MONDAY, MIKE, AND THE EMPIRE

I spent some of the morning dealing with Little Egg Harbor Township, after getting a notice that my mercantile license (for having a rental property) had again been denied. This time, the reason was because the water bill hadn't been paid. Now, when I first rented the house, I asked to have the water bill (which is every three months) put in my tenant's name, but that wasn't allowed. Therefore, it is sent to me and I put it in another envelope and send it to the tenant, who is responsible for payment. I'm not sure what happened this time, but I know I sent it to Lori. I emailed her to ask about it.

After that, I should be ashamed to admit it, but I'm not: I spent most of my day until 4:15  playing "Match Royale" on this laptop. So shut me--I just didn't feel like going anywhere or doing anything productive.

It was chillier than  I'm used to--in the middle sixties--and fast getting dark, but I took the 21 bus to the transit center and from there, the 11 to the B & N shopping center to meet the Soaring Spirits gang for dinner. I wasn't in the best of moods when I got there, but after good talk with Vera, Susan, Glenda, and Grendall, I perked up. 

I also chatted with a newcomer named Pat--small, slender, and very nicely dressed. She was married for five years, divorced for ten, then remarried to the same man for thirty years until he died--reminded me of Taylor and Burton.  During a discussion, though, I asked if she was religious and when she answered "No, but I'm spiritual," I lost interest. "Spiritual" is Queen Cliché of the Kingdom of Cliché and what I called a "weasel word." It can't be pinned down as to meaning, as it means different things to different people, and in my book, that makes it meaningless.* However, I had an enjoyable time.

Dermatologist appointment in Oxnard this morning and tomorrow, Santa Barbara and Betty. 

Here are a few pics of Mike with his--uh, friend, in Shenyang, China: 

They stayed at the Grand Hyatt.

Mike and Monica. Interestingly, the coffee shop is inside a Catholic church. Hmm, this is The People's Republic of China which, BTW, its economy is head and shoulders above that of the U.S. According to Richard Wolff and others, this shabby empire is waning and sadly, I'm afraid that's true. Corruption does that to all empires, sooner or later. 

Mike has to have minor surgery on his nose when he gets back to Singapore tomorrow. Coincidentally, I'll be at the dermatologist's in a few hours. 

*Years ago, when I told a very slight acquaintance I wasn't religious, she said smugly, "No, but you're spiritual." I almost stuck a fork in her eye.