Tip Of The Hat

This Internets thing sure takes up a lot of time. I go looking for something, find an interesting link to something else, then more links, and more, and then I look at the window and see that the night is over. All I've done for the last three hours is wander from one web site to another (and swat at the mosquitoes that have been buzzing around my head.) Now I realize that I have learned absolutely nothing from these virtual peregrinations. I don't know if I feel bad about having wasted so much time, or feel good about having enjoyed three hours of mindless amusement. I'm a serial killer of time!

I have another new icon, created and uploaded on a more productive night. It is stolen from a Flickr album, and is something I wasn't expecting to see, as I was searching for pictures tagged with "Pasadena" and the image I found was of something located a few miles away in Alhambra. I guess the person who took the picture wasn't paying attention to city limit signs that day. Anyway, It's a picture of a classic neon sign which has graced (probably since before I was born) a hamburger stand called The Hat, at the corner of Garfield Avenue and Valley Boulevard.

The establishment itself has probably remained unchanged since it was built, perhaps as long ago as the 1930s. Hell, the grill probably hasn't been thoroughly cleaned since the place opened! I got running and barking sick from eating there once, but still continued to go back for the classic greaseburgers and French-dip pastrami sandwiches. Mmm, greaseburgers! I miss those. I'd like one right now, but all I have is this new icon.

Later and Later

There's been another slippage in my sleep pattern. I didn't wake up until after four o'clock today. Maybe I shouldn't have killed my alarm fly.

But I have peaches. They are finally fully ripe. The birds got to a few of them, but there are still a few dozen that are unpecked, unbruised, and very tasty. As they all ripened about the same time, we'll have to use them up within a few days. They aren't the best peaches the tree has ever produced, but this is the largest crop we've ever had, and they are certainly better than the costly fruits in the supermarkets. I like to slice them, marinate them for a few hours in black cherry juice, and pour half-and-half over them. Mmm, cherried peaches and cream.

We've got the air conditioner running again. The chances of meeting the goal of a 20% reduction in energy consumption this summer are pretty much gone. No rebate in October. Rats.

There's a fascinating article from the latest Scientific American (via sciam) about the development of symbolic thinking in children:
Scientific American: Mindful of Symbols [ PSYCHOLOGY ]
On the way to learning that one thing can represent another, young children often conflate the real item and its symbol. These errors show how difficult it is to start thinking symbolically