March 19, 2003
orry
I've been so quiet recently, although that is likely to continue, at least
for a bit. I've found over the last several years that my motivation to
post here dips down and rises depending on my mood. And my mood has been
relatively variable recently, with so many changes at work, and the events
of the past 6 months weighing heavily on me. I'm also in the process of
figuring out where I am going to move, as I certainly can't stay in this
huge house and pay the rent by myself. In fact, I've been paying twice
what I would normally since Suz passed away, and I just can't continue
that. So, I'm poking around, trying to figure out if I can affort to buy
a place, or if I just need to continue renting. I have to say, the home
market around here is insane, but with interest rates as low as they are,
I may be insane if I don't buy now. We'll have to see.
I'm still annoyed
with the renaming of "French Fries" to "Freedom Fries".
If I may quote from The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink:
The term "french fry" has nothing to do with the country
of origin, but instead refers to a method, called "frenching",
of cutting the potatoes into narrow strips. The Oxford English Dictionary,
which traces "French-fried potatoes" back to 1894, suggest the
usage is American in origin.
So, changing the name to Freedom Fries isn't really a slap at France (which
I'm not sure is really necessary anyway), but a slap at a method of cutting...
which frankly makes no sense to me. But I guess in the frenzy that many
Americans seem to be in, illogical things are the norm right now.
This last weekend was the last one that my father was around. He had his regional meeting of RV people at Pechanga, an Indian Reservation/Casino just north of here, and now he's off up the California coast and up into Canada in a month or two for another Habitat for Humanities build. He's been a real joy to have around, a hard worker, and I'll miss seeing him every weekend. He's certainly helped me avoid some wallowing in self pity.
Well, off to work. There's some possibility I'll need to drive to LA and back today :)