Continuing saga

[mrissa]

So. Today is somewhat better than yesterday, on the food poisoning front, but I would not describe myself as feeling up to snuff, tip-top, or any other anachronistic expression for "fine." And aren't you glad I'm not the sort of lj'er to put all the details in here? I knew you were.

Problem is, two of the things on today's original agenda (from, say, Saturday's idea of the week) are not things that can be shifted indefinitely in time. mmerriam is not giving a reading at Dreamhaven "sometime" or "whenever I can get there." mmerriam is giving a reading at Dreamhaven tonight at 6:30. I firmly believe in going to friends' readings to support them (and ideally also to hear the stories!), especially for an early-career reading when you can't just assume that fans will show up en masse. (Not that you can assume that anyway -- that's how I got a pameladean in my life, basically: because the rest of you deadbeats who already know and like her didn't show up at her reading, so it was perfectly easy for some random woman she'd never met to start talking to her and dd_b and lydy after, without feeling awkward about the hordes of friends and fans.) So I would really, really like to do that, if I'm at all able.

Also, my grandmother's birthday is Thursday, and she gets here (to my folks', not here here) on Thursday, and it would be wise of me to have a birthday present no later than -- you guessed it -- Thursday. Even if we don't see them or celebrate Thursday, greykev arrives Friday, and I doubt that I will have much time for/inclination towards running after birthday presents after that. I don't know what to get her, either. She's sure whatever I come up with will be just lovely, and as I keep telling people, that makes one of us.

So. I'm not really sure what to do here. If I drive up to the city, I may strand myself 20-40 minutes from home if things deteriorate. On the other hand, time is of the essence here. (And for once, better public transit is not the answer: I've had to get off BART to go be sick in a BART station bathroom, and it was not, shall we say, the best afternoon of my life. Again, aren't you glad of the lack of detail there!) And sadly, my grandmother doesn't want anything to be had at Dreamhaven or even -- most unreasonable of her all around, I realize -- at Phoenix Games across the street. So I can't just do one and call it good for the next few days.

I may do a trial run to a nearby store and see how that goes. Hmm. That sounds sensible, actually, and if they have something for Grandma's birthday, so much the better, right?

Comments

[pameladean]

I'm sorry you're still under the weather. I'm going to have to miss the reading too, on the grounds that going to a reading and coughing hollowly every five minutes is not courteous to anybody.

P.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Yes, I know that feeling. (I don't think you've ever heard my big nasty cough, but it's not courteous to anybody even when there's nothing going on; it certainly isn't courteous to me.) I think I'm going to give it a go, and if I have a problem, it's unlikely to be at a time or in a way that'll disturb others.

I hope I'm not wrong.

[pameladean]

Just make sure they tell you where the key to the bathroom is.

I had meant to add, I believe that the deadbeats who did not come to my autographing were all scared of St. Paul. They'd have come to Uncle Hugo's or wherever.

And I'm so glad that you came.

P.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

So am I, dear.

You can't be scared of St. Paul! It has the nice little dead fishies in it! Also ice sculpture.

You can be contemptuous of St. Paul, apart from the nice little dead fishies and ice sculpture (and maybe the Science Museum), but that's different.

[wilfulcait.livejournal.com]

Does your grandmother travel at all, to places other than kinfolks' houses? Because I got my mother a travel flower vase for her birthday -- it's made out of "friendly plastic," so you can pack it flat in your suitcase, take it out when you get wherever, fill it with hot water to shape it, and then have flowers in a pretty vase wherever you are.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Neat! I like living in the future.

Most of my grandma's travel is to kinfolks' houses, but she does travel some otherwise. Sadly, I think I need to buy something in person rather than ordering it at this point.

The last hotel we stayed in had a vase and a note that the hotel gardens were for guests' enjoyment, and that if we needed clippers to cut ourselves flowers to fill the vase, we should ask at the front desk.

[ladysea.livejournal.com]

Does your grandma like tea?

There is a neat tea shop that recently opened here in Burnsville. It is on Highway 13. They have a wide assortment of tea pots and other tea accessories.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Do they serve tea as well? And do they serve tea-the-meal as well as tea-the-beverage?

My other grandmother, the one who died before I was born, was the tea accessory grandmother. This one is a staunch coffee drinker, like most other Norsky ladies of her generation. (So was the other. But she liked tea stuff anyway.)

[ladysea.livejournal.com]

I am not sure about tea-the-meal.

But I had a lovely glass of iced Peppermint Spa tea and a piece of Granny Smith Apple Coffee Cake.

You can get tea by the cup, or pot. They have two different sizes of tea pots.

www.indigo-tea.com/aboutus.shtml

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I've bookmarked it and will probably take my mom.

[greykev.livejournal.com]

I'd be up for wandering around stores if you haven't found her a gift by then. Remember; I am an easy houseguest to entertain. ;-)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Yes, World's Easiest Houseguest, I do appreciate that. If you were anyone else (or most other people, at least), I'd be thinking of asking you to stay home right now, but you're you, so we'd far rather have you here.

To cheer you up...

[(Anonymous)]

http://www.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au/Personal/dabbott/animal.html
Maybe it's because of the Finnish and Swedish translations, but I thought of you when I saw this.
Get better soon!

Re: To cheer you up...

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Kvak!

Er, I mean, thanks.