Finally, a play

My refrigerator and my hard drive overfloweth.

Obviously these are separate issues.

This weekend, I decided to strike out on my own a bit and I rented a car for 24 hours. Zipcar operates within walking distance, but they’re best for quick, last-minute errand running, an hour or two at a time. For longer-term (and unlimited mileage) rentals, there’s an Avis counter at a hotel nearby, also within walking distance. Tres convenient. I walk to work every day, and there are several small errands I can run that are also within walking distance (library, drugstore, bank, drycleaners, the gourmet grocery store, etc.). But for groceries and bulk errand running, I’ve been dependent on John to drive me around on the weekends. I was tired of feeling like a mooch, so I took myself back out on the open road. I hit Sam’s, Ralph’s, and discovered a Trader Joe’s nearby. Then I drove up to South Coast Rep in Orange County to catch the new Noah Haidle play.

It was the first real driving I’ve done since I moved here (Labor Day weekend, for those keeping score). And as a side note, let me just add that rental cars have improved exponentially in the last few years. I can remember renting an economy-class car and getting just that--a car. Maybe a radio. No CD player, no AC, no power windows, nothing. These days, an econo rental will come standard with iPod hookup, GPS, and sunroof. Plus AC and power windows. Driving around town in a cute little snappy car buying groceries is one thing; taking it out on the open road for the 75-mile drive to Orange County is quite another. I’d driven that stretch of I-5 on the road trip, between San Diego and Los Angeles. The traffic was much heavier this time, but it’s still a fun drive. I always enjoy finding a highway where I can go 90 and people still pass me like I’m standing still. Especially with the sunroof down and the tunes blaring. Especially when completely independent, at least for the day. I’m going to have to do that more often.

South Coast Rep is a great theatre; I’m going to enjoy seeing other stuff there. I’m hoping to convince John to take his son and me there for some family-friendly fare in the near future. Saturn Returns had the usual regional theatre issues; an intimate small-cast play on a cavernous stage, in front of an audience of blue-hairs, with the glib slickness that so often accompanies these productions. The play was a little maudlin for my taste; but I’m glad I stuck it out, there was an emotional payoff at the end. It did seem to be a departure from Haidle’s previous work. Plays like Kitty Kitty Kitty and Mr. Marmalade were edgy and unpredictable; Saturn Returns seemed written specifically for the regional theatre audience. Perhaps it was; I was chatting with the bartender before the show and I noted that the crowd seemed sparse. He said that Haidle’s previous play there, Mr. Marmalade, had been very poorly received. “Oh, but it was such a great play, and he’s a lovely writer,” I said. “Yes,” said the bartender, “but the language was too salty for most people.” WTF? I moved away from the South to get away from shit like that. John keeps telling me Orange County is the DC of California, but I didn’t believe it until now.

Sunday involved a trip to the La Jolla Farmer’s Market, to pick up the first CSA box. I got fresh lettuce, Swiss chard, green beans, radishes, apples, guava, yellow pear tomatoes, and a huge bunch of dill. I didn’t do any other shopping, but I made some mental notes on the other stands there so that I can do some in the future. Coupled with the other grocery buys this weekend, the pantry, freezer, and refrigerator are all filled to overflowing. Which is fine with me. Nothing improves my mood so quickly as food and beverage largesse. The pantry is stocked twenty deep with non-perishables, the freezer is so full I had to remove some ice trays, I have two cases of cheap wine for everyday use, and the refrigerator now smells like a huge bunch of fresh dill. Yum. Plus the bowls of fruit, onions and garlic, and winter squash on the counters. I don’t know if it’s because I grew up poor or just because I’m a glutton at heart, but seeing all that food in my kitchen is deeply satisfying.

My hard drive overfloweth, as well. My iTunes folder has now officially eaten up my entire hard drive. It looks like the only solution will be to offload all those files to a much bigger external hard drive--and possibly I’ll also need to purchase a larger iPod at some point in the near future, as well. 80gb doesn’t go as far as I’d like. So I’ve been cleaning up my iTunes this weekend--deleting corrupted/duplicate files, completing partial albums, adding stuff I need that I don’t have, etc. I also had a bunch of stuff that I’d copied wholesale from ex-boyfriends, that I decided I would never actually listen to and could finally be deleted. It’s bad enough I once dated someone who owned the entire Enya catalogue--I don’t need that cluttering up my hard drive. The less said about the Megadeth albums I found, the better.

John and I have just gotten hooked on Mad Men. So much so that it completely derailed me from watching Lost. Well-written, well-acted, well-produced TV shows are so rare, aren’t they? I can count on two hands the number of TV shows ever produced, ever, that I think are worth owning/watching repeatedly. To wit: The Simpsons, South Park, The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Entourage, Freaks and Geeks, Slings and Arrows, and now Mad Men and Lost. Possibly Twin Peaks. Possibly Deadwood.

So this week I’m looking forward to a) fun with food, b) further fine-tuning of my music collection, c) my birthday!, and d) T’s impending visit! Yes, my first East Coast visitor will be here this weekend, just in time for my inaugural party. We’re currently on track to celebrate the first birthday without rain in...a significant number of years. I would like to point out that I had lunch today, outside, in short sleeves and bare legs. Last year on my birthday, it was 45 and pouring. Oh, and I got stood up. On my birthday. What a difference a year makes, huh? This year I’ll be celebrating with my SSO (Sexy Significant Other) in 75-degree sunshine. Turning 34 never felt so good.