lazy and lethargic ennui on saturday afternoon

I came home from River Rock and the bank about 10:50 and saw the Oktoberfest parade lining up on Third Street. I tried to convince Regis to put on a funny hat and jump in the car so we could join the parade, windows rolled down, Gus hanging his furry head out the back, radio playing Whoopee John Wilfahrt. I'm not sure he thought I was serious but I was.

I bought a loaf of Cranberry Walnut Bread, a raspberry scone, and a latte. I took all of it out to a table in the front where I watched the cars go by...and the monster trucks. The size of vehicles people drive around in is astonishing. The latte was wonderful, Helena! It's National Coffee Day so this was a good treat. A piece of advice. Never get a latte to go. It ruins the whole experience if you have to suck your drink through a little plastic hole and you can't see the latte art. The ceramic cup is so much better!

Regis and I applied for absentee ballots this year, unsure of where we'll be in the maelstrom of medical issues  in which we seem to be swirling. Mine came today and as I sat and perused it, I realized how rushed and pressure-filled the voting experience is. Nobody is badgering you to move along but the atmosphere...the gymnasium, the booths where you stand with your pencil, and the constant noise and motion does not lend itself to contemplation.

I think the voting experience should be more like a bistro or the patio of a bar. A place where a person can have a latte or a glass of wine, think about the piece of paper in front of them, and the consequences of the choices they are making. Doesn't that sound nicer? I wonder if they have some limit on the number of absentee ballots they will grant. If not, we could all agree to get one and to meet up somewhere on a given day. Or Maybe every Friday afternoon in October is voting day at Patrick's. I'm just sayin'.

I think I mentioned this morning that Regis is performing a wedding this afternoon so we went to the rehearsal yesterday. In my role as observer, the family dynamics are always interesting to watch. Most families today include a couple of ex's, a few step this or thats, maybe a grandma with a second husband. All makes for interesting walks down the aisle and seating arrangements. The best advice I have read is to not wait until the rehearsal to make those decisions. It could get ugly. This one didn't, but it could.

I told Regis he should find out what the bride and groom want, then he should be the director of the action. That way the B & G don't get the job of explaining why so-and-so has to sit in the second row. It's all very thought-provoking, don't you think?

Ah, well. Here I go again, offering my particular brand of punditry. Is somebody making the raspberry sound?