things we have

A beautiful day in our beautiful nation's capital, Washington, D.C. An unseasonably warm and rich day. A canister of pineapple chunks. Concert tickets. Roasted beets and leftover pizza.

Archival material

I got hot sauce on my finger while I made the chili. It burned my tongue afterwards when I licked the finger. Unexpected, that burn, but not really unpleasant. I ate a pineapple that had to be refrigerated, or it would have been hot like every other thing in the whole place. Even the sheets seemed to be collecting heat, storing it until it was needed to burn me when I sat down on the bed. When the rain came, I celebrated the cool coming back; I didn't have to pine after winter, at least for the moment.

The scientists say, it'll all wash away

On the 31st floor
A gold-plated door
Won't keep out
The Lord's burning rain

The Dark Night?

And where is the Batman? HE'S AT HOME WASHING HIS TIGHTS!
-The Joker

Only villains will call him The Batman. It's derisive or disrespectful in some way. By not using The, you acknowledge he is the only one. The means he could be one of several Batmans (Batmen?) i.e. This Batman vs. That Batman. Although really, it would be very safe to assume that there is only one reclusive billionaire genius who dresses up as an anthropomorphic bat and terrorizes criminals by night. Not too much competition in that category.

Blessings

We live in a huge house in a quiet neighborhood. We have a skylight and two sinks in the bathroom. There is a we to speak of. There are dreams that are more than things you scatter and pile in a basement. We are free from illness and hunger and free from want. We have jobs where we are valued and well compensated. We can cook what we like and watch movies or just read quietly. We can live without harm and help each other grow.

Early August Heat

-An overactive icemaker that can be heard for miles around
-The bottom drawer of the fridge freezes everything you give it on account of a vent that circulates air between the freezer and fridge compartments
-Getting used to (a new set of) other people's kitchen and cleaning habits
-Condo association regulations on the size of trashcans
-A little less space that is indisputably my own
-Violence Cormac McCarthy describes in minute detail that only seems to lead to more fastidiously explicated violence

An afternoon spent stewing

The kitchen is heating up gradually and it's on account of me! Stew day is here. We have pounds of carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and broth. We have gas (as of Thursday). We have a drafty, commodious new house to fill with smells of cooking. What better than stew to solve these problems?

The container of Trader Joe's Carrot Ginger Soup in the pantry was calling my name too (and the expiration date was calling 8/9/2012, more pointedly).

The color orange has figured prominently in my life at home of late. It's A's favorite color. Orange is quite visually attractive, I've decided spontaneously after being exposed to it so much. A stew of sweet potatoes, carrots and curry powder; are we detecting a theme here?

DC Tap Water

Hot days make you want to stay inside, where the air moves artificially. Crumbs on a plate. Audio is my favorite. Newspapers pile up during the week. A giant pot of beans benefits from the addition of corn. End tables can be moved easily. A sandwich in a box reminds me of you last night at dinner. An undefeated person should think about not playing anymore.

With the lights out

Power outage for 24 hours that had me thinking of dystopian fiction. What if we lived in a land of constant shortage? How would I provide for my unborn children? We're incredibly reliant on electricity. I counted myself accomplished just to make coffee this morning by the elementary step of pouring boiling water over grounds in a filter. This can't mean anything but that I'm coddled. Resolved: to find ways to decrease my reliance on cars and electricity, even in this suburban Maryland environment. I might have to become a pedestrian activist, or an activist pedestrian, or both.