Source: Moviesludge
It’s been a long day
November 12, 2019 by 42 Comments
Phoenix, AZ.
Visiting Brother.
Time: Now.
I was inspired by the full Moon over the Camelback Mountains the night before.
I was further inspired by a Moon quote from a Murakami book that I came across this morning.
So much inspiration is grist for a blog post. As the bio suggests, if it moves me, it goes up. No other criteria required. Full stop.
Tell my Brother that I’m going out to take some shots of the Moon with my Smartphone. How hard can it possibly be, right?
I step outside.
I walk a block looking in all directions.
Then I walk a second block. It was a cloudless day in Phoenix. How hard can it be? Pretty damn hard without the Moon.
I get in car. I drive 5 miles east. Why East? Because the Sun Rises in the East. So Moon must be East. Does this make any sense? It gets Dark, the Moon is there. Does it rise at all?
I could have Googled it before I left (“Does the Moon Rise? “What time does the Moon rise in Phoenix today?”)
But, WTH would I do that for?
In 50+ years, it has never dawned on me that the Moon wouldn’t be there waiting for me when it was dark on a cloudless night.
I drive back. Wow. Empty handed. Embarrassing and beyond.
“What took so long?”
“I couldn’t find the Moon?”
“You’ve got to be kidding?’
“No Moon.”
“OK Smart a**. Does the Moon rise or is it just there?”
He has no clue either. Same root, same stock. Makes sense.
He’s watching me write this Post. He’s staring, wondering: “You aren’t really going to tell the world that you don’t know Jack about the Moon are you?”
Apparently I’m going to do exactly that. Yep.
I’m connected to my own reality here.
“We’re both looking at the same moon, in the same world. We’re connected to reality by the same line. All I have to do is quietly draw it towards me.”
~ Haruki Murakami, Sputnik Sweetheart
Notes:
- Photo: Not Mine. Phoenix, AZ. Moon last night (Nov 11, 2019). Amazing shot by Beverly Thornburgh.
- Quote via The Vale of Soul Making
- Related Posts: It’s been a long day
Riding Metro North. Seat Selection Psychology.
October 11, 2019 by 24 Comments
I’ve noticed.
It’s happened enough times, to notice. Is it only me that notices these things?
Typically off peak trains.
I’m early.
I take the window seat, in a three seater. Always a 3-seater. Always the window seat.
I don’t place my bag on the seat, a Welcome mat for other commuters.
Train car begins to fill.
Ladies. Men. All colors, sizes.
They take a quick glance.
And they pass.
They’ll crowd into a two seater across, in front, behind. Or a three seater in front, behind.
The car reaches capacity, and he (or she) will approach,
look up and down the car,
and take the seat.
But why?
All of the seats already had an occupant, which meant I was going to have to position myself next to a stranger. In a different mood, I enjoyed this game: one had ten seconds to scan the occupants and select the slimmest, sanest, cleanest-looking person to sit next to. Choose wrongly, and the fifteen-minute journey into town would be a much less pleasant experience—either squashed beside a sprawling fatty, or mouth-breathing to minimize the penetration of the reek emanating from an unwashed body. Such was the excitement of traveling on public transport…I stared at the floor, my mind racing. Did I … did I look like the kind of person who ought to be avoided in a game of bus seat selection? I could only conclude, in the face of the evidence, that I did. But why?
~ Gail Honeyman, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.
Photo credit
“Do you have concerns over mild memory loss?”
October 2, 2019 by 34 Comments
Hell, yes. But…
This was the tag line for an ad from Prevagen.
The ad ran during the peak Nightly News time slot.
Prevagen’s estimated annual sales are $200 million +. The dietary supplement is said to be on sale at over 20,000 retail locations nationwide including CVS and Walgreens. ($41.99 for 30 capsules at CVS)
Prior firm ads state:
“You might take something for your heart… your joints… your digestion. So why wouldn’t you take something for the most important part of you… your brain?”
Wow.
