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

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Sappy Sentiment, Maudlin Misery

This time of year seems to bring out the schlock factor, the “It’s a Wonderful Life” impulse to fancy up the family values and look at everything through enhanced rose-colored glasses. Facebook posts include made-up stories about extreme acts of selflessness and good deeds done at great sacrifice.... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, December 16, 2017

Taking the Initiative

In the early 1980s I went to work in the Office of Area Development at SIUe, an offshoot of the geography department. The director was, Robert Koepke, “Mr. Economic Development” whose staff included faculty, professional staff, graduate interns and secretarial support. That first week on the job I... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:02 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, December 15, 2017

A Prediction for the New Year

Our suggested writing topics at Thursday’s Write Your Own Story session included: 1) Your grandmother’s story of how she celebrated Christmas as a child. 2) Predictions about what will happen in the coming year. I expected stories about hand-made or home crafted toys, new socks and an orange, a... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:05 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Stages

When you’re a kid each day brings something new, something to see and do and think about. You learn the rules of friendship, about dinosaurs and cursive writing (once upon a time we did that) and the times tables. By high school there’s history, biology, geography: and your awareness of the... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:49 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

That Note to Myself

Yesterday while at The Center’s reception desk, I had a sudden idea for a Blogit post. I jotted down a few words and tucked the note into??? as the phone rang. There are several possibilities where I could have put the note: my coat pocket, the purse which was also hanging nearby, or the bag of hats... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 7:21 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Nature

When you’re a kid, say seven years of age or so, you think everything is your fault. For instance someone does something mean or unfair and you say or think they should drop dead. Later on, when they do because it’s their time or they’ve done something stupid, you think somehow it happened because... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:06 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, December 11, 2017

About Santa: Lying to the Children

At some point I decided to tell my children that Santa Claus was a story, a myth about Christmas, but that there was no one really watching their every move or keeping a list of naughty or nice. They were four or five when I clued them in, careful to warn them not to share this grown-up knowledge... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:39 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, December 10, 2017

My Grinch Hat

I learned to make a Santa Hat – crocheted of course – with the long floppy peak that folds over and a small white crocheted rose for the puff ball at the end. Then I made one in Grinch green, not quite so long, but with the white tip and white lower edge. Trouble was, I couldn’t figure out how to... Sign in to see full entry.

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Saturday, December 9, 2017

Kid Stuff

Got to thinking about a conversation I had with a six-year-old neighbor kid. There must have been something on TV that triggered the memory about a moment from more than 60 years ago, the summer I was pregnant with my first child. It was 1956, in another town in Illinois. I was living in that little... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:20 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, December 8, 2017

Londonderry Air: AKA "Danny Boy"

Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling From glen to glen, and down the mountain side. The summer’s gone, and all the roses falling, It’s you, it’s you must go and I must bide. Woke up with the tune and words to this old song echoing in my memory. I was about eight or nine the time my... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:02 AM | add or view comments (3) | 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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