A Gracious Neighbor inspired by the short story "A Jury of Her Peers," but not nearly as good. I read it because it's set in West U. The main character is constantly upset because her house is small and she doesn't fit in with the West U crowd. And then an old friend from high school and her husband move in next door and now she's obsessed with them. Not recommended.
Sunday, August 7, 2022
Books of July
A Gracious Neighbor inspired by the short story "A Jury of Her Peers," but not nearly as good. I read it because it's set in West U. The main character is constantly upset because her house is small and she doesn't fit in with the West U crowd. And then an old friend from high school and her husband move in next door and now she's obsessed with them. Not recommended.
Sunday, July 31, 2022
Washington Post Annual Contest: Funny!
Once again, The
Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in
which readers are asked to supply alternative meanings for common words. The
winners are:
1. Coffee (N.), the
person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted
(adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
3. Abdicate (V.), to
give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade (V.), to
attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (Adj.),
impotent.
6. Negligent (Adj.),
describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your
nightgown.
7. Lymph (V.), to walk
with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (N.),
olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (N.)
emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash (N.), a
rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (N.), a
humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude (N.),
the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon , a
Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster (N.), a
person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism
(N.), (back by popular demand): The belief that, when you die, your Soul flies
up onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent (N.),
an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.
Monday, July 25, 2022
My Forever Home
I'm not sure if it was fate or just plain luck that I opened an invitation to a lunch to hear about a new senior living facility that was going up not far from my Meyerland home. Senior living for me? Living with a bunch of doddering old people? I was still working, writing, driving, volunteering...but I had nothing planned for that day and besides, it was a free lunch. Sure enough, when I walked in, I saw gray-haired people, some with rollators. I couldn't possibly fit in. But the meal was delicious, the marketing pitch intriguing and the new addition wouldn't be open for two years. Plenty of time to think about it.
Sunday, July 10, 2022
Books of May and June
Rivers of Power is a long book about the effect of rivers on human populations. It's not for everyone (unless you're interested in rivers) but I enjoyed it.
The Woman with the Blue Star. A Polish Jewish family manages to escape from the Nazis and hide in the sewers. Amid the sorrows, the daughter finds an unlikely friend, a Polish girl she glimpses through a grate over the sewer.
Saturday, June 25, 2022
Meditating
Written during the pandemic but still applicable.
What if we see the pandemic
As a hard blessing
and a cue to reflect
That truly
Life is beautiful
And we need to see ourselves
As family
Without distinction
And love each other
And learn to give tenderness,
What if we learn to love
Our Mother Earth
And take care of ourselves
And take care of her.
What if in our isolation
We learn to listen to each other
With understanding
And look with wonder at every pebble
Every shadow.
What if we marvel
At the sunset,
At the song of a bird
And a droplet of water
And what if we listen
With a new ear to the children
And the elders.
And what if we search inside ourselves
And realize
We actually don't need a lot,
That the ultimate beauty
Is what we now miss so much--
To hug,
To look into each other's eyes
That we really lack for nothing.
Sunday, June 19, 2022
What Musical Notes Can Teach Us
C sharp = D flat
Yesterday I attended a memorial service for a well-loved resident here at Brazos Towers. A comment from the eulogy caught my attention and has stayed in my mind ever since. The comment had to do with piano keys, that C sharp and D flat are the same key on the piano, the same pitch but are inscribed differently on sheet music so we tend to think of them as different. The minister pointed out that, as human beings we're really all alike, all homo sapiens, though we think of each other as different. He reminded us that all faiths tell us to love our neighbors as ourselves and said we should keep that in mind when we encounter people who think differently from us. That's a perfect lesson for today: Democrat/Republican; Jew/Christian/ Muslim; liberal/conservative--we're all members of the human race who should treat one another with courtesy and respect.
Sunday, June 12, 2022
For Wordle Lovers
Alarm.
Arise.
Teeth: brush, floss.
Grabs phone.
Loads. Rules clear.
Legit words. Slang]
taboo.
Ready? Ready.
Plays.
Picks usual first guess.
Sonar? Cable? Novel?
Share?
Ashen block after
ashen block.
Lucky!
Clues, Hints.
Tries again.
Fifth space, amber
(maybe lemon?)
Right vowel, wrong
place.
Tries again.
Three right!
First, green, Third,
green. Fifth, amber
(maybe lemon)
Brain stirs.
Words. Order. Usage.
Logic.
Tries again. Worse!
Feels faint. Think!
Needs quiet,
Fights doubt.
Avoid doing badly.
Tries again.
Wrong!
Shock, truly
Stuck.
Brain blank.
Sharp panic.
Takes pulse.
Keeps faith.
Brain spark; vowel
twice?
Final guess.
Every fiber tense.
Waits.
First block flips.
Green,
Green, green, green.
Bliss!
Alive again!
Prize, pride,
Inner peace,
Waits.
Night alarm, teeth,
phone, newly blank
board.
First guess again.
Final point:
minor thing, major\
magic.
Daily light among
bleak times.
Happy place.
Hence,
folks thank
Josh Wardle.
If you play Wordle, you know exactly how this feels.
By the way, I've gotten 127 out of 131 correct! (Happy place!)
If you're a wordle enthusiast, you'll enjoy Canada's game, Canuckle--just like Wordle, but each correct word has something to do with Canada.
folks thank