South Of Someplace: June 2018

Saturday, June 30, 2018

A Love Most Perfect

Sometimes love means being there
For someone every day
Sometimes it needs to give them space
And stay out of their way
These two opposing forms of love
Are in effect the same
Giving the other what they need
Is love’s most perfect aim

New York Minute 90 - Except When It Rains

It was raining heavily when I left for work on Thursday morning. I couldn’t find my umbrella and I had lost my rain jacket a couple of weeks earlier, so I have to venture out unprotected and hope for the best. I dashed to the nearest subway station and made it down the stairs just as the train was arriving. To my delight, it wasn’t crowded. Many New Yorkers leave the city in the summer, so everything is thankfully less busy than at other times of the year.

I entered the subway car, but the doors didn’t close. We just stood there waiting. The conductor announced that we were being held at the station. For five minutes, we waited before a second announcement came. Dispatch was holding trains on this line while they tended to an injured passenger at a station two stops ahead.

We were stationary for about fifteen minutes total. Finally, the doors closed and the train made its way down the tracks. Some people had left the train in the interim, but I stayed out. I knew that it would be all but impossible to find an open cab in the rain, and I didn’t have an umbrella. Staying underground seemed like the best bet.

Eventually, we arrive at the station where the injury had occurred. I saw two police officers and a paramedic sleaking wkth a man who looked as though he survived on food that he pulled out of garbage cans.

I made it to the office a few minutes late and worked for a couple of hours before I had to step out for an appointment. At the building where my appointment was scheduled, I took an elevator to the appropriate floor. Some guy brought his wet-footed dog onto the elevator. The dog put his wet paws on everyone in the car, but the owner made no attempt to keep this from happening.

I have always maintained that I love New York except when it rains. That opinion stands. The rain is a mess, and the way that people act in it drives me nuts.

Friday, June 29, 2018

Wondrous Summer

And so comes summer

These wondrous months

When daylight lingers long

Into the evening

And the world is awash

With blooms and blossoms

And crops

And gentle fireflies

A simmering celebration

Of growth and fertile glory

When land and wood and water

Each their gifts do offer

In incalculable abundance

Life is rich

And friends are near

And dreams seem imminently possible

Renewal and reawakening

And vibrance

Are everywhere

And even those

Who’ve lived through summers

Long since faded and forgotten

Can revel now

In the enveloping embrace

Of warm and life-giving sun

And taste again

The sensations of youth

As fully as they experienced them

Long ago

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Doomsday Scenario

The 2016 presidential election was an existential test for American democracy. So, if you are one of those Democrats who just could not bring yourself to vote for Hillary Clinton, I hold you personally responsible for the dire catastrophe that this country faces with five solidly partisan, right-wing justices on the highest court in our land. Corporations, polluters, and jurisdictions that strive to suppress voters are about to have the biggest, happiest party that they can imagine. And if you or a loved one ever need an abortion, you’d better be prepared to fly out of the country to get it. This is a doomsday scenario for rights, freedom, and progressive ideals.

The Political Future of the United States

The future of the USA will follow one of two potential paths.

In one scenario, large numbers of politically apathetic citizens will become energized, rise up, and vote for candidates who will commit to protecting their rights and freedoms.

In a second scenario, an organized ideological minority will consolidate power by systematically dismantling protections for those rights.

I don’t have much hope for the first scenario, because the second one has been raging forward unchecked for the past fifty years, and the chance to stop it, short of a violent revolution, is almost out of reach.

Monday, June 25, 2018

A Dangerous Political Division

As these turbulent and often disturbing times unfold, it strikes me that there are two distinct camps in politics. I am not referring to Conservatives and Liberals, the Right versus the Left. I’m not talking about the protectionists versus the globalists, war hawks versus peace makers, or environmentalists versus those who would exploit the land to its final molecule of carbon fuel.

