Computer time-off week

I can't say I planned it on purpose, but I had to spend a week away from computer.  Family vacation, traveling, etc.
This is not the first time I break from my email/twitter/blog/facebook routine. Every time something like this happens I am amazed at how fast computer life becomes so unnatural and forced.
Just a week ago an idea of writing a blog that is not meant for anybody to read sounded really normal and natural.  Now I look at this pretty website and thinking if those posts are diagnostically significant proof that I need someone to check my head.
Funny thing is that I know that pretty soon the web will pull me back in its, yes, web and I will forget things.
I will forget how powerful a real sunset is and how easily it beats any digital art image.
I will forget how raw and exciting it feels to get lost in a dark unknown place and will get back to believing that discovering a new cool website is "an adventure".
I will forget how much I can learn about a person by just looking at how they bite into their burgers and will get back to "talking" to online people I will never meet.
I will forget that people who can't type even exist.
I will forget that someone can want to look at my body.
I will forget that a stupid person can be interesting and attractive if they just look right.
I will come back to what is my life.

Every spy should smell like this

It usually starts like this:
"Alina, I hate bothering you again, but could you watch my plant while I am out of town? I need to go...<include some boring details about a baby shower for one of her friends relatives> Only two days"
And she puts a huge pot in my hands before I manage to come up with a word.

Then, three weeks later she comes back to pick up her plant (without explaining the delay).  She picks up the flower and talks to it in that annoying baby voice as if I am not even around:
"Here is your Mommy! did you miss Mommy? oh Mommy missed her little boy sooo much!"
Is it me or it is creepy when people talk to flowers as if they were their kids? with gender and all...
"Oh you look so week and tired.  Did she water you? No, she didn't? Oh,  mommy is sorry! I will spank her right now - what a bad bad lady"  and she winks inviting me to be part of the fun and pretends spanking me. 
"What are you saying? she said THAT to you? oh Mommy is sorry you had to hear that.  Mommy brought you a gift! shhh... I will show you at home.  Come to me, lets go home"
And they proceed to the door where she turns back to me and winks again.
When I pass her balcony I often hear her talking to her flowers.  It is not the usual "let me water this flower" thinking out-loud many lonely people do.  It is a full bloom conversation!  Apparently the plants have very strong opinions about talk shows and soap characters.
Today I was walking by and heard how she was scolding a poor plant for rooting for the wrong gal in the Bachelor Pad.  I wonder if sending a flower to my bad house is a punishment for talking back to Momma?  Or maybe she sends them to me to spy on me?

Anyway, I wish I could take her to Shanghai and show her this sculpture.  If she finds what to talk about with her boring ivies I wonder what those huge beauties might tell her.

Look at my dog, no LOOK at him!

I try to walk at least a mile every morning.  It feels good!  This morning during my walk I had a pleasure to encounter my other creepy neighbor - I will call him O'K (since he is a fat middle-age Irish guy who is always very happy and loud).
By himself, O'K is not that creepy. But he has a dog - a huge mastiff, I think.  I like believing that the dog is friendly (since he lives next door and doesn't plan to move out and I have no choice but pass by every day).  One special thing about the dog - he is not fixed.  And he often gets "excited" when he sniffs things outside.
When that happens O'K makes sure you see it.  He will drag your attention to that exact place especially if you try to pretend that you don't notice the foot long red thingy.
So, obviously, I suspect he has some problems in that area - may be a size or a function? who knows..

And that reminded me about this cool art work. art It was shown by Gillie and Marc Shattner in The Dog In Us All exhibition at Linton and Kay Contemporary gallery and I believe caused tons of protests.  I can see why.  But, somehow it totally makes sense when I look at O'Ks dog.