It's a beautiful thing

Isn’t the internet a wonderful thing? Thanks, so much, Al Gore… you’re the best. I’m an internet junkie - I admit it. I could spend my life on the internet. Some surveys that query how much time one spends doing various things - watching TV, listening to radio, on the internet… heck if I can adequately guestimate my internet time. I don’t watch TV, rarely listen to the radio but boy do I pack on the internet hours.

I have an upcoming totally awesome, I’m so excited about vacation excursion coming up. Through the internet, I’ve purchased my airfare, made reservations, viewed the terminal layouts for the three different airports I’ll be visiting, had virtual tours of many of the places along my journey, read menus, viewed maps, read tips and guides, even weather reports and sky cams.

Being a self-proclaimed internet junkie, I’m having a difficult time with my decision not to take a computer with me… eeeeeekkkkkkk…I’m so scared! Since I am traveling on three different planes, two different airlines, and hitting the highway shortly after landfall, it’s crazy stuff to check baggage. So all is carry on, and there’s no room for a “puter. Oh My God. I may Jones.

I leave Tuesday morning..Tuesday the 22nd. So, journal will not be maintained, unless you’d like to do it for me. Of course I’ll take my BB, even though my co-workers chide me about it…. They think I can’t cut the Town Hall umbilical chord…haha on them…it’s really…

The internet….

You were my first love

And you’ll be my last love

I will never make you blue

I’ll be true to you

 

Friend

I will write to an old friend and wish him well, said I.

Why? , they asked me. Why…I echoed and could not answer

I turned my back and it was stoned,

And their laughter rang through the ground beneath my ear.

And my soul cried.

But good ideas have been left on the dusty shelves of monestaries, and saints have been strengthened with mud and spittle before them.

As Pearl Harbor succumbs to the ranks of Sparta and ancient Egypt

I will rise up to cast off the dirt of my confusion

And the salt of my tears.

Farewell to the storms of insecurities and ill-will.

Hello! To the sunshine of tranquility and peace.

Hello Friend.

Stormy Weather

It is a rainy day today. It is rare that it rains all day, like it is raining today. The usual summer pattern is the afternoon clouds darken and rumble through, soak the ground heavily and thoroughly, and just as quickly as they arrived, they roll on their way leaving the sparkling blue sky to send crystalline glistens all around. I opened my eyes before dawn and heard the rain on the roof. I lay in bed listening to the crescendo. I like my bed and briefly entertain the idea of staying in it long past the work start time of 8:30. Briefly entertained, because of course it’s silly, and I do have to go to work. But it’s six o’clock in the morning and I have hours to lolligag. I thought of a dream I had, whereby I was in a large conference room, and all the conference attendees were gone, but had left behind all of their books and bags and purses. I knew that they had left them overnight. I walked to one spot, and picked up a woman’s clutch with an ornate clasp of silver and diamonds. I opened it, and saw a cell phone blinking with an incoming phone call, a wallet and a tube of lipstick. I quickly closed the purse and put it back down. I mused that the dream portends future financial opportunities(Publishers‘ Clearinghouse Sweepstakes with my name on it!!).

It is a rainy day to be sure. Since I bicycle to work, wardrobe selection had to be carefully considered. Then I remembered that I forgot to wrap a friend’s birthday present. Today is Julie’s birthday, so I wrapped her gift and signed the card and stuck it in my bag. I washed some strawberries and put them in a ziplock and put those in my bag. I dressed, donned my (awesome!) LLBean rain slicker, put a “Target” shopping bag over my computer case in my bike basket and headed in to the office.

An early morning call from a co-worker with a specific request took priority this morning, so I turned on my computer even before getting coffee. Outlook opened, and froze. I sat, waiting…watching the ever still hourglass. I control alt deleted and nothing happened. I cursed, walked over to Mark in IT and asked if I could just hard reboot. He said yes. I did, but the computer just showed it’s black to me. I cursed again. I walked back to Mark’s office, said, “when you have a minute, I need your help..no hurry, I’m going for coffee” and I did. Mark walked out of my office and said, “You’re in a bad way…” I cursed again. Mark spent all morning playing Hawkeye to my tired old desktop, then brought in a brand new, compact super duper new model, and systematically installed all the programs that this clerk insists on having available. I, in the meantime, fired up the laptop and began to satisfy the day’s demands.

