rm | Jun. 5th, 2009

To say that it's been a slightly odd couple of days vastly understates the case.

So productive this morning. Picked up my dress shirts (I oddly love this ritual; I love all my shirts hanging in a neat, lightest to darkest little row. They are a window on a little bit of neatness and a life not quite mine), picked up the prescription cat food, brought other stuff to the dry cleaners, am doing work, etc. Need to do a whole lot of documents and hit the post office later, but so far, productive.

This weekend, Governors Island, so they'll be a bit of a grocery trip later.

I need to express, once again, my deep love for Varsano's Chocolates here in the city. First, best marzipan I've ever had, and this includes the now closed place of my childhood that had been in business making marzipan since 1927 and the marzipan I had in Sicily. Second, the guy who owns and runs it gives Patty and I lots of free samples. Third, he's conversant with celiac disease and can always answer my questions. Fourth, he takes customer requests (I'm going to ask him if I bring him gluten-free pretzels if he'll make them chocolate covered for me!). Fifth, we were listless and low-blood sugar last night and didn't know where to have dinner and after some marzipan, a jordan cracker and a chocolate raspberry jelly marshmallow we were once again capable of making decisions.

My childhood was filled with merchants we had relationships with: butchers and bakers and tailors and candymakers, and it's something you know I miss, nearly constantly in my life. From the folks at Duchess to the the wonder of Varsano's my life isn't just filled with beautiful things, it's just, simply, better.

I need to take a moment to say something. When someone comes out to you about or discusses an experience that they have, whether that's being gay or trans or multiracial or religious or WHATEVER, the appropriate response is not all about how you don't understand and can't relate to the experience but you'll try to be supportive anyway, because newsflash, it's not about you. The appropriate response is to declare your support first. In the scheme of all the crazy out there, it's a minor and almost always well-intentioned thing, but it's also a big peeve.

What's more embarrassing: reading a Torchwood tie-in novel on the subway or a book that declares itself on the cover "a m/m romance"?

Yes, I was reading an m/m romance on the train. It's quite decent really, but as someone who doesn't really read the romance genre, I'm experiencing slow death by metaphor.

From the department of crazy and upsetting: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/5445161/Russia-accuses-Poland-of-starting-Second-World-War.html via