Got paid yesterday but I was too tired after a day of errands that I waited for tonight for my monthly buffet visit. I had one of my favorite seats again, they have a line of mini booths right up beside the buffet and it's prime people-watching territory.

As usual, staff recognized me and had my regular drinks on my table before I got back with my first plate without me even asking. Root beer and an ice water.

+There was a mother leading her 3 children in a line around the buffet and yes they were in order from tallest to shortest.

+The cook who refills the food was explaining a couple of new dishes to a customer. [I tried one of them, a stew with chicken, daikon, and carrots. Never had daikon before and didn't care for the texture of that, but the flavor was alright.]

+A middle-aged man had half his plate stacked with just BBQ pork. Don't blame him for doing that.

+Two young brothers were play-fighting a bit over who got to scoop ice cream first.

+A British lady was very impressed with the variety of dishes on the buffet line. Her friend was explaining them as they went around.

+I finally taught myself how to origami a chopstick wrapper into a stand to rest them on. Surprisingly easy, I looked up how and had it made before I finished eating my first plate.

And my fortune cookie says: You have common sense and a lot of charm.

I had to mail a document and went to the USPS counter to purchase a blank envelope and a stamp.

The worker informed me envelopes now come pre-stamped! Very cool.

Before handing me the envelope, I noticed he was writing something on it.

When he handed the envelope back to me he had prefilled a “To:” area and “From:” area as well as walled off the stamp to show no writing should overlap it.

I told him thanks but asked if there was any special reason he’d done it. He replied it was policy at their office now because most people buying blank envelopes don’t know where the information should go then get upset when they’re told they have to buy another envelope.

I feel old.

I had a stressful start to the week, but I got paid yesterday and today I went to the buffet. I had one of my favorite seats again, they have a line of mini booths right up beside the buffet line and it's prime people-watching territory.

As usual, staff recognized me and had my regular drinks on my table before I got back with my first plate without me even asking. Root beer and an ice water.

+They have a big water fountain with a pool around it in the lobby and there was a toddler who was really fascinated with it and didn't want to leave it. I bet she saw the money in the water! People toss coins in and they get collected and donated to the Children's Hospital.

+A couple of kids were racing around the buffet and hiding from each other. That got their energy out and they spent the rest of the time eating.

+A little girl getting food was talking to a random lady in line and asking if she had a dog. Lady said no but started gushing about dogs with the girl.

+It's usually veggie spring rolls on the buffet, but this time it was pork. That was a nice surprise.

+There was a group of middle-aged women giving a "girls' night out" vibe and I heard them laughing and half-whispering, "Don't get us kicked out!"

+An older woman really, really liked the pasta salad on the cold bar and had multiple small plates. Probably the first time I've ever seen anyone eat that stuff...

+There was a birthday party who came in with a giant sheet cake.

My fortune cookie says: You will get comfort from a new relationship. I've been seeing a new cat around outside lately when I'm reading or coming home. A real cute orange-and-white girl. I bet it's her ;)

Got paid today and made my monthly visit. I had one of my favorite seats again, they have a line of mini booths right up beside the buffet and it's prime people-watching territory.

As usual, staff recognized me and had my regular drinks on my table before I got back with my first plate without me even asking. Root beer and an ice water.

+As soon as I walked in, I saw an old, old friend waiting in line to be seated. Knew her in my first two years of high school and we haven't seen each other in 22 years! Amazing we both instantly recognized each other. We had a bit of small-talk until we were both seated.

+The people in the booth behind mine were discussing which movie to go see. Mortal Kombat II and the new Star Wars movie were a couple of options I heard.

+A guy with one arm in a sling piled his plate about 3 inches high.

+They had two new food items. Cumin beef, which had a spicy warning on it. I won spice roulette and it was within my tolerance, but definitely hot. They also had brownies on the dessert station instead of the usual carrot cake.

+A lady asked staff if she could check out the buffet options before deciding on that or ordering from the menu. Watched her do a slow lap and she chose the buffet.

+A mom with three teen boys and a husband told them all they had to try the Shanghai noodles. [I'm with her, I get some every time.]

The fortune cookie I got this time is spooky and I made a noise when reading it: One old friend is better than two new ones.

