Went to the Senior Expo with Mary and we cornered the market on ballpoint pens, note pads, and those grippers that open jars. It was jammed and we had a good time picking up tons of useful, semi-useful, and useless items along the way. I guess a hundred or more organizations were there, all intent on extracting money from geezers in any way possible, but it was great fun. I was struck by the fact that in the "snacks" section, what was handed out (all free, of course) were bagels, cream cheese, cheesecake, cookies, sugary drinks, and other stuff in the high-fat, high-sugar, guaranteed-to raise-your-blood-pressure-and-cholesterol-if-not-kill-you-outright category. There was a guy giving out bananas and clementines--which I virtuously accepted--but not a broccoli stalk in sight.
After, we went to Gino's for salads. Mine was delicious, and so were our long conversations on a variety of topics. Mary had an appointment, so I dropped her off about 2:30, then drove back onto the island on a gloriously sunny fall day. On impulse, I stopped at the old homestead on Rosborough Avenue and rang the bell. Dee answered and we fell on each other, then settled down with a cup of tea and exchanged widow stories (she hadn't known of Pat's death) and otherwise caught up with each other. She again has the house up for sale--it's much too big for her--and is staying in the downstairs apartment. We spent the rest of the afternoon together and had a delightful time.
A sunny day with friends is a very sunny day.
Wider: I just saw on Truthdig.com the news that Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize. Here's how Robert Sheer put it:
"The Nobel Committee has interrupted the president’s meditations on whether to escalate the war in Afghanistan by awarding him the Peace Prize...” I thought this was mildly amusing, and looked for the reference to "The Onion" or some other satirical publication. Didn't find it. Hey, were the editors asleep? What was the joke?
Then I clicked on The NYTimes.
Okay, it's official: There's no reason in the world to ever think for a fleeting second that there's hope for this planet. I just wonder who was reached at the Prize committee and how the deal was made. It had to be more than money offered--maybe an ambassadorship--but no, these aren't Americans. Well, no matter.
Flash! George W. Bush has been named a member of Mensa, the society that recognizes superior intellects.