The most significant and potentially dangerous political divide is between those who see the value of maintaining a framework of rules, ethics, standards, and established governing practices, regardless of who is in power at the moment, versus those who would swiftly and eagerly do away with any rule, custom, or standard whose destruction would move them closer toward fulfilling their objectives.

The American government is moving precariously toward being taken over completely by the latter camp. Should that happen, and should enough rules and standard be overridden by their lust for complete and irrevocable power, the world will be plunged into an abysmally dark, cruel, and forbidding era from which there will be little hope of emancipation.

New York Minute 89 - My First Thought

On my way to pick up my morning coffee, I saw a guy in a jaywalking slowly across a busy, two-way street while wearing a neck brace. A white van nearly hit him.

My first thought: He’s trying to get a payout from an injury lawsuit or a fraudulent insurance claim.

When I arrived at the coffee shop, I noticed a young woman sitting at a table in a red top with large oval holes cut out of the shoulders. She was shivering and holding her arms against her body and thighs in an effort to keep warm.

My first thought: If your stupid shirt didn’t have holes in it, maybe you wouldn’t be cold right now.

Friday, June 22, 2018

Musings On Modern Manners

I bring a big bag of chocolates to the office every Friday, an assortment of individually-wrapped dark chocolates from Ghirardelli, a San Francisco company. I like the idea of individually-wrapped pieces for an office environment. One day about a year ago, I purchased a bag on a whim. My colleagues, some that I knew and many that I didn’t, were so enthusiastic about the idea and so generous with their thanks, that I decided to bring in a bag every week thereafter.

I set the bag in a central location and let people help themselves. Most folks take one or two pieces, but there are two guys who I have seen routinely take more. One fellow carefully picks through the bag and takes one of each variety. Occasionally, he’ll empty the bag onto the countertop and group the chocolates into stacks to ensure that he has identified each of the categories.

The other guy isn’t as meticulous. He just reaches into the bag, grabs a handful of chocolates, and walks away. Then he’ll come around later in the afternoon and grab some more.

I don’t mind spending the money on a big bag of chocolates - it’s not much in the grand scheme of things, especially if it makes people happy - but I buy them with the idea that they will be shared by everyone, not so a couple of gluttonous cheapskates can binge for free. Eventually, I printed a sign that I place beside the candy bag. It reads:

“Please help yourself to up to two pieces of chocolate. We want to ensure that everyone in the office suite has a chance to enjoy them.”

It aggravates me to have to do this. I don’t work in a kindergarten. These are professional people with college degrees.

There weren’t many people in the office today. A lot of folks are taking summer vacations or working from home, so they can watch their kids. At 5:15, Mr. Grab A Handful walks over and peeks into the bag. “Wow, there’s still a lot of chocolate left!” he says aloud to rationalize his intentional disregard for my printed request.

Crunch! The hand dives into the bag and pulls out as many pieces as it can grab in one motion.

Sigh! What can you do?

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Enthusiasm

If you are not enthusiastic about what you’re doing, why are you doing it?

Monday, June 18, 2018

A World In Pain

There is so much pain and hatred in the world today! We can counteract it with love, understanding, and amazing sex!

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Life’s Greatest Honor

I would like to thank my son, Michael, for awarding me life’s greatest honor.

One Chance

You have One Life

One chance to be Happy

One chance to Chase Your Dreams

Follow your Heart

Find what you Want

Do what you Need To Do

Be who you Need To Be

Losing My Mind

Sometimes I fear

That I’m losing my mind

Until I calm myself down

And realize

That it’s been gone

For a long, long time

Saturday, June 16, 2018

Journals and Memoirs

Writing memoirs and journals is one of the most important things that we can do. No one knows our heart and mind as we do. No one else can tell our story as faithfully, and no one else will benefit as profoundly from the telling.

Moment Of Awareness - 20180616

I am sitting in my beautiful apartment with my beautiful wife. The weather is spectacular. Abundant sunlight is pouring through the living room windows. The whole room is bright and clean. A bouquet of pink roses sits on the glass coffee table. All is quiet. All is good.