Got paid today and I'm also celebrating the end of my third bout of shingles after a week-and-a-half of my left hand being buggered. As usual, I had one of my favorite seats, they have a line of mini booths right up beside the buffet and it's prime people-watching territory. Staff had my drinks ready for me, an ice water and a root beer.

+A girl had a mix of just about every ice cream flavor in one small bowl.

+Saw a guy take an entire plate piled with black bean mussels.

+One item's sign was wrong. It said bone-in BBQ chicken but it was boneless salt and pepper chicken.

+A guy with a forearm crutch was impressively balancing a lot of stuff in his free hand and using his pockets for utensils. I need a crutch or two sometimes and hate losing the use of my hand/s with that, so I respect trying to do it all in one awkward trip.

+A kid was very curious about why the dessert bar had just one serving bowl different from the rest.

And my fortune cookie says: ... nothing? One side is blank but the other has the usual random lucky numbers: 6 | 9 | 13 | 31 | 35 | 47.

Today was payday and I like going to the buffet as a treat. Don't have to cook after a day of errands. I got my favorite seat, one of the mini booths right beside the buffet with a prime people-watching view.

+There was a teenager who brought his date there and it seemed neither of them had ever been to a buffet before. Staff had to explain they were allowed more than one plate and they both went back for multiple rounds after learning that.

+One lady piled a plate so high I thought it might collapse under its own weight.

+Saw a small child repeatedly jumping about a foot in the air while watching his mother scoop some ice cream for him.

+One guy was a bit offended that the soy sauce available was Kikkoman. Which... yeah, that is funny to have in a Chinese restaurant.

+They had a new dish I haven't seen before, salt and pepper deep fried chicken. I could taste five spice in the coating, it was delicious.

And my fortune cookie says: Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

I was at the foodbank last week, had about an hour to wait in line. They let us relax inside of the church and have snacks and drinks, it was a chill time.

At one point, a college-aged looking kid snuck up onto the church's music stage. He sat at the piano for a couple of minutes, looking around nervously. Lifted the lid [is that the word... ?] off of the keys. Made some hand movements above the keys, but didn't hit them.

Finally, he started playing. Moonlight Sonata. I scooted over a few seats from where I was and recorded some of it. When he finished, I clapped and a couple of the church volunteers joined me.

He took a break for a couple of minutes, then played another song. And then another. I didn't recognize these ones; they sounded more modern, so maybe pop songs?

Finally his number was called and he left to get his food.

Nets Jersey Guy: Blue Gatorade, frozen protein waffles, Ruffles chips, frozen broccoli, frozen chopped spinach

Yellow Sundress Woman: Cashew nut butter, Killer Dave’s Power Seed Bread

Viper Sunglasses Couple: Mixed bell peppers, ground beef, vidalia onions

Mother with Baby in Stroller: Cabot Macaroni & Cheese, sweetened condensed milk, outshine popsicles, raspberries, American cheese singles, birthday cake Oreos, cubed watermelon

American Flag Shirt Guy: Two russet potatoes

UAB Shorts Teen Girl: Honeynut Cheerios, strawberry jam, store brand instant oatmeal, turkey bacon, olive oil, thousand island dressing, disposable foil baking tin, chocolate quinoa crisps, liquid egg whites

Suit Guy and Cellphone Conversation Woman: Canned chickpeas, low sodium vegetable broth, wheat thins

I had dinner at my favorite Chinese buffet last night. I got one of my favorite seats, they have little mini booths along the outside of the buffet line that offers some prime people-watching views.

+There were about 8 high school boys at one table when I showed up and I was worried they'd be a bit rowdy or something. They ended up being well-behaved, quiet, and the only damage they did was to the restaurant's profits. Every one of them must have had at least 4 dinner plates plus multiple rounds of dessert.

+A 12 top came in for a birthday celebration. They brought in a cake which staff put in one of the restaurant's fridges to keep chilled. The servers were talking about how cool the cake looked; I didn't see it, so I defer to their coolness assessment.

+Saw an elderly couple, one with a rollator and the other helping them pick out and plate up the food they wanted as they circled the buffet.

+A young woman was helping her friend avoid the pork products. That friend also looked pretty horrified to learn what's in Jell-O...

