Opening Sentence

“You just don’t understand the monsters I face when I’m sober.”

Would you read a book that started like that?  if it was fiction and not a memoir?  Just wonderin’.

I would love to write fiction. Harper Lee once said, “I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.”

Whoa.

Considering she only wrote ONE book – and a GREAT book, at that! – it makes one wonder if she never quite got that hide thick enough.

Just what I’m thinking about today…

Volunteerism Quotes

Guess what!   I’ve been invited to contribute to the newsletter of the nursing home where I volunteer.    I thought this space might be a great way for me to ‘practice’ a few ideas.       I’ll write here my samples – get an idea how it looks and how it sounds before I submit to the editor.

First, how about some inspiration:

I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
Mahatma Gandhi

Everyone can be great because anyone can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t even have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve… You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love…
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

One is not born into the world to do everything but to do something.
Henry David Thoreau, poet, writer, philosopher

Service to others is the payment you make for your space here on earth.
Mohammed Ali

Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain love for one another.
Erma Bombeck

No matter how big and powerful government gets,
and the many services it provides,
it can never take the place of volunteers.
Ronald Reagan

Throughout my life, I’ve seen the difference that volunteering efforts can make in people’s lives. I know the personal value of service as a local volunteer.
Jimmy Carter

We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.
Winston Churchill

I have been the recipient of love and service, therefore I can love and serve. There is great satisfaction in service to others, in seeing people and their conditions change.
Clarence E. Hodges

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong.
George Washington Carver

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for someone else.
Benjamin Franklin

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
Aesop

The miracle is this – the more we share, the more we have.
Leonard Nimoy

Snowflakes melt alone – but together they can be traffic stoppers!
Anonymous

Volunteers aren’t paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.
Anonymous

“You cannot hold on to anything good. You must be continually giving – and getting. You cannot hold on to your seed. You must sow it – and reap anew. You cannot hold on to riches. You must use them and get other riches in return.” Robert Collier

“All that you send into the lives of others, will come back into your own, tenfold”…..   May Kay Ash

Rain

Hanging around.  Nothing to do but frown.  Rainy days and mondays always get me down….  -The Carpenters

Gloom and doom and one more day of rain.

Dreariness-weariness, it’s all the same.

Husband says I need to get a job.

But I’m just sitting here feeling like a blob

and I am just too darn meloncholy to figure out a long A sound word to end this stupid poem with…

♦

The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.    -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Photo Friday: Stained Glass

Click HERE

 ♦

Readfield, Maine

   

For another Photo Friday that features beautiful stained glass windows, click here:   https://ideajump.wordpress.com/2008/05/02/photo-friday-religion/

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out,  but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”

– Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Photo Friday: Hats

and some scary “terrible fluidity of…” self-revelations!     If this Self-Portrait Friday didn’t show you how I look, this will….

 

First, let’s get the admin crap (I love you Jan!) out of the way.   Click here to get the officialness of this auspicious occasion…

and the logo:

 

 

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

and a quote?

 

No man can reveal to you nothing but that which already lies half-asleep in the dawning of your knowledge.
Kahlil Gibran

Quite Serious

“For millions of years flowers have been producing thorns.  For millions of years sheep have been eating them all the same.  And it’s not serious, trying to understand why flowers go to such trouble to produce thorns that are good for nothing?  It’s not important, the war between the sheep and the flowers?  It’s no more serious and more important than the numbers that fat red gentleman is adding up?  Suppose I happen to know a unique flower, one that exists nowhere in the world except on my planet, one that a little sheep can wipe out in a single bite one morning, just like that, without even realizing what he’s doing – that isn’t important?”  His face turned red now, and he went on.  “If someone loves a flower of which just one example exists among all the millions and millions of stars, that’s enough to make him happy when he looks at the stars.  He tells himself, ‘My flower’s up there somewhere…’ But if the sheep eats the flower, then for him it’s as if, suddenly all the stars went out.  And that isn’t important?”

 – From The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

May you love a flower on a distant planet, a star, all your own.

Dumb Thing

If you ever do a stupid dumbass thing (and hopefully aren’t captured on video by Joan), perhaps you may find solace in the following quote.  I know I do…

 

“Life is no straight and easy corridor along which we travel free and unhampered,

but a maze of passages, through which we must seek our way,

lost and confused, now and again checked in a blind alley.

 

But always, if we have faith, a door will open for us,

not perhaps one that we ourselves would ever have thought of,

but one that will ultimately prove good for us.”

– A.J.Cronin

 

 

But, even that could just be a load of crap.

Short Thoughts

“My thoughts were short, my hair was long.”   (no prize offered nor given for correctly identifying artist/song)

I spent most of my weekend outside.   It was hot.    Most of the activity I partook (that IS a word, yes?) in was sitting around drinking.   On a deck, in a lounge chair, by the pool, drying off by the fire after I was thrown INTO said pool.    Then doing it again the next day.    Drank too much, ate a lot, sat around.

