(no subject)

Every so often, I hear a woman exclaim, "I'm not interested in guys." Not to declare homosexuality, but to declare the lack of space in their life for a potential suitor.

Eventually, they end up dating someone else, indicating that either they were just trying to fend me off, or that a space opened up while I wasn't looking, or that someone came along who knew how to make space for himself.

Which is better: to learn to see through these smokescreens, or to take that as a cue to look elsewhere, for someone who does not obfuscate so much?

(no subject)

A recent article claimed that if you don't have a handful of people who can essentially come to your house unannounced, then you don't really have friends. I can't find the article, even though I'm sure it was floating around the blogsphere a few days ago.

I remember another article, however, that explained that part of the allure of sitcoms like "Friends" was that friends drop in unannounced, and most adults don't experience that anymore. It referred to this happening in college dorms, but since I've never lived in one, I haven't had anyone drop in since grade school.

There's been an exception or two in college, mostly w_b_yeats stopping by to let me know he's going to a thrift store or something. One time he and lautreamontg came over around 2am, and that caused me to clench my boundaries a little.

And there have been a few times that, as an adult, I've been in someone else's neighborhood. I'd call someone's home from my cell phone and ask if it was OK to drop by, and it usually isn't.

Consequently, my social life has been at its most active when I've had lots of recurring appointments. THEM meetings, swing dancing, language clubs, and most recently, pasty night. If I want to meet with friends, it seems easiest to try and make recurring weekly arrangements, or at least couch it in that format. I managed to get a few good weeks in a row hiking South Mountain with miwasatoshi last year that way.

How do you usually get together with friends? Do you rely on weekly engagements, or can you be hanging out with friends at a moment's notice?

(no subject)

There's a new "stabilized Zapruder tape" floating around the net, and it got me thinking about the JFK thing a little more, and I finally realized something that might be the key to the whole thing.

"Conspiracy" is 10 letters.

"Jerking Off" is 10 letters.

QED.

(no subject)

Earlier today I rode down to the Guadalupe Farmer's Market.

I get the feeling it's the place white people from Ahwatukee go when they want to feel adventurous. It's family-run, as the cashier's father seemed to be running the place, but the cashier herself speaks with the tiniest hint of a California valley-girl accent.

Regardless, there's a nice assortment of produce there. Red bell peppers are 59 cents there, where they're like $1.99 everywhere else. And it seems they have all manner of unique foodstuffs with the store's name on the label -- you can get dried fruit, mango salsa, or peach cobbler in a jar, all with a Guadalupe Farmer's Market label. I wonder if they just buy all that stuff wholesale somewhere and apply their own labels to it.

They also sell that cactus candy that seems to be made specifically for tourists. I'd have bought some, but the friend I have coming from out of town will be returning to New Zealand, so she can't take food with her. I do know she got a kick out of those gummi jalapeños I brought her two years ago.

More about Guadalupe

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Guadalupe doesn't have that many Spanish signs.

You'll see more Spanish along Southern Avenue than I did along Priest Drive heading towards Baseline. Though the key exception is the street names -- Priest, for example, becomes Avenida del Yaqui. But the businesses mostly advertise in English.

One thing I noticed was the Circle-B drive-through convenience store and deli. It was covered in signs advertising a dozen wings and a 32 oz fountain drink for $3.99, though in many cases the decimal point was only implied. Incidentally, I didn't see any other meal-like deals advertised outside. And even though it was 2pm and I hadn't had lunch, I didn't go in; the doors were open and the store had that stale smell about it.

There was, however, a series of sandwich boards outside describing the prices of various grocery items, like eggs, tortillas, and three sodas.

I think it was the last Guadalupe business I saw before I crossed the border into Tempe.

I think people read more Spanish into Guadalupe because of the poor condition of the roads and sidewalks, the old appearance of buildings, and the giant tracts of undeveloped dirt that spill out everywhere.