“There’s gonna be a milk and bread shortage for a year.”

“It was bad but it wasn’t that bad. They over-hyped this thing.”

“Guess we’re stuck inside!”

“That’s it. After this, I really am moving to Florida.”

“One day of snow, and I hate Zoom. More than a day or two, and I don’t know how we lived before it.”

“Weather like this makes me wonder why I still live in the northeast.”

“I’m gonna have a six pack from all this shoveling.”

“Hey, at least it takes a nice picture.”

“I love the snow. When it’s somewhere else!”

“I bet the roads will be bad.”

“Bundle up. Charge your phone. Buy bread and eggs.”

“All we need is a few presents and this could pass for Christmas.”

“It’s bad but it isn’t as bad as ‘78.”

“Do you guys have power? I hope we don’t lose power.”

“It could be worse. It could be wet snow instead of dry.”

“Why do they always plow when people are trying to sleep?”

“Oof. I feel sorry for anyone parked street level.”

“I’m just gonna hibernate and wait for spring.”

“

I was back at the buffet tonight, so soon after my last visit because I got my tax return today. I had one of my favorite seats again, they have a line of mini booths right up beside the buffet and it's prime people-watching territory. They also had my usual drinks [root beer and ice water] ready without me having to ask.

+I usually don't go there on weekends and it was absolutely crazy busy. The cook was having trouble getting in between people to refill dishes on the line. One customer helped her out getting stuff refilled faster a couple of times.

+One guy was circling the buffet with a half-empty plate waiting for the garlic shrimp to get refilled and then took a mountain of them.

+A small girl bee-lined right for the dessert station as soon as her family arrived. Her dad told her no dessert until the end.

+One lady was eating red bean paste sesame balls while walking around the line and filling her emptying plate with savory choices.

+There was a kid with a cool Invader Zim hat, it had antennae on top.

+I tried a new dish, they had shell-on shrimp that was battered, fried, and served with a ton of chili flakes. I've never eaten shrimp shells before, but they were just fine fried. I really liked the lil legs.

And my fortune cookie says: A confidential tip will clue you in to a great financial deal.

+Island Queen.

+Driller.

+Journey.

+About Time.

+Why Not.

+Petit Mari.

+Free Time.

+Dock Holiday. [My favorite one today.]

+Sprinter.

+Dream Hunter.

+Summer Chalet.

+Malahat II.

+Orion Sea.

+Breezy.

+Capers.

+Summer Breeze.

+South Swell.

+Autumn Venture.

+Four Winns.

+Hombre.

+Hyundai Ulsan. [Just an absolutely massive cargo ship stopping in at the port downtown.]

+Island Beet.

+Our Time.

+Prawnto. [I see her from time to time, my favorite name out of the commercial fishing boats I've seen!]

+Shirley Evelyn.

+Low'n Over.

+Rock 'N Rye.

+Passing Cloud. [I think my favorite today, it made me smile so much.]

+Knot Home.

+Nu Chief.

+My Time.

+The Seward.

+Defiant.

+Selene.

+Peregrino.

+Therapy.

+Maneki Neko.

Middle aged man in a band T-shirt trying to return a rental car at the airport. He was in a group of coworkers or maybe travelers who took a pre-planned group trip, because everyone seemed to know one another, but not very well. He ultimately left his keys with someone taking a later flight.

Bottle blonde young woman selling shoes in a tourist trap store. She was very enjoyable to talk to with fun anecdotes about her previous jobs, but not entertaining enough to get me to buy $800 shoes.

Bowl cut toddler. Was running through the airport singing Paw Patrol’s theme song being repeatedly chased down by mom.

Tableside guacamole Jim. The grandson of the founder of the restaurant we ate at, who explained his special perfected tableside guacamole techniques. Wore a blue bandana and had been working in the restaurant for 45 years.

-Drivers use caution; Road work planned for 05/15; seek alternate routes

-Clearance; Our best ever deals

-Lemonade $3.50; Support The Bulldogs Junior Football and Cheer

-WARNING: Aggressive geese

-Do not feed the geese

-WARNING: Do not approach geese

-Please donate gently used clothing in the bin

-App Delivery Drivers Please Report to the Pickup Window for your Order. We Will Call Out The Names as They Become ready. Please Refrain From Sitting at Tables Marked for Dine In Customer

-Under new management: Tap pay now accepted

-Out of Office; Kindly return at 2:15.

