thriving vallejo series: yeah! //farmer's market shopper.

[duccio]

I see this powerful looking woman occasionally at the farmer's market on Saturdays. Here she is pictured rather hawk-eyed, talons clutching purse, possible unexpected switchblade concealed in left hand behind thigh, avoiding eye contact. A few weeks ago, we were taken aback, coming directly face to face while weaving through the crowds; the farmers market is one of the only times that Vallejoans actually co-mingle with each other. Since I recognize her from frequent sightings here, I thought just by the remotest possibility, us each attending the market almost every week, apparently at about the same time, and all, that she might have noticed me too, so, when face to face, I smiled and said, "Hi."



You think the polar vortex is cold.

Comments

[shinsetsu]

She is NSA ON THE GROUND! That's a recording webcam/voice and face recognition machine concealed in her hand. She's got you now Duccio!

[shinsetsu]

And that gigantic 'watch' she is wearing is actually a mini computer which she used to relay all your details immediately to Utah--or wherever that huge NSA warehouse of servers and stuff is. :P Your goose is cooked!

[duccio]

My "goose" is Terminator 3 material. I might be cooked, but in the cold weather lately, I'm sayin' nothing but "Thanks." Her goose on the other hand, is charred and crunched. Take tock take tock THAT back to Utah.

Q. Is Salt Lake City actually Sodom/Gomorrah of old, where people turn into salt just looking at the scenery? They do there, you know... yes!

[shinsetsu]

No, but it's close enough! I went through Utah once but kept right on going because...NO COFFEE!!

[duccio]

I went to the Mormon Tabernacle once and listened to an organ concert. I wandered around industrious SLC and quickly could see it was too goodie goodie/arid for me, and I left. I was on my way from Chicago, moving for good to California - the western edge of the known world, the left curve so to speak. Now I realize, "Yes, Mormons, NO COFFEE," and the place has disappeared off my radar screen forever. Thanks for the "cups up".

[shinsetsu]

I do love organ concerts though, and nobody beats the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the Hallelujah Chorus. I'll give them that. Plus they are pretty good at digging for ancestors and...polygamy. hahaha

[duccio]

If you ever come my way, you give a call and let's go to Grace Cathedral, top of Nob Hill in SF, for an organ concert. That space is vast and echoey, just the way I like the sound to be. If you don't and I hear about it, I'll be very unhappy. Very Unhappy. *sniff*

[duccio]

So am I, but I'm a higher pay grade. Trouble city for her-r-r.

[shinsetsu]

Wuh oh. Now they will transfer her out of beautiful downtown Vallejo and put her someplace like...Salt Flats UTAH, or maybe Elko, Nevada. :P

[duccio]

Maybe she would be useful there, keeping creeps out of California (and most particularly beautiful Vallejo) and paroling them out in those places like Elko and Salt Flats where she could keep her eagle eye on them. They could take their pick of saltification scenery, become newbie NSA agents, spy on conservatives in Red States.

[shinsetsu]

What exactly is a Red State?

[duccio]

Red states are ones that usually vote Republican. Blue states are ones that usually vote Democratic. In general, the bluer ones are more Liberal and favor extending social policies, the Red ones are more conservative and favor cuts to those same policies and a stronger military attitude towards the rest of the world (and towards the poor).

A few states can go either way. These are the battleground states, and if they have large populations they can sway national elections. Here is a map that showed the red and blue states in the 2012 presidential election:

The red ones went Romney. The blue ones went Obama.

and here is an exhaustive Wiki article that spells these concepts out in greater detail:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_states_and_blue_states

States near the coasts are often Blue, except in the South. California is Blue, Texas is Red. There's a big difference in how social services and money are handled, and how the pie is shared between the citizens, and multi culturally, or not shared.

[shinsetsu]

Ahhh, thank you. I see now why God sends tornadoes and hurricanes to those parts of the country. :P haha

[duccio]

Yes indeed. Thank you, Jesus.

[shinsetsu]

I shouldn't joke like that. :/ It's flippant, disrespectful and cruel. I always feel sorry for people when they are visited by these disasters. And for myself, I am probably sitting on a fault line -- with no room to talk. :p

[duccio]

You're right. I'm sorry. I was arrogant and disrespectful to say that. I also feel the disaster victims. I send to the Red Cross on most of them. I'll watch my flippancy and hold it back from now on. Please forgive.

[shinsetsu]

No, it was me who started it, and I knew at the time it wasn't a nice thing to say, and it also mocks my faith (which I have a difficult enough time keeping hold of). I know your beliefs are not mine, but I was reading this morning something which chastised me and seems appropriate to the discussion:

There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. --Proverbs 12:18

Words can be toxic. I notice it in others. I need to apply it to myself.

[duccio]

Everybody slips now and then. Snark is rampant in our society. Maybe we're not perfect, but we're way up there from the bottom dwellers, and we make constant attempt to progress. I think you're a pretty good person as far as I can tell from here, and I'm happy to have you as, at least, an enduring DW friend.

SNARK.
Look at definition #2.