Friday, June 15, 2018

The Deep State

The Deep State exists. A powerful, secretive branch of the government is working to resist change and maintain the status quo. As long as they maintain control, meaningful progress will be disrupted and most likely blocked, and they will maintain that control at all costs. Problems that we have all come to accept as normal will persist unabated.

This may sound like a fantasy from a thriller, but I have seen the evidence. You have seen it, too, but you may not have known at the time what you were looking at. Don’t be surprised. The Deep State maintains its advantage by operating unnoticed in the shadows. This is their specialty.

For example, the next time you receive a bill in the mail, look at it closely. When you detach the payment coupon and put it into the return envelope with your check, notice how it doesn’t quite fit. It’s always slightly too large to fit into the envelope. You will not be able close the envelope without mangling it or the coupon.

You will be tempted to fold the coupon to make it slightly smaller so it will fit into the envelope. But when you try this, you’ll notice that the bottom of the return address no longer shows through the window. You will become frustrated and wonder what to do. You might consider using a different envelope, a plain one that you have stored in a closet somewhere. But in the end, you will do exactly what the Deep State wants you to do. You will waste several minutes figuring out a way to cram the check and the defective payment coupon into the envelope that was provided. This will upset you. For hours, you will focus your attention on how frustrating this supposedly simple task was instead of noticing what is really going on in the world around you, researching changes to the tax code, for instance, or to consumer service agreements that will cost you lots of money over the years.

This is how the Deep State operates. The improperly fitting payment coupon/envelope scam has been going on for decades. It could be fixed with simple coordination between the billing companies and the envelope manufacturers, yet no one ever does anything about it. Why not? Let me ask you this. Have you ever discussed the issue with an envelope engineer? Do you even know an envelope engineer? The Deep State keeps their identities hidden. If you met one, they would be too afraid to talk.

Have you ever contacted the billing company to complain that the envelopes are too small? They probably claimed that this is just the way that it is and that, unfortunately, it is outside of their control. That’s the official corporate line that the Deep State has programmed the workers to say. The moment that they go off script and speak out, they’re sacked.

So, what is the alternative? Online bill paying? Not if you value your privacy. Every transaction is analyzed and scrutinized as the Deep State builds a profile about your habits and behaviors. The more that they know about you, the easier you are to distract and control. Further, electronic transactions include hidden fees that are never disclosed. This is how the Deep State stays funded.

So, I hate to break this to you, folks, but you’re going to have to keep shaving millimeters off of your payment coupons by folding them ever so accurately. And you’re going to have to keep licking envelopes and sticking them together with transparent table (a Deep State product) when those coupons still don’t fit properly. It’s either that, or sign yourself up for the Deep State’s Funding Customer Knowledge and Data Usage Mining Program (FuCK and DUMP) by paying your monthly bills with your phone or credit card.

The bottom line is that the Deep State is in control, and they are not about to let go.

Men and Women are Different

Men and women are different.

A woman looks at a married man and thinks, “Oh, God, no!”

A man looks at a married woman and thinks, “Hmm! Why not?”

The Dangerous Mix of Law with Religion

Laws are created by human beings, and human beings have an agenda. Ridiculous laws exist and more will be created. We have had laws that say that people of color have to ride in the back of the bus and cannot attend universities. We have had laws justifying a husband’s “right” to beat his wife. The Puritans - remember those nice people who supposedly came to The New World to escape religious persecution (and occasional burn disobedient daughters at the stake)? - they passed a law in Massachusetts making it legal to kill Quakers on sight. So much for the moral authority of religion!

Just because something is “against the law“ does not mean that it is wrong - the law itself is often wrong - and the Bible cannot be used to justify enforcement of or adherence to an unjust or immoral law. To do so is a contemptable practice by unethical people.

