The lilacs are finally in bloom, and I snagged a bunch from the ones hanging over the fence into my yard. :) My whole apartment smells like lilacs, and I'm loving it!

Strange things were afoot at the U District Street Fair yesterday afternoon. Perhaps this is not a surprise. While walking along one of the side streets checking out the stands, friend Jen and I approached one with what had to be a 70 year old man wearing nothing but a leather loin cloth. Frankly, it wasn't very attractive, and I'm having a hard time getting the image out of my brain. I caught sight of him first and commented.

Me: "Well, that's unfortunate."

Jen: "What?"

Me: "Look straight ahead."

She scans the scene in front of us.

Jen: "OH!!"

We slow down and have a few moments in silence.

Jen: "I don't know if I can continue this way. Maybe we should turn around."

Me: "Yeah."

A few minutes later, we saw a person at another stand drop a pot. The lid came off and out fell a rubber chicken wearing a bikini. I don't even know what to say about that. There was a lot of giggling.

We saw Angela Reed play at Cafe Allegro, and we stayed to hear a really talented guitar player after. Angela is lovely. She has a beautiful voice and seems at ease behind the microphone. She signed the CD I purchased, and I signed up for her mailing list. I'd love to hear her perform again.

The whole scene was so mellow and nice, and the wonderfully hot day made it even better. Cafe Allegro has a great vibe, and I had a funny conversation with the cute little barista when I went downstairs to order iced teas. He gave me a hard time about standing in the wrong place in line, so we joked around a bit. When it was time for me to order, I asked if he would make an iced tea/lemonade combo, and he said, "You got it." He went behind a counter to prepare them, and when he returned he handed me the drinks and said very solemnly, "I like you." I was taken aback, so I replied with, "You like me?...Well, I guess I'm pretty nice...Most of the time." We laughed and exchanged other pleasantries. Needless to say, I left him a nice tip.

I had a lot of fun chatting with people at the fair, actually. It was the kind of day that made me feel like it was a good idea to have conversations with the world. So I did.

I've been a reading machine lately. Chris and I spent a lot of time looking at books while I was in Minnesota. I'm still at the beginning of The Lemon Tree, but while away I read Shannon Olson's Children of God Go Bowling and Elinor Lipman's Then She Found Me (which is waaaaay different than the movie, but it turns out I love both). Chris picked out Children of God for me simply because it has bowling in the title and looked fun in a chick lit sort of way. It's really a great read and has a lot more depth, humor, and insight than I expected. I even cried. The similarities between the main character's life and my own were a bit strange. She lived in the Twin Cities (where I'm from), but had a sister with a baby in Portland and a brother in Seattle. Some characters had the same names as people in my life, and similar jobs. She goes to hear the Dalai Lama speak at the University of MN. Her mother says a lot of things my mother would say. The issues the main character struggles with resonate with me.

Chris was fun and funny to book shop with. In addition to my fiction reads, I've been interested in books that are most often found in Self Help, too. It's embarrassing to admit, but in my quest for self-awareness, alternative spirituality, and learning about human behavior, I tend to find books along those lines, um, helpful. Often, I'd ditch Chris browsing in a normal section to wander off to self help. It became a joke with us. One time I returned to find her in the "Addictions" area of Barnes and Noble, and I asked her what she was looking for. She responded, "I'm looking for a book on addiction to self help books." Hmph!

I have more to say, but I'll have to say it later, because this post is already too long and on too many topics. I'll share my Israel trip deets next time, as I don't have them here with me at the moment. So much for you to look forward to!