It’s 12 o’clock noon and Verizon didn’t make their scheduled 8-12 arrival time; who knows how much longer we’ll have to wait until we have the services for which we’ve signed up.
On a brighter note, Rob, Olive and I went to the zoo yesterday. We decided to invest in an $80 membership which would allow Olive and me to enter for free anytime thereafter. We didn’t want to assume that all of us - even Rob - could get in for free as a perk of his internship, so got the membership. Once we got to the gorilla area, Jon, one of Rob’s co-workers, asked if we paid to get in. We told him yes, that we got a membership, and he told us that it was unnecesary. I felt sick, knowing that we’d just dropped $80 that we didn’t have to, but Rob went back to the cashier and explained to her the situation and was able to get a refund. We got to go around to the Employees Only area of the gorilla outdoor enclousure for a closer look at Rob’s seven funny charges. It was amazing to see the way some of them ran - a frighteningly swift sideways gallop, knuckles bouncing off the ground. One of them, a sassy female named Ibo, tore up a patch of sod and hurled it our way, just barely missing her target.
In the evening I went for a run and explored more of our Highland Park neighborhood. A large reservoir sits atop a hill overlooking a well-groomed and landscaped park with a fountain. I ran around the reservoir once, then down the steps on the other side where a network of narrow trails cut through the woods. I found a wider gravel path and followed it down to a community park with a public swimming pool, volleyball courts, duck pond and picnic pavillions. Another road, Lake Drive, suggested a lake nearby, but I decided to save it for another run since it was hot and I was growing weary.
Today is a big day for two reasons: I have a job interview at Abay, an Ethiopian restaurant in East Liberty, a short walk away. Kellie had her bridal shower dinner at Abay over four years ago, so my memories of it are fond. Let’s hope I get the job, because it’ll pay the bills better than the combination of Rob’s stipend-free internship and being a stay-at-home mom (as much as I love it). I’ll only work on the days that Rob isn’t at the zoo, so I’ll be comfortable leaving Olive with him, though I’ll miss her. She’s been extra fun lately, her silly personality becoming more apparent each day. She’s incredibly active, scooting her way across greater distances, so we’re really having to keep a closer eye on her to make sure she stays out of harm and mischief’s way. She’s also been sampling more fruit - mainly banana, which I’m starting to give her each day to let her grow more accustomed to the new textures and flavors, not to mention giving her practice at chewing and swallowing. Still no sign of any teeth, by the way.
Second reason for my excitement today: A visit from Ben! Our buddy is coming for the weekend, and we’ve been seduced by his tales of Nicki’s Thai Kitchen, where we’ll hopefully be dining this evening. To whet our palates for southeast Asian cuisine, Rob and I stopped by Smiling Banana Leaf, the Thai cafe in our neighborhood, the other night while on a walk. We were thirsty, and Rob was requiring some iced tea. I’d remembered hearing something about Thai iced tea that didn’t work in my favor, so I opted for a cup of coconut juice, what I presumed to be coconut water. It seemed like a sweetened version, though was still good and tasted strongly of young coconut, with thin slices of the flesh stacked on the bottom under the ice cubes. Rob - not a sweets-lover, was less than impressed with his iced tea. He offered me a sip, and I admire him for finishing it. It was a pinkish milky liquid that bore little resemblance to the iced tea he’d been craving, and was far sweeter than my coconut juice. Lesson learned. At any rate, we’re all looking forward to seeing Ben, who was a fixture in our lives this summer. I just hope that it cools down by tonight, as the last three - particularly the first two - were the hottest I’d ever spent. A fan would be most helpful, but that seems a luxury too extravagant for our budget right now. The newspaper reported that tonight and this weekend we could enjoy much lower temperatures, getting down to 50 on Saturday night. SO looking forward to autumn in this beautiful, tree-filled city!
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