Pastimes

Tuesday, February 07, 2023

Up top is an image of my favorite extinct volcano, Broken Top, its profile dramatized in early morning’s complex winter.

A couple of biggies occurring this week. Tonight, I’ll enjoy popcorn while watching Biden’s State of the Union Address. This year’s will be overseen by Harris and McCarthy instead of Harris and Pelosi. McCarthy might try to take some pages from Pelosi’s book to appear tough and unhappy about whatever Biden says. But Pelosi is a standalone; nobody better or more fully expresses disdain, from her bold and lackluster handclapping to her speech-ripping.

Next Sunday, it’s the Superbowl, with Eagles vs. Chiefs. I hail from Kansas city and a Chief’s fan. Hopefully, our incredible Quarterback’s ankle will have healed to handle whatever’s required. So, I understand Superbowl ads cost about $7M for 30 seconds worth of time. To me, those ads mostly represent money wasted.

And next week is Valentine’s Day. I understand that already it’s nearly impossible to get dinner reservations in our little city. I also understand that tourism is down this year. No one could prove that by me, for traffic is heavy and housing is scarce, and expensive. Everywhere is new construction, and most shocking, for the first time clusters of apartment buildings are going up, tall, invasive, and ugly.

A little farm not far from my place has been mowed and cleared for new housing. I didn’t get around to photographing the farm and its wonderful classic barn before everything disappeared.

As usual, I digress.

Dear Friends: Tomorrow, it’s back to work. I’ve enjoyed this little string of days off. Diana