My beautiful launderette and...Surprise!
Later in the day Saturday....
I went to the launderette, it's something I don't have to do much. Unless I am trying to do comforters etc.
This one was cleaner than most, in that suburban, non-descript, antiseptic sort of way...
People coming and going, doing a chore and then leaving, not really paying much attention to the other patrons.
I notice the 'Attendant' (wondering how they coin that word for such a job)- I am also wondering at the type of life someone like this leads; being the 'guardian' over such a place. Entrusted with other people's laundry to wash, dry and fold. It seems so simple but so intimate at the same time. I wonder how he feels as he folds a woman's bra and panties, then I wonder about those people who are either so busy or so wealthy that they can afford to have someone else wash, dry and fold their clothes for them. Well obviously in this particular case they really aren't all *that* rich cause if they were, they'd have someone doing this for them in the privacy of their homes....
Still....
He does not appear to be a serial killer...but then what does a serial killer look like, exactly?
***************
It was my brother's birthday as well on Saturday. His wife decided to (at the last minute) put together a special 'surprise' birthday dinner for him.
I was asked by his wife to bring a bottle of wine for the dinner. The neat thing about this (as one would think it's an otherwise ordinary task), was that we were going to go to one of my brother's old haunts, he had been going to this place since he was about 18 years old. And the 'neat' thing was that it did not have a liquor license so I was going to bring a bottle (or two) and the owner would supply the glasses. It's such a European thing to do...
So there I was in the 'World Market' (a great place to find good wine at reasonable prices), and I got it in my head to look for a Petite Sirah (don't ask me why) - one of my favs in this category is Guenoc's Petite Sirah:

So I asked the 'wine guy', whom I had talked to on one previous occasion (noting his kind of quirky cuteness) - he seemed to know his stuff. I asked after the Guenoc and he complimented me on my taste and told me they didn't have it in stock, I was bummed, but he immediately brightened and said:
He took me to another bottle that was 1/2 the cost of the Guenoc and promised me I'd love it. He was so very pleasant and helpful that I've decided he's now going to become *MY* own 'personal' wine steward - who knows perhaps I'll ask him to join me at a cafe some night for glass or two....
So I got the wine, stopped at another store to get another bottle of chilled white (Alice White Chardonnay to be exact), and went to meet them at the restaurant 'Ali Babba' on the westside of town.
I showed up before everyone else and met the 'owner' of the place, Linda. I explained to her I was there for my brother's birthday. She laughed and asked if it was Kevin. I said yes and we spoke briefly about him and his birth (my memories of my mom bringing him home from the hospital) and her remembering him coming there as a teen. We had a immediate connection and pleasant conversation until the rest of the family arrived.
We were served food she'd prepared fresh: Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Shistawook, Sharma, Lentil soup, Fresh Pita bread etc. It was all marvelous, the food, the company, the conversation and the wine. I found out that she pretty much opened up especially for my brother and we had the place to ourselves. Her husband had run the restaurant for years (he's the one I remember - having Turkish coffee there myself 'back in the day'), but he had died a few years back. SO now with her other business and enterprises, the restaurant was only open on weekends and even then not so much. It was indeed a special evening and I hope my brother enjoyed his birthday and the celebration.
A very happy birthday my dear and may this year hold all the best for you.
I went to the launderette, it's something I don't have to do much. Unless I am trying to do comforters etc.
This one was cleaner than most, in that suburban, non-descript, antiseptic sort of way...
People coming and going, doing a chore and then leaving, not really paying much attention to the other patrons.
I notice the 'Attendant' (wondering how they coin that word for such a job)- I am also wondering at the type of life someone like this leads; being the 'guardian' over such a place. Entrusted with other people's laundry to wash, dry and fold. It seems so simple but so intimate at the same time. I wonder how he feels as he folds a woman's bra and panties, then I wonder about those people who are either so busy or so wealthy that they can afford to have someone else wash, dry and fold their clothes for them. Well obviously in this particular case they really aren't all *that* rich cause if they were, they'd have someone doing this for them in the privacy of their homes....
Still....
He does not appear to be a serial killer...but then what does a serial killer look like, exactly?
***************
It was my brother's birthday as well on Saturday. His wife decided to (at the last minute) put together a special 'surprise' birthday dinner for him.
I was asked by his wife to bring a bottle of wine for the dinner. The neat thing about this (as one would think it's an otherwise ordinary task), was that we were going to go to one of my brother's old haunts, he had been going to this place since he was about 18 years old. And the 'neat' thing was that it did not have a liquor license so I was going to bring a bottle (or two) and the owner would supply the glasses. It's such a European thing to do...
So there I was in the 'World Market' (a great place to find good wine at reasonable prices), and I got it in my head to look for a Petite Sirah (don't ask me why) - one of my favs in this category is Guenoc's Petite Sirah:

So I asked the 'wine guy', whom I had talked to on one previous occasion (noting his kind of quirky cuteness) - he seemed to know his stuff. I asked after the Guenoc and he complimented me on my taste and told me they didn't have it in stock, I was bummed, but he immediately brightened and said:
"But sweetie did you notice this one?"He took me to another bottle that was 1/2 the cost of the Guenoc and promised me I'd love it. He was so very pleasant and helpful that I've decided he's now going to become *MY* own 'personal' wine steward - who knows perhaps I'll ask him to join me at a cafe some night for glass or two....
So I got the wine, stopped at another store to get another bottle of chilled white (Alice White Chardonnay to be exact), and went to meet them at the restaurant 'Ali Babba' on the westside of town.
I showed up before everyone else and met the 'owner' of the place, Linda. I explained to her I was there for my brother's birthday. She laughed and asked if it was Kevin. I said yes and we spoke briefly about him and his birth (my memories of my mom bringing him home from the hospital) and her remembering him coming there as a teen. We had a immediate connection and pleasant conversation until the rest of the family arrived.
We were served food she'd prepared fresh: Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Shistawook, Sharma, Lentil soup, Fresh Pita bread etc. It was all marvelous, the food, the company, the conversation and the wine. I found out that she pretty much opened up especially for my brother and we had the place to ourselves. Her husband had run the restaurant for years (he's the one I remember - having Turkish coffee there myself 'back in the day'), but he had died a few years back. SO now with her other business and enterprises, the restaurant was only open on weekends and even then not so much. It was indeed a special evening and I hope my brother enjoyed his birthday and the celebration.
A very happy birthday my dear and may this year hold all the best for you.
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