My Own Restoration Rally

Restoration Rallies seem to be the 'in' instrument to voice American's opinions.  Gone are the days of the sit-ins, street demonstrations like we had in East Lansing, Michigan in the late 1960's, marches in Washington D.C., bra-burnings, pantie raids, etc.  Today's protests are pablum compared to the activism this country witnessed in the fifties, sixties, and early seventies.  By the time the mid-seventies came we were simply into disco and big hair and we had forgotten what we were upset about as a nation.

Now we have the Restoration Rallies, as I call them.  Restoring this and that has become more like a 'restore du jour' rather than a true attempt at sincerity.  Earlier this summer, in August, Glenn Beck held his "Restoring Honor" Rally in our nation's capital.  Yesterday saw Comedians Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart hold their "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" at the National Mall in Washington D.C.  So, what's next, you might ask yourself.

I'm proposing the "Rally To Restore Law and Order and Law and Order - Criminal Intent".  As a once loyal viewer of these two programs, I was incensed and disappointed at NBC's short-sightedness in either canceling outright, as in the case of "Law and Order" or the network's slow-death approach in the case of "Law and Order - Criminal Intent".

NBC, just what were you thinking?

The network's pathetic attempt at  replacement for these two fine shows is the lackluster, "Law and Order - Los Angeles".  The characters are weak and the actors portraying the characters are even weaker.  Nothing about this new show inspires any repeat viewing, whereas the two shows NBC canned were still well-crafted and well-acted.  NBC, is your new motto, "If it works, let's cancel it?"

Hence, my "Rally to Restore Law and Order and Law and Order - Criminal Intent".  Here is a rally idea that could bring national unity on a coast-to-coast level, a rally idea that could boost employment levels for a number of people in the television industry and restore the average American's confidence that Hollywood really cares about what John Q. Public thinks. 

Let's rally around something really important for this great land:  Bring back Law and Order and Law and Order - Criminal Intent!

Ancora imparo

Glorious Day

So far, today, I've ruled the world with Cold Play, I've learned the power of love with Huey Lewis and the News, I've built a city with Jefferson Starship, I've been to Wuthering Heights with Kate Bush, learned about pool combos and guys who are too good looking from Carrie Underwood, been out ridin' fences with the Eagles, taken the long way home with SuperTramp, figured out how not to be a fool with Kenny Loggins, heard about Daniel Powter's bad day, been too hot with Queen, gone crazy with Lindsey Buckingham's Tusk and zoomed whom with Aretha Franklin.  All in a day's work with my i-Pod.

Sometimes I wonder what passersby must think as I'm on a walkabout with my i-Pod.  My background and training as a musician and band director makes it impossible for me to not walk to the beat of whatever tune I'm listening to.  There are particular lyrics that resonate with me and I'll have to resist the urge to break into song (I'm not always successful resisting this urge.) and there are also lyrics that simply create this huge smile across my face.  I cannot reveal what the smile-creating lyrics are.  I'm a bit more non-traditional in thought than most people think. :) 

It did occur to me, this morning as I walked, that humans and trees deal with the approaching cold weather in totally opposite ways:  The trees lose their layers and the humans add layers, which is oddly comforting in a weird way.  The temps were in the mid-thirties but I was dressed for the occasion and tromping up and down the cul-de-sac inclines were good for both the body and soul.  My SO was out at a breakfast meeting so when I returned home I could keep my i-Pod on and groove about the condo as I moved furniture and swept the floors.  Being alone provided me the opportunity to dance with my broom with no one casting disbelieving looks my way.

May all of today's Ancora imparo readers dance with their brooms.

Ancora imparo

Some Things Are Easier Than I Think

Do you ever dread tackling chores, making a decision, announcing a decision, following through with a commitment that seemed like a good idea at the time, making an uncomfortable phone call, having a dental or surgical procedure done, etc.?  There are numerous situations that we humans encounter on a daily basis that we really wish we didn't have to do or start.  We should be able to find comfort in numbers, but just because we know others experience the same discomfort does not make it any easier for me or you.

