Trivial Observations--Please Ignore

K.'s wife A. has made a habit of coming into the tech services offices in the afternoon with two year old son in tow. The bored kid prances about the office and squeals while A. and L. trade stinging gossip about mutual acquaintances. The Boss finally said something to K.; the situation has improved but now A. just comes in when The Boss is away. Looks like I'll have to ask L. to cut their backbiting sessions short, or at least use the phone--that way I'd only have to endure one side of the conversation.

Our Chinese-American buffet has made a lot of cosmetic changes. They purchased the space next door, knocked down the wall and doubled their square footage. They laid down new carpet, bought new furniture and installed a large flat screen TV on the wall, which they use to show Chinese language programs. And the svelte hostess with the bobbed hair and impressive cheekbones has traded her jeans and sneakers for marvelously tight Shanghai dresses and heels. Unfortunately the menu is pretty much the same; I was excited at first to see sushi but it turned out to be vegetarian, not too fresh either, and the wasabe was diluted in condenscension to the intolerant local palate.

I finished watching The Simpsons Season 4. I was a little disappointed. I think the first three seasons are funnier. There's nothing in Season 4 like, say, the brilliant fugu fish or stolen cable episodes. The writers seem to have attempted to cover up the inherent weakness of the material by being edgier: Bart uses more foul language, the Itchy and Scratchy cartoons are more gruesome, and transvesticism is a favorite motif. When season 5 comes out I will probably rent a disc or two first before I buy. Still, it's interesting to switch the language track to French and find out how the translators deal with American references. (Muddy Waters becomes Luc Plamondon, New York becomes Montreal, Sunday School is "La Catechese", etc.)