Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Jabberwocky
I Have loved this wonderful nonsensical poem since my Mum read it to me as a child from my first edition of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass. I would say " again mommy, read it again".........and she would.
JABBERWOCKY
Lewis Carroll
Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought --
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
He chortled in his joy.
`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
'Wednesday's Child'
- Monday's child is fair of face,
- Tuesday's child is full of grace,
- Wednesday's child is full of woe,
- Thursday's child has far to go,
- Friday's child is loving and giving,
- Saturday's child works hard for a living,
- But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
- Is bonny and blithe and good and gay
I found this great picture, and though I love it, I really hoped I would have no reason to use it in a post. But alas, today this is exactly how I feel.
Today is Father's Day. And for the 15th year in a row I have no clue as the the location of my Dad. Take it from me, that kind of rejection never fades no matter how much time passes.
Hell, I don't even know if he's still alive....
It's strange to me how I can miss having a family I barely had to begin with. I guess that's not exactly accurate. I had what I thought was a great life for a time. When I was very young. Before I realized how very un-happy( and what a wonderful actress) my mother really was.
( She has since passed away after a noble five year battle with breast cancer)
My adult life however,has been pretty rocky. There have been times that I approached a consciousness close to happiness but I can't say I've ever actually achieved it. Perhaps I have unreasonable expectations. Maybe I wouldn't know it if it bit me in the ass. Maybe it was predestined. Who knows. All I know is that I live it every day and holidays are the worst.
I wonder why happiness has eluded me all these years. Is it because I really don't know what I want? Because I don't know what to ask the "magic 8 ball"? Does anyone really know what they want in life? Don't we all hope to find some to love who loves us back? To find a Career or Job that we enjoy or can at least tolerate, which pays the bills with a little to spare? To help animals and a few people along life's journey. These have been my 'aspirations'.
Perhaps I've been to vague. I've not been specific enough, directing the universe to guide my life in desired directions. Problem is I've not been that particular. I've never KNOWN what I wanted to be when I grew up. I still don't. I just want the respect I deserve ( and I truly believe I'm worthy of) and to stop struggling through life. I've put the time and energy in! I'm willing to put more forth ! But where to direct it for results? This has ever thus been the question.
And I guess it remains such.........
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Say What You Mean...Do What You Say...And Speak Clearly In Both Volume and Content
Among the many things I do and enjoy very much, is my pet sitting 'business'....I put quotes around "business" because I've been doing it for 15+ years and I still can't make even close to a living from it
.
I love animals.....All animals!!!! ( well except my neighbors dog, but that's a whole other post) The above duo were clients of mine, Henry and Annie. I loved caring for them and their other "housemates" a cat, a bunny, a hamster, 2 finches, and tropical fish , in their beautiful Laguna Beach Home.
It's a strange sort of feeling to "take over" a clients house and household responsibilities for any extended period of time. I take my job very seriously. I care for my clients animals and home as I do my own, and let me tell you I'm pretty particular. I've never had a client that did not tell me repeatedly how calm and happy their animals were when they returned, and how much they appreciated me and loved the peace of mind that my service provided them. I've always been very proud of my sense of responsibility and loyalty.
So why am I always looking for clients? Why do these people who claim to value me and my services very rarely refer me to friends or family and more times than not, just stop calling with no explanation? I'm stumped. These people have given me the keys (literally) to their homes, their pets and their lives. Several times.....and then nothing.
Just the other evening I was coming home from some function or appointment and my neighbor, who's dog I'd cared for, intermittently for 10 years, was out on her front lawn. Now we're not "friends" and we don't run into each other all that much but we live right across a very small street from each other. I caught her eye and gestured that I would like to talk as I crossed the street. I think she tried to avoid me but realized that she couldn't. I asked her about her dog, who I couldn't recall seeing for quite some time. Another neighbor had said they thought he had passed away! So I asked her if this was true, and she nodded. I won't get into the why's and wherefores but she was obviously still very sad about this horrible turn of events that had occurred ....8 months ago! Why didn't anyone tell me? I live 30 seconds away, they have my phone number and my e-mail address. I took this rather personally ( not that I let them know that)
I'm trying to figure out why word of "me" hasn't spread like wildfire. Where I live there are more Veterinary clinics than doctors offices. I thought when you found a 'good thing' you shared it with your friends and family. I know for a fact that it can't be due to distrust because I would never steal. If anything I usually leave a teat for the family upon their return. So What Gives?
