May 23, 2014

Yesteryear
One year ago today: May 23, 2013.
Five years ago today: May 23, 2009, Marion's son wins $100k.

           Oh boy, we get to talk about boredom. It is a way of life best avoided and I’ve been saying that since I was a kidlet. It was probably around the age of eight when I first noticed one of the primary causes of boredom was continually doing only “short-range” activities. That means by the time you are twenty, you’ve done only projects that can be completed in an hour or a day at most. I was laughed at for this, but what do I see all around me? Bored people. And they don’t have the skills to take on longer-range goals. I mean, fifty is hardly the time to decide you want to play the piano.
           Today the bakery was packed. So much so they ran out of sandwich fixins and sent me on a shopping trip. Here is csabai, Hungarian paprika salami. Csabai? Yeah, it sort of rhymes with kielbasa or kubasah, the Polish sausage. I had to track down this last ring of csabai in town, but without it I don’t get my Friday sandwich. Must have my treats because I sort of worked hard for them.
           There is a magazine bin at the bakery. Although most of the patrons donate books I can’t read, there is no doubt the caliber of European literature is very high. They don’t show a brainless bimbo in each photo but they can be forgiven over that. Maybe they don’t have as many as we do. In every town and city on the map, five deep. I wound up reading a cookbook. So when you send me out for groceries, I come back with the right things.

           I was curious how strong the German influence was on these Hungarian recipes. It’s understandable and did you know I am distantly related to Habsburgs? But some of foods described are German all the way. Who else drinks tomato juice and brown sugar. And I’ll tell you the real story behind those bottles of rum with the pear inside. That is not how it is done. In reality, you have a wide-mouth jar of rum and you put an apple in it for two months. Then you eat the apple, guys. You replace the apple with whatever fruit is ripening each time as the summer progresses.
           I decided early on a quiet evening at home, so this afternoon I was at the library, the barbershop, the deli, and the market. One thing I was researching was another trip. Remember, I plan far more trips than I can afford in time or money. I found this highly-touted “Georgia Pristine Beach Route” that sounds really fantastic. I open the book and what do I find? It begins at the St. Johns ferry and ends in Savannah. Dang if it is not the identical path I drove a year ago entirely at random. My game plan was just to avoid the freeway, so how’s that for a fluke? Warning, at no point do you see any pristine beaches. The highway is a good fifty miles inland. It’s not lying when the government says it.
           The barber was just closing up so we sat in the barber chairs and drank iced coffee, my treat. He finds my lifestyle fascinating, playing in a band, motorcycle trips, but I find what I do a bit routine. So you can imagine how grouchy I’d be if I had nothing to do. But it is not like somebody came along and handed me interesting diversions. Let’s take a peek at what I’ve got on my list for next week. Whether or not I do them isn’t important. I’m pointing out the nature of how I avoid monotony and a simple thing like planning a week ahead is a big part of that.
           Tonight, I’m home with marinated chicken and rice, coffee, and a series of planned documentaries. I’ve decided not to go to Karaoke, the movies, a pub, or the beach. Tomorrow is bingo which should tempt me to the murder-mystery dinner show at the Mardi Gras. We’ll see, I heard they doubled the admission price. Sunday band practice will be over by 6:00PM. Monday, a holiday, I may zip up to Winter Haven again and return Tuesday. Wednesday is that speed-dating event I’m considering. Thursday is a major robotics club meeting, as we may have some prospective new members, and we have to be sure they are not too prospective around expensive equipment. Then it’s Friday again and I won’t plan a Friday.
           I’m informed of a scam. Some rock bands and musicians, no names mentioned, are approaching clubs and saying they have a following. In fact, they do not. I have not seen a Broward band yet with a following worthy of the name. When nobody shows up, the house is stuck for the cost of the entertainment. It works because few clubs suspect that musicians would stoop that low .
           From the Nova meeting I’m informed the maligned “Chinese” copies work fine. A while back these Arduino fakes appeared and I noted much bad press but also noted it was more anti-Chinese than anti-copycat. The Nova team leader says he’s been using the copies and they are fine. He also reports that an external crystal is not needed, something I was about to order in quantity. I placed an immediate hold on BRC purchases, which as secretary-treasurer is within my jurisdiction. As the team guy put it, do Igive my money to the Chinese or to the Italians, who probably buy their authentic Arduinos from the Chinese anyway. Good point.

           And to wrap things up, here is a picture of one of the Hungarian books at the bakery. I’m no student of print, but to me this looks like east meets west, a Cyrillic type language rendered into Roman lettering. Every second or third letter has a diacritical and the appearance of the words gives no clue to their meaning. By that I mean most of us can guess the meaning of unfamiliar European words by their roots. But not Hungarian. When asked, I said it looked like a “book full of swear words”. Nice guy that I am.