(This
was actually written yesterday - transcribed today)
This
is day two of unemployment. I had a pathetic lunch of ramen-style
noodles on my first day of unemployment. It was so pathetic
in fact, that I considered eating it over the sink right out
of the pot.
So
today I made a radical decision. I was going to take my lunch
to the beach. I packed some necessities (camera, notebook,
pen) and grabbed some cash. Lunch in this kind of outdoor
environment deserved something better than PB and J. It had
to be ham and cheese and dammitall Someone Else was Going
to Make it.
So
here I am at the beach. My H and C and some other snacky items
are packed away in my little soft-walled lunch cooler. I haven't
eaten anything yet. I shall wait until I am weak from hunger,
just so I can enjoy it that much more.
In
case of emergency cravings for cold sugary things there is
a beach-side cafeteria just yonder.
Observations
Made at The Beach
1.
Older men with long hair pulled back in a tight ponytail,
muscle shirts and large protruding fanny packs should be avoided
at all costs.
2.
Fanny pack man is clearly a regular. His tan is profoundly
even. His bathing suit is teeny. <shudder>.
3.
FP man is smoking. This is something I do not understand.
The inhalation of lethal chemistry is one thing, but holding
a hot and stinky stick while you yourself are hot and stinking
is not a pleasing combination.
4.
FP man was greeted by Tanned Italian Man. He is also a regular.
The tan speaks for itself. Unfortunately TIM has set up his
lawn chair and is facing my direction. We have already exchanged
greetings. Ick.
5.
We have been joined by a gaggle of teen girls. All men in
the vicinity are doing there darndest and trying not to stare
at them. They are failing miserably. Heck, I can't help but
stare either.
One
has loudly pronounced that she is going to sunbathe in her
bra. "I don't care who sees it!"
I
found myself tsk tsking and on the heels of that thought I
promptly realized that I would have done the same in my impetuous
youth. Or maybe even worse.
One
of them is a Somali girl. She is on the "large"
side by society's standards. She's wearing a leopard-print
hair wrap, a tight miniskirt and a tight white t-shirt; low
cut and sleeveless. You can see every bump and curve. She
is gorgeous, she carries herself with confidence and aplomb.
6.
I wish I had a hat.
7.
I wish I had sunglasses. Sarah broke mine months ago and I
haven't replaced them. $100 gone in one quick snap.
8.
There is much joy and shrieking coming from the aforementioned
Group of Teen Girls. Of this I am a little envious. They went
in the water, some of them in bathing attire, some in regular
clothes. They are flashing each other, following it up with
a show and tell of their thongs.
Do
they realize how much power their youth and beauty brings
them? At what point do we lose sight of this?
-
So
these were the keen observations I made in my little notebook
over the course of my lunch. The ham sandwich was very good.
As was my
view. Here is a surreptitiously
taken shot of the two regulars as well as the cavorting
teens in the background.
The
rest of my day was spent in the garden. My work was not for
the faint of heart. I dug and weeded and mulched on a corner
of the yard.
Secret
confession - I like to pull all the petals out of spent peonies,
throw them up in the air and have them rain down on me. My
neighbors must think I'm a fruitloop, but they are so large
and wonderfully irresistible. They smell amazing. I think
that using them as floral confetti is a lovely last hurrah.
The
work wasn't accomplished in peace and tranquility. My neighbor
spent the entire day sanding her back deck. If it's not heavy
machinery or teenage buffoonery (our yard backs on to a busy
sidewalk) it's gotta be a power tool.
Despite
the aural invasion I managed to complete my little project.
And
here it is.
Sunnily
yours,
