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

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Table Grazing...

One reason I don’t help myself to the free bread and bagels that Panera’s donates to The Center – stuff that’s unsold, day-old or so that would otherwise be tossed in the dumpster – is because gluten in wheat-based products turns my gut into a disaster zone. The other reason is the folks who come in... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:19 AM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, December 22, 2017

Guess Where They Filmed Star Wars’ Tatooine

There was a Q&A on some program I was half-watching, don’t know now if it was Entertainment Tonight or some other news-style show. Q: In what country did they film the Star Wars home planet called Tatooine? Turns out the scenes on Tatooine were shot in Tunisia, in some desert area that fit the... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 6:19 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Sgt. Pepper’s and Next Monday

There’s a diner on Main Street next to The Juicery and a couple doors up from the Metro Transit station. It’s called Sgt. Pepper’s, and it’s décor features Beatles posters, the sound track is only Beatles music, played a level that underscores but does not interfere with conversation. Their... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:35 AM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Centered

I was feeling iffy yesterday, woke up too early, didn’t want to get dressed or go to The Center for my usual Tuesday a.m. shift at the front desk. Piddled around on the computer playing Mahjong until it was too late to shower and wash my hair, so I pulled on my big girl britches, pinned my hair into... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:01 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Foreshadowing

If you’ve been through a creative writing class, you’ve probably studied things like story arc, plot, character, setting and dialog. If there was time in the 12- or 15-week course, you may have given some thought to foreshadowing. Chekov (I believe that’s the playwright who is quoted on this topic)... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:29 AM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, December 18, 2017

Mr. Sandman, File That

According to NPR reports this morning from a recent study by memory scientists (can’t remember what institution/college or med school was doing the research) our brains file events of the day in our long-term memory banks while we’re asleep. The thing is, older folks don’t sleep as deeply or as long... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:51 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

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.

posted by Pat_B at 4:27 AM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

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

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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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