Unexpectedly Homesick

Jenny was out of town this weekend for a swim meet in Beijing. (She coaches the XIS HS swim team, such as it is. And no, they didn’t do so well.) I spent my Saturday running errands (grocery shopping, which is a daylong effort in China). After walking the dog Saturday afternoon I showered and went to a local dive for take-out...I had a big evening planned alone with my 007 box set.

As the afternoon turned to night, I had the sudden and really random desire to hear Fiona Richey’s Thistle and Shamrock. I like Celtic music well enough, I suppose, but I could hardly call myself a fan. I don’t even own any Celtic music. But it makes a nice soundtrack to an early mid-autumn Saturday evening in Oregon: puts you in the mood for fish and chips and heavy ales. I lack the entire package: long blue twilight, cool damp air, fine heavy food, an evening out at the nightspot I really know.

That was my Saturday evening package for 10 years. Now I have to adjust to a new one. Sudden tropical sunsets replace long northern twilights, heat and dust replace fog and rain, oily stir-fried pork replaces fish and chips, Tsingdao replaces Black Butte Porter, black-market 007 box set replaces second-run movies at Laurelhurst theater. I never particularly cared for Thistle and Shamrock, but I guess I don’t yet have a replacement, so I miss that too.