- Quaint Sayings
My mom had lots of little sayings when I was growing up--and the "My get up and go got up and went" was one of them. I pass on these little sayings to my grandkids--or use words that they find helplessly old-fashioned and say, "Huh?" I call a dresser a bureau; that cracks them up. "A what?" Recently I said a person "looked like a pig in a poke." "A what?" Then there's my "God 'willin and the creek don't rise." Can you tell I was born into a midwestern family? - Watching Katrina
Well, my get up and go did get up and went--due partially to the fact that the heat has finally reached even the beach cities. For the first time this summer, I used the bedroom ceiling fan all night. I just watched the news, and Katrina is heading for New Orleans. My friend Ray in N'awlins writes of the dynamics of waiting it out. His parish isn't evacuating, but I remember seeing those contraflow lanes when I visited there last year. No one can come in--all lanes going out. Heat isn't so bad, but it is deenergizing. - Pilgrimage, Macs and PCS
Made a "pilgrimage" to the westside of L.A. this morning to pick up an Apple discontinued Airport card for my Mac G4 Quicksilver at MacSolutions. This computer will go to my grandson when my new top-of-the-line Mac Mini arrives on Monday. We are going wireless! I use both PCs and Macs, but I vastly prefer Mac. I was shocked when one of our new techs at school told me yesterday that the only people who use Macs anymore are people in education. No way, Jose! Friendships have been lost over PC and Mac aficianados dissing each other. It was a pilgrimage because I worked in downtown Santa Monica for a time and commuted from the South Bay--and one of my son's had an office in Santa Monica more than 10 years. Every part of this city--like every city, I suppose--has its distinct characteristics. - Back To Work Anxiety
I am having "returning to work" anxiety. I have so loved my first year of phased retirement, but I learned something very important this glorious summer. I could easily not work psychologically; I was afraid I'd go down the drain without structured time. I didn't, but I am at odds somewhat this weekend for some strange reason. - Dependency on Appliances
I didn't realize how much I depended on my gas dryer until the gas line split this week and it had to be shut off. I bought all the replacement lines, etc. as directed by The Gas Co., but had to wait until my son-in-law could install it today. Can't get an official safety check for almost two weeks. They came out fast when the gas was leaking, however. Glass half full! We turned on the dryer gas and all seems well for several loads. - A Passle of Dreams
Passle is one of those words my grandkids laugh at. The past weeks have been a hotbed of dream activity and now I can look at them gathered and see their patterns. This week, seeing the dreams lumped together, shows me collectively that I seem to dream problems (some potentially disastrous) I have to figure out how to get around or fix. There are always many people in my dreams--some causing the problems, but most of them seem to be people I'm traveling with, working with, etc. My co-dependency -- trying to control situations -- has been prevalent. And there has been a lot of fear, loss, abandonment--but a prevalent "I'll get to the bottom of this" attitude. One of the sheer joys this morning was the appearance of three of our former Outdoor Education instructors who were giving me advice and bolstering my morale. One of them was killed in 1997 in a tragic avalanche accident and in the dream, Max is there. - Writing Raw Code Means I'm Bored
When I start looking up and writing code, I know I'm bored. Back to the ever-so-cool patio and my book and journal. Saturday nights sure aren't like they were when I was 17.