It occurred to me that this was actually a very boring weekend.  In a good way.  and I feel SOOO tired today!   sluggard.

No one bugged me about my blog and I spared everyone IRL all the stuff I enjoy about ‘blugging’.   Dreck & dross, perhaps or not, but sure is fun.   Sometimes, it feels like I lead a double life.   Or triple life.   Triple life doesn’t sound right though…    Sure is curious.

Carry on!   [Don’t forget, Project Runway is Wednesday!]
Respectfully submitted,

Curious “C” 

“Sipping whisky from a bottle, not thinkin’ bout tomorrow…”

Issues

  I’ve got an issue that is extremely minor and petty and yet I can’t let it go.   It bugs me.   The more I try to tell myself how petty and stupid and silly it is to fret over, the more I can’t stop wondering WHY I must beat myself up over it.   Then, I had the brilliant idea that I should blog about it and this act would release it and I will be able to forget all about it.   Gawd, I hope so.

Of course, the paranoia in me thinks the ‘culprit’ just might search the internet for this and find out!  I will be exposed!?    I actually started this post last night and deleted it – that’s how nuts I’ve become!   I had a cute title of ‘Orange Spoon’ and has my font all set up in the orange color…    But I imagined that the neighbor that I’m obsessing about will somehow read this.    But, seriously?   Will she?  Could she?   Is that really a risk?!?!     

[Comment Option A:    “Hey C – you are behaving irrationally”]

The setup – or is it the main issue?    I took a yummy salad of cauliflower/pea salad to my next door neighbor’s potluck neighborhood party the last Saturday in June.   Along with the bowl, I took my favorite orange spoon that I bought at TJ Maxx.   It matches the paint color in my kitchen and is the perfect serving size with a shorter handle.   (What IS it with these looooooong handled spoons?   They are unwieldy to me.)

[Comment Option B:   You are seriously strange that you match your utensils with your paint color.]

Of course, before the party was even over, the bowl was washed and ready for taking home and I grabbed it and left.   I forgot ALL about the spoon which was no where in sight or I’m sure I would have retrieved it and none of this silliness would ever have happened…

I realized it a few days later but it was either really late at night or 6 am and I just don’t call other people during too late or too early hours.     Then it was 4th of July week and we left for a 5+ day vacay for that holiday and came home in time to clean house and expect guests 1 days later for another vacation celebration…    I forgot to call about my orange spoon.

Until.

For my company, I made a BYOOOOOTIFUL melon ball salad!    A lot of the balls were even full balls – hard to do, really.   AND I had fresh mint from my garden to sprinkle on the watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew to make it just like the fancy cookbooks recommend.   I had a cool bowl to serve it in and I thought ‘Hey that orange spoon would really set this off!’  

Alas, no orange spoon.    So I called next door.    This is what she told me:

“I waited a week and a half and no one called about that spoon so I took it to church  since most of the people who came to the party were from my church and I left it there thinking it was one of them.    And you’ll just have to wait until I can get to church which will be Sunday (it was Thursday, I think) and hopefully I can find it.”

all snippy.     Well, I am SOOOOOOOO sorry I inconvenienced her.    Poor thing – had to wait a week and half and still no one claimed that stupid spoon.     I’m sure the mental stress of it was too much.

SO why is this bothering me!?    I wish I could laugh it off but it pisses me off to find out she is pissed off at me!?

[Comment Option C:    Get over it already.  What is wrong with you?!  There are space rocks hurtling through space to blow up the world (not to mention evil terrorists) and people won’t be able to heat their homes this winter due to oil shenanigans and you are thinking about this crap?]

My hub took my neighbor’s side, ‘So why didn’t you call her earlier?”  Ok, cuz I don’t like to talk to her, I think.   and, whenever I remembered about the damn spoon, it was either 10 pm or 5:30 am!

I can’t figure out why this lady bugs me.    I think it’s because I don’t like how I feel when I talk to her.   Could it be also that even think her 6 year old looks at me with contempt?   She isn’t one of those people that makes you feel GOOD when you talk to her, that’s for darned sure.   I could recite all sorts of injustices and wrongness about her but what’s the point of that.    No one likes her and I feel bad talking about her.  (yea right)   

But I miss my spoon.    I’m scared to ask her if she found it assuming she didn’t since Sunday was 3 days ago.

[Comment Option D:    SHHEEESSSSSH!   You’re weird.  But here’s hoping that you can release this and get on with your so-called life.]

I would link to this site but it kind of freaks me out (uh oh.  more issues) so if you want a zen like trance for a minute or two, open a new window and type these words with no spaces with the dot com after: 

  orangespoon

See?!?!    cool, huh?

