Friday, November 15, 2002

The City has distributed new rolling plastic trash receptacles to people on the cross street. Maybe we should be envious, maybe not. Under the "Pay as you puke" program, collections were halved, from twice a week to once a week. Entire neighborhoods reek because collections aren't often enough, and it's best for those with sensitive schnozzes to stay away from neighborhoods with lots of babies and therefore lots of disposed-of disposable diapers. Eeeyeeeeewwww! All were issued a receptacle in one of three sizes. They're all capable of being lifted without human intervention beyond rolling them to the truck, all good for people's backs (no more human-powered levitation). The effort not invested in raising the trashcans to the truck has been used to throw them back against the curbs. Our trashcan died a horrible death in this fashion sometime in the spring. We were issued a new, supposedly same-sized can, but with two important differences. Instead of being square in shape all the way down, it's round below the square-shaped top. Talk about cutting corners! Less plastic, and considerably less capacity for trash. The old receptacle had a lid the fitted over the top of the trashcan; this one saves a bit of plastic and is no longer large enough or designed to fit over the top. Instead it sits atop the body of the trashcan. Because it warps in the sun, now it allows admission to hornets seeking tasty food. So, next collection day, it won't be necessary to inspect closely to learn whether the new "carts," as the City likes to call them, are the better square ones, or those cheapie cylindrical ones--if they're all tipped over onto their sides after being emptied, they're the cylindroids.>>>>We got to MGM Market too late to buy diwali lamps or diyas before they had sold out and had to settle for remaindered greeting cards. The unpopular designs were three. Two had lamps only. The smoke of one was obviously issuing a sentiment in non-roman lettering. The third featured a lamp, a bowl of fruit, and Ganesha. All were printed in India by the same company and, upon being opened, revealed the following sentiment: "Good Wishes for a Joyous Diwali and a Happy New Year with plenty of Peace and Prosperity." A good reference on names in Spanish has never been found. I'd really like to have one with names beyong those of the saints, one with old-fashioned names, including those from the romances and from history (e.g., Armida, Araceli, Belisario). In trying to find more about Diwali, though, I found a really good one on Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain names used in India. Oddly the OUP reference on first names has many Muslim names, but isn't good on names from many other cultures.

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