this morning, as the sun blazed down upon the city, i felt the rays warm my skin. another layer of tanned cells, the deep heat. as i hustled down my usual walking route down to the subway, i saw a couple strolling down the sidewalk, the boy embracing his companion with one hand, holding an umbrella overhead with the other. as seen very often in asia where people use umbrellas (or specially designed light-colored ones) to shelter their faces from the sun, he cast her smiling face under their personal, totable shade. the health of pale, smooth, unwrinkled skin.

to witness this tender moment, a mutual protection from the elements. a slight throwback to the antiquated parasol-stylin' days of yore. history is still in the making. romance still lives, with or without a drugstore mass-manufactured umbrella. they looked very happy.

on another topic entirely, a fishytini (rimmed with scales! wouldn't that be pretty?) isn't too from the far reaches of one's imagination. introduced at the 2007 fancy food show, the new product from boston-based luvli juices, mega beet (an "all-natural vegetable + anti-oxidant juice drink blend"), is a bottle of beet juice fortified with fish oils (anchovy, sardine, and tilapia, to be exact) for a ravishing dose of omega-3. they're looking out for our health, god bless 'em, but something about drinking a mélange of fish oils (rather than taking oil capsules, which already kind of leave a slight fishy tang on an empty stomach) makes me kind of feel awkward. perhaps i'm not ready for the future of experimental fortification. although, you can feed me some super-smelly-with-anchovy pasta puttanesca anytime, please.

peppy press release here, along with gag reflexes at epicurious,

fish on the beet! FISH ON THE BEET!

p.s. thank you to those who actually still listen to my radio show, sans serif on wmbr 88.1fm. on this week's playlist, there's a dj /rupture tribute, of sorts. will i see you dancing at the bouncement 2 show this saturday? will you see me?