There are those individuals who seem to bluster their way through life with seemingly little distress associated with making others feel uncomfortable.  If we are fortunate, we only have close contact with one person like that - knowing more than one can reduce us to stammering, stuttering and sleepless nights.  Persons with bull-in-the-china-shop personalities appear to be incapable of fear, pain, dis-ease, social discomfort, or suffering from low self-esteem.  Yet, I have to believe that, somewhere below the surface and deeply buried, lie real human beings that possess the same foibles and insecurities that the rest of the population contend with on a regular basis.

But, I digress....to a point.  Yesterday I encountered several situations after which I found myself thinking, "That was easier than I thought it would be." 

After some days of hand-wringing about parting with certain items from my sort-and-purge exercises, I left said items at Goodwill and haven't looked back since then.  Once I drove away, the angst produced by thinking about not having them dissipated. In other words, I'm over it.  I sat through a dental procedure without any anesthetic, at the dentist's recommendation because I'd get a better fit on my crown, and, despite five or six 'jolts' from a metal probe, I lived to tell about it.  (Yea, me, thought I to myself!)  I made a phone call that I had avoided and also lived to tell about that.  Situations and actions that I had dreaded turned out to be non-life-threatening or shortening.  Yet, today I have still another 'list' of things to accomplish or deal with that I would just as soon feed to the local hyenas, I'm that fond of the items on the list.  Is this what we signed up for when we agreed to breath at birth?  Glee one minute, relaxation another, interspersed with fleeting (hopefully) moments of 'situational trepidation' when facing dilemmas.  I guess this is what we call life.

Still better than the alternative!

Ancora imparo

Artistic Absence

I have a dearth of artistic talent.  I really would like to be able to draw but the best I can seem to do is fashion stick people and animals.  Other objects look almost as skeleton-like as my stick people.  I would love to be able to design a caricature of a shark - one that is sportin' a 'tude', as they say, but I hold out little hope for anything other than a stick shark. 

Then again, what is wrong with a stick shark?  The shark's name will be Sherman, The Shark and he will be elemental in giving life-lessons to children.  At least, that is my present plan for Sherman.  Sherman will need to possess personality-plus and have a child-engaging persona.  His facial countenance will, by design, have to be one that changes by the page.  Impish one moment and thoughtful and reflective on the next page.  Sherman will have to be part teacher, mentor, clown, friend, child-psychologist, and child of God.

Am I asking too much of Sherman?  Only time and pages will tell.  Right now, Sherman is just an idea, a glint in my eye, an alter-ego for Patty, The Clown, a pulpit from which to foster growth for children's imaginations.  I think there will be a little (or large) part of me in Sherman.  Sherman will bring out the child in me, but, most of all, Sherman will love children......especially the Three Musketeers.

I think I'm ready to be the "Shermanator"!

Ancora imparo

The Incongruity Of It All

Irony.  I am experiencing irony in spades while I sit at my desk with my laptop. 

In front of me, just to the left, in my peripheral field of vision, is a letter from the Secretary of State.  It begins, "Dear Safe Driver" and tells me that, due to my safe driving record, I can apply for my license renewal online, in lieu of applying in person at my local Secretary of State's satellite office.  This is great......very convenient.

It is ironic that this letter was prominently displayed while I just visited a web site for the British Broadcast Corporation's television show, "Top Gear".

Have you ever heard of "Top Gear" or seen a segment of the show?

I had not, on both counts.  The link to the show came from a friend's blog site.  He usually has quirky and interesting viewpoints and site links, so I decided to take a peek, based on his blog title, which was "Top Gear".  I was bested by my curiosity.

The link was to a recent CBS "Sixty Minutes" segment that featured the BBC's hit show, "Top Gear".  While watching the fifteen-or-so-minute clip, I do not know if I spent more time laughing at the outrageous behavior of the four principal characters, laughing at the outrageous statements made by three of the characters, closing my mouth after jaw-dropping scenes/stunts, or feeling as if I needed adult diapers after seeing scene after scene of gravity-challening behaviors involving motor vehicles that are driven at exceptionally high speeds by either exceptionally brave or stupid men. Interspersed with camera shots of unbelievably maniacal driving were vignettes of interviews with three of the four men.  The Brits have a corner on dry, tongue-in-cheek humor and three of these 'dudes' would take first prize.  

