Life in the fast lane--where's the on ramp?

By Pat_B - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Journal

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Reality TV, Bread and Circuses

Biggest Loser, American Idol and Ramsey's F Word aside, I detest "reality" programming. The only thing worse is the media's constant focus on the blathering, endless political circus put on at great expense by the Republicans. A mention on the evening news would be sufficient. But the pundits and... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:20 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

To boldly go...

Grammarians scolded about this split infinitive. It should have been "to go boldly." But Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and the Starship Enterprise crew weren't composition conscious language specialists -- they were Starfleet Academy graduates, the first and perhaps the coolest of the good guy geeks. The... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 7:11 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, January 9, 2012

Sons, Obligations and Favors

When your kid leaves home, for college, for a job elsewhere, for marriage, or just for the independence of being on his own, there's a disturbance in the force. This change causes a rift, a reinforced sense of then vs now. We get nostalgic, think about games we'd played, conversations over shared... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:39 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, January 8, 2012

School's back in session after the winter break

Chelsea, a niece of my son's ex and still a favorite of mine, had problems with her math teacher last semester. She called him a jerk. She got extra tutoring and began figuring things out for herself. She's "young" for 20, still thinks life should be fair, still believes guys when they say they love... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:40 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Mystery: What's an Apple Doing On the Grape Vine?

At the back edge of the deck is an arbor that arches over a big flat limestone step -- a gateway from the back yard onto the deck. Three years ago I planted a concord grape vine, which grew all the way over. I pruned some of the growth that first year. Year two a robin built a nest and raised four... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:23 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, January 6, 2012

I know it's wrong, but I'm doing it anyway...

Ever since the dental disaster of early December, I've been shrinking. Shrink, shrank, shrunk, have shrunk, will have shrunk, -- oh hell, I can't remember future perfect tense. Don't be silly, nobody's perfect. That's a punch line from somewhere, or a lot of somewheres. You might assume from the... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:50 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Shaving My Dog -- (my son's e-mail, posted by permission)

Hi Mom - Here's a snippet of the e-mail message I told you about earlier. My friend Michelle said she thought I could write about shaving my pet dog and make it interesting and meaningful. Below is what I wrote back to her. (Remember, I wrote this in about 10 minutes time, so it does not flow... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:40 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

A day at the Blackmare Buffet

Salute to the troops Grandson Matt left for basic training on Monday; scheduled to arrive in San Antonio Tuesday. He's no doubt up before dawn this morning, running his five miles with a pack on his back. I'll bet he looks handsome in camo, and macho with that new haircut. Once this next few weeks... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:19 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Sunrise - conclusion

Four years earlier Chen had lived in San Diego for one academic year, teaching two lecture courses in general chemistry at City College. Chem 200 was Monday-Wednesday from ten to noon, Chem 201 was Tuesday-Thursday at the same time. His schedule coincided with that of history instructor Norman... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:37 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, January 2, 2012

Sunrise - ("Butch" Cassidy's backstory)

Art had no idea that “Don (Butch) Cassidy” was a phony name, the latest of many, or that he'd helped maintain his good buddy's cover for more than three years. The way "Butch" saw things, he’d been in character so long he’d begun to feel like he really was the man they thought he was. Sometimes it... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:58 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

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Sometimes you have to write it down in order to learn what you really think about life, what it means, how to do what's best. Sometimes you need feedback from someone else to put things in perspective.

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