Honeydew.

Gadangadang.

I let TWO months go by without posting now! (Alrighty, technically three...)

This is what happens when the school year starts, I turn into a quivering, useless, gelatinous mass of lazysuck.

I watch a lot of TV because I find it pseudo-stimulating when it is probably actually mentally NUMBING. But that's okay, because I am not addicted.

So, brief recap:

July:

I finished summer school on July 25th, thereabouts. I honestly do not remember whatall I did the rest of the month, but I probably did not much more than sweat. When in doubt of what I did, hazard an educated guess that I shopped at Target, and you will be right. Oh yeah, there was a big toy sale.

August:

I had about a week between the end of July and the arrival of Peter!! He stayed for nearly two weeks. Notable events were ...

1) Visiting the Queen Mary for the first time since the 80's. We used to go a lot, and be addicted. I remember crawling around the inside of the Spruce Goose, even, in that big geodesic dome. The last time I went to the Queen Mary was for a training for the teacher's association, and the food was nice, and the meetings rooms were little, and parking was free. Whee. I THOUGHT there was so much more of the ship that I couldn't see, because walking down the long, nostalgic, wooden promenades hinted at the things unseen behind the walls, but after going with Peter, you realize - it IS a floating hotel, it's just a bunch of staterooms!!

2) We had a really really good dinner at Rock Bottom Brewery. Honestly - why do I think I should like beer more than I do? I don't like alcohol very much but the whole "image" of "special drinks" and "grown up stuff like beer" is irresistibly alluring sometimes. I must refrain!! Or make my own stuff. Like honeydew granita. More on that later.

3) Universal Studios!!!! I am very glad I got to go on the Back to the Future ride one last time before they shut that thing down. I like it. It's a good ride. Their props were great and nice and fun too. I wonder what they did with all that. I guess I never got around to scoping out eBay for that sort of thing. Hmm. But I got pics. And Peter and I became one of "those people" that scurry into the Waterworld pyro/stunt show late and get sprayed in the frickin' ear by the "clowns" (a.k.a. pirates) that jester around to entertain the waiting crowd while the show gets set up and stuff.

4) Wolfgang Puck's has AMAZING seafood pasta. My word, it is love. Also, I didn't take any pictures of the red, slurry, weird, chicken tortilla soup I had as an appetizer of which half ended up on my shirt. Oops. I was not a clean eater that day, needed a freaking bib. Come to think of it, I have no idea if I even washed that shirt out yet. GAH!!

5) I got a great antique rocking chair. Seat and back are made of leather. Um, I also owned it less than a week before Peter broke it. Haha!! Sharp poking protruding butt bones + fragile stiff vintage leather + excitedly jumping up = hole in the seat. I will have to get it fixed, I guess. In the meantime it functions as a clothesline in the living room.

6) And I finally drove around Beverly-impressive-homes-Hills. And Mulholland Drive. And Sunset Boulevard. And we ate at In-N-Out like, 5 times and Chipotle 3. Hee!!

And later in August my sis moved back from NYC.

September:

We got a new principal this year. And so far - she totally rocks!!! I think she might be my age, POSSIBLY even slightly younger. But I think she's maybe a year or two older or something. Hee, I just like the way she thinks.

New class of kids! Oy vey. I have a few of my same students from when I did Krazy Kindergarten 2 years ago. And they are losing all their teeth. They are SO cute! I will love them forever. :) And one couldn't resist poking a dang hole in my dang icepack I gave her yesterday. Argh! In other news regarding that class, one of the cute little boys who moved away at the end of kindergarten came back with his mom and new younger brother to come visit me!! I love it when former students come visit me! I love even more when I am actually staying in the same place long enough for them to come visit me and be able to find me! I've also had a lot of student sightings in my various Target excursions this year and I am not the kind of teacher who likes to be left alone to be avoided when shopping. I think it's great fun to run into people from school when we are not in school. Yay! And I don't even mind if they check out what I am buying. Because I see them buying dog food. Heh.

I really, really, really am getting majorly interested in antiques and went on a teacup and saucer BENDER. Oy. Now to organize my burgeoning colecciones.