It is lunchtime. It is still raining. Time to roll up my pant legs, don the awesome LLBean, and head back to work. Let us see what the rest of the day has in store.

memory of george

I saw how you looked at me. I didn’t know who you were.

You may or may not have known who I am

But I caught how you looked at me.

How you looked at me inspired me.

Someone likes how I look

I thought.

I like how you look, too.

The next time you looked at me

I felt shy

I felt shy because the first time you looked at me

Made me feel differently.

The third time you looked at me,

You looked very handsome.

That’s when you winked at me.

The wink made me giddy inside.

 

 

Let's walk down to the beach for sunset tonight, shall we?

 

..and in the end

Fifteen hours later, I look back at the accuracy of my "prediction." Of course today was a great day! We are remodeling administrative offices, so we have drywall dust and cables and conduits hanging and bare floors.  Last night, the guys moved the A/C thermostat, and there was no A/C until nearly 3:00 this afternoon. I customarily dress in lightweigh cotton and sandals and bring a sweater. It's usually so cold in the offices.  So when I pulled up front this morning, and a co-worker who was standing outside smoking, scowled, "The air's out" I secretly said "hurray!"  I mused at the various co-workers who reported, "..and they said it's going to hit 95 degrees today!"  I thought, that's why I don't listen to that stuff.  I felt sorry for one fella who is pushing 60 years, is about 6'4" and weighs an easy 280 lbs.  He's been with the Town for 2 years, coming to work with us just a few short years after open heart surgery.  He wears boots that lace up past his ankles, long pants, an undershirt and an overshirt.  He also feels the need to take charge in the day-to-day office operations ( I affectionately refer to him as "mother").  With the construction and the A/C out, he was sweating profusely.  I found it an interesting study in human behavior.  It also gives an intersting outlook as to who can be calm and functional in the event of a hurricane.   2005's Wilma had most residents without electricity for 8 and 9 days, and  2004's Charley had many without electricity for almost as long.

I had some serious deadline stuff, and ran into obstacles that should have been frustrating.  But i wouldn't allow it.  I stayed focused, and things went smoothly.  I did, however do without breakfast or lunch, sustaining on coffee throughout the morning, and a handful of pretzels in the afternoon.  It is rare that I do that.  I don't function well like that.  I guess it showed, because I got home from work about 6:30. I sat down to read the mail, and I started dozing off.  I must have snoozed lightly, but steadily for 30 minutes.  I can't tell you the last time I did that!  When I shook my head clear, I fixed a dish of macaroni salad I had, poured a lemonade and pulled out some homework.

It's nearly 'lights-out" time, and i feel good about today.  Not strongly productive in any particular sense, but very rewarding in that I managed to maintain a joyful day! And I think I was able to inspire others to "look for the good".  I look forward to tonight's dreams, deep rest, and opening my eyes to yet another joyful day tomorrow!

 

 

O Be Joyful!

Today is going to be a great day!  No special reason, yet every special reason!  I slept well, full of many and varied dreams. I was all over the place with many dream symbols - in a movie theatre, at a banquet, having hands-ful of money, driving, hiking..it was all so very wonderful.  I have a sense that I was in the mountains of the Carolinas or Tennessee.  The most poignant point of the dream was at the banquet, or rather after the banquet - it was evening and I was far from home. As a friend and I were leaving the banquet hall, I looked out the large plate-glass windows, and saw the grounds covered with freshly fallen snow.  "It's snowing!" I exclaimed, "I haven't driven in snow for - thirty years!" and then I fainted!  Haha!  When I recovered, my friend assured me that it would be clear and dry by morning.

I hope your day is EVER SO JOYFUL!