dog fishing
J: We've
been looking (mostly online) at doggies, very nice doggies, but we
haven't found our perfect fit yet. I keep reminding Gina that "the
canine pipeline is full and open"— that is, there are so many dogs out
there waiting to be adopted that we shouldn't become frustrated when
one that we're interested in gets adopted before we can meet it. I'm
enjoying seeing the doggies that we see. They're so lovable. We've had
representatives from two foster organizations visit us and approve us
for adoption. Now all we have to do is find the right beast.
Gina made it to another Starlight Shimmy. It was crowded, but for good
reason. Where else can you watch lots of talented belly dancers— for
free? Only in Greenbelt! (And in certain Middle Eastern venues.)
We went to our friend Laura's birthday arty party, and had a blast!
Laura set out chalk pastels and paints, along with paper and canvas.
Everybody got into the act and made lots of art. Gina stayed till two
in the morning, she was having so much fun. Thanks and happy birthday
Laura!
dishing it out
J: Here are some interesting
tips and facts I've learned from my new hobby, dishwashing.
- Britons don't rinse the soap off their dishes. Cool! The
Brits eat soap.
- Indonesians scrub their pots with ash. I call it
"dishashing." I've heard it works as well as soap. Probably tastes
better.
- Using really hot water often makes it unnecessary to dry
dishes with a towel. Just put them in the rack and the water evaporates
in minutes.
- Washing small before large dishes allows you to stack more
dishes in the drying rack.
- Washing cleaner before dirtier dishes lets the dirty
dishes soak longer.
- When you're washing dishes people tend to leave you alone.
Also, when you talk or write enthusiastically about washing dishes,
people tend to leave you alone.
- Most people are dish wimps. I used to be a dish wimp, but
no longer. I have become a dish samurai. Cower before my awesome
soap-filled scepter,
all you dish wimps.
- I don't fill up the sink with soapy water—I leave the
drain open and unplugged—but when I rinse the soap off a dish (in much
the same way that Brits don't), I'll efficiently dump that soapy rinse
water into a dirty dish. I also have an easy switch on the spout that
turns the water on and off, so the temperature and pressure remain
consistent.
- Apocalypse dishwashing is a strange and apparently
short-lived
sport in the urban
housework genre that involves dishwashing, kind
of: "Four players start out at a medium jog. The first player has a
table with the proper settings attached to his or her neck, which he or
she will be eating off of. After the first player is done eating, the
dish is then passed on to the second player who washes it in a soapy
bucket. The third player dries it and then passes it to the fourth
player who smashes the dish, preferably in a grandiose manner." I would
enjoy participating in such a sport.
- Hand washing dishes, when done correctly, uses
less water and takes less time than using a dishwashing machine for
the job. So why do people use dishwashing machines? See item 7.