Now it's October!! And I love Halloween! And I am glad I got some of my Halloween stuff before this year since they always have different things! I got some stuff this year but my old stuff just needs to be dug out of my old room.

And that Old Navy sweater commercial is witchery and hypnotically obsession-inducing. What a great track, totally sweet lyrics!! I think it is lovely that a little indie, folksy chicky is getting the exposure. Even if she IS from the East Coast!! Too bad I didn't get in on the $15 Troubadour in LA tickets, with her as an opening act.

http://www.ingridmichaelson.com/

She reminds me of lot of Astrud Gilberto. But I'm no girl from Ipanema.

Since I posted one singer I like, here's another that I don't even remember finding, way back when:

http://www.bonniemckee.com/

I pretty much only listen to the tracks "Trouble" and "January." This chick is super young and impressive!! And I am nothing like her, though I think her experiences and life definitely fall on the interesting side.

Ingrid is happy schmoopy music, and Bonnie is angry, angsty, rebellious music.

Now, as for the honeydew.

In my huge buying spree yesterday (most of it spent at the thrift store, actually), I ran out of cash. Like, not a good sign, right? Anyhoo, was gonna run over to Target (again) to get cash (again) but figured there was an Albertson's across the street and I could get that MinuteMaid Limeade that is pure ambrosia to my tongue.

And then I saw that they had honeydew on sale for 59¢ a pound and fruit sounded like a good idea ... to go with my Cinnamon Eggos!!!! I picked out a smallish one after thumping the mound of melons ... and it sounded quite thick and heavy. The self-checkout was weird and didn't end up being a self-checkout since the chick had to assist me like a dumbnut, and then I didn't want to bring a bag because I am veritably puking petroleum-based plastic shopping bags (hmm, in red and white, mostly, interestingly enough?) in the kitchen ... and the poor big round honeydew took a tumble to the front of the passenger side.

So I was craaaaving it last night, but didn't get around to it ... waaaaaanted it for breakfast but was out all morning yard sale-ing, and ... I cut into it for a very very early dinner.

And whoaness. It was one of the most amazing, interesting experiences of my entire life, actually! Not sure if that says more about MY LIFE or the dang honeydew. Hmm.

I got out my big kitchen knife that's only been used a handful of times, and tried to chop a bit at it to take a piece off so I could rest it on the flat and not have it roll around and everything ... and the knife must have been quite dull because it just bruised the skin a bit.

So I went at it with the knifepoint, and it like, gushed juice all over the chopping block when I halved it.

So then, for the next half hour, I swear I was so fully FASCINATED by this dang honeydew! I love the aroma of this particular fruit - and I know melons digest the most quickly out of all the fruits, with so much water content - but it was seriously juicy inside, the seeds were loose, so I started rinsing out one half ... and I have never seen the seeds and stringy innards float around like that like freaking sea fans, or something. It was gorgeous.

Then I started slicing, and the juice was coming out everywhere, and I swear, you'd touch the pieces, and they'd start leaking the juice. So I just HAD to sample some before I started cutting all the pieces into a proper serving bowl like I'd seen my mom do, and every time I took a bite, I'd have to lean over the sink because sweet, juicy goodness was spurting everywhere. It was like, melt-in-your-mouth good and soft and sweet.

So I had one half for an early dinner, and finally figured out that I didn't have to dump the soft squishy insides but could juice it a bit into the bowl and then have it. And how amazing would this fruit be eaten FROZEN? And I still have another half waiting for me in the fridge, hopefully coloring everything in the fridge with the fresh scent. Even the bologna.

Who knew what fun was to be had with a 6lb, $5 fruit.

And now chicken noodle soup with mondo celery for dinner.

P.S. I found SUCH great dishes yesterday and this morning. I need to track down a guidebook for glass and pottery because it's driving me crazy that I passed on a big yellow Depression glass plate/tray AND a Schumann fruited tea cup with serving plate this morning. I think I could have gotten them for about $3 each and they are going for at least $30 on eBay. I thought about it, but at the same time, packing that breakable stuff must be a royal pain in the patootie, so that's why I passed on the ones I was going to resell, instead of keep. Urgh. Better luck, and better informed, next time.