Search for Something to Do Leads to Pretty Strange Venues

Sam and I were looking in the newspaper this morning for something fun to do this week. Unfortunately, the pickings were kind of slim.

We could attend the 19th Annual South Sound Alzheimer’s Conference at the Lacey Community Center, but I think we’ll forget that. The community center is located next to Woodland Creek Park and if I even turn into the driveway there Sam goes berserk because he thinks I’m taking him for a walk.

A goofy advertisement for cars.com says, “Love drama? Give a cat a bubble bath. Hate drama? Go to cars.com.” I don’t love drama so I don’t think I’m going to ask Sam to go out in our backyard and round up a neighbor’s cat so we can give it a bath.

The Evergreen State College, my alma mater, (go geoducks!) is holding a Science Carnival and Research Expo this weekend. More than 200 exhibits by students will include: “how cola can dissolve certain foods, how oxygen affects the appetite of crabs, and a shellfish touch tank.” Does this sound weird to you? Heck, I’m a “greener” - that’s what they call us grads - and I think it sounds weird.

Bob's Java Jive used to be a coffee shop in Tacoma. It's a club now.

Maybe I should check out the “Concern for Animals” garage sale. Proceeds of the sale will help offset the cost of emergency medical care, spay and neuter procedures for pets of low-income families. Of course some people would say, “If you’re low-income you shouldn’t have a pet.” To adequately care for Sam, pay for occasional day care, food, health insurance, grooming and so on, I shell out nearly $250 a month. I could use some tips for my upcoming garage sale to help me raise money for Sam’s care.

A dinner with all-you-can-eat ice cream for dessert will be held at the Abigail Stewart House in Olympia, to help support the Native Plant Salvage Foundations. I’m pretty sure they won’t have enough all-you-can-eat ice cream to satisfy me though. And most likely, the dinner probably will feature kale or spinach or broccoli or some other foul tasting green stuff.

The play, “You Can’t Take It With You” is being presented by a local high school. Another high school is presenting “A (choral) Concert for Change,” whatever that means. The listing in the paper didn’t specify what needed changing so I probably won’t go to that either. I don’t want to change.

I could go to a movie but I have Netflix. I could mow the lawn, but I’d rather just watch it grow. I could paint a wall and watch the paint dry. I could get the truck washed, but then it would rain - more. Apparently we’ve already set a record for spring rainfall this year and spring isn’t even over yet.

Here’s an idea. I could get back to work on my new book. I’m a little bit stuck on how exactly to start it - you know - how to suck you readers in sufficiently that you’ll want to continue through to the end. The book’s title (tentatively, at least) is “Berkeley ’69.” It’s about a young cop and a radical college girl, falling in love during the Free Speech and Vietnam protests at the University of California Berkeley campus in 1969. One of the high points of the book will be the “People’s Park” riot that later was dubbed “Bloody Thursday.”

Well, I gotta’ get out of my bathrobe and put some clothes on to take Sam for his morning walk. Talk about your excitement! Woo hoo!