Short February observations* (Rated at least PG-13 for you sensitive readers)

It's the first of February.

I walk to the grocery store before heading out to meet Alan for our trek to Berkeley.

I enter the front doors and *whoosh* I am blinded by an enormous mish-mash of pink, red, and white. Plastic, paper and glitter cascading down the shelves, forming a mass of cupids, hearts and lip-prints. Holiday marketing at its best. But, the part that stuck out the most - which actually made me chuckle out loud as I continued further into the store - was the ginormous chapstick display. There were about 30 different flavors of chapstick prominently displayed in a free-standing, pink, cardboard shelf unit. I guess there's an increase of chapped lips to be expected between now and February 15. It just cracked me up, though.

And, in complete contrast . . . at the opera this evening, as were we loitering around the lobby during intermission, I noticed yet another free-standing shelf unit. No chapstick this time, but flyers, rather. Free flyers for upcoming events in and around Berkeley. I literally stopped in mid-sentence when I read: International Clitoris Celebration. (Hyperlink purposefully left off). My first thought? "Hmmmm, maybe it's some sort of protest against various groups/cultures which persist in practicing female genital mutilation as a means of abuse and/or control of women".

Nope. Just a day for well...I stopped reading and gave the flyer to Alan. But you get the gist. Only in Berkeley, ladies and gentlemen. And so continues my love-hate relationship with the People's Republic.

Finally, in perhaps what could be called a real tribute to everyone's favorite holiday between MLK Jr. and Presidents' Day: a quote from this evening's opera, Verdi's Falstaff.

Bocca baciata non perde ventura
Anzi rinnova come fa la luna

Now, where's my chapstick? ;)