According to the company’s website, people who use people Prevagen (Quincy Bioscience) can “experience improved memory, a sharper mind, and clearer thinking. However, a review of the evidence indicates that these effects are not well substantiated. In addition, the FDA has warned Quincy Bioscience in the past against claiming Prevagen could treat conditions such as head injuries and Alzheimer’s disease and for failing to report adverse reactions. The FDA has also claimed that the key ingredient, apoaequorin, a synthetic protein, is not an acceptable ingredient in a dietary supplement. The FTC is also pursuing a lawsuit against the company regarding its promotion of Prevagen.(Consumerlab.com)
Guess.What.Day.It.Is? (You can’t make this up Day)
September 25, 2019 by 24 Comments
Notes:
- Tiger Truck Stop’s Caspar the camel, one of the animal attractions at the truck stop, looks no worse for wear. Last week when a Florida truck driver and her husband crawled into a camel’s enclosure, the camel sat on the woman, who used her teeth to bite the camel’s testicles to escape. According to the Iberville Parish Sheriff’s Office, the woman’s husband threw doggy treats under Caspar the camel’s fence, which is about 6 feet hight. The lady encountered trouble after entering the enclosure to retrieve the dog. (The Advocate, Baton Rouge, LA, September 23, 2019“)
- That’s a picture of Caspar above by Travis Spradling of the Advocate.
- Background on Caleb/Wednesday/Hump Day Posts and Geico’s original commercial: Let’s Hit it Again
Driving I-95 S & N. Money For Nothing.
September 21, 2019 by 46 Comments
Hasn’t happened. Ever.
50+ years.
Not a single time.
I’m stuck on I-95 S. Frustrated. I was up early, planned to be ahead of the morning rush, way ahead, and now, here I sit. Nasty traffic, snarled. Waze signals delays, and more delays.
Need a mind set shift. I type Dire Straits in search box. Because dire it is. That ain’t workin’, that’s the way you do it / Money for nothin,’ and chicks for free.
Nothing for Free. Stupidity is expensive.
Traffic is at a dead stop. I grab my briefcase from the backseat and rummage through it again. Nothing. What makes you think it will be there. You went through it twice at home. And your Suit jacket from yesterday and the day before. And your pant pockets, from three days. And the hamper. And the floor in the closet. And your other bag. And the kitchen counter. And the car. The trunk. The glove box. Under all seats, and between seats. And the side pockets. A sweat droplet glides down your back, your forehead glistens. 55° F and you’ve just about had it for the day.
I inch forward in traffic.
I call the office: “Could you please check under my desk? In my drawers? Call lost and found? Call the restaurant hosting the work dinner Tuesday Night?”
I call home: “Could you check my Suit pockets again please? My desk drawer? My other bag? Under the cushions on the couch? The drawer in the night stand? The floor under the nightstand?”
I’m sure with two different sets of eyes, they will find it. I’m sure.
I sit in the cabin, in traffic, in silence, and wait. Nick Flynn: “We are made of waiting –…”
Traffic inches forward. WTH. Is everyone in the State of Connecticut parked on I-95?
Both calls come back. Nothing.
I’m sitting in my first morning meeting. Mind is gone, Away. Replaying the last 2 days, hour by hour. Or was it three days ago? Forgetting many things of late. A harbinger of things to come?
Rattled. [Read more…]
Ah, yes. The underpinnings for sugar addiction. I’m O.K. Breathe easier.
September 10, 2019 by 49 Comments
Think of the actual physical elements that compose our bodies: we are 98 percent hydrogen and oxygen and carbon. That’s table sugar. You are made of the same stuff as table sugar.
Just a couple of tiny differences here and there and look what happened to the sugar: it can stand upright and send tweets.
~ Augusten Burroughs, This Is How: Surviving What You Think You Can’t
Notes: Sugar Photo credit. Quote via quotespile
Just another Friday night…
September 7, 2019 by 54 Comments
- 8:05 pm. I arrive at home, 15 hour day. ooooooo, how do you spell, e-n-o-u-g-h…
- 8:10 pm. Sitting at kitchen table. Thai takeout. Cold. Sticky rice, stucky rice.
