litany

i am midway through bagging my stuff in the self-service aisle when along comes another shopper who ignores the empty aisles on either side of us and proceeds to ring up his purchases onto mine. just as well for him that i do not bag his groceries and make off with them, as he clearly does not look three feet in front of his nose.

in the parking lot i find that another car is parked so intimately close to mine that my trunk door can only coyly peep open, mandating a series of heroic contortions on my part in order to load a week's worth of groceries.

and, as i drive off, i am privy to the ghastly sight of an elderly woman nonchalantly depositing a load of mucoid liquid per os onto the sidewalk. it almost inspires an emetic reaction from me.

on the other hand, i have a lovely transatlantic conversation this morning that reminds me of blessings that are mine, with ten thousand besides.

somber thoughts after the earthquake*

this is what i would tell a young physician:
1. don't hurry. it's a life-long art.
2. serve, for no return. your soul will be richer.
3. teach. you owe it to your teacher.

and this i would tell a medical student:
1. it's not too late. there are smoother paths.
2. it satisfies only if you give almost all.
3. if you would walk this path, don't hurry.

there goes my sudden attack of earnestness.
shades of mr collins and all.
*haiti, january 12, 2010

heredity

J2 presents her SLR camera project and gets a rave review and a ticket to the science fair. which, i tell her, is a darn sight more than anything i have ever achieved. duh, she says, don't you know i take after dad, not you?

wilted wit

absurd person singular - alan ayckbourn (1977)

second person singular - alice meynell (2004)

third person singular - kj erickson (2002)

first person plural - cameron west (1999)

do you see a pattern? i'll bet the second and third persons did not. in any case i stumble onto the first three whilst trying to acquire the absurd from amazon.com. the last one is a failed attempt at intellectual stimulation from last year.

milestones 2

aging is a step-wise process. my steps:

b.c./a.d.
having kids
norplant
driver's license (mine)
home ec class(J2's)
driving privileges (J1's)
alarm clocks (J1, J2's)

milestones

J1 is thinking through college course options. so are my little nieces and nephews.

my years of being avuncularly questioned about my life choices are suddenly done, as are my years of looking on whilst other people get patted and quizzed. somehow i have irretrievably slipped to the other side, and now am ranged with the adults who may enquire and dispense as they see fit.

growing older chronologically is a continuum, but aging is a step-wise process.

the emptying nest

kids today are smarter.

their way promises to be more arduous.

there is more iniquity and evil in the world.

on the other hand, adult moaning is time honored and well documented. perhaps, for all our concerns, current adolescents will in time find their equilibrium, climb their mountains, leave their marks and whine about their own juveniles, thereby proving the good book correct* again.

*that there is nothing new under the sun.

product review - microwave oven

must haves:
1. no turntable.
2. large capacity.
3. minimal functions.

product review - washer

must haves:
1. top loading.
2. super fast cycle.
3. no center tub agitator.

delegation of duties

J2 is building an SLR camera for her science project. should i make it turn here like so, do you think, she asks. do you want me to simply agree, or do you want me to make intelligent noises, i ask her.

she should know by now that for school projects my job is to keep the pantry stocked and the gas tank full. i don't feel obliged to engage the synapses above the spinal cord.