un, deux, trois tidbits

Come back, Patti!

Alright, I mean come back dream of Patti, the one she and I were in. It was a good dream, as any with Patti Smith must be, but it slipped out my conscious net just before awaking. Ah well, always joyful in her presence.

* * *

I'm $10 richer. In theory.

There’s this middle-aged male regular at the dive hangout, S. He likes to talk astrology. When we met, he brought it up. Turns out he’s a Pisces as well.

Astrology being a passion and longtime study of mine, I’m always thrilled to engage in an explorative and educational dialogue.

What I learned from S. is this: Don’t attempt that again.

This guy spouts with supreme confidence but in fact knows nothing. He's not a triple Pisces as he claims and with frequent reminders that it's rare. (I've got his birth chart). He says the moon and the rising sign are the same in astrology. Far from it. On he went like that.

But then he also listens to nothing I say. Contrary to appearance, he displays no interest in learning or self-correction. He really is a windbag.

He could be misleading, even dangerous to someone without knowledge of the subject. Meeting him, you wouldn't think so, he's a quiet, seemingly benign, good-natured person.

And a megalomanic buffoon.

I feel sorry for his wife. I've overheard him yammering on with her. She's a bright person with the patience of Job. Don't know how she does it, or why. Perhaps his long hours at work help?

Anyhow, our conversation a couple nights ago left me with one nagging niggly question: Why? Why would someone speak with such calm surety and confidence on a subject in which s/he is completely ignorant? (Not misinformed, ignorant.)

I don't get it. I like to get inside people's heads. So that's my current mulling.

The 10 bucks in theory, the result of a friendly wager. He insisted he's triple Pisces (while having no knowledge what a rising sign is, an integral element in said triple). My astro radar said don't think so. He's not, not even close.

Some people ... totally foreign creatures ...

***

Big pots of soup are my thing when the weather turns toward cold.

I rarely use a recipe, except to scan proportions; my instincts and body needs guide the way and save for once the soup hits the bull's eye.

I'd been craving chicken with Korean red hot spicy, noodles and veggies. (Korean is second to Japanese as my favorite, particuarly in the cold season.) There's always risk winging it because I prepare a huge batch so if it doesn't pan out, that's a lot of unpleasant dining.

Turned out nicely, healthful, spicy, warm. A nice burn to the throat but short of calling the fire department.

I'm happy to have food in the house. I should do this more often! I always say that whenever I make soups. See, I'm sorta notorious for not having food around. A couple friends actually used to bring over groceries for the pantry, how sweet is that? Or perhaps they were tired of finding nothing to gnosh on.

All for now, toodles.