Friday, May 22, 2009

Cryptographic thought

I am back. I have had the opportunity to watch a fascinating sight. I have watched a person, who after a good 65 years of life, try to come to terms with the fact that she is going to be alone. This is a person, female, as you can tell by the pronoun, who is an adult in name only. She has been dependent on so many others to help her and do for her in life. She has never provided for herself or lived independently.

Siblings who basically raised her, treated her with kindness, hospitality and cash, no doubt, are moving on to the afterlife. That relationship is done. Children are moving away. The circle gets smaller. Significant other is really getting on in years. What will she do?

The interesting thing is watching her get hit with that realization and still she seems to avoid speaking the truth. It is the unwinding of a fantasy. A bewildering story of short term gain paid for with long term pain.....pain she is just beginning to feel as it has become reality.

So sad...so avoidable.....so predictable and boring.

Ciao!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Cut fingers and the Middle Ages

I am back. Not much to say but I thought that I would check in. I did learn something this holiday weekend. Whereas the notion of drinking and fireworks not mixing made sense, nobody told me about drinking, trying to separate frozen hamburger patties and bbqs not mixing.

Suffice to say, I learned that the hard way........with a long gash on my finger. It is still oozing as we speak. It is as if my finger is having its period. Oh well, as long as it does not get infected, I will survive. Of course, if this were the Middle Ages, it would be fatal. Then again, at my age, if it were the Middle Ages, I would already have been dead....for a while, let alone not be able to blog about it. Well, I guess I could blog but then I would be labeled a heretic and burned at the stake. Though, that would kill off any infection, so there is an upside to all of this.

Ciao!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

I am back

I am back. Have I not posted since April 28th, two weeks ago? What is up with that? In the mean time, I should give a belated shout out to the Wife, who had a birthday two weeks ago, or so and my now 3 year old nephew whose birthday was on the 1st.

Funny thing. I am having dinner at my mother's on Sunday with the family, including the aforementioned nephew. We had brought his gift to my mother's house the previous week but there was illness in the family, so they did not come. My mother took the gift over to them during the week and he, well his mother, my sister in law, called to thank us and get him to thank us, which he did. Anyway, on Sunday I am sitting beside him after dinner. We had the group cake and he and the Wife blew out the candles.

As we are sitting side by side, he turns to me and asks if I brought him a present. I laughed at the greedy little weasel. The kid does not share and he wants another present. I have to give him credit.

On another note, yesterday, May 11th, has some strange signficance in my life. It was 30 years ago, yes, 1979, that I missed school that Friday to be allergy tested. Scratched and pricked with needles, I think school would have been preferable. I did find out that I was allergic to apples, though, so that was kind of cool. I remember the nurse saying that I should not tense up my forearms as that only makes it worse. To which I shot back, "let me stab you and see how you react." There was silence after that one.

25 years ago, yes, 1984, a good friend and I had a "date" to celebrate the end of exams. We were both finally finshed, so the evening was planned. We started with a little "bar in the car" outside a school with Southern Comfort (I bet you know where this is heading). We polished off the 12 0zer, no sweat. Then we decided that I would drive us to the Keg Mansion. I know, I know the drinking and driving thing, but you have to put it into the context of the mid 80s where it was not as heavily condemned. It does not make it any better and I/we were young and stupid. We did live to tell and nobody got killed or hurt.

Anyway, I am winding my way through the city and we made it to around the area of University of Toronto by Robards Library, where we both had studied. I was told to pull over by my friend. Then before I know it, there is puking going on outside the open passenger door. I figured that the evil had been done and asked if we should head to our original destination. I was not too upset when asked to head home.

I wound through the side streets and whip around turns. We hit Casa Loma and I was told to pull over. I pulled into Casa Loma's parking lot. Again, the passenger side door opens and there is a whole lot of puking going on. I am watching the back arch. That wave passes and we sit.

I ask, "Are you okay?" I hear, "yes, yes", then a loud belch and "NO!". Let the next wave begin. Anyway, long story short, I get her home and it is before 11. There is more puking on her driveway. By this time, I am fucking sober. I go home, find that a cassette is stuck in my car deck and I cannot get it out.

That was the celebration. Funny that I remember it so vividly after all these years. Hope you enjoyed another puke story. Ciao!