Cranberry and Vodka
Four young guys came in the elevator, well young to me, they were 30’ish. They were all lit up, buddies – having a great night out. I knew right away that the visual of a 76 year old man carefully cradling a plastic container full to the brim with cranberry juice was too good for them to pass up.
WELL THIS IS A SURPRISE!
I mean cut me some slack would you. How do you think an extroverted Taurus is going to live his life. That’s right, bouncing from the last great adventure, the last great moment – to the next. It was a fun ride, I have to say but not much time for reflection in there.
Still Nice, After All These Years
Sometimes in this chaotic, violent world I feel the need to defend being nice. What it is. What it means. Does it matter or should we all drop the pretense and just embrace all the chaos and the outrage, that seem to be so much the currency of the times. It can be tempting.
Reclaim Your Country
Donald Trump likes to tell us that he is unpredictable. He says his unpredictability is a strength, that no one knows what he might do next. That his unpredictability gives him a strategic advantage.
Sure.
He’s about as unpredictable as a teenage boy on a Saturday night date.
Twaddleship (n.)
I love the English language.
Now it takes some learning, I’ll give you that. I mean what on earth is the silent ‘h’ all about? And surely to goodness the same word does not have to have several meanings. And if the plural of ball is balls, the plural of horse is horses why isn’t the plural of roof, roofs. It can be infuriating but in the end result it is a magnificent tool box of words which we can use for any purpose required.
6’s or 9’s
My friend is running at full load and has been for years now.
I was reaching out to him recently asking how we was doing? Knowing that he was overwhelmed with demands on his time. I caught up to him as he was waiting with his family member in a hospital.
“Perspective” came his one word answer.
“Nothing else matters just now.”
Turkey Tanning
I am so proud of my son Toby.
Turns out this is a man who understands the power of Silliness. I should have known of course. His election slogan for grad class president at Kelowna Senior Secondary was “Don’t be Hatin’ Vote Peyton’ a memorable, phonetically rhythmic vote getter if ever there was one. Landslide.
Yander
I do bear some resentment to my friend’s discovery. I mean it wasn’t as though she was looking for a new word, neither was she ambitious to be so recognized. As a man who has searched his entire life for just two things, a nickname and a new word, this is indeed a hard pill to swallow.
In Search of a Spirit
The Oak Bay Beach Hotel opened March 30, 1928. It burned to the ground shortly thereafter and was then rebuilt and reopened in 1930, smack dab in the middle of a world wide depression brought on by the infamous stock market crash of 1929. To say the Oak Bay Beach Hotel had a rough couple of years, is to craft an epic understatement. But survive it did, and It is where my story telling will begin.
Mark Twain Approved
Mark Twain was a great observational humourist, known to celebrate Silliness in his writing and in his life. I’m no Mark Twain but I have always celebrated Silliness in my life. When I was young I thought it was just part of being young, helped in that narrow interpretation by may English parents and the regular admonition …
“Don’t be silly Tony”