People like me, who attempt to make a living doing what we love and do well, rely on the positive feedback and word of mouth referrals of their existing clients. I used to think that my clients were afraid if they shared me with their friends I wouldn't be available to them when they needed me. For some reason I no longer believe this.
If there's a service in your community that you use and like, share it with your friends, neighbors and family members before it no longer exists. Don't say your happy with a service if your not. If you've said you'll pass on their card, do! And make sure others understand your intentions to share the wealth..........
I've Always Been Told I Was A "Smart Ass"
'With time, women gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there's no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies'.
Keeping this in mind I've ascertained that I'm not fat!.....Just enormously Cultured, Informed, and Educated!
From this moment on, when I look in the mirror, I will think:
Good lord!!! Look how smart I am!
" The Haircut"
I need to preface this Post with the confession that I did not write the following quip but I loved it so much I had to share and save it for posterity....
The Haircut
One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut.
After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, 'I cannot
accept money from you , I'm doing community service this week.' The
florist was pleased and left the shop.
When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a
'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.
Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill,
the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you , I'm doing
community service this week.' The cop was happy and left the shop.
The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a 'thank you'
card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.
Then a Congressman came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his
bill, the barber again replied, 'I can not accept money from you. I'm
doing community service this week.' The Congressman was very happy and
left the shop.
The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen
Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut.
And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the
citizens of our country and the politicians who run it.
BOTH POLITICIANS AND DIAPERS NEED TO BE CHANGED OFTEN AND FOR THE SAME
REASON!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
No Rest For The Weary !!!
What the f****!?!?!?!
Sorry to start out like that but the "gardener" I wanted to yell it at "No Habla Englais"!!!! WHY???? He has a job in this country. ( Something I can't seem to acquire, partially due to the fact that I do not speak Spanish!!!) He had began mowing the lawn 2ft from my bedroom window!!! Obviously I have awakened, or more accurately, been awakened up by a lawn mowing, hedge trimmer wieilding, Spanish speaking, cretin who has no regard for anyone not on his 4am wake-up schedule!
I live in a mixed community and I'm more than certain that 7:45 AM is not an acceptable time to be jolted out of bed for many of my neighbors not just me. I know for a fact the boys next door are up late partying most nights. Yesterday morning I was awakened by a team of roofers babbling on loudly, in Spanish, setting up ladders against their unit wielding hammers and air pistols. The roofers began their assault at around 8:15 AM and kept it up until 10:30, at which time they just stopped what they were doing, climbed down off their ladders and disappeared for 2 hours. Leaving Ladders reaching up to the very top of my neighbors two story condo. Extension cords strewn everywhere, including my property. Power tools and tool bags on the lawn and their jackets on my window ledge. They just left! Not only was this rude but a serious safety violation. To top that off, I have other neighbors who have young children and at least one of them is pretty, well... "not quite right"( that's about as politically correct as I get). This child will come up to, walk into, pick up and play with, just about anything readily available to her. And no, her parents are seldom around to supervise her. What if she wandered over and fancied the nail gun?
Why do we homeowners and residents have to be forced to live on a foreign work crews schedule? I emphasize foreign not for a bigoted reason, although I find myself fighting the urge to hate daily, but because they do things differently there. These guys seem to start their day at 5AM. I guess they figure that by 8AM we should all be bight eyed and bushy tailed and if not....tough shit! Some people work nights, some are just 'night' people. We have the right to vary.
I was an on site assistant manager for a property management company at one point in my life and we had very strict rules ( not set by me by the way) against any power tools being used on the residential area of the property before 10 AM.
Do we as Americans really have to tolerate, or worse yet support a two hour Siesta in the middle of our work day? Why is it they have to quit for the day at 3pm.? Is that when the last buss leaves? It's time to adjust to our schedule as Americans if they want to be here.
I have no issue with immigration as a whole. Heck, I was born and raised in New York City. Every one's an immigrant there. But they're happy to assimilate to our way of life. I emphasize happy! That's why they came here. Because it's better than where they're from.
If I moved to Paris I'd learn to speak French fluently, eat more pastry, drink wine with every meal and have dinner at 10PM........... ( But I'd be nice to Americans ; ) )
The difference, as far as I can see, is that the Mexicans who "immigrate" to California are not looking to adopt our way of life, they're looking to take California back and revert it to their way of life. ( Yuck!!!) One employed illegal alien at a time!!!!
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