Parading

A week or so ago I got a strange email from a friend whom I'd not heard from in many years. He was apparently tipping me off regarding the awesome bargains to be had at some chinese web site. I prompt wrote him back thanking him very much for the tip, and expressing my eagerness to accept any and all spam from the few old friends I have lingering out there somewhere. The fellow wrote me back and affirming that yes, this spam certainly has been more effective than even facebook at getting him in touch with everyone in his address book from many years ago. It turns out an old webmail account he used once upon a time was compromised and the spammer used it to send out messages to everyone in the address book. My friend reports about half of them responded in one way or another (if you follow).

Take that, facebook! You're not even as effective as random spammers, as much as you may try to encourage your own special brand of spam which had now addicted half of humanity.

Anyhow, that being said, this weekend we hooked up with someone Selena hadn't sen since high school, and has been in contact with via book-o-face. She and her husband and her daughter (around the same age as Istra, coincidentally) came down from Cambridge and met up with us at the Santa Claus Parade. After the parade (shoulder's aching), we grabbed some yummy food from Gazelle and took it up a block to a small leaf-strewn-park for a little leaf-strewn picnic.

Also, I took pictures of random people at the parade, for bonus points. More interesting (to me) than the floats, you see.

And, on the way home we went by a house right near Istra's school with two chickens running around in the fenced in front yard. Just like Selena's dream!