Birthday Beaming 5

As we sat at a sidewalk table eating our gourmet cupcakes, a young man with several stalks of purple flowers came walking towards us. Without a word, he broke one off and lay it on our table. He kept going and didn't look back.

Birthday Beaming 4

We are dinner outside! In February! A big deal to me, living through Chicago winters. In Austin, the weather was so mild I carried my jacket outside and wore it indoors--they crank up the A/C.

I gave my husband some advice or reminder about his order and the server said, It's best to have a beautiful woman looking out for you.

Birthday Beaming 3

In "delish," in downtown Austin, my husband waited outside while I purchased my cupcake. The woman behind the counter spontaneously said, "Do you know you are a very beautiful woman?"

I am not, but I sure felt beautifuller right then, and you know what, I still glow a little.

Birthday Beaming 2

Here was my second birthday weekend unexpected interation:

Outside a clothing shop, a woman with heavy black eye liner points to an outfit and says to my husband, "You should buy her this dress!" and then "just kidding!" Okay, that's not that special. She was just chatty.

The weird thing was, walking around town later that day, I passed her TWO more times (that we noticed.)

Beaming on my Birthday

I was in Austin, Texas for my birthday in February. I had multiple positive encounters that must be recorded somewhere!

The first: At dinner in a wine bar, talking with my husband at a table. A younger woman (I am mid-50's so let's say she's early 30's) who was leaving the bar area stops by our table and says, "I just had to tell you that you seemed like an interesting person & I wanted to talk to you."

I said, It's my birthday, maybe I have an aura or glow.
What a pleasant surprise. And she didn't linger, or act weird, she continued on out.

More Talking (with) Animals

Yesterday I was in a small shop in Amsterdam. The shopkeeper's large dog joined him behind the counter and began barking in what I could only characterize as a "speech." She certainly wasn't barking at me. I addressed her, and asked her what she was saying.

Her owner said she was a "cookie monster."

I siezed that opportunity for some fun & asked him if he had any I could give her. The three of us went to the back of the shop. Tara sat for me, and earned cookie #1. She was a very large dog, and we were barely introduced, but I hardly felt her touch taking it, she was so gentle.

The man had begun a converstion with someone behind me so I went improv. I asked for Tara to shake, and darned if she didn't lift up one huge paw for me. She earned cookie #2, and again was unbelievably gentle.

I wonder how many cookies a day she gets with her strategy. I would guess many.

Is Criminal Minds BRAIN PORN?

I have several journal entries about the TV show Criminal Minds, so it must be bothering me.
My younger son got me hooked. I swore off watching it. I started again.

I love the personalities on the team, especially Penelope Garcia and Spencer Reid, and how they all care for one another and understand one another. I am fascinated with the depiction of their scarily close understanding of the minds of the criminals.

But the criminals themselves are frightening. The brutality and inventiveness of ways to cause pain to other humans is beyond creepy--not something I want to put into my head.

It's not the show to watch before bed, and not a good one for when you are home alone and have to open all the first floor windows  because you are running the self-clean cycle on your over, and smoke is pouring out.

Yet I am drawn in again and again. I am reminded of the phrase from Heart of Darkness, "fascination with the abomination." Like you can't look away from the dead animal in the road.

This post really doesn't go well with my last post, but that's what happens sometimes.