My wife has read almost everything ever written by Truman Capote, Agatha Christie, and Patricia Highsmith. She consumes Shakespeare like a zoo hippopotamus on the loose at a high prairie watermelon festival.
She also giggles uncontrollably at Abbot and Costello movies.
I got a new video game today. Well, itʼs an old video game, since most of the games I play are for the Atari 2600.
Itʼs Chase, which is the Sears Tele-Games rebranding of Atariʼs Surround.
A simple as it is, this is an engaging game, which explains why itʼs been recreated on dozens and dozens of machines. People today still have warm and fuzzy memories of 1997ʼs Snake on Nokia cell phones, but it originated in 1976 with the Blockade arcade game from Gremlin before it became Sega/Gremlin.
This version is solid, except that the bleeps are annoying, so itʼs best to turn off the sound and put on some period-appropriate music like Sirius 70ʼs on 7.
It also has a nice freeform drawing mode, which is useful to endearing oneself with oneʼs sweetheart.
Today I saw Darcie using the wet Swiffer mop thing to clean the kitchen counters.
She's either mad, or a genius, or a mad genius.
About the only normal thing these days is the cat. She eats. She poops. She licks herself. All the normal things a cat should do. Sheʼs never been very bright, so she doesnʼt know anything is wrong. The last cat was very empathetic. He knew when something was wrong, and would comfort us. If he heard Darcie cry or yelp or swear, heʼd run to her side. Now she only has me. Itʼs not the same thing.
Right now, in preparation for our move in two months, Darcie is using a vintage Polaroid to take pictures of each pair of her shoes.
Itʼs pretty much the most Darcie thing Iʼve seen in a long time.
Some days I pack Darcieʼs lunch for her. Today I put a whole can of Spam in her lunch bag.
Sheʼll thank me for it later.
Trading posts are still the one of the primary means of commerce and communication on the Navajo Nation. The tribal government operates some of them, but most are owned by white people, like the one Darcie is standing in front of. It's been operating since 1878.
The trading posts still exist because the companies you and I shop with aren't interested in opening stores on the reservations. Indians still actually trade jewelry, rugs, pottery, and other things for food, clothing, and even iPads at the trading posts.
They can also use money, like Darcie did.
Our Navajo guide to the Hopi dinosaur beach. He was so excited to have Ann Jillian visiting his personal dinosaur field, I didnʼt have the heart to tell him that Darcie wasnʼt on Itʼs A Living. Or that Ann Jillian is 70 years old now.
Darcie: Have you been using my phone?
Me: Why?
Darcie: All my ads have changed.
Me: I Googled “astronaut diapers.”
Taco Bell makes me happy that Darcie insists I buy the good, fluffy toilet paper.
Darcie's three favorite entertainers are:
I see a pattern.
