call it "Ibuprofen."