What I like

The intersection of Sunset and Lewis has, in the past, been a completely unremarkable intersection in our town. Lately, however, it has become quite unusual. Unlike other intersections, people stop when the light turns red. They do not sneak through on the yellow or slide through on the red. They obey the arrow. You can count on the fact that the car next to you will not change lanes unexpectedly, cut you off, tail-gate or even gesture rudely. They proceed with caution. It is really the most civilized intersection in Lake County that I'm aware of. It harkens back to the intersections of my youth. The only difference are the cameras taking pictures every few seconds, 24-7. I really like this intersection. I like lemon drops too.

Pursuit of Happiness

In the hope of attaining a sense of relaxation and balance, I recently went to a nearby spa with a friend. She enticed me into a number of things to fully enjoy the "spa experience" which I must admit was quite lovely. The spa itself was serene and purposefully zen in its design. There was a marvelous hot tub, a warm pool and fountain and an array of juices, teas and coffees available for your pleasure. Salon services and other treatments available at a price. Among the treatments we tried, my friend highly recommended a "Swiss shower". This was available at a nominal fee and I thought, "Why not?" In this particular place the shower consisted of a large number of nozzles arranged at the end of a long narrow room in such a manner that the nozzles are aimed towards the center of the area from 4 sides. When you stand in the center, you are showered from head to foot on all sides at once. it is quite nice...except that I am a bit shorter than my friend. The upper nozzles hit me square in the face in such a manner that I couldn't breathe. Not quite as bad as water-boarding- I'm sure, but not pleasant. When I stopped gagging and figured out that I could turn off the upper nozzles in the array, and therefore breathe, it was quite pleasant. Then came the pièce de résistance. My friend assured me her previous experience did not include this. The lovely young woman who operates the Swiss Shower enters the room, takes out a fire hose, and sprays you with it. I kid you not. I'm thinking, this was riot control in the '60s. I missed seeing my friend pummeled with this fire-hose spray and I would have paid extra for this. I'm quite sure there are people who would pay good money to see me sprayed with a fire hose. In any case, it really kind of hurt. Afterwards, the sweet, young woman, left me a glass of ice water with lime and a fluffy towel. She said to me, "you want one of these at home, don't you?". Uh, not so much. I did pay for this, plus tip, but not so much.