The weather is warm and I’ve made the switch from a double espresso to an iced double espresso. At Starbucks today when I ordered the barista asked if I was making a ghetto latte.

In the early 90’s it was very difficult to get an iced latte (at least in Ogden, Utah). I remember one time at Grounds for Coffee where it wasn’t on the menu, I gave the barista instructions: Two shots of espresso, over ice, add milk. She balked and said she wouldn’t guarantee the drink, called her manager who was offended with me and said it was one of their drinks.  How many ways can you put espresso & milk together.

Overtime, my tastes have changed and I found myself trying to order with less and less milk. A few years ago, it dawned on my that I could just order espresso & ice for half of the money. Most espresso bars have milk or half & half as a condiment. At this point I like a splash of cream in my iced espresso.

The Vegas Story

Paul dubbed this drink the cheap bastard. Apparently this name also applies to a beans & rice menu item at Baha Fresh.

We took a big road trip  in 2004. We had planned on staying in Vegas for one night but didn’t book in advance because we didn’t know our schedule. The only rooms we could find were over $200 a night. We passed on the lunch buffet for $25 each. In the end, I said that I’d like an iced espresso and a piece of chocolate and then we can leave town. My Aunt & Uncle live a couple of hours away in Saint George. We found a Starbucks but they didn’t have chocolate. Paul tried to get me some other treat but I didn’t want anything they had. I said just get me the cheap bastard. He really wanted to find something I would take instead but there was nothing that looked good. At some point I got frustrated and raised my voice a bit and said Just the Cheap Bastard pretty loud. All of the people around me looked at their plates embarrassed because they thought I was calling Paul that.

She liked this one, said it would be perfect if the center branch was a little shorter.

Class pictures 

The class runs from 7 pm – 8 pm. Most people can finish 2 arrangements in that amount of time. At 8 pm everyone stops and cleans up. Then Mrs. Keiko Kodachi goes around the room. The white background is put behind each arrangement and she talks about them and often makes a small correction.

See the Photo Album from the May 22nd Class

This is my favorite song at the moment for all of the obvious reasons. The artist is Jonathan Coulton.

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Code Monkey get up get coffee
Code Monkey go to job
Code Monkey have boring meeting
With boring manager Rob
Rob say Code Monkey very dilligent
But his output stink
His code not “functional” or “elegant”
What do Code Monkey think?
Code Monkey think maybe manager want to write god damned login page himself
Code Monkey not say it out loud
Code Monkey not crazy, just proud

Code Monkey like Fritos
Code Monkey like Tab and Mountain Dew
Code Monkey very simple man
With big warm fuzzy secret heart:
Code Monkey like you

Code Monkey hang around at front desk
Tell you sweater look nice
Code Monkey offer buy you soda
Bring you cup, bring you ice
You say no thank you for the soda cause
Soda make you fat
Anyway you busy with the telephone
No time for chat
Code Monkey have long walk back to cubicle he sit down pretend to work
Code Monkey not thinking so straight
Code Monkey not feeling so great

Code Monkey like Fritos
Code Monkey like Tab and Mountain Dew
Code Monkey very simple man
With big warm fuzzy secret heart:
Code Monkey like you
Code Monkey like you a lot

Code Monkey have every reason
To get out this place
Code Monkey just keep on working
See your soft pretty face
Much rather wake up, eat a coffee cake
Take bath, take nap
This job “fulfilling in creative way”
Such a load of crap
Code Monkey think someday he have everything even pretty girl like you
Code Monkey just waiting for now
Code Monkey say someday, somehow

Code Monkey like Fritos
Code Monkey like Tab and Mountain Dew
Code Monkey very simple man
With big warm fuzzy secret heart:
Code Monkey like you

I wish I had the restraint to pick just one. Sukhi couldn’t leave the flower arrangement alone. Both Paul & I took pictures of her. As you can see, there is no room for her to sit there, probably 2 whole inches of table back there.

I dropped her off this morning (Friday) to get her teeth cleaned. She has bad gums and grubby teeth. I’m a little worried because they have to put her under to do it.

She is at Bethany Family Vet Clinic where she went when she was a Foster Cat. They remembered her when I called and were pleased she was placed. Bethany charges half what our Lake Oswego Vet does.

No food for Sukhi after 10 pm last night. She was hungry and fussy this morning. There was an Orange Tabby at the Vet whose back legs were paralyzed. He was a good scooter and very good natured.

Sukhi is fine. They extracted 6 teeth. We have 10 days of medicine which is going to be no fun for us. Ear drops and antibiotics.

I’ve figured out how to do the antibotics. I use a syringe and don’t try to give her more than .4 ml at a time. The ear drops are a disaster. She turns in to the Spiderman villan Venom.

The girls next door draw on the street. They make elaborate houses and streets. It has been interesting to see how they change over the years as they grow up. On Sunday Paul and I ask for a tour of this creation.

I wish we had had the foresight to document it over the years.

Oh the afternoon nap …

Found this cat bed the day after Paul said I could pick out a cat. I was afraid that she wouldn’t use it. The house is full of places to sleep. I looked for a location she picked herself and placed the bed. Sukhi naps every afternoon here. Very little will disturb her. I took everything off of the bakers rack (you can see some of the books) to dust and that didn’t disturb the sleeping. Here are the sounds of an afternoon nap with belly rub. The movement noises in this file are Sukhi kneading the bed.

Listen Here:

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I was complaining to Beth about not being able to find a workable purse/wallet. The last one I got was the right size but would tip and dump the contents on the floor every time I opened it.

Pavement is not the best thing for my Treo. Beth forwarded this George Carlin routine. Very Funny.

Durham Park has been under major construction for such a long time. They put in a pedestrian bridge and paved paths that now connect Tualatin Park, to Durham Park to Cook Park.

Seems like the moment they finished the bridge work a major upgrades started on the train tracks.

Old tracks, see how they are replacing the wood with metal beams?

New Tracks. Rumor has it that passenger rail is coming this way. I’m not sure these pictures illustrate how burly the new structure is. They closed it down for 3 days and installed the cement pieces.