Age Ventures Age Ventures Straight talk from a progressive 50-plus female with no shortage of opinions; living with mental illness and suffering no fools gladly Articles
The Call of the Wild
2007-05-18 06:21:00 If only the pundits could have predicted he would turn out to be an idiot. Oh wait, they did. More About: Wild , Call , The Call
I liked myself better when I wasn?t me. ? Carol Burnett
2007-05-18 03:32:00 Ah, the spam blocker is having a high old time. What exactly is the point of this battle of the bots? Theirs sends me spam, mine deflects it. How is this at all a profitable enterprise? But then many things mystify me. For instance, how Boycat learned this passive-aggressive tactic of sitting ... More About: My Life , Carol , When , Better , Burnett
Weary
2007-05-15 03:40:00 The deed is done and I’m headed for bed early tonight. There were some bad events today - unrelated to the trip - that have my heart heavy. But the interviews went well. It was clear (this was not a surprise) that my boss was looking for some reason to sidestep putting me ... More About: My Life , Wear
16177
2007-05-14 06:39:00 That’s how many spam comments I’ve recorded since I started the blog in this location 20 months ago. Activated another spam blocker plugin and it reported the total to me. It should take care of this last spammer that’s been hounding me lately. Would think that bot would pick up on the ... More About: My Life
Saturday night movie review
2007-05-13 05:26:00 I just finished watching Radio. I didn’t know anything of the premise beforehand and was struck by how simple and lovely it is. Ed Harris gives a breathtaking performance, beautifully understated. I went looking for a review of it and the first one I happened upon was by some strident harpy who ... More About: Movie , Movie Review , Review , Night , Saturday
When a man gets up to speak, people listen, then look. When a woman gets up
2007-05-12 03:16:00 Ouch. Paid the unbelievably ridiculous bills from the landscaper - thankfully I won’t need anyone back for a couple of years, and for sure not them. I’ll let them treat the lawn for the rest of this year (their rates for that are competitive) and then fire them. The week is finally ... More About: People , My Life , Listen , Woman , Gets
There is no magic wand that can resolve our problems. The solution rests wi
2007-05-11 05:03:00 Nertz. It appears that some spammers are adroit enough to get around the word verification. I shall just have to make it more expensive for them. It seems to stop most of them - far fewer to deal with - still annoying though. Monday is interview day for the lead position. ... More About: Magic , My Life , Problems , Here , Rest
Hello in There ? John Prine
2007-04-29 07:46:00 We had an apartment in the city, Me and Loretta liked living there. Well, it’d been years since the kids had grown, A life of their own left us alone. John and Linda live in Omaha, And Joe is somewhere on the road. We lost Davy in the Korean war, And I still don’t know what for, don’t matter anymore. Ya’ know that ... More About: John Prine , Hell , Here , There
When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel
2007-04-22 12:34:00 Going to bed finally. Spent 15 hours on the conference call to handle issues during our DR test. Wasn’t too bad - had several but I managed to work my way through them. Had to call PaW at the end about something and he was aghast that I had been up all ... More About: Love , My Life , When , Make , Kindness
Mute
2007-04-17 03:27:00 “I?ll lend you for a little time, a child of mine,” Christ said, “for you to love the while he lives, and mourn for when he?s dead. It may be six or seven years, or twenty-two or three, but will you, ?til I call him back, take care of him for me? He?ll bring his ... More About: Mute
Geranium Geronimo
2007-04-07 20:47:00 Bless you, S-1 for figuring it out. I looked at pictures of them and it does seem to fit. I left it on the sun porch and forgot about it, so over-watering is not an issue (neglect might be). I’ve made a plan about work. Vacation is coming to an end. Today ... More About: Gera , Rani
Time after time
2007-04-04 17:47:00 Been thinking about the movie Somewhere in Time . Not because it’s so compelling (IMDB user rating is 6.9 - I consider that generous); no, it’s because of the thing that happens when Christopher Reeve finds a penny in his pocket. He has transported himself back in time via self-hypnosis - all of which ... More About: After
Are you all right? ? Lucinda Williams
2007-04-04 04:12:00 Are you all right? All of a sudden you went away Are you all right? I hope you come back around someday. Are you all right? I haven’t seen you in a real long time Are you all right? Could you give me some kind of sign? Are you all right? I looked around me and you where gone? Are you all right? I feel like ... More About: Will , Right , Williams , Lucinda Williams , Liam
The problem is with men. I know I shouldn?t say this, but they?ve shrouded
2007-04-04 02:48:00 That was a mistake. Shouldn’t have signed in to send a coworker a copy of the last post. He’s a nice younger man with two cats that he adores. In the process came across a note from another manager concerning an issue that I tried desperately to get resolved for her before ... More About: Men , With , This , They , Problem
There is, incidently, no way of talking about cats that enables one to come
2007-04-03 23:29:00 She has put me in this enclosed space again. It’s not so bad; the floor is padded and the portals on both sides allow me to survey the area. Oh well, I think I’ll take a nap…. What the hell?! I’m flying through the air! She’s taking me out into that room ... More About: Cats , Cat , Hat , About , Talk
The most eloquent prayer is the prayer through hands that heal and bless. T
