vaccinated pillows dodge lunch menu takeaway flight
Although we’re now a year into the pandemic, recent experience has made it clear that some people have been unable to adapt. I was waiting to pick up our dinner from the local Thai restaurant and I overheard …
“I can’t find your meal; what did you order?” The clerk asked.
“I ordered the Pad Woonseen,” the customer replied.
“That’s not on the dinner menu; it’s on the lunch menu.”
“I know. That’s why I ordered it at lunch time.”
“It’s 7:45 at night. We’re using the dinner menu.”
“Exactly. If I waited to order until dinner time, Pad Woonseen wouldn’t be on the menu.”
“Pad Woonseen isn’t ever on our menu. It’s only on the lunch menu at our Goleta restaurant. This restaurant is in Santa Barbara.”
“This one is closer to my house.”
“We don’t have your food.”
“That’s why I didn’t pay for it when I ordered. This has happened to me before.”
“I wonder why?” I thought as I also wondered how this was going to end.
“You can’t order from the lunch menu for pickup at dinner time.”
“Of course I can. That’s what I did today.”
“So far you haven’t picked anything up,” I thought.
“I can get you a lunch-size Pad Thai order. Will that do?”
“If that’s the best…”
“Or you can drive to Goleta..” the clerk began.
“…. and drive them crazy,” I thought.
“I’ll take it,” the customer replied.
“Next!” The clerk shouted.
I stepped forward. “I ordered from the dinner menu, but there is something on the lunch menu ”
“Your order — eh, Naz’s order is ready, Dan.” Sakchai, the clerk, replied.
There have been other exciting developments at The Martin Family household. On Tuesday we drove to Los Angeles to get our second dose of the Moderna vaccine at Dodger Stadium. The process was amazingly efficient. We were finished so fast, we had time to stop in Camarillo for an outdoor lunch at Lure Fish House — a choice that would have been more fun if it had been about 20 degrees warmer. (It also would have felt 20 degrees warmer if there hadn’t been a 35mph on-shore wind.)
This weekend, Mitra came to Santa Barbara for a visit; she arrived on Friday Family Fun Night with the Adams Family. The grandchildren had somehow gotten their parents to agree to a Pillow fight pitting children (and Mitra) against the Adams Adults. Nazy and I, serving as referees, sometime found it difficult to distinguish between adult and child behavior. (I assigned a yellow card to Azelle because she was throwing pillows at the referee.)
In addition to being on the winning side in the pillow fight, Arrow was accepted at The Crane School where he will begin Kindergarten next September. (Tiger will be in 2nd Grade at the same school.) Arrow has been diligently working on his handwriting and drawing. (He colored the one on the right in this photo.)
And, since Azelle will enter a Montessori Pre-school in September. it appears that on the scholastic front (and here in Santa Barbara) confidence in the future is growing.
Initially, I thought it was fine to have them focused on such minuscule issues. I even thought about ways to provoke them with “inclusive Oreo cookies” or by raising questions about the sexual orientation of differently colored Lego Blocks. And then I realized that all of this was a distraction. They are, in fact, working hard to rig the next elections.
“I thought that they said the Democrats rigged the last election.” Nazy interjects.
“They always do exactly what they accuse their opponents of doing. The Democrats won the last election the old-fashioned way: they got more votes. Since the Republicans can’t win if everyone votes, they are working hard to selectively reduce the number of people who vote.”
“Selectively reduce?”
“Yep, they want to cancel likely Democrat voters.”
While Nazy and I are visiting The Martins of Bellingham, Melika, Tom and their children will be heading to the mountains for a quick skiing trip. Tiger enjoyed skiing last year and, since then, Arrow has grown tall enough to qualify to sit on the chair lift. (The family has a lot of chairlift confidence and experience: Melika actually fell asleep on one at Killington in Vermont.) Azelle, while not tall enough, is nevertheless ready to go.
“I can’t find your meal; what did you order?” The clerk asked.
“I ordered the Pad Woonseen,” the customer replied.
“That’s not on the dinner menu; it’s on the lunch menu.”
“I know. That’s why I ordered it at lunch time.”
“It’s 7:45 at night. We’re using the dinner menu.”
