Shout out to good people

Last week I performed a total bonehead move: I hopped in my car, dialed a local lunch place to order To Go Food, drove the 15 minutes there (hey, I work in the boonies!), parked and walked in. Only to realize I forgot my wallet.

Argh.

So I went in and explained my idiocy to the guy working there. I felt like such a tool. He gave me the sandwich anyway, telling me he hated food to go to waste.

Today, to thank him, I drove back and offered not only the money for the sandwich, but a small bag of gourmet bakery cookies.

He took the cookies, refused the money.

"It's important people can still trust other people."

So, if you're ever in Beverly, MA, eat at Wrapture. They rock. And their food is pretty damn good too.

Important Portents

You probably are not shocked to find out that I place a lot of stock in astrological events. And given the events of last week, even more so.

You see, tonight is a full eclipse of a full moon. (cue witchy music). Here's what one site had to say about the implications about tonight's event:

A lunar eclipse is a time of beginnings, endings, exposure and major changes. It always has something to do with "relationships". The changes are tied to how we relate and will have a lasting impression. Emotions run high, causing upsets and feelings of disorientation. Actions taken often do not have the expected results, but they do bring awareness and enlightenment. The energy of an eclipse is at its strongest during the two days before and three days after its occurrence.

At lunar eclipses we: merge, unite, announce, contact, present ourselves, bring something out into the open, make decisions, engage, rise to the challenge, make an effort, change, get a new perspective, join with others, take on greater challenges, travel at a faster pace, feel restless, feel pressured by deadlines and a buildup of emotions, and experience excitement and crisis.

Oy vay. That's a lot of intense .... intensity.

And yet, tonight as I walked down to the beach after yoga (it was crazy low tide - I had to walk far and no socks!) I felt nothing but peaceful. It was quiet and serene, the stars shining above, the moon lighting the water for miles and miles. It felt almost mystical.

Who knows what tonight - or the rest of the year holds. But I'm pretty darn sure that there will be some magick in it.

WTF?

Haven't posted in a bit because my life has been The Perfect Storm of personal tragedy. And while none has happened to me, I've been the pincushion - the proverbial shoulder to cry on for all and sundry.

So, while I'm dealing with this, I caught The Colbert Report last night. Upon announcing the writer guild reconciliation, he welcomed his writers. Among them, Mikhail Baryshnikov a/k/a Misha. The one true love of my life.

WTF? I mean, I'm all for gratuitous Misha shots, but I'm seriously confused...

LOL

I hope someone else in the world finds this as funny as I did. Students in Mrs. J. Brown's AP English (PHS, Class of '93) class might.... ****

Paraphrased from Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me!:

Woolworths in England recently agreed to stop selling their line of daybeds, marketed to six year old girls, unfortunately named "Lolita." ....

They also agreed to stop selling the Hannible Lector EZ Bake Oven and the ....

Catherine the Great line of My Little Ponies!!!!

(I love being edumacated....)

**** The AP English Class of PHS '93 was blessed and priveleged to have Mrs. Brown as our teacher. Mrs. Brown was a self-professed "Literary Nerd." By her own admission, she preferred to teach "kids who didn't drool." She is up there in one of my top three all-time teachers. (Edward Munley, may your soul rest in peace.)

We o' the English class weren't far behind on the dorkiness scale. In a school where the Thanksgiving Day football game is broadcast on ESPN and wrestlers are expected to go National, being editor of the LitMag isn't considered uber cool.

But in Mrs. Brown's English class, we ruled.

We started our own newsletter, based on puns. We had no problem throwing references to Catherine the Great and her .... predilictions .... around. We had meaningful debates regarding the romantic merits of Charles Darney v. Sydney Carton. (PS - Sydney wins every time.) If an administrator ever viewed our class, s/he probably would have had a heart attack and then put Mrs. Brown on probation.

But she was the only teacher to write a limerick in my yearbook. Which, almost 15 years later, still makes sense.

It often serves me to remind myself of the things that made me happy - nay, joyous - before I understood the trials and tribulations that life could offer.

Thank Heavens for the occasional random references to Catherine the Great that remind me of innocent joys.

If The Shoe Fits

I've been mad at work putting together a creative pitch for a new shoe department in a regional "off price store." I find this fairly ironic.

Aside from the painted toenail fetish that strikes every spring, I am not exactly what one would call a GirlyGirl. I've alluded to my disregard for following fashion trends. And for someone who spends a fair amount of time in the gym and yoga studio, I just want my footwear to be comfortable. Besides, I'm so weird about money, I just can't rationalize spending gross amounts on shoes. (And, yes, I realize that spending it on books is no more practical. What can I say?)

Still, the project has had me spending lots of time online researching shoes and, specifically, women's obsession with shoes. (Or, at least the stereotype thereof.)

I've found this video which I think is hilarious even as it is fairly misogynist and vulgar. Warning, NSFW:



And while I can't say that I am tempted to go shoe shopping any time soon, it has caused me to examine my own actions and reactions to stereotypes. So, while I might be propagating a sexist generalization, at least I'm increasing my own self-awereness. Does that count for anything?

Huh?

Actual conversation overheard in the lunchroom today:

"There's no way I'm voting today. I'm too depressed about the Patriots."

No wonder everybody hates Americans.

Mulling Over Connectivity

Sometime during last week, my home PC began giving me the dreaded "blue screen of death." While I was able to bypass it twice, I brought it in to a reputable repair shop on Saturday at 11:30. And thus I had a weekend void of connectivity.

I wish I could say I didn't miss it at all. I wish I could say I read a book, went for a walk, called a friend and didn't for a second miss my computer.

While I did all of the things mentioned above and more (yep, that was me holding up an Obama sign at the Grant Circle in 40 mph wind gusts!) - I really DID miss my machine.

I wanted to check email. I wanted to look someone up on IMDB. I wanted to see the menu for a local restaurant.

I desperately want to call the repair shop and check on the status. FUBAR? Salvageable? How much are we looking at here? Or should I give up the ghost and start shopping? But I have been informed that if I call before noon I will officially qualify as pathetic.

Maybe while I'm waiting I'll Google self-help sites for how to learn the art of patience.....