come fly with me

I haven't been on a plane in a long time — mom's dementia kept us closer to home, and before that the kid was small, so most of the time people came to me for a visit. I figured I better brush up on what I could or couldn't take on a plane, as rules have changed since the last time I was in the air. As I was perusing the TSA website this paragraph in the prohibited items section jumped out at me.

I have to admit that I am as befuddled by the imposed threat of snow globes as I would be by the frequency of travelers needing to fly with them. Anybody able to explain this to me?

"Snow globes that appear to contain less than 3.4 ounces (approximately tennis ball size) will be permitted if the entire snow globe, including the base, is able to fit in the same one clear, plastic, quart-sized, re-sealable bag, as the passenger’s other liquids, such as shampoo, toothpaste and cosmetics."

I have been warned, and will ensure that any snow globe I choose to travel with in future meets these rigorous standards.

attitude at the grocery store?

Aren't times tough enough that a person shouldn't be getting sassed at the checkout counter? I was running errands yesterday before I had to pick up the kid after school and stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things. We get our prescriptions there, so I got those first, and then after a hasty glance at my list I grabbed some cereal for the kid, a loaf of bread, and some bologna for sandwiches.

On my way to the ten items or fewer checkout lane I checked out the prepared food section, because sometimes these timesavers also save my sanity. They had a big pre-made salad, a spinach quiche, and some marinated mushrooms from their olive bar that I could use to either make a light dinner or a couple of lunches for us.

I put my items on the conveyor belt and fished for my card when I heard the cashier say something — but she was also looking around, so I wasn't sure at first that she was talking to me.

She repeated her questions, "$32? What are you buying?" I just stared at her. Certainly she wasn't giving me crap for what I was purchasing, was she? But she repeated herself, again. I looked at the product read-out. Yes, those items all add up to $32. Kinda sucks. But I'm also kinda in a hurry, and I'm not always going to be a coupon queen. If I want some marinated mushrooms, etc., dammit, why the hell not? Of course now I'm even more pissed at myself for letting this check-out person make me question the wisdom of my purchases and my lack of frugality.

I'd like to think she meant well, but it was clearly a shaming exercise, one she probably has done before. Maybe it makes her feel superior about her purchases at the end of the day. But I have no desire to look into her grocery bag. I will admit to vicariously looking at others' groceries and trying to piece together what sort of meals and lifestyles they might have. Sometimes it's fun, as the items don't seem to go together. But to take those harmless musings to the next level and actually call someone out for their three packages of Ho-Hos, "You're not really going to eat those, are you?" No way would it ever even occur to me to do that.

Maybe she was just envious of my marinated mushrooms, or the kid's Lucky Charms (a breakfast cereal she may have thought were mine — admittedly my few assorted items probably looked like a single gal who doesn't know how to shop). Regardless, I'm looking forward to our quiche and salad — with a nice side condiment of marinated mushrooms. And hopefully, less input next time. Maybe I should request the store install a self-check-out lane.

where's the sculpture?

Something is missing from the National Gallery Sculpture Garden...

modest

Lately, shopping at CVS, I have noticed that if I happen to be purchasing a "feminine" product, I will receive my purchases in a paper bag. Or if it is one of many purchases, the tampons or whatever will be put in a paper bag inside of a larger plastic one.

Is this a D.C. or southern thing? Or a new CVS policy? I've only been noticing this the last few months, so don't think it was happening before. Or maybe I was previously making these purchases at Target, where their logo-bag is king...

nature sounds

I am frequently near the World Bank headquarters on I street and when strolling by have heard what I thought was some pretty impressive birdsong.

The other day the birds sounded louder than ever and I stopped to try and catch a glimpse of...what wasn't birds at all...but a speaker, blaring exotic chirps and cheeps, over the daycare playground.

Virtual birds. Hmmm...

quick question

Just saw Prince Caspian and have to ask - what the hell was that all about? It was like some angry dudes from a Zurburan painting decided to fight some extras from Troy and LoTR. Directed by Disney! Oh, and Tilda Swinton, bless her, sort of shows up for five minutes, but it isn't enough. I was waiting for the sandworms from Dune to appear and my night would have been complete.

what's with Katy Perry, anyway?

I keep wanting to hate, then wanting to like, her latest song Thinking of You. The hate part is the strangled, Alanis-like tortured delivery of some of the vocals rather than just singing them, and the deliberate ambiguity of the song's subject. Male? Female? Animal, vegetable, mineral? Oh this ministers' daughter can be so naughty. The like part is, frankly, the song itself, which is a damn near-perfect pop song. Maybe someone else should cover it. Sort of like the great cover of I Kissed a Girl that Steven featured.