In a Western Place

M and I went to Whole Foods the other day, a trip which prompted my usual beeline toward the cheese department (free samples!) A boy, maybe 7 or 8 years in age was standing by the Brie, bogarting the tongs as I stood and waited patiently. And waited. And waited. Finally, the boy’s Mom tells him to let go. He refuses. She grabs his hand. His gripe tightens. She pulls his hand away from the cheese and he finally lets loose of the tongs, dropping them directly onto the floor.

I bent down to pick them up.

“Great.” I said. “Now nobody gets to try the cheese.”

The Mom muttered an apology and pulled the boy away. M tells me that I’m evil toward children as I stare at the tiny bits of unreachable Brie.

I like all the different people
I like every kind of fair
In the crowd, you bet I’ll be there
Walking around
Going nowhere
Seeing sooey and saints at the fair

Summer’s ready, summer is ready when you are..

– Saints, by The Breeders

M and I drove over to the East Bay to spend an afternoon at the Alameda County Fair. It reminded me a lot of the New York State Fair… but smaller, cleaner, and full of trees and mountainous views. We had a great time, and I do believe we’ve started a new family (sans cats) Summer tradition.

More on flickr.

Close to the very last minute, M’s band, Vitamin Party, was asked to perform/interview at a college radio station up in Berkeley… so I spent a quiet evening at home with the cats, listening to their performance online and photographing (what I could) of the illegal firework displays visible from our front window. Anyway, happy 4th!

Update: Photo appeared on SFgate.com.

“i can’t deny
that i’m weak sometimes
even in my strongest moments”

– Moments, by the Red House Painters.

I’m a longtime fan of the Red House Painters and their album, Ocean Beach, is one of my favorites. Yesterday, M and I hung out at the Ocean Beach (after which the album was named) — a 3.5-mile long sandy beach on the west side of the city, where the sun is (seemingly) forever blocked by a blanket of clouds. We lunched at the Park Chalet and enjoyed a long stroll in the sand when, surprisingly, the sun made a rare appearance and the temperature became comfortably perfect.

More on flickr.

“Turkey Jackson passed away.”

“Oh no. Did he die peacefully?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Oh, good. Where is he now?”

“In heaven.”

“No, I mean, where is he?”

“… seated at the right hand of the pigeon Father.”

“No, where’s the body?”

“It’s already been taken care of.”

“Really? Just now? That was quick. Did you bury him?”

“It’s been taken care of.”

“Like, how? In the yard? Where is he?”

“I’ve reunited him with mother earth.”

“What? What does that even mean?”

No answer. I’m totally going to find a dead bird in our compost bin. Gross.

Wow, 2009 is half over? Really?

The first half of 2009 has been prosperous for me, and my guess is that the second half will be just as cool, if not cooler. For starters, I’ll be marrying M in October and my name will change… er, become modified, to one that rhymes with: Copacabana.

Sing it with me now:

At the kirsten-kirstenc_____a
the hottest spot north of Havana
at the kirsten-kirstenc_____a
music and passion were always the fashion
at the kirsten they fellin’ love.

Here’s to an even better 2nd half of 2009.