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Murphy Goes To Princeton

Murphy’s Law was in full effect today. The forecast called for rain, so I brought my rain jacket with me. It drizzled briefly around midday when I ran out for coffee without my jacket. The rest of the time, I carried my rain jacket around on a hot, humid day for no reason. During the coffee run, I decided to get an iced tea, which I promptly spilled on my white shirt. (Around this time, something was going on at the office that was stressing me out, but I can’t get into details.)

Anyway, I left work early to catch a train to Princeton where I was meeting my friends for dinner. It was supposed to be an express train, but the local train that preceded it was cancelled due to mechanical difficulties, so my train had to make local stops.

Luckily, the crew took pity on us - or they were just overwhelmed - so they didn’t collect our tickets. Effectively, I had a one-way ticket to Princeton that I could use for a future dinner. Oh, but wait a moment! Don’t forget that Mr. Murphy was along for the ride. In order to get into the town of Princeton, you have to take a second train, a shuttle. The conductor on the shuttle did ask for a ticket. But instead of cancelling just the shuttle portion of the ride, he took the whole ticket.

“Wait!” I called out. The conductor ignored me and walked away.

“Sir!” He kept walking, and by now, he had slipped my ticket into a whole stack of tickets in his hand. There was no way to determine which one was mine, so I decided not to argue about it. I was already running late.

As a result of the train schedule debacle, I arrived late to the dinner. Very late. My friends were finishing their entrées when I finally arrived at the restaurant. I ordered, and we sat around chatted for another hour and a half, so it was still a worthwhile evening, but it was frustrating to get there that late.

We finished dinner around 9 o’clock. I had no possibility of catching the 9:03 train, so I had to wait for the 10:05. Since I had time, I decided to indulge in ice cream at the famous ice cream shop on the main street. This involved waiting on line for twenty-five minutes, but it didn’t matter, because I had most of an hour to kill.

I hung my rain jacket from the shoulder strap of my briefcase and enjoyed a lovely summer evening’s walk through campus, enjoying my ice cream along the way. I arrived at the train station with about fifteen minutes to spare, but unfortunately, I noticed that something was missing. My rain jacket had fallen somewhere along the way.

I dashed back though the campus frantically until ten o’clock, but I never found my jacket. With I dashed toward the train and made it with seconds to spare.

Praise For Robert De Niro

I love De Niro. I love what he did. I love the fact that he stood up for what’s right and called out recklessness and incompetence and poor judgment. I love the fact that he did this, because out politicians, our so called “checks and balances,” have done NOTHING in the wake of all of the reckless, unwise, unkind, and embarrassing things that this president has said and done. If elected officials are going to be ineffective pansies and partisan cheerleaders, then it‘s up to private citizens, especially those like Mr. De Niro, who enjoy a platform of success and notoriety.

And why shouldn’t they? Criticism of President Obama was broadcast twenty-four hours a day on Fox and on AM Radio. By comparison, a fifteen second outburst at the Tony Awards seems like one drop of opposition against ten thousand buckets of Republican outrage.

I love the fact that De Niro apologized - to CANADA and Justin Trudeau. I love the fact that private citizens are getting involved and speaking their minds in ways that I have not seen since the turbulent years of my childhood. God bless America. This is what America is all about.

Monday, June 11, 2018

Remembering Anna

Anna always helped people. It was her nature. It was in her heart. Well into her seventies, she kept to her schedule of volunteering one day a week at a long-term care facility.

She was always helping people. That’s how she met George. When George’s mother stumbled at the entrance of the church, Anna rushed over to help.

George had endured his own difficulties. A sled riding accident had shattered his leg when he was still a teenager. After a year in a body cast, it was a wonder that he could walk. The broken leg had healed two inches shorter. Later, while still a young man, he suffered a lung ailment that required a stay in an isolation ward.

But George helped people, too. Despite his limp, he was strong and possessed with fiery determination. He worked for a time as an X-ray technician, transporting a portable but very heavy machine to people who were too frail or too badly injured to be transported to a hospital.

