Tuesday's happenings

As I was leaving the Cupertino library around 7, I noticed the Cupertino city council was having its meeting at the civic center. I think the meeting was being televised over local access cable--at the very least there were two tv screens inside the meeting room featuring the live feed. I was curious about what they were discussing, but didn't go inside. Maybe another meeting, though it may be an exercise in frustration. But even though my address is officially in the city, I don't really consider myself a resident or citizen. Not a citizen, because our conception of citizen is rather shallow. Not a resident because I'm in transition and haven't really settled down yet.

One of my friends was talking about how she voted for certain candidates running for the city council--she chose one particularly for his anti-development stance, and his promise to help Cupertino maintain it's "small town" image. Uh... small town? How about suburbs... I think Cupertino ceased being a small town a long time ago, before the orchards started disappearing.

I'd rather be reading stuff written in the Southern conservative tradition, to get a better acquaintance with American republicanism. Transaction Publishers issued a coupon for the holiday season.

Tonight I gave into my craving and went over to the El Pollo Loco on El Camino, in Sunnyvale. Not surprisingly, everyone working there was Hispanic--it reminded me of the Mexican fast food places in San Jose or Airzona. The future of California and certain other states? I find the grilled chicken to be much better than the roasted chicken from Costco or one of the local supermarket chains (Luckys or Safeway). The dark meat just falls of the bone and isn't dry. I don't know if the same can be said about the breast meat. El Pollo Loco is also open late (until 11 P.M.) -- not as late as In-n-Out, but good enough.

After picking up the food I walked over to Toys 'R Us to see if there were any jumpropes, since my mother wants to buy one for niece #1. I did find one jumprope, but it was $5.99 and rather fancy--it had a built-in counter in one of the handles, so one can count how many times one has jumped. It seems to me that such a think would break rather easily. When I came home I checked Amazon and there were some more simple jumpropes for sale. My mother has been unable to find a jumprope at Target and other stores--evidently such an item is judged to be too low-tech to satisfy the amusement needs of today's childrens. (Though there are plenty of girls at school who play with them.) Toys 'R Us seems so much smaller now... what a contrast to how I perceived it when I was 5 or 6. (And the selection of toys isn't that great.)

Afterwards I droppd by Borders... not much going on there. There a couple of books discussing globalization and outsourcing that I wanted to examine, but I didn't bring the titles with me. That little shopping plaza is usually packed with cars--PF Chang's is still popular, and there is also a Pasta Pomodoro and an Italian food market. (Does the market get enough business?)

I heard on the news that Britney Spears's 16-year-old sister is now pregnant. Ugh.

Heh, San Jose Sabercats are looking for some Saberkittens.

The other day I was thinking about how unruly boys can be, and how they need discipline, without being repressed or their masculinity seen as an illness. There were a couple of teenagers talking loudly and horsing around at the Cupertino Armadillo Willy's, oblivious that there needed to share the space with the other patrons of the restaurant. (They were standing between the pick-up counter and the soda dispensers.) The energy of boys needs to be channelled appropriately and released at the appropriate times; I just haven't figured out how to get them to wait until then.

Ever since my uncle "diagnosed" me with a leaky valve, I have experienced shortness of breath (or double breathing), which he said would be a symptom, as often as once as a day. Then there is the occasional pain on the left side--not inside the chest, but on the surface. I've had that before and asked a doctor about it once during a physical, and it's supposedly not a concern, but it seems to be happening more frequently. Maybe it's stress-related.

Iconographer Vladimir Grigorenko's website (via the Crunchy Con)

Masterpiece Theater's Complete Jane Austen

webpage

I'm not sure how many of them I would actually watch... the quality really varies, and none of the ones on ITV were that spectacular, according to the purists. Admittedly they are a very critical bunch and are not easily satisfied, but my sympathies lie with them. There have been complaints about the new Sense and Sensibility because of the creative license Andrew Davis claims to have taken.

Maybe my time would be better spent at an ECD/Contra Dance session in the peninsula. hahahaha.

Masterpiece Theater - Television - New York Times
Hrm Gillian Anderson to be one of the new hosts for the program.

Hrm, looks like this season of Spooks just ended... amazing how much one can miss in 5 months, when one doesn't have a regular internet connection... I'm looking forward to watching the episodes, and wonder if Adam Carter will be back next season. Supposedly it was to be his last... what will Rupert Penry-Jones fans do without their fix?