Women and Cars

Grr .  Really, it is so frustrating.  No matter how smart or together I am in life, dealing with a mechanic sends me into a tailspin.  It goes on.  The car needs work, but the truth of the matter is that its blue book value is only $2,000.  What to do? Luckily, friend Alex has come to the rescue.  (The fact that I need rescuing, by a man or otherwise, is - well, frustrating.)  He has both a good and trustworthy mechanic, and an extra car.  He has offered to a) take my car to his mechanic, and get another estimate and an opinion as to whether the work is worth doing; and b) lend me his extra car (god bless him, it is a red Chrysler Seabring convertible) until we have a solution.  The sense of relief is palpable.

But that was today.  Let's rewind.  This past week was the last of the winter courses (I can't take spring courses, as I won't be in Palm Springs to finish them), so recaps all around.  Disturbers of the Peace was disappointing, although the instructor  did - belatedly - manage to come up with a few women disturbers of the peace.  (Normally, I am not conscious of this sort of stuff, but this was really blatant.)  Behavioural Economics was a wonderful finish, with the prospect of a smaller, seminar like class for those interested in civil discourse on a number of agreed on subjects.  (I'm in, and am willing to put in the required work.)  And the prize for most fun was the last class on Marie Antoinette (otherwise known as "The Austrian Woman"), where instructor (and neighbor) Vinnie brought in a model of Marie and her children so we could take selfies!

There is a certain sub-set of people who take these classes, and we are starting to be much more lively and social with one another, part of the reason, after all, for doing this.  I am already looking forward to next season.

There was also a lovely dinner with bridge friends John and Jim, who took me out to The Outback, the Aussie steak chain.

We enjoy each other's company a lot, and, as always, had a great time.

Colleague and friend Dee arrived from Victoria on Thursday night, for a long weekend in the sun.  I had lots on offer to amuse her....

.....to start with, breakfast on Friday morning with The Canadian Club, of which I am a new member.  It is just a group of snowbirds who get together monthly for breakfast and an informational talk, and sporadically on other occasions for eating, drinking, and otherwise having fun.  The speaker this time was clearly knowledgeable, but not a very good speaker.  However, the locale was beautiful (yet another golf club, called The Lakes)...

....the breakfast was good, and the people were...Canadian, that is, nice.

Since we were already up, we just kept on going, out to The La Quinta Art Fair.  Since I have already bored you with endless pictures of the fair in other years, I limited myself to one...

.....just to remind you of yet another beautiful locale....

After a brief recharge at home (otherwise known as a nap), we headed out for something that Dee can't readily get at home, that is, good Mexican food, at my local cantina, Las Tablitas....

.....where the guacamole and the margaritas are both divine.

Saturday was a good day for a trip out to the market at the College of the Desert (sunny, but not too hot), but my annual visit to the hat lady....

....and, as I do every year, I added one (no, two) to my collection....

Sunday, I had to show off Sunnylands, previously pictured in another post, but I couldn't resist a few more...

They apparently have free concerts every Sunday morning, so not only a lovely place to explore (especially for a great gardener like Dee) but good (retro) music as well.

Since we were in the neighborhood, we went to the Living Desert in the afternoon.  I don't go there often - too many small children, don't you know - but I will make an exception for company, and it is a civilized way to explore the desert flora and fauna (and my civilized I mean groomed paths and water fountains...)

.....it is so much easier to take pictures of the statues than of the live animals...

....aren't the zebras beautiful?....

...but my favourites (in the desert, at least) are the giraffes...

Too much sun and fresh air.  We could barely stay awake for the (as always) lovely Italian dinner at Sammy G's Tuscan Grill (my new favourite).

Which brings us to today.

...breakfast at Sherman's Deli, without which a trip to Palm Springs would not be complete (note my new chapeau...)


A  walk downtown (note Dee's new chapeau...)

...and, to top off the visit, a trip to the Palm Springs Art Museum.

Now I go to the museum at least three or four times a season.  I know these guys are sculptures.  But I do a double take every time I see them at the top of the stairs.

We saw the new Andy Warhol exhibit, I have never been much of a fan, but you have to admire his energy, and how he captured the zeitgeist.

On the literary front, I finished Stephen Greenblatt's study of Adam and Eve, where he studies the pre-biblical creation myths, Genesis, Augustine, Milton, and many many more, effectively drawing the line between the Myth and the misogyny of Harvey Weinstein, all without sounding at all shrill.  Highly recommend it.

...and, finally, have now started The Collected Novels of Stefan Zweig.  Reading all these middle-European authors from the early /mid 20th century is like going back to a time and place now lost....