Times were hard, but Anna and George helped each other. Anna raised chickens and sold the eggs along with vegetables from her garden. George ran a service station when gasoline was in scarce supply. They did what they had to do.

In the middle of the Great Depression, George and Anna were blessed with a baby. Her name was Marjorie. Marjorie is my mother.

We spent a lot of time with George and Anna when we were growing up. Family dinners. Holidays. Sleep overs on weekends when Mom was doing her best to take care of my younger siblings. Their house in the country was a place of wonders. They had a large garden that we helped to plant and water. There was a mysterious pine grove and woods all around. And Anna, my grandmother, had the most beautiful flower gardens that you could ever imagine. She watered the flowers and took care of them daily. She took wonderful care of us, too.

She always had projects to keep us busy and fascinated. We drew. We colored. We planted seeds and took care of the plants that sprouted from them. We cut pictures out of old magazines and newspapers and glued them into makeshift scrap books. Our time at their house was never about toys or gifts; they rarely bought us things except perhaps an occasional book. It was about spending time well, about accomplishing things, about having fun, and about spending time together.

Food was a big part of our family gatherings, as well. On Fridays, George and Anna would bring fish to our house for dinner. On Sunday, we enjoyed what seemed like a Thanksgiving feast almost every week. My grandmother was a very good cook. During the summer and autumn months, she canned vegetables that we enjoyed all year long. Her pies, cakes, and baked treats were exquisite. I always looked forward to savoring her fresh rhubarb, her thick apple sauce, and the most refreshing iced teas I have ever tasted.

Today is my grandmother’s birthday. She would have been 116. Because she took such great care of me and my sisters and, later, my own son for so many wonderful and happy years, I thought that I would take this opportunity to express how deeply I appreciate her and all of the wonderful, meaningful, memorable times that we spent together.

Happy Birthday, Grandma! Say hi to Pop for me!

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Sleeping In

It’s Saturday

And I slept ‘til noon

‘Cause sometimes

That’s what you have to do

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Nothing That I Do

Nothing that I do

Makes me feel as happy

As spending time with you

Underwear

There must be a pair

In here somewhere

Washed or worn

I don’t much care

As long as it’s clean enough

To wear

For one more day

To keep me

From going bare

In the open air

I’ll do the laundry

I swear

As soon as I can

But man!

I need a pair

Of underwear

Right now!

Even if I have to

Rinse them out

And dry them quickly

In the air

Hang them on

The back of my chair

For an hour

If they’re damp

I’ll deal with it

I just don’t dare

Go bare

That’s a bit more

Than I’d like to share

Oh, come on!

There must be a pair

In here somewhere!

Note to self:

I have to buy

More underwear

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Arnold Palmer

The weather was warm this morning. Feeling thirsty and frustrated after a delayed subway ride, I decided to augment my usual coffee order with an Arnold Palmer.

The baristas, who see me almost every day, verified that this deviation from the norm was correct.

“Did you order an Arnold Palmer?”

“Yes,” I responded, adding cheerfully, “Arnold Palmer was from Pennsylvania, like me.”

“Are you from Pennsylvania?” one of them asked cheerfully.

“Yes,” I confirmed.

The three of them smiled politely, but something seemed off. There was a hint of confusion in their expression. Finally, one of them asked the question that must have been on everyone’s mind.

“Who was Arnold Palmer?”

(Yes. I swear. They did ask this.)

“He was a famous golfer,” I explained. “He was the Tiger Woods of his day.”

The pleasant but confused expressions persisted. I guess that Tiger Woods is too obscure a historic reference for millennials to grasp.

