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

Friday, September 28, 2007

Elizabeth

When I think about how the year has played out I can’t help but see it in the context of the people I’ve met. Recently, I’ve met an incredibly brave woman, her name is Elizabeth. Her husband is young, like she is. He’s dying of cancer. It’s a loathsome disease. They have two young boys, beautifully handsome boys. My heart sinks, watching as one does, helplessly from the sidelines as this disease ravages their father’s life with each passing day. How do you speak to the silent pain in another’s... Sign in to see full entry.

Teaching an Old Dog

I like that the older you get the less you have to work at getting every other man and his dog to appreciate that fact. It’s like the imperceptible manner by which seasons change their leaves, over time we know it will happen and therefore we are less likely to stand in its way when it does. And because we know, there’s less of a reason to stand so rigidly on guard. We make friends with the guards and them with us. I love that the addition of another year allows us to pass through areas that... Sign in to see full entry.

Mol Games

Molly and I play this game with each other, we pretend to ignore each other while peripherally maintaining an acute awareness of just what the other is up to. Where cats have it all over humans (and me in particular) is that they really know how to press home the aloof advantage. Molly has honed hers to a fine art. Her middle name should be “pretended aloofness”. Pretended because she’s never so disconnected from events that she isn’t fully aware of exactly where she’s at, she’s wily that way.... Sign in to see full entry.

Universal Good

I don’t know about you but when I front up in a Coffee shop and am faced with the prospect of having to choose a coffee from what looks like a mile long list, it can feel quite daunting! I’m a pleb! I mean, I don’t actually care who sees me drinking coffee, where I’m drinking coffee or indeed what kind of coffee I’m drinking. The prescription is simple for me. It just has to taste good. Ergo, no bitter after-taste and no tongue-burning painful sensations that brings tears to the eyes for all the... Sign in to see full entry.

It's only Russ And Roll

I love that the cold air is unapologetic about the way it thwacks you across the face no matter how undeserving we think we might be of such treatment. Have you ever wished you could do that to someone you feel has a complete knack for ticking you off and walk away feeling smug about it? In all honesty, the thought has crossed my mind on one or two occasions but you know I’m a wuss. It would be an awful thing to do really. Me, I like the thought of throwing a gooey, messy pie better. And... Sign in to see full entry.

Mixers

Moving further into the festive season makes the thought of sparkling things adventuresome. Liquid sparkling things I mean. The French have got the champagne market all sewn up, Reims in particular. And while we mere mortals can only aspire to semantic practises of name-calling Non/Vintage Sparkling wines instead of the french-owned ‘champagne’ I doubt that anyone in their right mind cares as long as it tickles the nose and makes us laugh out loud to boot! There is a particular attitude down in... Sign in to see full entry.

Show Me the Money

The thing about having and showing so much promise is that at some point in time we have to front up with the goods. Is that a truism or what? If you’re anything like me, you’d have to agree there’s a stronger probability that we’ll have a rather more circuitous truth in the bag than real-time ism denoting an actual result. How strongly strange our reality is then. Stranger even than fiction? Well maybe! Have you ever had the passing thought that despite everything we have going for us we’re our... Sign in to see full entry.

Up-A-Creek Tragedy

Trust can seem so fragile. How fragile? As fragile as a single cobweb strung between the branches of two trees, or a hairline crack in glass that hasn’t shattered completely? Nothing malevolent about that I guess! Maybe, maybe not but the weakness is there isn’t it. A pane now or a maybe a pain later? We can’t tell can we? Over a longish period of time I’ve realised that trust can be tough too. Rigorous in its expectations of us, our lives and our relationships with those close and near. There’s... Sign in to see full entry.

Wheels Within Wheels

As time goes by I’m more and more convinced that what matters most to us, is not ultimately, what matters most to a single other person in the world. And why is that? Because unless we’ve taken the time to explain in depth to a single other person why we think and believe the things that we do, no-one else really gets it. Well, not immediately. They deserve brownie points for sure if they’ve tried! We’re complex creatures, we humankind. Paradoxically complex and simple, together. We stand... Sign in to see full entry.

Mouse Trap

I’m reminded that there is a beauty in death that can be overlooked because of the grief experience. The grief takes over and we see and hear nothing else save feel the overwhelming tsunami of pain that comes from a crystal clear understanding that our loved one will not come home with us tonight. That moment is more heart-wrenching than any other. The beauty, though we don’t realise it at the time, is in the humility with which our loved one accepts their destiny. For us who remain living, it... Sign in to see full entry.

