Me Sicky

It's valentine's day, and I'm sick. I stayed home from work yesterday and today, which is a bitch because it's sweeps, and my boss won't be happy with me when I come back. I have two plastic grocery bags full of used Kleenex. Eew, I know. I feel bad, too, because tonight Midge and I have plans to go to Vindalho, a new fancy Indian restaurant for dinner. We're going to go, no matter what, but I'll be drippy and gross. We have a mini-tradition of going out to Indian food on Valentine's day. We don't do it every year, but we've probably done it 4-5 times. I could eat Indian every week, but Midge is a little more lukewarm on it. That is to say, she likes it, but not to the ridiculous extent that I do. If I had to choose five meals to eat for the rest of my life, Indian would be among them. Here's a list, in no particular order:

- Chicken or Lamb Curry with Jasmine rice and garlic naan.

- Carne Asada Platter with refried beans and rice, chips and salsa.

- Cheeseburger with Onion Rings.

- A turkey or roast beef sandwich on rye, with creamy tomato soup.

- Pad Thai with white sticky rice and pork potstickers.

I would grow very fat, very soon.

The following meals did not make the cut, although it was very close.

- Lamb Gyros with Greek Salad.

- Seafood Platter with Fries.

- Ham Baguette with French Onion Soup.

- Fish and Chips.

- Pizza.

I gotta go, time to eat lunch.

Free Stuff!

I've noticed a trend in my neighborhood. People leave their old furniture and matresses on the side of the road with sign that reads "free." When did this become an acceptable way to get rid of your trash? Do people actually take the junk they put out? The couches with no cushions, the ratty, saggy old matresses, the bookcases with missing shelves? I find it difficult to believe that people are that hard up for furniture. Our neighborhood is trendy with the young people. Real estate is kind of pricey, so you've got the wait-staff of the world living beyond its means in expensive housing. You also have lots of people crammed into apartments and houses. So I'm not saying it's unrealistic that people would not have much money for furniture. But I really hate seeing my neighborhood like this. It's so trashy. I'd rather people donate that stuff to a thrift store or something. Their motivation is pure laziness, not benevolence. They justify it to themselves by saying they're trying to help somebody out, but let's face it, they're just grasping for an excuse to not take care of their garbage. Do other people see this kind of behavior where they live?