Overheard

As I was walking yesterday, I overheard two conversations. The first was one half of a phone conversation, overheard as a loud guy was walking towards me on the sidewalk. It went something like this: "THE DOCTOR DON'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CHILD SUPPORT! DON'T YOU EVER CALL ME IGNORANT, BITCH! FUCK YOU, BITCH!". The man, if you can even call such a character a man, angrily ended the call and huffed on past me. I feel sorry for his kid, who is stuck with a deadbeat asshole for a father, and for the woman who was such a poor judge of character to let things get so far with this guy. That is, assuming I read the exchange correctly. It's amazing to me that some people seem to exist with such a complete lack of dignity, as evidenced by their angry public tirades. Mobile phones sure have dragged a great number of private conversations onto the street, and a lot of people seem to be too dumb to notice the difference. It's sort of like people who pick their noses while in their cars, as if the fact that they're in an enclosed space makes them invisible. Being on the phone does not soundproof your conversation, especially if you're yelling like an enraged hyena.

The second overhead conversation took place inside a store, between a little girl and her dad. The girl, who couldn't have been more than two or three years old, gleefully proclaimed, "I are a dummy!", as she toddled along the aisles. Her dad kept trying to correct her: "don't call yourself that! You're silly, not a dummy". The girl kept insisting though, "no! I are a dummy!"

I couldn't help but think that the person who should have been saying this was the first guy, but he was too self-righteous and full of himself to ever admit such a thing. In fact, he got angry when he was called on it, responding with trite insults delivered at excessive volume, as if he subconsciously wanted to broadcast his ignorance as far and wide as possible.

Currently listening to: Espers "III"

Winter?

This is the bluest, driest February I can remember. There was a bit of rain last weekend, just enough to entice some green from the parched soil up in the hills, but now the sky is boring and blue again.

At the beginning of the month, Jeanine and I went to Arizona for the 2012 Twist & Shout convention - several days in a Sheraton, playing with balloons, eating pizza, and in general, having a fun time. Arizona felt like Spring, with blue skies and temperatures in the seventies.

Other than that brief vacation, I've been working. There have been more homesick kids at camp than usual, and nocturnal incontinence has been an issue with more than a few campers. This week, in a failed attempt at egg theft, a camper filled his water bottle with pond water and newt eggs, but dropped it in the evening, during the astronomy program. A cabin leader, feeling thirsty, retrieved the bottle and took a swig. Unsurprisingly, he was unhappy to discover that he'd ingested pond water. I'm glad that he didn't swallow any newt eggs. California Newts contain a poison called tetrodotoxin, which can kill humans if ingested in sufficient quantities. I did some quick research on newt eggs anyway, but still don't know if, or how much, poison is contained in the eggs. I'll add this to the growing number of cautionary tales in my repertoire. Look before you drink.

The most significant thing that happened this month is that I finally asked Jeanine to marry me, and she said yes. I asked her while we walked the trails at Rancho San Antonio, where around 2 and a half years ago, we went on our first date. I'm excited at the prospect of looking for a home together. Both of our daughters seem happy about this too. This should be an interesting and exciting year.

Currently listening to: Greg Weeks "The Hive"