Wine, but not beer!

 Up at 4. It makes sense, with all I did last night. It's no problem, though. I've got plenty of time. 

This county, Santa Clara county, is back to "purple" in terms of covid. People on Reddit are observing that under "purple" regulations you can drink wine outdoors but not beer, and this is apparently because Governor Gavin Newsome owns a winery but not a brewery. You can't drink beer outdoors until things improve to "yellow". 

They (the people on Reddit) then went on to come up with what an actual explanation might be: People who drink beer typically yell at each other (that's how they converse) gather up in tight groups etc. Wine drinkers tend to be very chill and quiet and I have to agree with them that the wine bars I've been in may have been a bit bougie, but very calm atmosphere and people. 

I got going at a quarter after 6, did my drop-offs at the post office OK, and although I didn't have anything for FedEx I checked the dumpsters behind H Mart and got $40 worth of brown rice (two 15lb bags) and a bunch of other stuff. I could have pulled a ton more stuff out, too, but mainly just wanted to take stuff I wanted myself or was good to donate. I was thinking I'd donate the rice since brown rice doesn't keep that long, but realized I could put it into those high quality gallon jugs I get some Sanmina and keep it for 6 months anyway, then consider donating it. (I put it in ziploc bags of about a lb each to donate) and if "the balloon goes up" in the next 6 months, I've got the brown rice to use up first. 

I got some packing stuff and more pieces of what I'm still sure is illustration board. That stuff's not cheap but it probably compared to the circuit board material it's used to protect. 

I got back here, unloaded, and took off again for H Mart for some shopping not of the 5-finger kind. I spent about $45 on a bunch of stuff, including as a treat some of those peppery roasted peanuts with the picture on the package of the field in China they grew in, some fried noodle flavored potato chips (they really don't taste like much of anything but potato chips but I was curious) and some kamaboko, and a $2 beer to wash it all down with. 

I swung by the dumpster again just to see, and they'd put big sealed bags of veggie scraps and other junk on top, so I could not comfort myself thinking that the two bags of rice I could not reach would get snarfed by someone else who maybe needed them more, or that thankful bums would scarf up the other treasures in there. Mostly it was sugary junk but still... 

I got back here at the scandalous hour of 8:50 and started in on my beer and snacks surrounded by today's groceries and finds.  

I then put the brown rice in gallon jugs with bay leaves, and it should be good for 6 months. If I've not needed it I can donate it, give it to birds etc. It goes 7 lbs to a jug so I had 4 jugs filled to the brim with a little bit left over.