I'm guided by a signal in the heavens
Thanks to NovAtel, makers of fine GPS receivers, and Omnistar, providers of fine differential GPS correction services, for their kind sponsorship of our racing efforts.
We went with Gary yesterday to one of the occasional alumni lunches at the Proud Bird. The table was full of old codgers who worked on the Apollo program and such; it seemed just about everyone there was working on guidance and navigation systems. (One guy was interested in using X-ray pulsars as God's own GPS satellites.)
This is probably one of those coincidences-that-really-isn't-a-coincidence. The Proud Bird is right next to the airport, and the neighborhood probably attracts a certain type.
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Driving at twilight, I stopped at an intersection that was well criss-crossed with power lines, and hundreds of birds had settled on every line in sight. A pedestrian crossing in front of me pointed up at the dark mass of birds. I nodded to show that I was aware of the gathering Hitchcockian menace.
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Fear of aggressive birds may be why the bird-infested patio tables are more readily available than the inside booths at the Omelette Parlor on Main Street. We've been there twice now and I'm ready to designate it the new brunch place. One thing I like about it is that the fruit that comes with the omelettes is actually good fruit, not lousy melon with a few grapes.
James Baker indirectly acknowledged the unpalatability of melon-laden fruit salad this week when he hoped that the administration would not treat the Iraq Study Group report as if it were one.
The orange juice at the Omelette Parlor is really good too, but expensive, which has inspired me to start juicing oranges at home again.
posted by Richard Mason @ Friday, December 08, 2006
3 Comments:
What takes a fruit salad from mediocrity to greatness? Is it just the variety? Or is it the inclusion of expensive fruit like strawberries?
I'm very fond of melons, but I suppose a plate of just melon looks sorta cheap. But I'd be perfectly happy with a bunch of melon plus two or three strawberries.
The Omelette Parlor patio is but a block away from the ocean and can be a little chilly in December. I suspect that the outdoor tables fill up more quickly when it is warmer.
Also, I will gladly accept a mediocre fruit salad in exchange for a warm, fresh muffin.
I don't like melon. I accept that this is a matter of taste, but it's dispiriting that melon (presumably because of cheapness) almost invariably dominates the "fruit" side promised on diner menus. People who don't like blueberries don't have blueberries shoved at them in the same way.
I haven't tried asking, "Please bring me something other than goddamn melon."
Setting aside the melon issue, I think the quality of a fruit salad would be determined by the quality of the component fruit more than the variety. There are good grapes and bad grapes...
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