- 8:15 pm. Susan fussing with remote and TV. “Bloody cable box must be broken.”
- 8:16 pm. DK: “No, must be the TV. It’s time for one of those new 8K T.V.s.”
- 8:17 pm. SK: “Are you out of your mind?”
- 8:17 pm. She continues fussing with remote.
- 8:18 pm. I’m picking at the cold rice which is slathered with Duck sauce.
- 8:19 pm. I google Cablevision to see if there are outages. Widespread outages since 7:49 pm.
- 8:20 pm. DK: “Why don’t you google it?”
- 8:21 pm. SK: “I’m not googling anything. You google it.”
- 8:22 pm. 36 years of marriage last week. I sit in silence and pick at the cold Garlic Chicken.
- 8:23 pm. She reboots the cable box by powering it on and off. She waits for system to reset.
- 8:26 pm. System resets. She curses. Still no fix. She’s now irritated, advancing to angry.
- 8:26 pm. She scurries over to the other room to test that TV.
- 8:27 pm. She’s back. She’s isolated root cause to a cable problem.
- 8:28 pm. She resets the entire T.V. to default settings. And waits and waits and waits.
- 8:39 pm. It’s back up. No fix.
- 8:40 pm. She runs downstairs to reset cable modem to reset the entire system.
- 8:45 pm. Alarms beep. Entire system reboots.
- 8:45 pm. I’m watching her with the remote, clutching a crucifix, whispering to herself.
- 8:50 pm. Entire system reset. No fix.
- 8:51 pm. DK: “Why don’t you google it?”
- 8:52 pm: SK: “I’m not googling anything.”
- 8:52 pm. She texts neighbor. To learn that neighbor has texted entire neighborhood.
- 8:53 pm. Neighbor: “Cable out in three states CT, NY, NJ.”
- 8:53 pm. Three states of cable addicts blitzing Cablevision 800 # and website.
- 8:54 pm. I’ve moved onto dessert, continue watching this show. Who needs Broadway?
- 8:55 pm. She googles Cablevision with her back to me. She finds number and dials. She’s on hold.
- 8:58 pm. After being on hold for several minutes, she learns that it’s the wrong number.
- 8:59 pm. She collapses onto couch, still clutching the remote.
- 9:00 pm. I walk upstairs, looking over my shoulder. There she is, eyes closed, slumped on the couch. And I’m the one with problems?
Image & Story: Optimum customers report widespread outages (CtPost, September 6, 2019, 9:42 PM)
Running. With Jelly Donuts.
August 31, 2019 by 84 Comments
I open my eyes. 5:35 a.m. I close my eyes, and take inventory.
Right groin, an old catcher’s mitt, stiff, cracks in the leather.
Knees, throb.
Three middle toes on right foot, blistered. Raw.
This is about where Tanya Donelly would say: “But you can change your story / And throw a hand up from the mud.”
But that’s not how we roll here. No Tanya. No.
This story (or catalyst) starts Wednesday after dinner. The 7 pm to 8:30 pm witching hour(s). The Big Cat starts to pace, and circle. I want it. I need it. I crave it.
After taking inventory in the fridge, the cupboards, the pantry, none of the required provisions are available. I jump into the car and head to Palmer’s Market. Talenti Mint Chocolate Chip Gelato. (4 Pints). Nacho Cheese Doritos (Extra Large Bag). Chobani Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt, Pineapple flavored. Stonewall Kitchen Sour Cherry Jam (to chase the Yogurt). And, then, in the glass case: Donuts. Strawberry Jelly filled donuts.
The belt pulls the items towards the clerk. “Good evening Sir. Do you have a Palmer’s Card?” A wee bit of junk food with Dinner, Sir? “Sir, I don’t see a 2 pound bag of Domino Premium Pure Cane Granulated Sugar here. Shall I run and get it for you? And, Sir, in Aisle 3, we have hypodermic needles and rubber hose tie-offs. Step behind the counter here with me, and I’ll inject it for you, it will only take a minute. [Read more…]
