Mishaps and other haps

About ten months ago I bought a cellular phone. It was not my first experience with portable communication. I had carried around a bulky cellular phone while driving cross-state during my undergrad days, but when I moved to Wisconsin it reverted back to my parents, who had been footing the bill. I never used it much, as it was mostly insurance for travel emergencies. At the time, I was driving a car that was less than reliable, so this was justified.

For the next six years, I lacked, but did not miss, having a cellular phone. Then my social life picked up dramatically, I started spending more time away from home, and I found myself missing calls.

Last summer I bought a new cellular phone with digital camera, text messaging, and web browser features. What a revolution! I never think about long distance anymore because I have a nationwide calling plan. I don’t worry that random people are trying to contact me and are failing because I am not at home. I am considering giving up my land line, but have kept it for the time being because I don’t want to give out my cell phone number to every Joe Blow I have business with.

And it is a very nice feeling to be sitting in a bookstore café on a Sunday morning and to suddenly receive a “Good Morning” text message from my boyfriend. Text messages are handy when you want to say “hi” for just a sec, convey a quick message or reminder, or just let someone know that you are thinking about them.

Indeed, it is much like carrying around an army of people who can, and usually will, respond to you with the press of a few buttons. I am always sure to have my phone charged and near me, regardless of how much I am actually using it.

I do not use my phone to its full potential, though. I only exchange text messages with the chelovyek (who is appallingly tech savvy) and I have not used any of the web features, which would allow me to check e-mail, chat with friends who are online, and maybe even surf for random strangers who might share my interests (egads! Danger, Will Robinson!).

I am not ready for my phone to replace my computer, but I can see that happening for busy people who are primarily interested in the social aspects of technology and are willing to fork over the cash to enhance, or at least gadgify, their quality of life.

Lately I have been noticing more how other people are using their cell phones and so I am having random thoughts about the merger of private and public life, etiquette (should you give someone elbow-space and sort of avert your eyes when they are sending a text message?), and how this is affecting relationships and our ability to be “social animals?”

Also, I don’t seem to have as many phone conversations at home anymore, unless that is where I happen to be when someone calls my cell phone. I wonder if this is changing the nature of “private” conversations in some ways.

As expected, the weather has cooled down again just in time for the first outdoors Farmers’ Market of the year. Contrast the 40 degree temps today (expected high of 46) with last weekend, when we had afternoon temps around 80. This is typically how Wisconsin behaves until about June– with an occasional violent thunderstorm and/or flurries thrown in here and there.

I debated going downtown this morning, but I really like sleeping late on the weekend and when I weighed the importance of the first Farmers’ Market against the cooler morning temps and the lack of local produce ready for consumption this time of year, I decided to hibernate and putter around at home until I have more motivation.

Those who have not been to the official Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Capitol Square may wonder what the vendors sell if little produce is ready in April when the Market opens (it runs from about 6 AM until 2 PM on Saturdays). For those willing to venture out in a light jacket, there are potted plants, jam, honey, cheese, pastries, baked goods, coffee, and ostrich jerky. I guess that mostly covers it.

By mid-summer, I would almost call it a mecca of produce. I am still in transition between the types and seasonal availability of produce I grew up with and what is available at certain times in my “new” geographical region (this will be my 7th full summer in Madison, but the process of adjusting for me starts out fast and then slows down a lot).

Produce-wise, the one thing I miss the most about my native region is peaches that taste like peaches. It is almost impossible to find a peach that tastes like peaches should in Wisconsin, so I don’t blame the locals for not raving about the tastiness of peaches. But I feel kind of sorry for them sometimes.

However, I have become more appreciative of apples as a seasonal fruit that should be picked from trees. I have little desire to buy apples throughout the year when I can have the best apples in September/October. I expect that if I moved to a warmer climate, I would shift my expectations for bananas and pineapple also.

And I feel that I may eventually develop a greater fondness for other produce that I associate with the Midwest– particularly asparagus and parsnips. Corn is about the same. I have always had access to fresh corn and there is really no excuse for eating it in any other form.

So I may be lured downtown in the coming weeks just to check out the people and meander, but for produce I think I’ll give it about two more months.

I am almost finished reading Life of Pi. One idea mentioned early on in this novel jumped out like a neon sign and snagged my brain. It has turned the universe on its head for me the past couple of days.

Theists and atheists have more in common than agnostics.

That’s it– a very small idea. The assumption behind this argument is that both theists and atheists have belief systems that they put faith and their reasoning faculties into, regardless of whether it includes the idea of a god or gods.*

On the other hand, agnostics are doubters (or, to put it another way, faithless). In a better light (perhaps because I have considered myself to be an agnostic for some time now), agnostics are people who are constantly questioning systems of belief, while admitting that they don’t have conclusive answers about things. Non-commital.

But conclusive answers are hard to come by and we still have to go about the business of living our lives.

Strangely enough, I look for answers from sources that I *know* are flawed. We are selfish. We lie, we cheat, we betray and kill each other. I am aware of all of this and I still come back to this same place.

So I wonder– is this an attempt to undermine belief, or is this the greatest belief of all? Maybe I am just being me and making too many assumptions, but I wonder if this might be true for everyone, regardless of whether they have a belief system (i.e. based on faith and/or reason) or how they define it.

* This should have crystallized for me sooner, given my educational background, but it would be tangental to discuss that here. I am sure it will rear its head again later.

Oh, that was long in coming. Absolutely Something.

And Serge has been dating a guy who is just like his mother (well, minus the evil). I should not be surprised by this.

BTW, I just subscribed to Netflix, so if anyone has suggestions or things they want to see …

Kisses from a cute boy do an awful lot to make everything better.

Even the Worst Case Scenario Handbooks don’t seem to have much information about what to do if you’re stuck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a 26-ft. lifeboat with a Bengal tiger.

(I keep meaning to mention that my ability to concentrate has been pretty decent lately. I have been reading.)

I hung out with people (who did not end up gaming) and we did Rocky tonight for the first time in six months or more. It was a good audience (lots of virgins, but lots of people in general) and I think the new cast is better– or some of them may have been there for a while, but some of the people who were kind of annoying before seemed to not be there. And they have a new name, so I think it’s mostly a newish bunch.

My people did their various things, too, which also made me happy. They make noises until they have no more voices and they run around injuring themselves, but they have a really great time, which makes it easy to clap and yell things and just kind of be there and enjoy people.

I really like the “Tree of Life, Deli of Europe” line that was implemented tonight. I wasn’t on the trip where that line was coined, but I totally dig it. I am giving it the official stamp of approval.

It’s 4 AM and I just got home. I guess I should get some sleep so that I am actually awake before today is too much over.

The “I’m Here” Vietnamese food cart (on the UW-Madison campus) has the best balls! Each one is so huge and brown and only $1! This is an amazing source of food! Brown rice, sesame seeds, and something inside that is probably not sweet potato, but mung bean!

(Wow, I should go into advertising)

“So shines a good deed in a weary world.”

I have been lazy about cooking lately and I am sure I will be lazy again this week.

However, I am OK with that because right now I am making curry. It is going to be more of a sweet curry than a spicy curry since I started with a coconut milk base. Added: tomatoes, curry paste, cayenne pepper, unsweetened coconut, dried onion, black pepper. Will add: yellow split peas. Will pour all of this over brown basmati rice, which is also cooking.

It smells yummy at the moment. About 15 more minutes to cook …