You Did Your Part

It’s a mighty-fine day here in Beijing.  Just off the phone with mom back in Poughkeepsie.  It’s raining there.  It’s been raining there.  She said it doesn’t feel like its spring.  Hasn't all spring.  That’s too bad.  We doin’ alright out here.  It’s a gorgeous spring day.  Only thing messing with my mood is this damn contact lens in my left eye.  I took one out already and now this new one is acting up as well.  It’s a subtle annoyance but it doesn’t leave you alone.   Each time you submit to a new one you feel like you're wasting money.  And you are.  

My daughter popped in around 9:00AM with a sigh.  “BTS broke a record.”  “Really?”  “Yeah.  We the (BTS) Army made it happen.  Fifty million downloads in only seventeen hours.  It’s a new record.”  I told her I was glad I’d helped do my part as I’d watched the new song with her last night.  “Yeah.  You did your part.  Your computer has been streaming the song all night.”  “Huh?”  My eyes were drawn back to that Youtube tab on the far left, which had looked out of place there amidst the gallery of Chrome tabs I keep open.  Sure enough the BTS elves were dancing around there as they'd been all night, when I checked the tab and brought it to the fore.   I tried to suggest that this was cheating.  But she didn’t agree. 

I finished one and then another and before long every damn item on my to-do list.  But by the time I was done there was no time left to go to the gym and return with time for buying the fixings I was supposed to secure for the barbeque my stepson had pre-ordered for later this evening.  I got most of what I needed at the local market and biked a bit further on to get the meat, some drinkable wine and the Seven-Up my stepson had insisted on.  Poplar puffball sperm in search of non existent female trees were in full bloom as the afternoon unfolded, causing the city to look like it was in the middle of dusty snow storm. 

I texted an old friend to get the number for the gas canister supply guy.  He provided it and I thought to ask him to come by this evening, which he said he would.   The new gas canister arrived for the grill and we cleaned off the old workhorse so we could cook on it and by the time I emerged from the shower my stepson and his wife were here, and we turned up some Tim Maia which he thought was Santana and we set about chopping and basting and pealing.  It was a lovely night that ended in a jam session, which only happens when he comes by. 

Saturday 4/13/19