slice of life

When bananas get really ripe, you can smell them all over the apartment.

Adventures with kitchen motors

A few months ago I broke my blender jar, which pissed me off quite a lot because I use my blender a lot. I went on the net and found out that replacement jars cost about as much as a new blender. I thought about buying a new blender. I made do with the Cuisinart stick blender (which is great too, by the way). I kept the old base. Why, I don't know. Part of me hoped I would find the right blender jar at a thrift shop. Part of me wanted to give it to someone to make an awesome bike-powered machine. Part of me was just stewing about it. It's been sitting there for months. 

So... today I'm walking home, and I see a Black and Decker blender jar on the sidewalk right down the street from my place. There's a sign: "à donner". No base. I rush it home (taking care not to break it) and try it out. IT FITS. What are the odds? This has been a life-changing experience. I have new faith in the universe. Things have been made right. Yes.

The above post appeared on Facebook on March 6, 2013. Within 5 days, a whopping 48 people had clicked "like". I guess heartwarming stories about kitchen appliances are more consensus-building than tales of mustard, shots of completed puzzles or indiscriminate slapdowns. I have learned something new about humanity.

Non-compliant sonnet for my Mum's birthday

The butterfly alights upon
A boulder formed when Earth was new
I chase my tail around the lawn
And fall face first into the dew

My thoughts aswirl, my mind astray
I realize, my eyes see clear
My Mum is having a birthday
Let's eat some cake! Let's give a cheer!

A sweeping bit of pith and rot
This final couplet: It is not.