Sunday morning with coffee and caramels.

The Sunday Times has been read, at least to the extent that I'm going to read it, and not counting the things I've set aside: the Book Review, the Magazine, and this piece, which I've set apart from the usual drive to get through the paper. I'm now at Espresso Royale, with my favorite lunch-substitute, a large cappucino and several of their luscious, homemade caramels. I'm also enjoying the terrific art exhibit that is here today, a collection of intricate pencil drawings, by a UW art student named Zach Mory.

I've checked around to the usual UW blogs, and Tonya, from the look of her blog, would appear to have been stuck in Zurich for the last 10 days. But she's sent an email from an Apple Store in Johannesburg, noting how difficult it's been to find internet access. Well, at least there's an Apple Store. Jeremy and Gordon have not checked in for a while. But Nina, despite sore arms from climbing up on her roof and sawing off tree limbs, reliably keeps up the blog stream that stretches back, oh, I don't know how long without a day off. (And me? I've never missed a day since beginning on January 14th.) Anyway, Nina has her usual report from her trip around the Farmers' Market for the great Madison restaurant L'Etoile. They call it "market buying"--why not just "marketing"? Or maybe "marketing" is what I did yesterday: walked around a bit and took pictures until my battery died and bought nothing. (Scroll down for my pictures or go here and click on the slideshow.) Anyway, Nina has a photo of espresso goat milk ice cream. And scroll down for the picture of the red wagon packed with the local produce the restaurant builds its menu around. Wagons are always popular at the Farmers' Market, as are strollers, and lots of people who walk very slowly and stop a lot. Personally, I don't have the patience or the appetite for it. And I don't like the way fruits and vegetables, once bought, lie around demanding to be prepared and eaten. They are passive aggressive things that quietly emit odors and dirty looks to chide you (to chive you) for your lack of industry and healthy eating habits. Well, screw them! I have have my cappucino and caramels.

Now, I'm in a good mood, having thoroughly caffeinated myself with the strongest coffee on Street Street and the most mood-elevating candy. It's a lovely sunny and cool morning. I plan to do another blog post, finish the acrostic in the NYT Magazine, and do a bit of walking (with the help of my camera). I've contemplated going to the movies, but in fact, I lack the patience to sit through movies. I always think way too much about wanting it to be over, even when I like the movie. So am I going to go see "Fahrenheit 9/11"? I've been told it will give me something to blog about. I could describe the Madison audience and the noises made at various points and so forth. I could monitor my own reactions. But no, life is too short for that. I zap TV commercials--why would I sit through a feature length anti-Bush commercial? If I wanted to see a political documentary today, I would go to the Orpheum and see either "The Battle of Algiers" or "The Agronomist."