Just to make things clear- we all understand that Trump is ordering a new investigation into the Epstein files so they can not be released by the House. We all do understand this, right?
At any rate, on the home front, not much was accomplished today. We slept in, took long showers, and because it was Homecoming here at ASU we avoided for the most part that side of town because of the home football game. We tried to score free tickets because it was West Virginia University playing ASU, but neither of us had any luck and I am not paying $300 I do not have for something I will not enjoy. Not to mention Joelle still has a shit knee (which gets operated on soon, I hope), so navigating stadium stairs and all that bullshit would have made the whole thing doubly miserable.
At any rate, we headed up to Old Town which normally is a terrible idea on a Saturday morning, but Joelle was out of espresso beans and she likes it when I make her an espresso every morning and I like doing it because even though I quit drinking coffee this year, I still like the procedure, ritual, and smell. So we went to the roaster there we both really like (Yellow Spruce), which is this nice little place where they serve gelato and coffee and snacks on onee side and on the other side is a wine/martini bar, and Joelle went to the martini bar and started off the day with an 11 am martini espresso while I was on the other side getting the beans. Really nice kids working there.
After that we hit this fancy place for brunch and I had my some eggs benedict and she had some french toast with strawberries and whipped cream, and then we hit the grocery for some stuff to make salads for dinner tomorrow. And that was that. It was overcast all day and "rained" briefly, but it was warm and a nice breeze and I am so glad I am not cold in WV. And it is terrible that Jack died in the spring, but Joelle is really going to get the full cat treatment because they are running around like they are the boss, and I love it. Although Steve still loves his cabinet in the kitchen. I've given up and am just gonna put a little blanket in there and move the pots. He's just too fucking adorable sticking his head out the cabinet door looking like Oscar the Grouch. Plus, he has put up with my bullshit for 13 years, so he gets what he wants.
In other news, one of the things I have noticed in just the past three years is a marked increase in top tier Indian restaurants and food from Arkansas to New Mexico. They seem to be revitalizing a lot of the older gas stations, taking over vacant portions of buildings that used to house something else and in many cases just setting up shop in the gas station itself. Whenever I start to need gas I start to look for the signs for them. I never get anything because I don't really eat on the road because I am such a weirdo, but I love the smells and I like that they carry stuff you find in local Indian markets and it's always full with foreign truck drivers who look so happy to be able to get some "real" food.
Apparently the place where I saw the Raven is basically Michelin quality food- a joint called the Swaad Stop in the Holbrook Travel Center. I checked it out and it was packed and the food looked amazing. It's just so nice and such a neat blending of cultures to have all the Native Americans and Hispanic influences and then throwing Indian cuisine and culture in with it. I love it and it's just so nice and what a boost to the economy.
Actually, as I noted the other night, it's beyond nice. It's really fucking miraculous. Fucking tens of centuries of war over control of the Silk Road, and we all know the unspeakable horrors the British and other colonizers inflicted on peoples, and now we have all of that brought to us for free. Even more than free. They are moving in to depressed areas, revitalizing them, employing people, generating taxes, taking over stewardship of the properties. It's a fucking miracle. And that they are willing to do it despite the overt flaws of the US and the disgusting racism leveled at them in many quarters of our society makes it doubly miraculous. We're such a lucky country despite our best efforts to self sabotage.
Sorry this is so late- still getting used to the time zone and spending time with the ladyfriend. Talk to you tomorrow.