 

OH – and PLEASE do not comment in Russian.   I can’t read the Russian Language.  I will NOT be following your link back to your blog.  Again, because I don’t speak Russian.   I think it’s in Russian, all the comment spam I’ve gotten in the last 24 hours.   I’m now moderating comments unless you’ve already commented prior…   thank you.

More Memes of Me

Tagged for some memes!  so fun…   However, my PC is fighting me today.    Here goes:

FIRST
The Google Image Meme.   I was tagged by Wearing Stilettos and Living on a Farm, click here to see her awesome collection of …. shoes!  NO, that’s a few days back – but still fun.   Click here for the meme.

I only made it to this shot.      Which is what popped up when I entered the number of how old young I will be on my next birthday.   It’s likely a random sequential number assigned to the title of the pic and not anything really to do with how many years I have traveled around the sun.   “A Woman Who Will Tell Her Age Will Tell Anything.”   I’ve never quite understood that quote.  So what?

The pic represents my mood today, though.   I’m mad at my computer.  ARRRRgggghhHHHH.

SECOND
The Love of Your Life Meme. aka THE HOT SEAT.  I wasn’t specifically tagged, but JavaQueen played and invited anyone and all.  HOWEVER.   If I’m still fighting the slowness and uncooperative nature of this electronic beast, I won’t be adding all those links.   Sorry for the loss of link love.   I will try to visit them all tho, just to be nice?

Are you deeply in love with your spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend? If you are, let’s try how well you remember the moments of your life with him. But before you put yourself in the hot seat please read the rules of this tag first.

1. This tag should be passed on to your friends.
2. Visit the blog of the person you’ve got this tag.
3. Leave a comment on her/his tag post. Be sure to thank her/him for this tag.
4. Highlight and link all the list of people who accepted this tag by visiting their blog site.
5. There are 10 questions that you need to answer but you will be the one to write the 10th question for the next person you want to pass this tag. Here are the questions. Be honest with your answers.

Let’s Start:

1. How did you meet your husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend?
I met my Hub in a class in college.  We had the same major.

2. Where did you go on your first date?
Our first date was a dinner at his house.  He had two friends, one being his roommate, who were treating the girlfriends to a lovely spaghetti dinner.   Since my Hub didn’t exactly have a girlfriend, he asked me.   In fact, I can remember clearly that he asked me with these words, “My roommate is having a dinner party and they are making me bring a date.   What are you doing Friday night?”

3. When was your first intimate kiss?
Define ‘intimate’.   Our very first kiss was later that night?   I drank a lot of red wine.  A lot.   Did I mention that I had a lot of wine that night?   But to answer the question with my thinking that this guy might be special, it was 2 days later.  

4. How many girlfriends/boyfriends he/she had in the past? Do you honestly know?
I honestly don’t know.  or care.     He was my first “true” boyfriend.  

5. What is his/her ethnicity?
Both of us are of German heritage.

6. What is his/her favorite food?
I’m at a loss.    We love food.   Love all of it.   Nothing comes top of mind as a ‘favorite.’   If I start listing, it could get long.

7. What is he/she like if he/she is mad?
I can give the very same answer JavaQueen gave!   “He gets an “irritated look” about him. He doesn’t say much, and when I ask what’s the matter, he starts to bitch about it. He is RARELY moody, so I allow him his moments…”

8. What are the things he/she did you thought is the most romantic thing he’d/she’d ever done?
My man is amazingly sensitive and charming.    We hadn’t been dating very long (3 weeks maybe?) when he sent me a poem/present through some crazy college Greek fundraiser where they would deliver a gift for Halloween.   His poem said, “Pumpkins are orange, cats are black.  At Halloween, strange things are known to attract.”   I as smitten, let me tell you! 

9. Describe how he/you proposed to you.
I’d rather not.   Let me just say that I’ve never told my mother.  Of course, if I can’t tell it on an anonymous blog, who can I tell?   and that’s what is so weird about the silly “blug” (as the Hub calls it.)  I feel like you guys KNOW me and I don’t want to appear strange!    Ok, we had just had a very lovely intimate moment (we were naked) when he exclaimed without really thinking about it, “will you marry me?!?!?!”  and I giggled in joy, “oh yes!!!!”     It was 8 weeks to the day after that spaghetti dinner.    We married one year later and we’ve been hitched almost 20 years. (It’s amazing how easy it is to deflect that question at innocent social gatherings…)

10. What has been the biggest surprise about your signifigant other since you’ve been together?

We now live in our 7th house and this is the first one he’s given a rat’s ass about how the lawn looks.  WTF?   What. ever.   But to be serious and mushy, he promised me over 20 years ago: NEVER A DULL MOMENT, and it’s been an awesome loving ride. It’s our theme slogan. Oh, and that scene with Demi Moore where she is a blonde – can’t remember the name of the movie… where she talks about love and falling stars and how your lover/spouse is… “YOUR SPLIT-APART BACK TOGETHER AGAIN.” That describes us, too.

 

 

♥