2007-04-03 05:05:00 I’m watching a biography of Billy Graham on PBS. The article at the link is a powerful portrait of him as he looks back on his life. And what a life it has been. Here is the man who, among other things, spoke at the first integrated public forum in South Africa’s ... More About: Prayer , Hat , Hands , Through , Most
For nothing is fixed, forever and forever and forever, it is not fixed; the
2007-04-01 05:10:00 I remember the first (and thankfully only) time he crawled off the bed. I remember hearing his dad laugh about getting peed on while he was changing a diaper. How he cooed at his bears. How he would wake up in the morning and play quietly in his crib, waiting for us ... More About: Nothing , Forever , Ever , Thing , Fore
We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is
2007-03-23 04:12:00 I was exceedingly disturbed by the news story this week about the Boy Scout that was lost in the woods for four days. I was initially elated that he was found safe - and still grateful that was the outcome - but the rest of the story haunts me. I have avoided reading ... More About: What , Hat , About , Worry , Child
Angel ? Sarah McLachlan
2007-03-19 04:35:00 Spend all your time waiting For that second chance For a break that would make it okay There’s always one reason To feel not good enough And it’s hard at the end of the day I need some distraction Oh beautiful release Memory seeps from my veins Let me be empty And weightless and maybe I’ll find some peace tonight In the arms of an angel Fly away ... More About: Angel , Sarah , Sara , Lachlan
Rainy Day Lament ? Joe Purdy
2007-03-10 10:47:01 Where do you go when your luck runs out Yeah, where do you go Where do you go now And where do you go when you feel like cryin’ Where do you go Where do you go now Won’t you come inside with me today You could stay inside with me today Can’t you see it’s gonna rain And how do you feel when the lights go out How do you feel How do you feel alone And how do you feel when there’s no one there On the other end of the phone Won’t you come inside with me today You just stay inside with me today Can’t you see it’s gonna rain Yeah, can’t you see it’s gonna rain Yeah, it’s gonna rain And don’t you wanna get warm And don’t you wanna get dry And don’t you wanna stay Can’t you see it’s gonna rain So won’t you come inside with me today ’cause I can see it’s gonna rain Yeah, I can see it’s gonna rain Can’t you see it’s gonna rain Oh, I can see it’s gonna rain More About: Men , Rain , Lament , Lame , Amen
Ten things the world would be better off without
2007-03-07 10:45:03 NutraSweetAny product that paired with the word “toxicity” produces over 50,000 hits in Google can’t be the right thing to put into your body. I decided to write this post in large part because I believe that NutraSweet played a part in my mother-in-law’s death from ALS. LawyersOk, not an original choice - still a good one. SpamYou know my feelings on this. One thing you might not know about me is that I receive no junk mail either. I’m on every list there is to prevent any kind of direct marketing. If a vendor is especially stubborn about stopping their mailings, I report them to the state Attorney General (have done this several times). Cialis commericalsPurely idiosyncratic - I don’t like being reminded that other people have 36 hours to decide when to have sex. The really interesting question to me is why their site includes a link to spyware prevention (?). SUVsDoes it seem at all ironic that the parking spaces keep getting smaller as th... More About: World , With , The World , Better , Things
Saturday afternoon
2007-03-04 10:43:01 What an odd thing to miss. A few months ago - after they completed the kitchen remodel - I stopped using the dishwasher. I can never fill it and it’s pointless to waste the water and energy. I have been rewarded by a drop in my water and electric bills (which frankly stunned me - I am not accustomed to my schemes actually working for the better); nevertheless, I miss its comforting hum now and then. The washer and dryer try to do their part but they aren’t quite the same. Their voices are a constant reminder that there is more work to be done; the dishwasher sings of having finished a chore (I don’t count having to put the dishes away because they don’t wrinkle or mildew if I leave them an extra day). I talk to myself while I’m doing housework. It calms me and distracts me from the task. I have conversations with people who aren’t there, tell the cats stories, or work through some frustration or another. The cats very much appreciate this,... More About: Turd , Saturday , Afternoon , After , Day After
Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit o
2007-03-01 10:41:01 Have considered the question that was posed on the last post; I’m afraid that I can’t answer it for a number of reasons. Turns out that Friday night was just a warm-up for a series of fiascoes at work this week. I haven’t been involved in them because I’m not on call and I’m endeavoring to live by my advice to others that it doesn’t take 20 people to solve every problem. Don’t know whether my absence will be noted negatively and don’t care. Had a hard night last night. Was weepy for some reason. More than a little worried that we’ll have an exodus soon - specifically, the new manager. The crap that’s landed on him in the last few days can’t have been enjoyable. The weekend had other fun and frolic and there’s been a major problem every day since. I hope he squares his shoulders and brings the hammer down rather than boarding the next bus out of town. PaW responded to my charge to him by advocating a ret... More About: They , Have , Hose , Suit , Path
Where there is great love, there are always wishes. ? Willa Cather