“Exactly. If I waited to order until dinner time, Pad Woonseen wouldn’t be on the menu.”
“Pad Woonseen isn’t ever on our menu. It’s only on the lunch menu at our Goleta restaurant. This restaurant is in Santa Barbara.”
“This one is closer to my house.”
“We don’t have your food.”
“That’s why I didn’t pay for it when I ordered. This has happened to me before.”
“I wonder why?” I thought as I also wondered how this was going to end.
“You can’t order from the lunch menu for pickup at dinner time.”
“Of course I can. That’s what I did today.”
“So far you haven’t picked anything up,” I thought.
“I can get you a lunch-size Pad Thai order. Will that do?”
“If that’s the best…”
“Or you can drive to Goleta..” the clerk began.
“…. and drive them crazy,” I thought.
“I’ll take it,” the customer replied.
“Next!” The clerk shouted.
I stepped forward. “I ordered from the dinner menu, but there is something on the lunch menu ”
“Your order — eh, Naz’s order is ready, Dan.” Sakchai, the clerk, replied.
There have been other exciting developments at The Martin Family household. On Tuesday we drove to Los Angeles to get our second dose of the Moderna vaccine at Dodger Stadium. The process was amazingly efficient. We were finished so fast, we had time to stop in Camarillo for an outdoor lunch at Lure Fish House — a choice that would have been more fun if it had been about 20 degrees warmer. (It also would have felt 20 degrees warmer if there hadn’t been a 35mph on-shore wind.)
Dodger Stadium Vaccination Site
Both Nazy and I had chills and aches the day after the shot, but we are feeling great now. We are also very relieved to be, finally, on a path that is aimed toward ‘normality’. Directly after Persian New Year, Nazy and I are flying to Bellingham, Washington to see Darius, Christiane, Leandra and Auriane. We expect to welcome them to Santa Barbara in June.
This weekend, Mitra came to Santa Barbara for a visit; she arrived on Friday Family Fun Night with the Adams Family. The grandchildren had somehow gotten their parents to agree to a Pillow fight pitting children (and Mitra) against the Adams Adults. Nazy and I, serving as referees, sometime found it difficult to distinguish between adult and child behavior. (I assigned a yellow card to Azelle because she was throwing pillows at the referee.)
In addition to being on the winning side in the pillow fight, Arrow was accepted at The Crane School where he will begin Kindergarten next September. (Tiger will be in 2nd Grade at the same school.) Arrow has been diligently working on his handwriting and drawing. (He colored the one on the right in this photo.)
And, since Azelle will enter a Montessori Pre-school in September. it appears that on the scholastic front (and here in Santa Barbara) confidence in the future is growing.
In the country as a whole, vaccination rates are up as the GOP turns its focus to Potato Head and Dr. Seuss issues.
Aside: The GOP wasn’t supportive of Dr. Suess’ book “The Lorax’.
The GOP, clearly not fans of “Hamilton” (The Musical), also appears to have forgotten which side won the revolutionary war as they support a hereditary monarchy against an American citizen.
Initially, I thought it was fine to have them focused on such minuscule issues. I even thought about ways to provoke them with “inclusive Oreo cookies” or by raising questions about the sexual orientation of differently colored Lego Blocks. And then I realized that all of this was a distraction. They are, in fact, working hard to rig the next elections.
“I thought that they said the Democrats rigged the last election.” Nazy interjects.
“They always do exactly what they accuse their opponents of doing. The Democrats won the last election the old-fashioned way: they got more votes. Since the Republicans can’t win if everyone votes, they are working hard to selectively reduce the number of people who vote.”
“Selectively reduce?”
“Yep, they want to cancel likely Democrat voters.”
While Nazy and I are visiting The Martins of Bellingham, Melika, Tom and their children will be heading to the mountains for a quick skiing trip. Tiger enjoyed skiing last year and, since then, Arrow has grown tall enough to qualify to sit on the chair lift. (The family has a lot of chairlift confidence and experience: Melika actually fell asleep on one at Killington in Vermont.) Azelle, while not tall enough, is nevertheless ready to go.
For last week's letter, please click here
Flying Pillows
blog comments powered by Disqus