Friday, Saturday, this & that

It's 9.15 a.m. Gary has Sylvia at her soccer game; I am up, in my sweats, waiting for the garage door repair guy to show up.

It's rainy here. It will likely be rainy for a while, as we get residual rainfall from Ike. I've watched the news, read CNN, checked the Houston Chronicle online. Nearly 4 million people are without power, but I'm thinking that does apply to my former neighborhood. I sent a couple e-mails to friends, but I won't necessarily get an answer, will I? Gary will have to text Bart and see how everyone is doing.

Last night Maddie was supposed to march with the high school band (they always invite the eighth-graders to join them one night). But it got rained out, so we skipped the game. Alison went, but Sylvia had soccer til 7.30 and I was not up for sitting in the drizzle. We ate at Little Mexico Too - not the greatest Mexican food, but not bad, either. Came home, and some friends called, so we walked down to the Checkerboard for a drink.

Now the Checkerboard is a bar. Not some swanky downtown establishment with black and chrome and a view, but a neighborhood bar. The kind that managed to opt out of the citywide smoking ban. The kind that serves food that I can't, or won't, eat. The kind of bar that never heard of a Cosmo. It's definitely fun. We have a couple of other nearby neighborhood bars, but I'm not sure I would dare venture in the Local Bar. The Biltmore, maybe. But the Checkerboard is a good place to sit and have a drink with friends.

This is what I like about living in a more urban environment - or what passes for urban in a university town. I like walking downtown, to other nearby businesses. I like the older feel of the area - houses that have been here for more than 100 years, the sense of history. I like the tall, stately trees, the varied architecture.

But what it's really about is the sense of community, something I did not feel in the suburbs. Perhaps others did. And maybe it was just me. Or maybe it just wasn't a good fit for us.

I'm rambling. Gary has allergies, and I am not feeling that great myself - I slept dreadfully last night. Luckily the garage door repair guy does not require me to look, or feel, good.

I'm contemplating eating a bagel for breakfast. After that, the day is full of possibilities. Purdue game isn't til 3, so we have time to decide who goes. I think it will be me and Gary.

Tea pot is calling me. The day awaits.