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

Thursday, June 7, 2018

OLD SONGS - NEW PURPOSE

“Once in a while, won’t you try to give one little thought to me though someone else may be nearer your heart?” This one comes from the age of crooners, Vaughn Monroe, Bing Crosby, Perry Como – so many others with velvet voices who could emote as they sang a ballad. It was fabulous music to slow... Sign in to see full entry.

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Wednesday, June 6, 2018

MAKING LEMONADE - NEED REAL SUGAR

TUESDAY The day was, as we used to say, was a mixed bag. Ye kitchen angels were warming up the pinochle deck at their table near the kitchen door, perched like three crows on a wire to observe the new gal at the front desk. When it had been my bailiwick, if they couldn’t figure out what was going... Sign in to see full entry.

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Tuesday, June 5, 2018

ABOUT MOVIN’ ON

MONDAY: Old saying: When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Easier said than done. (Guess that’s two old sayings.) Today’s the first Tuesday in about 5 years when I don’t have any place to go. I’d held the front desk from nine to noon, rain or shine. It was ‘only’ a volunteer position, but it... Sign in to see full entry.

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Sunday, June 3, 2018

JOURNALISM 101

Dr. Bill Ward was head of SIUe's journalism program in the late 1970s through the mid- to late-80s. He had been offered chairmanship of the department at one time, but told the dean to stick it – that he had zero interest in being a bureaucrat. Since retiring from a major St. Louis newspaper all he... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, June 2, 2018

ABOUT YESTERDAY’S POST

In the Write Your Own Story group, which was formulated as a memoir- writing class, there’s been a gradual sea-change. What was conceived as a kind of scrapbooking exercise has turned into a whole ‘nother thing. The process we use has turned out to be a powerful, life-affirming tool. The way it... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:31 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, June 1, 2018

A poem I wrote as I listened to the Write Your Own Stories

OBSERVATION In the beginning was the word unwritten, unfettered, waiting to be captured, cultivated, defined and assigned to service in the sharing of ideas spurred, spawned by the word. Then came more words: reframed, alliterated, perverted, honed and fenced, for use only by the chosen who claimed... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:43 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, May 31, 2018

I left out something on the earlier post today. Sorry if it misled you.

The front desk replacement isn't just on Tuesdays, "my" shift, but every morning. She's not retired, but lost her job and is being retrained, getting her skills upgraded so she can qualify for a full-time job. She will be working every morning from 8-12, not just on Tuesdays. Her pay will come from... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:30 PM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

LAST DAY ON THE JOB

It was 2013 when I got the call from Michelle at the Main Street Center asking if I were still interested in volunteering. They had an opening at the front desk, Tuesday mornings. I jumped at the opportunity. The weeks were feeling long and empty. Volunteering would “keep me out of the pool hall” as... Sign in to see full entry.

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Wednesday, May 30, 2018

FIRST DAY ON THE JOB

I knew when he told me he was taking the job at the minimum security prison he wasn’t going to like it there. My two sisters were married to corrections professionals. One was a sociologist/caseworker, and the other eventually moved up to a director’s position. Any prison has a dark vibe, one that... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:07 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

HATE CRIME FOR MEMORIAL DAY

The other morning a TV anchor on Channel 4 announced someone had spray-painted swastikas on a hundred gravestones, and my first thought was that it had happened in some metropolitan area where there’s a lot of trouble. Second thought was that it had to be some smart-ass teen ager trying to stick it... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:52 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

About this Blog

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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