Storms, Stones, and Dragons

[rolanni]

We got clipped by the least edge of the truly impressive line of thunderstorms that crossed the state last night. The air cooled and the wind came up and we got to turn off the air conditioners (and the lights, and the computers) open the windows and listen to the weather over a companionable glass of wine.

This morning was foggy and damp, but the Weather Beans promised cooler and dryer later. We stepped out early to the gem and mineral show, where I scored four Chinese coins with dragons on them. Seems like the silver content might range from Lite to .9 across the four of them, and they're well worn. But, hey, dragons at a buck the each. What's not to like?

I went food shopping yesterday -- not the best plan, it being Friday and tourist season. As expected the store was full of People from Away, many of whom had apparently never been inside a grocery store before. I escaped being run down several times by various people in a state of sensory overload, and twice by two overstimulated children. The boy of this pair was pushing the cart, his sister was kibitzing. They were doing wheelies and cutting capers behind their mother's back. The first time they just missed involving me, I ignored them. The second time, I said, "If you keep driving like that, they'll take your license away." Whereupon, their mother whipped around, grabbed the girl by the arm and the boy by the basket and said, loudly enough for me to hear, but without ever once acknowledging my existence -- "Didn't I tell you to behave yourselves here?"

Which gives rise to the question of which "here" exactly was under discussion. Didn't I tell you to behave yourselves in the store? Didn't I tell you to behave yourselves in this scary, barbarian state? Didn't I tell you to behave yourselves on this planet? Really, I wish she would've looked at me, so I could have explored these matters with her, but -- no. And so I remain curious, and unsatisfied.

Or at least curious.


Progress on Duainfey

41,160 / 100,000 (41.2%)

Today's Special:
"So," he said to Ganat, "when will you summon the giant birds to bear us to Sea Hold? If you wish to arrive for dinner, it had best be soon."

Comments

[pakwa26.livejournal.com]

Y'know, probably the reason she didn't look at you was because that would be "inviting" you to make eye-contact with her, and then you have broken one of the cardinal unspoken rules of the supermarket, which is, 'never make contact of any kind with other people who are also stuck behind the trolley'. It's like talking to people you've never seen before on buses or in queues, it immediately marks you out as 'different', and you are therefore a likely candidate for bag-lady-hood, or if the conversation is directed at their children, child molester-ness.

Interestingly, in my (admittedly childless-by-choice) world, the people who are most likely to make comments about the bad behaviour of children in the supermarket are those without children themselves, as it's well known that she without kin should throw the first scold. [Sorry, couldn't help it.]