Chinese Lunch; Buying Neutral Milk Hotel

Have you ever noticed that people who visit the Chinese restaurant for the lunch buffet on a daily basis look like people who visit the Chinese restaurant for the lunch buffet on a daily basis? Type casting or something. As I was having my comparatively modest meal today at the Chinese restaurant, I noticed some folks piling so much food onto their plates, that they had to have a stevedore lug the thing back to the table.

Today's crowd was a crowd, not like Wednesday when the place was half empty. This group was much more the mirth-and-girth-poster-boy type. There were a couple of guys shaped like construction workers who were mildly interesting. But no one to fuel my perverted fantasises.

After lunch, I wandered around the corner to the "Dirt Cheap CD Store." Except, the place where it used to be was now SunCom. And the next place over was very empty. Or maybe there never was a "Dirt Cheap CD Store."

"Dirt Cheap" once upon a time was next to BeBop, a not-so-dirt-cheap-cd-store. So I backtracked and flung open the door to a semi-cavernous, unattractive place with the world's ugliest carpet. There were only a few categories of CDs: New Age, Classical, Gospel, Blues, Country and one called Rock, Pop, Rap which consumed about 80% of the store. I eased my way to the "N," section trying to appear like I knew just what I was doing. Of course, no NMH. Up to the high counter I went. (And this was one high counter. The kind you find in dollar stores or cheap clothing places. A perch from which the hired help can observe all the shoplifting convex mirrors.)

Neutral Milk Hotel was indeed available but not out in the bin. And behold there was "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea." And it was good. And I did pluck. So after a quick charge to my credit card, out the door I went with my prize clutched in my grubby little paw.

Nothing too earth-shattering this eve. I can't be Noel Coward every night. For that matter, Noel Coward couldn't be Noel Coward every night.

PAX!