2007-02-26 10:40:04 S+1 wanted to know who R is. Difficult to answer that since he has been known to read what’s here - I always find it more than embarrassing to know that someone has written about me so I try to avoid doing much of that when the person in question might read it. No one at work reads this blog (though frankly I wouldn’t care) so that topic is easier to write about. What I would have to say about R is not nearly in the same vein, but he is a private person. He would blush to read about himself, I think. R is, quite simply, a person I let myself love. Despite that, I don’t know him well (as I said, he is a private person). He is quiet and gentle where I am coarse and obtrusive. I have wondered why he still invades my thoughts; haven’t really worked that out. It is probably less about him in reality than it is about the pervasive solitude of my life. Or so I tell myself, to avoid exploring the notion that the only person I’ve loved in a very long ti... More About: Love , Cat , Great , Wish , Will
Comment blacklist and doings
2007-02-19 10:36:03 Despite the falling page rank, I continue to deal dutifully with spam comments. In my head, it somehow informs the spam catchers of the world. Don’t know whether that’s true, but the latest additions to the blacklist are below. The neighbor next door backed off on his attempts to extort money from me. Says that’s not what he intended, just wanted to make sure it was OK to take down. I highly doubt that because he was talking about “our” getting a good price in his first note, but no matter. I presume that my letter to the board helped the process along. I apologized to him for misunderstanding and told him it was fine to remove it. The visit yesterday was draining but I shall try not to linger over it. My sister-in-law and her mother were there - both lovely people - and as it happens they suffered the loss of their son/brother (suicide due to depression) two days after my mother-in-law died. Had a long conversation about that during the visit; ... More About: Men , Black , List , Comment , Comm
If a child is to keep his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionshi
2007-02-17 22:34:02 Headed to see the ex-laws this weekend. My sister-in-law invited me to come for dinner after I told her I was planning to visit my father-in-law. I stopped in last Friday but was it was a short visit. He seems to be doing pretty well, though I can’t fathom his loss. How does one go on after losing a spouse of 56 years? I know that he is comforted with the fact that he will see her again but he has to be lonely. His church has supported him tremendously - there were dozens of people at the funeral from the congregation. He says that was all her; indeed she was a loving person. He is every bit as wonderful, though he would deny that. He’s just different, being more outspoken than she was. When I look at my son, I see the best parts of every one of his forebears. He got amazing strength and tenacity from the Scotch-Irish line on my father’s side, the same capability for careful analysis that my father had, quickness of mind from my mother, a loving dispositi... More About: Sense , Comp , Child , Keep , Wonder
According to the new ethics, virtue is not restrictive but expansive, a sen
2007-02-17 16:33:05 Apparently there’s a rush on to adopt children - or at least one child, that being Anna Nicole Smith’s infant daughter. It warms my heart to see the outpouring of generosity to bring this tragically orphaned baby into a loving home. One is even royalty (or perhaps Prince is just his first name) - at the expense of his marriage, I hear. What a loving dad. I’m sure that if the attempts to provide shelter for this orphan don’t work out, that the prospective parents will be lining up to find another to love. After all, love like that has no bounds. Oh, damn. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and I forgot to order myself flowers. Got the news about my bonus today - same as last year which isn’t at all disappointing. It’s still less than I deserve for what I did last year, but I’ll take it. It’s not an insult by far - and still ten times what I would have gotten at penny-pinching IBM. The stock options just confuse me, but I figur... More About: Ethics , The N , Rest , Virt , Virtue
That?s it then
2007-02-17 16:33:05 The neighbor that is planning to block the view from my sun porch with an addition which will price his home out of the reach of any retired couple (this neighborhood is mostly retirees, which is something I like about it) wrote tonight to say that since the construction they are planning will probably kill the pine tree that straddles our property, we should look into having it taken down. In case this escapes you, he is asking me to help pay for the removal of a tree that he plans to kill. I heard he was drummed out of the medical profession for taking advantage of his female patients. I guess old habits never die. The cats will be contacting an attorney tomorrow - no, not just about the tree (though, please). This explains a lot about my life, actually. I must look remarkably stupid. More About: Hat , That , Then
Stupor Hangover
More articles from this author:2007-02-06 10:27:02 Not a great day. I let my housekeeper off the hook - when I factor in that I’m insane I decided there was sufficient room for doubt to let it go. It’s just material things in any event - not worth causing more heartache in my life. Work was OK but it’s always worse when the manager isn’t there because I have to listen to other people gripe about him and the stories of what he’s done lately that they don’t like. I try to maintain some level of objectivity but he does have some attributes that are annoying. One of the worst things about working here (and he is not the only one guilty of this) is that our management wants to be informed of events as if they were children. And if they aren’t, they feel entitled to whine about it. As you can imagine, I have little tolerance for same. I watched some of the Stupor Bowl yesterday - is it just me, or did the life go out of the whole experience pretty early on? Even the commercials were disapp... More About: Over , Hangover 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
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