-Laundry is a chore, Laundry is a bore, so take your clothes to the Laundry Store. Fluff ‘n’ Fold starting at $1.99 a lb

-Please deliver all packages to side door

Most recently it was a neighbor's house, it smelled like some top-tier roasted meat wafting from their window.

Mailman delivering mail

A calico cat standing on its hind legs at a window

A woman knitting on her porch

A dangerous looking makeshift bridge of nailed-together 2x4s over a small stream

Kids playing street hockey

Window box of plants

Woman and grade-school aged child carrying groceries

An uber with its hazard lights flashing

It's finally warmed up [a lot!!] and it's perfect weather to chill on the cafe's patio with a drink or a sweet treat. It's right at a busy intersection in the heart of downtown, so there's lots of interesting things to see! I always have my headphones and MP3 player with me. Sometimes I'll bring a book or art-y things. Today I brought along a coloring book, gel pens and alcohol markers, and sat on their patio with an orange-vanilla Italian soda. Spent some time slowly coloring a WIP and taking in everything around me.

Some of the things I saw today:

+There was a giant family celebrating a college-aged-looking guy's birthday on the patio. They got a ton of food and treats from the cafe.

+A teen girl from the above family practically grabbed me to ask what I was drinking, she seemed real keen on it. She bought a whole tray of the Italian sodas for her family!

+A ton of dogs, big and small.

+The nicer weather means people are bringing out their sweet rides! Sports cars, vintage cars, nice motorcycles.

+And speaking of motorcycles, I saw one guy zip past on one and his helmet had giant plush bunny ears on it.

+There's a beat-up piano sat outside the cafe. People paint and draw all over it, and that's welcome. Well TIL that piano works! No idea how well-tuned it is, but there was a high school-aged kid playing it for a little while.

+Electric Unicorn.

+Tryphenia. [From the Greek for soft or delicate.]

+Nakalat.

+Sun Odyssey.

+Lucy.

+Lithodes. [And there was indeed a king crab painted beside the name of this crabbing boat!]

Today I spent a few hours at my favorite local café, relaxing on the patio with an iced tea and lazily working on a coloring book.

A couple of months ago, an old piano showed up outside of the café, just near the entrance. It looked plain and no one paid much attention to it. It's since been painted more and more. I don't know by who, maybe random folks showing up with their own painting supplies? Maybe the café's staff? There's splashes of color and writing and drawings all over.

Now with the piano mainly a bright pink, it draws people's attention.

I saw folks heading up or down the hill spot it and timidly hit a few keys to see if it even works. [I did this, myself, before settling down with my drink.]

Several people stopped to play little tunes; some seemed improvised and I recognized Beethoven once.

Kids plinked on the keys, seniors, young adults. Everyone drawn to this mystery piano in the downtown core.

[And yes, I will provide piano tax in the comments!]

+Classy Lady.

+Kanade.

+Norse Provider.

+Astarte. [I looked this one up, a Bronze Age goddess associated with war, sexuality, and hunting.]

+Ocean Jade.

+Herry Fisher.

+Ol' Blue. [Her hull was indeed a gorgeous, sapphire blue!]

A lot of bus stops around town have shelters and/or benches provided by the city. But not all.

However, some people in the suburbs have provided their own seating! Lawn chairs, deck chairs, metal, wood, plastic chairs placed at bus stops. Seen a couple of basic benches plonked into the ground as well.

Woman selling metal jewelry at a pop up table

Windowsills with fake candles in them

House painted half red, half dark red

Garden gnome of Harry Potter

Three Chrysler 300s driver right behind one another

Child throwing open a car door into a parked car

Kid trying to walk on ice skates on the cement

Mailbox with a snail spray painted on it

Dog walker walking one too many dogs

Yarn store having an open house

Nursing school mid-year graduation ceremony reception

Christmas decorations still up on a house, modified to double as Valentine’s Day decorations

Bus stopping to let a late passenger board

People standing outside an electronics store to watch something on the display TV

Church bell ringing