Saturday, April 28, 2007
Patrick came home, showered, got in bed. I got up. Usual oatmeal breakfast. Chatted with Danny on the phone. Picked up alterations, returned a DVD to the library. Patrick and I drove to Los Gatos. It was Patrick's first time driving on the freeway with me in the car, and his first time in 5th gear ever. He's been learning to drive my car, and it's taken him a while, but he's doing very well. Samantha's 1st birthday party at Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos. Samantha is the daughter of my cousin Johnson. It was my first time seeing Henry and Rachel in a long time. Met Lauren (9) and Ethan (6, soon to be 7). Corinna and Allison were there. Dexter arrived and had some trouble with a gift tag, so I let him borrow my pen. Patrick and I dropped off late/early birthday presents for Matthew. I dropped off a roll of cork for my sister, picked up the Apple MacBook that Johnson got for me for Tina. Afterwards while on our way to Travis's place we drove for a few blocks through suburbia/bizparkland and were shocked that we hadn't passed a Starbucks in over a minute. Patrick was dying of thirst, but in the next block we found a Safeway with a Starbucks inside—saved! Patrick crawled up to the counter and ordered a tall mocha frappuccino, no whip. Chatted with Travis at his place, then we three took a walk through the business district of Campbell. It's quiet and charming, reminded us a little of Palo Alto but without the crowds or superfancy restaurants. Very down-to-earth. Took photos of the historic Ainsley House which had an unusual and beautiful roof of wood tiles. A reroofing project was in progress. Home. Stopped at BevMo!. It was Patrick's first time, and I laughed when I pulled out a shopping cart upon entering and he asked me, "What are you getting a cart for?" and I said, "Just wait and see." He had never been before and didn't realize how much stuff he might want. We ended up getting a pretty full shopping cart of beverages for us and as gifts for others. It was fun. Home. I tried on clothes that were altered—everything looks good. Showers. Dinner at home with Patrick: herb ravioli with spinach and cheese in garlic arrostito tomato sauce with mushrooms. Patrick also had a bagel, which I thought was weird, but he's a breadlover. (I mean that only in the eating sense.) Watched The Queen (2006) on DVD with Patrick. Sam had let us borrow the DVD. I didn't know anything about the film before seeing it except I looked it up on IMDB—a 7.6 rating, which is above my threshold of 7.2. When I first saw the photographers on motorcycles, I realized what was going to happen next, and I felt a chill of fear and dread come over me. My favorite part of the film was the scene at the river. This scene says so much with so little so poignantly. I was surprised to see that so many flowers were placed at the gates of Buckingham Palace. I couldn't recall seeing this television footage before. (I have never owned my own television, and this comes as somewhat of a pleasant shock to me even as I type this.) Of course I remember the events surrounding her death, but I cannot recall them having a significant effect on me at the time. I have never liked the idea of monarchies, and I have never particularly liked the British people as a whole. I did like their music, though. And Diana always did seem to me to be a figure of grace and beauty and compassion. Stayed up late to work on paper deliverables (restroom sign, gift certificate) and webwork for Danny. Late meal: leftover japanese rice and a chicken leg.