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

Friday, February 22, 2013

On The Job: 1960

I was one of the first half-dozen women hired at the college when SIU-e took over the former Shurtleff College campus in Alton in 1960. My job title was Secretary III, and I worked in the Physical Plant department. Physical Plant is where the custodians, carpenters, plumbers, electricians,... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:44 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, February 21, 2013

About the weather

I guess I'd better get to the store for eggs and cranberry juice before the weather hits. For some reason our News Channel 4 has sent a weather crew out to the suburbs. Not the St. Louis suburbs - the Kansas City suburbs. Yesterday they reported from Manhattan and this morning about 4:30 from... Sign in to see full entry.

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

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Bad weather coming

The weather man is tracking a couple of merging systems moving out of three directions, a cold front from up Canada way, a warm humid low coming up from the Gulf of Mexico and a third system coming straight west from California. Those of us in the middle of the country, who've dodged "the big one"... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:18 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Readers Digest is filing for bankruptcy...

Its very title has been part of our lexicon. As in, do you want the full story or the Reader's Digest version? More and more often, we're looking for the shorthand, the fast facts. Our once powerful attention span has shrunk to the point we'll zap off to the next thing if a page onscreen takes more... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 7:15 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, February 18, 2013

Life is but a dream

In this vivid dream I'm in the triage area, sent there by the old doc who'd done my gall bladder. He's dropped his other surgical practice and is dealing only with gynecology and breast cancer, so I am here to see the new surgeon. There's some debate going on about which arm to start my IV, and I'm... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:09 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Did I Tell You About Harry?

Fifty years ago he played trumpet in a dance band, made the circuit around this neck of the woods. His folks owned property, farmed, raised horses, so he had the luxury of time to learn the music, no need to take an after-school job to help out with the family budget. Harry was like musicians the... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 5:25 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Love Wins

There's a guy I know - George - who decided to get away from his own circling depression and the useless "why me?" questions about how his life had gone to hell in a handbasket by looking for something good to do. The good thing he chose was to join a network of volunteers who transport rescued dogs... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:51 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, February 15, 2013

Organic or Outline - what's the right writing technique?

The new Writer's Digest came in the mail yesterday. Naturally a thing on the cover caught my eye and I flipped right over to it - an article about not bothering with outlines, but to grow a story organically. The author said sometimes it's better to follow the characters around, let things develop... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:20 AM | add or view comments (8) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Tweetie Bird and Puddy Tat

There was a cartoon, who knows how long ago, in which Tweetie caught a distorted glimpse of himself in a stream. "Oh, boy, am I ugly!" he said. And he couldn't stand being in this world as such a lump of ugliness. "I'm too ugly, I can't bear to live. Eat me, Puddy Tat." This, after all the times... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 10:42 AM | add or view comments (7) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

On being wild

On Facebook a couple days ago someone posted a black & white photo of Isadora Duncan, with the caption "You were once wild, don't let them tame you." The dancer was draped in fabric, completely modest, hair flowing free like a plunging horse's mane, one long bare leg extended, muscles flexing along... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Pat_B at 4:29 AM | add or view comments (3) | 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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