Biffo Battles & Bumpf

I’ve sometimes thought that the act of harmony and accord is such a tight-rope performance, having us teetering above a cauldron of fiery emotions that lick at our heels and feeling for all the world like they might threaten our very existence. And I wonder sometimes why we put ourselves through the wringer like that? Are we simply playing the martyr? Thrusting our chins in front of the local bully and allowing him or her to have a free shot! Mon dieu! I’ve sometimes thought that’s precisely... Sign in to see full entry.

Survival Course 101

Survival is an interesting modus operandi. It’s odd really because at the heart of a situation is a softness that can somehow gets lost in the translation. I often wonder what it is that enables us to survive situations and experiences. And I am constantly amazed at the human capacity for resilience in times such as those. I wonder how people survive the things that they do and why exactly this one or that one fares better or not so well moreso than the other. Can we attribute it to past... Sign in to see full entry.

Butterfly Cake

At Sarah’s house there’s a flurry of busyness and early morning preparation. The big day has finally arrived. When I arrived later in the morning I felt like I’d happened upon a wonderfully colourful fairy ring made up of real little people. So much youthful energy. And so many beautiful fairies both female and male alike. I liked that some of the boys got into the theme of things, I have to say however; it was Groovy Susie that so made me feel tired and alive at the same time just on the sheer... Sign in to see full entry.

Little Miss 5

It’s my little friend Sarah’s birthday tomorrow; the world is so big when you’re five years old. And ‘big school’ is no longer a notion but will become a reality. Imagine it! There’s a terrific excitement everywhere, ‘Groovy Susie’ is leading the parade with her fanciful take on life as Sarah knows it. Oh to be five again! Molly is wondering what all the fuss is about. Nose to the sky she smells a party for sure! Do you think that the buzzy feeling inside your tummy ever goes away? You know the... Sign in to see full entry.

Itch Memory is This

Does it seem that we’re in a cycle again? The one where everything old is new again? It feels like that right now. It’s happening in fashion, in design (in all its guises). I get that way with memories from time to time. It’s an odd sensation when that happens because there’s that odd-about sense that you know a particular memory for the familiar sense that it gives you. I rather like it when they [memories] surprise me and get about incognito. We can be like strangers passing on the street and... Sign in to see full entry.

In their Steps

The thing about taking a good long hard look at your life is that it can make a person feel regretful or want to compare their life with someone else’s. Now, there might be some merit in that (if I could think of some) but for the most part, I don’t think there is. I mean, empathetically a person could rationalise to walk in another person’s shoes is to at least understand but really and truly, if you weren’t prepared to go the whole hog and actually live the life, why start to begin with? Could... Sign in to see full entry.

One Out of the Box

The world of boxes is an enchanting one. It’s an interesting phenomenon for the mere marvel of attribution. I have a great little box made from Linden wood, with feather joins and a raised edge construction. It has a sun motif on it and when opened emits the fragrance of the linden wood it’s made of. It was and still is a delightful discovery. Boxes they say, give us a sense of mystery and hidden treasures. I use this small box to keep a box of matches in, I figure it takes away the curious... Sign in to see full entry.

Door Step Bread

Have you ever sat so close to a fire that smoke’s got in your eyes? It stings and your eyes water profusely. And yet, we can love the warmth of the fire more than the disagreeable experience of the smoke getting in our eyes. Have you ever found that? M There is something so magical about sitting beside an open fire and feeling the warmth of it melt into your skin the way butter melts into hot toasted bread. And speaking of toast. I have to say, despite the wizardry of technology, no toast I’ve... Sign in to see full entry.

Melting Pot

Terrifically handsome men still unnerve me, even at my age now. I’m never sure why that is exactly, all I know is that in the company of one or more of them I have a hard time getting my thoughts to act cohesively in an attempt to at least sound like I’m on top of my game. I think it’s the handsome part that does me in a bit. It’s distractive and it’s hardly lady-like to stare is it? We live with such double standards don’t we! I mean, a guy on the other hand has hardly any qualms about staring... Sign in to see full entry.

Furball Magic

Molly is snoozing on the end of the bed, her nose buried under the blanket. She makes snoozing look deliciously edible. I could while away the hours with dat puddy tat! And I do. I’ve said it once and I’m sure I’ll keep saying it again and again, she brings me such joy. They don’t ask that much from us our pets. Food, shelter and kindness in return. But what they give us, well, it’s beyond description isn’t it. We feel no judgement, we get no angst though some can be quick to understand their... Sign in to see full entry.

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