More Disjointed Ramblings, Forgive Me

Hector Berlioz arrived today, or rather his six CD compilation of orchestral words did. Hector himself hasn’t been with us for the last 100 years or so. When I opened the box and started leafing through the notes I was struck, not by any profound understanding of his music, but by his hair. How can you not love a guy who looks like this? (Perhaps he was the Lyle Lovett of the nineteenth century.)

Hector has kept me company this morning as I made my way through some sequence and series problems in calculus II. For some strange reason I find working math problems consoling. If she were still here, this would be the day that my septuagenarian French neighbor and I would go walking. We would discuss the events of the week, national, global, neighborhood and personal. I would tell her that

- If everyone we’re inviting comes to the wedding, we’ll have 300 guests. While I fret about the cost, John just smiles and says, “These are the things in life worth spending money on.”

- I’ve designed the invitations, picked out a wedding ring, hired the bands, caterer, florist, and baker, and bought my dress. All that’s missing are the photographer and tuxes - in other words, John’s responsibilities.

- John will be out of town for the entire month of May.

- The dishwasher is broken and needs to be replaced, and if John thinks I’m waiting until he gets back in town to buy a new one, he’s got another thing coming.

- The most brilliant looking orioles have started visiting my bird feeders.

- Annie had another seizure this morning, poor dear.

- Olga, the housekeeper, is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Although, after our wedding, I should probably start saying that John is. (We marvel at the way she folds our t-shirts in to perfectly flat, uniform squares. It’s a mystery how she does it.)

- I succumbed to my mother’s pressure to register at Williams-Sonoma. I find it almost impossible to register for our wedding since we’re both in our 30’s and have been living together for years. But I indulged my wish list with some Riedel crystal. (My girlfriend AMQ and I bought some last year and I love treating myself to glass of wine in it when I get home at night.)

- Yesterday I thought I’d need a glass of wine to get through my calculus class. I kept saying, ‘There’s no crying in mathematics.’ Although, I’m not really sure why, I seem to remember plenty of crying in my mathematical studies.

- I discovered a website called zillow.com that overlays the price of properties on top of satellite images. Try it to see how much your house is worth (and that of your neighbors!)

- We’ve finally hired a contractor to redo our bathroom and scheduled the termite tenting. I like him, AND he knows how to use email!

- I tried to watch the film at our neighborhood’s independent movie theater this week, but I found it too sad and left after 10 minutes.

- The college had a book sale yesterday and I picked up five books for five dollars. Most are about Java programming, but I did manage to get Wuthering Heights and a novel by Nadine Cordimer that takes place in South Africa. (Giselle, my neighbor, would recognize this author, even though I don’t.)

- Texas Monthly is one of my favorite magazines, and I make a point of reading all of the articles written by Skip Hollandsworth. This month he’s written about a charming, modern-day cattle rustler. The pictures in this article alone are worth the price of the issue, especially that of the Texas cattle ranger. He stands strong, imposing and mean looking next to a broken fence, wearing his starched blue jeans, star-studded belt, crisp white shirt and blue neckerchief, white Stetson, silver badge and a gun on his hip. Did you know that the state of Texas had a separate law enforcement agency, begun in 1877, to arrest a cattle thieves? Me either. Sometimes it’s hard to believe this is the same state that’s home to NASA, Neiman Marcos, South by Southwest and the tallest state capital in the country. Even though I’m from there, sometimes I hardly recognize it.

- I’m trying to pick out the symphonies we'll attend in the 2006-2007 season, but it’s been tricky to manage it with John’s directive, “It can’t interfere with football season.” I call him part of the burnt orange lunatic fringe.

- The new KPBS catalog came yesterday and I’ve circled all the must-see programs for the month of May.

- A&E is still running Nero Wolf mysteries on Saturday nights and I try to record every one. God bless Rex Stout, whom I discovered in college. I just love him. Isn’t Archie grand? And the orchids! The weather is so amazing here in SoCal that my neighbor grows them in her front yard. (Sickening, I know.)

- Some people find it strange that I keep a globe in my bathroom. My mother for one. But I can’t count the number of times I’ve been reading a history book in the tub and needed to look something up.

- This weekend I must plant the oregano, basil and Gerber daisies I’ve raised, AND get ready for our neighborhood garage sale.

- I seem to have recovered from my internet addiction. So my days are more balanced now, but I can’t say they’re as much fun!

- Best of all, my friends AMQ and Steve are in town!

In between my ramblings Giselle would comment on what’s she’s read in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times this morning. She’s a voracious reader. Then she’d tell me about yoga and any treats she may have bought at Trader Joes and Whole Foods. We’d talk about her children and grandchildren. We’d talk about gardening, books, movies and music.

I think I’ll go write her a letter.