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

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

SPOOKY TIMES

Some seniors showed up in costume this morning; Sharon was a gypsy, although she couldn’t find her long black wig and forgot the gold hoop earrings. Three (unnamed regulars) came in their usual guise - the witches from Macbeth, cackling and huddling together and whispering behind their hands. Lorman... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, October 24, 2016

Marry in Haste...

It was just about 62 years ago when I met this handsome soldier. He was a military policeman, a private in the U.S. Army, working patrol duty with a Navy shore patrolman on joint duty along the Seattle waterfront. It was 1954, the Korean war era, not even ten years since World War II was officially... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Tech Upgrades

It seems hackers have pulled the wool over the WWW’s eyes, sending all kinds of apps and twitterfeeds or whatever the heck they’re called tumbling into the void. As always someone reports on this stuff, but clearly isn’t privy to the deep dark coding secrets of black-hat jerkfaces who joke around... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, October 22, 2016

The janitor's secretary - part 5

Having a little fun on the job is vital – all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy as the saying goes. It is absolutely essential In a service job like the Physical Plant department. Our clientele was primarily academics – highly educated in their particular fields, but largely ignorant of what it... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Yesterday's Write Your Own Story

Our prompt for the writing session included two suggestions. The first was illness, such as the polio epidemics or cancer in the late 1950s and beyond, before the Salk vaccine and other medical advances had been made. The second was any major weather event. One of our writers had contracted polio.... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

The Janitor's Secretary - part 4

My first job interview after I passed the Civil Service exam at SIUE was with the HR director. He explained the job opening; it was anything but typical. “It’s not a front office where you’d be dealing with the public and students,” he told me. “This job will involve working with union craftsmen,... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The Janitor's Secretary - part 3

We walked around some farmhouse about a mile or so off the central core. “This is going to be our home away from home,” he said. “I’ll get them sumbitches in here in the next week or two, and we’ll get this kitchen the hell out. The electricians will wire this place for office machines, and phone... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

The Janitory's Secretary, part 2

A few weeks later, after Mr. Cook had sent the men out to their assignments, he told me to get my steno pad, hit the john and grab my purse. “We’re going out to the new campus for a look-see,” he said. He had already checked out an official car from the motor pool. As we drove he told me the effing... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, October 17, 2016

“I don’t find this stuff amusing any more.”

Simon and Garfunkel were amazing together. Their songs lit up the culture. But this morning I’m remembering a line from one of Paul Simon’s later works which for the life of me I can’t remember beyond “I don’t find this stuff amusing any more.” If you haven’t been camped out in the wilderness for... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, October 16, 2016

The Janitor’s Secretary

Someone once asked me to describe my job, and that’s what I told them it was, in a nutshell. At the time Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville was mostly in the planning stages. The state had acquired the former Shurtleff College campus in upper Alton and was moving forward with a limited... Sign in to see full 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.

People

Blogs

Headlines (What is this?)