I have a few extra minutes this morning before an orthodontist appointment, so let’s try and get this done before I have to leave.

• There was a long time store in my neighborhood called Ma Petite Shoe that sold shoes and chocolate. They sadly closed in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. I never shopped there much. I have a couple of pairs of socks from there, but my feet are too broken to wear anything but old lady comfortable shoes. I cannot look stylish without being in terrible pain, so their shoes were not for me. At one point they also had a crepe shop next door called Choux, which I thought was a very clever tie in. I do miss that place, but it was gone long before the pandemic started. Anyway, they recently announced that they will be reopening in a bigger space this coming weekend. Even though I’m not a frequent shopper I’m very happy that they are coming back because they were a staple of the neighborhood, and I’m glad they’re getting a second life.
• There is a fire hydrant on the corner where the side street my work is on connects to a major road that I drive by every day going to and from work. Someone just painted it to look like a Dalmatian and it pleases me.
• The Sex Lives of College Girls came back on HBOMax this past week. I love this show so much. There are only two episodes out so far, and I am eagerly awaiting the release of the next two. So far I’m loving it just as much as the first season.
• We have season tickets to the touring Broadway shows in Baltimore, so on Sunday night we went to see Tina, the Tina Turner musical. I don’t love juke box musicals in general. This one was fine. Better than I was expecting. That at least was my opinion. Even more enjoyable than the show itself was watching the woman sitting in the row in front of me having the time of her life at the show. She was chair dancing and cheering every time a song with any sort of beat came on. I don’t think the guy sitting next to hear was appreciating her enthusiasm as much as I was, but I had a good time watching her enjoy herself.
• I walk by the local elementary/middle school on my morning walk every day. I’m usually passing by on my way home right as morning drop off is starting. The other day I saw a dad dropping off his daughter, and he got out of the car, opened the door for her, and then gave her a kiss goodbye. It was mostly notable because she definitely looked like she was probably one of the middle schoolers. You know the age at which kids want to pretend that they sprung from the earth and have no embarrassing parents that all middle schoolers are saddled with. So the fact that he kissed her goodbye and she didn’t recoil in horror was really sweet to me.

And now on to our musical delights.

• Speaking of being embarrassed by your parents as a middle schooler, I remember driving in the car with my dad, my sister, and a friend at that age and the song “My Lovin’ (Never Gonna Get It)” by En Vogue came on and my dad said that’s not what your mom said to me last night. Talk about wanting to die. Anyway, I heard that song this week, and I never hear it without thinking about that moment. It’s a good thing the song is so awesome so that it was not ruined for me forever. The “now it’s time for a breakdown” part is one of the best moments in a song ever. I will fight you on that.

• I also heard the song “32 Flavors” by Ani DiFranco this week. In my memories that song was a lot more poppy than it actually is. It’s even sort of soulful. It’s something I hadn’t heard in a long time and that didn’t sound how I remember it. I really enjoyed it and should listen to it more frequently.