Pockets

I took The Wee Dog, Princess Lily, for a stroll tonight a little after dark-thirty. Being the middle of September, the evenings are beginning to get a little nippy, so  I grabbed a light jacket that I had not had on in a while.  As Lily and I were strolling down the sidewalk I stuck both my hands in the pockets of the jacket and discovered some items there in.  In the right pocket was the small plastic bag familiar to all urban dog owners, colloquially referred to as poop bags.  In the left pocket I found a paper mask that has become so fashionable and controversial during this pandemic.  As is my wont, I begin to reflect on these items as I walked.

The poop bag was a reminder to me to never say never, as I had more than once, emphatically stated that I would never pick up dog feces, using it as one of my arguments as why we did not need a dog.  However, if you have a dog in an urban / suburban environment it is only good manners to clean up your dog’s doings. When I was still working Continue reading “Pockets”

Before I was born

I was speaking with one of my Spanish tutors, Micaela, this morning.  Mica lives in a small jungle town in Ecuador, but she has a good internet connection.  She is around 30 and an excellent conversationalist. We been working together for more than 2 years and have a friendly relationship.  For my part, I always enjoy our hour together every couple weeks, and she seems to do so also.

I sent her a few pictures of Cannon Beach in Oregon, then asked her is she remembered the movie Goonies, it being an extremely popular movie in its day, and having scenes in the movie set at Cannon Beach. Even though American movies and television programs are very popular there, she did not remember this movie .

I sent her a link to the IMDB page for Goonies. After looking at the page, she said, “Oh that movie was made in 1985 – before I was born!”

Grumble, grumble, gripe, gripe… got to love this getting old…the human race marches on.

Rev. Joe’s Random Thought #5,834

yeah I know you did not ask!

Watching TV this weekend while visiting a friend in Mississippi there were a brazilian advertisements for personal injury lawyers.  When you look up the meaning of ambulance chaser the phrase personal injury lawyer is a prominent part of the definition.  I began to wonder does anyone go to law school planning on being a personal injury lawyer? It seems me like such a cynical line of work, it is hard to imagine starting their education of law with such an outlook.

And so it goes.

 

 

Quote About Masks

I don’t like wearing masks.

Do I wear masks, hell yes.  Why?  First because I do not want to get COVID.  I am vaccinated, but I could still contract or carry COVID. Secondly, I want to protect other people, even those do not think they need protecting or want to be protected.  Thirdly, I am trying to make a statement about what is the right thing to do.

In this week’s edition of the local free alternative newspaper, Riverfront Times,  there is a quote about masks that I absolutely love:

Masks are a metaphor for selflessness. During a pandemic they should be a symbol of community and national sense of duty, much like rationing was at the outbreak of World War II.  ~~ Editorial by Ray Hartman, Faisal Khan’s Well-Aimed Middle Finger

Absolutely, freaking YES!!!

Word of the Day – Parvenu

  • Noun: Parvenu

    1. a person who has suddenly risen to a higher economic status but has not gained social acceptance of others in that class
  • Synonyms:
    1.  upstart
    2. nouveau riche
  • Usage:
    1. “’I brought the old guys so that my drives look that much longer,’ Watson joked. But we prodded. No, really, what’s the deal? Nothing against these guys, but most tour pros are surrounded by agents, managers, instructors, equipment reps, siblings, former college teammates and general parvenus. (Some pros have enough lackeys to field a softball team.)”
  • Encountered:
    1. While reading an Internet article: What would a tour pro shoot at your course? Bubba Watson helps us find out

To see more Words of the Day, visit this link: Words of the Day

Soy un comediante

There are a couple skills that a person needs when they start a language learning journey, but that are not mentioned in the syllabus.  One is that you need to accept making lots of mistakes and the other is that you need to be able to laugh at yourself.  It took me a while to realize this. Self-deprecating humor is my forte, but it  is difficult accepting the making of errors, partly because I am a bit of a perfectionist, ask anyone who has programmed behind me, partly because I could not laugh at myself about those mistakes, partly because I hate feeling stupid in front of someone else, it is bad enough in front of yourself.  It is the last that has flattened my Spanish learning curve, but I am somewhat more accepting of my foibles now.

I read an article on language learning sometime ago, and one of their theories was that it took 10,000 Continue reading “Soy un comediante”

Revengeful Robin…

On either side of our driveway are two large trees. On the right is a sycamore tree that towers above our two story house.  On the left is a sweet gum tree, tall for its species, with an impressive canopy.  One thing I have always liked about this arrangement is the shade they give our principle vehicles. With the garage being filled with kayaks and my baby – Li’ Blue – aka a certain Mazda MX-5 Miata, the other cars cannot find a home inside.  Of course if you are going to have tree limbs over cars, you will have the occasional avian calling card on your vehicle.  This has been an infrequent and bearable problem… Continue reading “Revengeful Robin…”

Double Takes

La Señora and I were driving on the north side of the St. Louis metro area when we passed a bar with a sign in the parking lot that read: Karoke – Vaccine Event.   Why not?

That same day driving home we passed a van advertising mobile windshield and chip repair.  You guessed it…  the windshield of the van was cracked.

And so it goes