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Summer Crush

Be my summer crush

Hold me close

And let me touch

Your face

As I kiss you slowly

On the street

And at the beach

And anywhere that we might be

My body trembling helplessly

Shaking to the core

With the power of attraction

A raging chain reaction

To your beauty

And the love

So true

I feel for you

So deeply

As we while away

The sultry days

And play through

Loving nights

Know that this is true

And right

Know in your heart

In your soul

That I

I can be myself

My true, whole self

Only when I’m with you

And only when you’re with me

Expressing our love

Breathlessly

Hold on to that

As the days grow shorter

Hold on to that

As the summer ends

And we have to

Move away

When We Take Risks And Fall Short

There are times when, despite our best efforts, we fall short. We fail. We don’t end up with what we wanted. It’s tempting to believe in those moments that it was all a waste and that we made no meaningful difference.

But it wasn’t a waste; be assured of that. If we learned from the experience, it wasn’t a waste. If it helped us to clarify where we need to go next, it wasn’t a waste. The very fact that we cared enough to try is meaningful and beautiful in and of itself.

Every experience, positive or negative, leaves its imprint on our soul and on our psyche. Experiences influence future decisions in profound ways. It’s up to us whether we choose to hide the negative experiences as scars of failure, or whether we’ll wear them proudly as badges of earnest, heartfelt dedication, of commitment to something grander than ourselves.

We can manage our lives to avoid pain. That’s easy. Sit on the couch, turn on the television, and watch other people take all of the meaningful risks. Or we can follow a different path by deciding what we want and reaching for it with energy and determination, embracing unimaginable challenges along the way. Life is messy and uncertain. Fate is cruel and unforgiving. And the dearest, sweetest dreams of all are the ones that will break our hearts most profoundly when they don’t work out.

Trying and failing is far more painful than not trying at all. It’s humiliating. It’s devastating. It is utterly heartbreaking. But consider that we only have one life to live. If we have not reached and stretched and pushed for the most meaningful experiences possible, if we have not risked body and soul and heart and pride in the pursuit of our dearest desires, then we are running the very real risk of wasting the one life that we have been given. That is the most tragic, heart-crushing risk of all, and it is the most avoidable.

Results Are Waiting

Results are waiting. Reach out to them, and they will reach back toward you. Then it’s simply a matter of working to close the gap.

Monday, June 4, 2018

The Ten Commandments for Trump Supporters

The Ten Commandments (Edited for Trump Supporters)

Standard Version (SV): Thou shalt not have any gods before God.

Trump Version (TV): Thou shalt not have any gods before God except the special, highly-qualified person whom God has chosen to save our country and be the best president in ... probably EVER.

SV: Thou shalt not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything.

TV: Thou shalt put your name in big letters on tall buildings so everyone understands how important you are.

SV: Thou shalt not use the name of the Lord your God in vain.

TV: Thou shalt curse as much as you feel that you need to while berating the people who work for you, or while criticizing Jeff Sessions for recusing himself.

SV: Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

TV: Thou shalt watch Fox News six days a week. On the seventh day, you’ll be tempted to look at other news sources to gain a balanced perspective. Don’t. They’re all godless liars.

SV: Honor thy father and mother.

TV: Honor thy daughter by bragging publicly about how “hot” she is as often as you can.

SV: Thou shalt not murder.

TV: Thou shalt not let any law pass that might help keep powerful weapons out of the hands of murderers.

SV: Thou shalt not commit adultery.

TV: Unless it’s with porn stars, Playboy models, or if you’re just trying out a new wife while you’re still married to the current one. Thou shalt “grab pussy” whenever it’s convenient.

SV: Thou shalt not steal.

TV: Thou shalt not limit the profits of healthcare providers by forcing them to treat poor people.

SV: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

TV: Thou shalt make up nasty stories about and give unflattering names to anyone that gets in your way. Thou shalt believe, tell, and repeat any lie that furthers your agenda.

SV: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.

TV: But if you really want to, an effective way is to have her listen in on a conference call while you trick a friend into talking about fooling around with other women. (Yes, Trump has actually done this, and he has boasted about doing so.)

Saturday, June 2, 2018

Hollow

While working on important
PROJECTS
Take good care of the
PEOPLE
In your life

Any accomplishment
Will seem HOLLOW
If you lose
Someone SPECIAL
In the process