Daily Diary - 10/30/2004

7:35am - Wake up with Max mauling me. I slept very well last night. I'm feeling great. Kent gets in the shower, and I go downstairs to make coffee.

9:35am - We leave home in route to Monet's Table. For some reason this morning, I'm feeling like listening to Mahler’s First Symphony (“Titan”). Kent finds this odd because Mahler is too heavy for me. Perhaps I'm changing.

9:42am - We arrive at Monet’s Table for breakfast. They always have their regular things to eat, and they always have some specials that are always wonderful. Today, I opt for one of the specials. It’s salmon and whitefish cakes with eggs. Over the salmon and whitefish cakes is a rich lobster-chardonnay sauce. It was just right and was a great accompaniment to Mahler!

While there, Shirley, one of the sisters who owns Monet’s Table, came up to talk to us. We’ve become good friends with the sisters. We talk about what we are doing for Christmas. Somehow, the topic of my birthday came up and I tell her that my birthday is on December 31st. She said that I had to come by because they were having a big celebration. I told her that I may not celebrate this year because I’m not too happy about turning 50. She looked at me and said, “Wait until you turn 78!” She has a point. I stopped complaining. So, instead of going to Cavy’s for my birthday, I suppose we will go to Monet's Table. There is nothing quite like having friends around you at special times.

11:10am - We arrive at Buckland Hills Mall. We decide that we are just going to have some coffee and browse for books. The mall is a very dangerous place for me. I suppose I look a bit strange. I carry my cell phone with me and hooked to my ear is my wireless Bluetooth headset for my cell phone. That attracted all the tech heads that wanted to sell me other stuff, such as this device that you hook to your cell phone to make it come out of your car speakers. I move on and resist the urge to try yet another toy.

We head off to Filene's and leave Filene’s $350.00 poorer. I saw some clothes that I just had to buy because I have a closet full of nothing to wear. I did buy some silk pajamas for those cold winter nights that are coming. I don't know if you've ever worn silk before, but it doesn't suck.

We get back to Barnes and Noble where I buy a few magazines and yet another Rupert Everett movie (I won't bore you with the details). Ok, I will. I bought Another Country. I've never seen it before and heard it was good. I suppose the fact that since Rupert came out of the closet he hasn't been able to find work had something to do with it as well.

1:20pm - We arrive back home and when I pull into the driveway, realize that we forgot to go to the drugstore for a prescription I need (high blood pressure medication - nothing serious, just marginal, but I have a doctor who worries about needle pricks). Me, I just worry about pricks in general.

1:50pm - On our way home, we run across a stop sign that has been re-painted by what I assume to be some of our local school children. The word “STOP” has been painted over and a big question mark is on the sign. I wonder if it’s in reference to where our country stands now on a variety of different issues. Or perhaps it’s in reference to the upcoming election on Tuesday, that will take our country six (6) weeks to figure out who won the election. Personally, I would have painted “!” on the sign. I’ve included a picture of the sign below, along with a few others I took this last week.

2:57pm - Kent breaks up a cat fight. Can’t we all just live in peace?

Tonight we are going to Costa del Sol for dinner tonight at 7:00. It's a nice Spanish restaurant in Hartford.

The stop sign I wrote about

I left for work before the sun was up last Thursday. This was what I saw from our driveway

The open amphitheater at one end of the park. Some of the fall colors are still with us