More about summer

Today I officially crossed the line.

White wine, not red wine.

Iced coffee, not hot brewed coffee.

Summer is A'Comin' In

Oh, lordy, it's hot today.

I've been driving around all day, getting stuff together for Young Girl's birthday party this weekend. Since it's been a year since last summer, I'd conveniently forgotten how friggin' hot parking lots can be. And no matter how brief your stay in a store, the car completely heats up while you're gone.

Saturday night was cool and breezy, and I sat outside at a lovely party and enjoyed the evening weather. Today it's 90 and muggy. There's nothing gradual about the coming of summer in Texas. And it's only going to get worse.

So I've dropped in to my favorite wine bar for $5 Monday. Here's to cool and dark. And pinot grigio.

Don't Come Looking for the Profound Here Today

I have no grand metaphors or analogies today, just some updating and a little ranting, perhaps. Please feel free to leave comments of agreement, opposition, or support

* Is there no end to "blame the victim" mentality or authorities looking the other way in the case of rape? This post from The Curvature is horrifying. I can't for the life of me imagine how the police could not investigate or how the medical board could not kick this guy's ass six ways from Sunday.

* What to think about offshore drilling? With 35,000 rigs in the Gulf, something was bound to happen sometime. Considering that there hasn't been a rig accident this big since the 1969 Santa Barbara spill, maybe these things are safer than some are leading us to believe. On the other hand, I heard on NPR last week that the most we could hope for in drilling off the Virginia coast is enough oil to supply the country for six days. Is that worth the risk to the delicate portions of the Atlantic coastline? Not to me. I know we're all supposed to be looking for alternative sources of energy but, realistically, we need oil and gas and we need them domestically. Some of you may not know that The Man develops oil and gas leases and always does so with an eye toward environmental responsibility; some of our wells are on grassland that has never been plowed and is flourishing despite drilling thanks to his care in constructing leases. Safe drilling can happen. We just need to make sure it does.

* One of the side effects of my sister's condition is her loss of independent mobility. Her loss of balance means that she can't drive and must depend on others for rides to doctors' visits, the grocery store, and her church. She's fortunate to have a group of church friends who work together to coordinate rides when I'm not available (which is more often than I'd like due to my commute to Young Girl's school), but it drastically impacts her independence. She can't just go to the store when she feels like it or run out to the movies on impulse. A major drawback of small cities like ours is a lack of public transportation; in Our Town you can call for a van, but you're often stuck with long waiting times on one end or the other. Reliable, consistent bus service would be so much better. Public transportation allows people to participate in their communities when they either do not own a car or are unable to drive one, yet it is far down the list for many municipalities. It shouldn't be.

* My workout plans are on hold because I've done something wonky to my left knee. It's sore and swollen and I can't really connect the problem to any trauma (other than the first day of wearing flip flops all day long). I'm missing the stress release and other benefits. GRUMBLE.