Moron -oops I mean- More On Shoes

In my world there are basically two kinds of shoes: flip-flops and everything else. Flip-flops are good for any situation except particularly rocky or muddy travel in which case you need something from the second category. (See my previous blog entry about shoes for more info on that. –I’m too lame to make a hypertext link)

A recent visit from my dear friend, Dude E., however, has led me to the realization that there is yet another form of shoe with which I am almost entirely unfamiliar. This third category of shoe would appear to have no practical value whatsoever. They seem to be designed to be worn INDOORS and become useless at the first sign of gravel, rocks or mud. They have no traction and in some cases elevate their wearer above the ground making balance difficult. They come in a bewildering variety of designs and colors. It almost seems as though they are meant to be admired more than worn, like something you’d hang on your wall or place decoratively on your coffee table.

So what a sophisticated women like Ms. E supposed to do when she has to scramble down a hillside and swim under a waterfall? Maybe she just hasn’t found herself in such a situation that often. Bare feet seemed to work nicely.

Avocados, DVDs, etc...

A recent survey of Ramblinmatt’s delightful blog has served to remind me that a lack of something profound to say does not preclude a blogger from providing amusing or even totally uninteresting tidbits for faraway friends to read. So without further ado, here are…er… some things.

I love avocados. I never met anyone as into avocados as I am until my newest housemate moved in. I thought of myself as an avocado connoisseur but this guy is like the Dali Lama of avocados. He seems to have a perception of their quality and ripeness that extends beyond the five senses. And keep in mind that the avocado situation is considerably more complicated than on the mainland. Sure we have the avocados from California and Chile but we also have several varieties of locally grown avocados that have unique ripening processes. I call my housemate “the avocado whisperer.”

I’ve reached that age where electronic devices are becoming more and more confusing to me. Yesterday I tried and failed to watch a DVD while house sitting. It took me at least 10 minutes just be able to turn on the TV and have a program appear on the screen. As further sign of my ‘retreat from technology’ my Netflix queue has run totally dry. The last movie I had sat on my coffee table for a month before I watched it. Despite the slow rate of consumption I haven’t been putting enough movies in my queue to keep up. I was once an enthusiastic champion of Netflix. Now it seems I may be burning out.

Finally something for all you big city folk: A local guy was telling me about his recent trip to Chicago and New York City. I asked him what he thought and paused to consider before repying, “plenty people.”

What do yo want to eat?

The other day I had a bite of Ahi Tuna served as Poke, a Hawaiian way of preparing raw fish. I wasn’t coerced or cajoled. It was just there on the table as I ate lunch with my co-workers. I picked up a toothpick speared a little pink chunk and put it in my mouth. I had a similar experience a few months ago while eating dinner with a friend. I had a bite of her fish and I liked it. I’ve been a vegetarian for 10 years but it seems that I may be slipping.

Perhaps the lapse is not so great. I’ve consumed less than an ounce of dead animal in a decade but there’s something about living on an island surrounded by thousands of miles in every direction that makes me start to wonder about eating fish.

For those of you who have never tried vegetarianism it’s really not that hard. There are plenty of plant foods to eat and you don’t go hungry or suffer any nutritional deficiencies. Just about the only thing I miss about the omnivorous diet is the convenience. While there’s nothing inherently more difficult to obtain about plant foods, the fact that most people don’t share my preference means grocery stores, restaurants and social events cater to the majority. I remember at work one day I was going for lunch and I asked one of the guys if he wanted me to pick anything up. Since I wasn’t familiar with options in the area I told him we didn’t know what kind of food we would get so he just gave me some money and told me to just get him anything. I envy that guy who never needs to worry about finding something good to eat wherever he goes.

There are still many good reasons to go veggie and my feelings about it really haven’t changed. For me the benefits still outweigh the downside. It’s the most personal and meaningful thing I can do to make the world a better place so I guess I’m not ready to change anything yet even though that Ahi was quite tasty.