Wednesday, June 21, 2006

A Bleh Day

© Joselito Briones


Yep. Nothing special today. I put up my Interfit 3200W studio halogen light in one corner of the dining area and hang the rescue-mission plant on it. I'm always trimming the plant so much I think it needs rescuing from me now.

For dinner I roasted a whole chicken, with butter, bacon, and thyme stuffing, potatoes on the side. I didn't like it much, I should've baked it on lower temperature and longer. Oh well, next time. At least the leftover should make good chicken stock, bits and all.


XXX

Saturday, June 10, 2006

All-American

Masters of the occasion - Dave and Norie -  photo by Joey Briones
© Joselito Briones


As the California roadside landscape - some commanding one's full attention, some satisfied on providing a backdrop to one's thoughts, but all beautiful - pan through the car window, I realized something disturbing. Norie's voice was different. Her attitude too. She's more serious, and gone is her usual playfulness. I'd have normally attributed it to (dare I say it?) getting older, but I thought most probably it's caused by her adjusting to her only child, Kevin, moving out (Do moms ever get over it?). It turned out that even as Kevin was a part of it, there was something else. A revelation, to which I made a vow not to repeat to anyone, has been on her mind. It didn't feel right, that I have been sucking all the luck from the people around me. I've had it easy, more or less, on most anything, most of my life. But the things some members of my family are going through, it scares me.

a house by the main street, Carmel-by-the-sea - photo by Joey Briones
© Joselito Briones


We went to Carmel today. Dave, Norie's husband, drove (as has become the usual when there's a family outing), with Norie next to him (photo, above). Noel and Itay sat at the third row, at the back. We all fitted in the Chevy Tahoe. There was nothing we could do to persuade Kevin Karl (Ate Uding's son) to join us, much as we hated to leave him alone in the house. The other Kevin, Norie's, wasn't even interested at all to venture out of his apartment. Both Kevins were never expected to be in the same city at some length of time, hence their moms thought it OK to give them the same name. Kevin Karl (little Kevin to us), I guess, was expected to stay in the Philippines.

I might have had been a bit selfish throughout the drive. I enjoyed the view from my seat and kept mostly to myself: plains, hills, valleys; the colors - alternating greens and ochres, punctuated by beetroot reds and shades of gold; and objects - bright yellow artesian well in the middle of a field dominated by crouching trees, surrendering total authority to the wind, a car from a few decades back (a "roach", to Norie's Kevin), parked next to massive tractor, and drums upon drums of I don't know what. We reached our destination in less than a couple of hours.

Carmel by the Sea - photo by Joselito Briones
© Joselito Briones


The place was beautiful, albeit not what I expected. I foresaw something more rural, dry, dust blown by the wind. Small town. Their claim to fame, after all, before being beautiful, was having Clint Eastwood as their mayor for several years. Norie and Dave always referred to it as "Mount Carmel", so I was expecting a western town like in the movies. Clint Eastwood movies to be precise. What I saw was a beautifully manicured town, who afforded to provide every nook and any visible crevices the most beautiful blooms that grow in the region. The more accurate name of the place is "Carmel-by-the-Sea". Instead of a mountain, I found myself looking at the Pacific Ocean.

We had lunch at "Flaherty's". The food, save the calamaris, wasn't worth the long wait for a table.

In n' Out Hamburger - photo by Joey Briones
© Joselito Briones


Another All-American classic? Outlet shops. We went to Gilroy Premium Outlets, on the way back from Carmel-by-the-Sea. The place is big, with shops divided into three long buildings. After being spoiled for choices by New York's Century21 though, this place was just not very interesting at all.

To cap the day with yet another All-American classic, we did a drive-through at "In N' Out". Any hot-blooded meat-loving American knows this is the best quickie hamburger there is, no question about it. Too bad it's only available in the west coast. We all had a double-double. I had mine with roasted onions.

XXX

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Bag Hag

my grocery bag - photo by Joselito Briones
© Joselito Briones


Either i'm really busy to write anything to you or life here is really boring. I took this picture just to show you my grocery bag. It's the bag everybody here in Erlangen have (which gives the impression that either everyone is proud of the city, or everyone here is from somewhere else). Mine's all battered up and wrinkley from having been shoved in the washing machine a few times. I added some pins to it just so it's not so boring. My favorite, the one next to the big one that says "I (heart) PORN", is this cute cartoon face that says, "kiss me, I have sex hair".

Today I'm in cowboy mode again. And it's so fitting with the minimal verbal communication I have with the locals. Like today, I went to this old-style electronics repair shop because I was looking for some double-sided tape. (Imagine the conversation in low, flat, unhurried tone)

(Me enters shop, letting the door swing back shut)
Me: "Morgen, Do you speak English?"
Shopowner: "No. Do you speak Spanish?"
Me: "No. Do you have double-sided tape?"
Shopowner: "No."
Me: "Danke. Tschuess."
Shopowner: "Bye."
(Me tilts hat, exits. Then wonders all day why he asked me if I spoke Spanish. Did I perhaps looked more like Mexican than a cowboy? I decided to just assume that he spoke the language himself, and so he asked if I did too.)


XXX

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