How ironic that I can see my 'safe driving letter of commendation' while watching a show that glorifies high-speed, death-defying driving stunts and I laugh?!?!  I am certain that the high winds we are still experiencing are affecting my brain and judgment.  I must be oxygen deprived.

Go see for yourself at  http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6987703n&tag=related;photovideo

Ancora imparo

Ah, The Wind Did Howl

Howling wind, cracking dead wood, a crashing boom, small branches littering the yard and deck.....all in the early morning work of my favorite maternal figure, Mother Nature.  The dead tree in our backyard has been halved - and not by a chain saw.

The sound of the wind, through the wee hours of this morning, took me back a few years to a night, in our former home, when a straight-line wind raged through our area.  Of course, my SO was traveling, so it was just the kids, me and Max.  Our home was in a forest preserve and we were surrounded by trees on every side of the property.  The intense wind carried with it a sound that I will never forget.  To this day, I become ill at ease whenever I hear a wind-sound that even remotely resembles that night-wind sound of years past.  As with last night's tree-wresting, the wind of years-past took down two large trees.  We were lucky then, as now.  Our present, ripped-apart tree broke in two, so its upper half is well away from the condo.  Back then, we lost one big tree which did partially fall on the roof but did no damage.  The other downed-tree fell in a perfect horizontal line with the garage, missing the house and basketball hoop. It is the audible sound of the tree breaking and falling that is indelibly etched in my aural memory.   

As I sit at my laptop with a view to the street-side of the condo, I can see the effects of the still-high wind and even higher gusts.  Where is the wind farm when it could be useful?  I can only imagine the power that is being generated through this storm via the extensive wind farm in the central part of our state.  Looking out my window, I can see that even the younger trees are struggling as they are whipped about,  losing their leaves with a dizzying rapidity.  Debris is whizzing down the street, along with leaves and branches.  An occasional newspaper flies by.....some people did not get out to fetch theirs before the wind took ownership.

Hold on to your hats today, folks. 

A general tip:  This is not a day for a bumbershoot!

Ancora imparo

Time to Halt The Folly?

Regular readers will know that I am currently going through a process of reducing the household inventory in our condo.  This is a task I perform on a somewhat regular basis, but this time, I am adding a layer of depth to the project that has not been present heretofore.  (My favorite word - there are just not many opportunities to use the word heretofore.)  It is as if I am my own psychiatrist (Heaven knows, I probably need one!) and patient - all at once, lounging about on a therapy sofa in a plush, yet sterile office, box of tissues nearby and a well-dressed man or woman sitting in a stuffed chair, opposite me, hands folded, with a patient facial look that says, "Come on, get on with this.  My 4:00 is due soon." 

This time, not only am I sorting, throwing, reorganizing, etc. but I am also examining the questions, "Why should I keep this?" or "Why have I kept this?" in conjunction with every item I touch or see.  I am a big believer of sentimentality, or used to be, but now I debate why I should be sentimental about something I never see, touch, or use.  Yes, all of those doll clothes I made for the kids' Cabbage Patch dolls are cute but what use are they now, especially when they are routinely stored in a plastic container, high up on a shelf that requires a step-stool to reach?   Yes, all of the keepsake figurines and other glassware items sitting in china cabinets have meaning to me but, for most of them, I cannot remember from whence they came or whose possessions they used to be.  Why would these possessions have meaning to my children and for what purpose would my kids want them?  To continue the legacy of becoming wrapped up and stored in a box somewhere on a shelf or in an attic or storage locker? 

I am beginning to conclude that it may be time to put a halt to the folly of what I will call 'legacy storage'.  If the item or items have been boxed up, on some shelf in my condo - and house before that - never seeing the light of day unless the box is opened and the contents pulled out, then I see no purpose for keeping the contents, possessions, belongings, etc.  Yes, Grandma's old, faded and worn quilt felt good when I was a cold child but that is a memory that only I can draw upon.  My children will never know that memory and, therefore, keeping Grandma's old quilt serves no purpose but to take up space.  I have my memories, stored carefully upon the shelves of my mind and that is the best storage space possible. It is time to begin the process of halting the folly.

I had better act quickly.  This will be easier said than done.  My resolve will be tested.

Ancora imparo