HOW MANY DO YOU NEED?

Always have extra in your stash. The grocery store only had one pack. Fortunately I have six at home, so that should last me for a while. Russell, on the other hand, is desperate for more Thai noodles with peanut sauce. Easy to prepare from a prepackaged mix, and absolutely delicious. From which I gather that he has mostly recovered from his bout of pneumonia two years ago. He's full of pepper.

So is Stephen. Whom Russell chided. Dude, get out of bed earlier, and that way you won't be arriving in Chinatown for your teatime snack just before dinner. Stephen stays up late, Russell gets up early. They're both retired so they can do whatever they want.
But I kind of agree with Russell on this.

Stephen had pneumonia four years ago.

Elderly non-smokers living alone. As an opinionated inveterate smoker, plus incorrigible and stubborn, I strongly believe that elderly Chinese American bachelors must not live alone.
It leads to weird habits and odd practices. I've met enough of them to know.

Single Dutchmen and Dutch Americans are a different matter entirely.
Even though I have an apartment mate, a Cantonese American.
Cantonese American women shouldn't live alone either.

Their stuffed animals are likely to encourage crimes and obsessions.

By the way: did I ever mention that I am completely sane and normal, the very standard by which sanity and normalcy are measured, the absolute paradigm of both of those fine qualities, what with being a sane and normal Dutch American?

My stuffed animals know better than to suggest crazy things. I've spoken to them firmly about that. I feel that I am an example to them.


Lunch today at my usual place, pipe afterwards, shopping, then teatime in the company of three Cantonese American gentlemen, all of whom seemed to have funtioning hearing aids today, and were in remarkably good spirits. The weather may have something to do with that. Mid sixties. Spring. Sunshine.

Among subjects discussed: Noodles. Charsiu bao. Local crazy people. Nine-layer cakes. Suspects eating lunch at Chinese restaurants. Shopping carts on the bus lines. Local bakeries. Grocery stores. Birthday luncheons.

After nearly an hour of chit chat we all departed.
Pipe while walking to the bus stop.



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