Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter


Photo from the annual Washington Post peeps diorama contest. See this year's winners here.

Hope all who celebrate have a wonderful holiday. Me, I'm working.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Here I am again

Just realized it's been over two weeks since I posted here again. I keep trying to set up some auto posts, but just never seem to get to it. But I'm no quitter, so I'm trying again to jumpstart this blog. Have a couple of pictures from my few spring walks but the old computer is on its last legs and is very cranky about uploading them. It's takes so long, I haven't been able to get to it. But let me tell you about my breakfast date.

I met this 70 year old ex-Marine about a year ago when he was doing security for the Jewish temple next door. I gave him my phone number but he didn't call until months later and wanted me to meet him for breakfast, but I was working that day. So many more months passed and he finally called me the other day and we made a date.

We're never going to be a couple or anything, but I really like this guy. Generally, I've had a life-long fondness for old Republican guys. It appeals to my inner sociologist. And this guy couldn't be more deep south Republican, even though he's a Polish guy who grew up in the northern Rust belt. But he's been here for decades now. He loves Rush Limbaugh and "believes everything Rushbo says." Hard to swallow hard to choke down my response to that news. He also told me he doesn't like Obama because he's a socialist and he's against socialism. But he's not a racist, because he has black friends.

Gratefully, that was the extent of our political conversations and outside of his misguided political views, he's an intelligent man. Former IT guy, but of course he's old, so he worked on mainframes. He's got wide interests but mostly he's a lonely widower who is still really grieving over the loss of his wife of 49 years. He wasn't at her side when she died, so he may never get over it. I'm actually surprised he didn't die of grief shortly after, as many long time couples do. But he's a tough old Pollack and probably be around for a while yet.

I'm going to see him again. He's an interesting conversationalist and I get lonely for human companionship too. He wants to take me for a day tour of the Biltmore Estate. I've wanted to see it but have never been there because it's so expensive. I'm looking forward to it.

Oh, and by the way, he took me to The Cracker Barrel for breakfast. No, the irony didn't escape me, even though he's not a real southern cracker. Never been to one of those before. The food was meh. Edible, nothing special. But I did really like the decor and the ambience. They had a huge fireplace with a for real wood fire in it. Waitress kindly seated us right next to it. [graphic]