Preferences vs Opinions

Less I forget like every other old geezer forgets;
On Jean's last day in Seattle we planned a meal with many of our grocery store treats. What a meal.

Bavarian hot dogs, at first I thought it was odd that they were raw Bavarian hot dogs until I remembered hot dogs are considered a sausage and many many sausages are bought raw. Delicious.
French Brioche hot dog buns.
Danish Smorkage from our locally famous Larsen's Bakery. I thought the buns were going to be along the line of cinnamon rolls. Wrong, they were an almond paste type of pastry. My favorite.
German/Pacific Northwest beet/cabbage/carrot Kraut. Made in downtown Seattle.
Vietnamese Coffee and Tea, I didn't notice where they were made. Jean liked the tea the best, I liked the coffee the best. Christian says this is his favorite coffee from Thai restaurants. I don't know why I have never tried it at a Thai place, but I will. Soon.

The piece de resistance however was the Japanese pastry roll. Pale green, green tea flavor, soft and pleasantly sweet, baked with natural brown rice yeast. To preserve its freshness it contained a small square alcohol infused tab like nothing we had ever seen. Product of Japan. It was beyond description. When you come to visit I will get you a Japanese pastry roll. Yummy is all I can say.

Jean is very good at finding unusual tidbits.

I am fascinated by the idea of having favorites. Janice has a favorite type of dishrag, but I have an actual favorite dish rag. A dishrag that is dying and I can't replace sad to say. It might have a year or two longer if I use it until it is threads.

So favorites, like a favorite grocery store are interesting. Ian's used to be Tops Grocery Store, now I'm not sure, it might be the Thriftway by where he works. Christian always had a favorite dictionary. Does that even make sense? Roger has a favorite running shoe, Asics Gel-Nimbus. I have heard Amber has favorite pens. Favorite computer, route, season, diet, knife, especially a cooking knife, suitcase. Dad gave me a favorite hammer. How could he possibly have had a favorite hammer among all his hammers? Restaurants, books, and movies are too broad, too many choices, too many favorites, but the small comforts of home, like dishrags, what are your favorites?

What sets you aside as different? Uniquely you? Where is the line crossed from preferences that we enjoy to opinions that need defended. Where is that line?

I have fallen in love with the movie The Imitation Game. The film talks about preferences and how differences doesn't make us wrong but creates a different type of thinking. Claire and I talked about preferences and differences. Spouting an opinion vs expressing a preference. Expressing feels free, fun, enjoyable. Opinions, on the other hand, feel like they have dangerous undercurrents somehow. I try to live my life with as few opinions as possible.

Just thoughts rattling around in my head. something for my brain to play with.

On my last diabetic exam, my sweet doctor wanted blood, urine, poop, vaccines, colonoscopy, chest x-rays, she keeps trying to make me healthy. Some of the recent blood work informed my medical staff that my b-12 was now too high, so get busy and lower it.

Ian asked why chest x-rays? I said well I suppose to see how my COPD/lungs are doing. Josianna Conception never mentioned my lungs, but she called me at home and on my cell after hours to tell me my heart had an anomaly in keeping with myocardial infarction and to get my butt to a cardiologist. One heart attack was enough for any person, so off I go Friday for an echo-cardiogram and I'm booked for a gig with the cardiologist. That's the story of my life; one doctor appointment leads to seven. Just saying.

Claire is selling her house and so that the realtors can have ease of access to her house she has been hanging out up here. I think it takes a lot of courage to make such a major change in her life at her age, selling out and moving to Minnesota. It isn't easy for her, but she is admirably plugging ahead. Inspirational actually.

Back to favorites, my currant favorite quote:
"Just because I can't do it today doesn't mean I can't do it."

I'm thinking about quitting smoking.
I don't want to be the last smoker in Seattle.
The last smoker standing.
If everyone else can do why can't I.

I'm thinking about quitting smoking.
Probably a better use of my time then thinking about opinions,

Three weeks until Julia is sitting on my couch. I love sibling/sister play time.