Words to live by

Philip Henslowe: Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.

Hugh Fennyman: So what do we do?

Philip Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.

Hugh Fennyman: How?

Philip Henslowe: I don't know. It's a mystery

From the 1998 movie, Shakespeare in Love

"Solving the Rubik's Cube "
Image by Steve Rhodes

Life Goes On

Other people's lives are continuing on while my own is still in disarray.

Why does that disturb me?

Is it the self-centred impulse that the world should revolve around me? Is it the disappointment that my friends and loved ones can't actually read my mind? Is it the tendency of misery loving company?

Maybe.

Or maybe what disturbs me is fear. Fear that one day soon I'll be just like them. One day soon my life will continue on. One day soon she'll be a distant memory.

One day soon I'll have all but forgotten her.

To be honest, I was close enough to forgetting about her when she was still around.

So maybe, as with all other things, it does comes back to the belief that, if not the world then at least my world, does revolve around me. And what truly disturbs is the belief that eventually, I will continue on.

Eventually, I will forget.

Eventually, I will disappoint myself.

And once again, I will disappoint her.

Photo of my mother's memorial service,
copyright Karen Hamilton of Tiny Bites

To Every Season Turn, Turn, Turn

Last year around Thanksgiving, I sent Fourteen thank you's to people I deeply valued in my life. It's recently come to my attention that the people in my Fourteen has changed.

Who's in the current line-up? In alphabetical order by first name:

ABHIJJJKKKMNNT
(Congrats to A, H, J3, and N2 for making the list this year. As for C, M2, T2, and Z who were dropped from the list... try again next year!)

In order of who I would want on my pirate ship as we sail the seven seas in search of booty and treasaarrrr:

KMAJTNBKIKHNJJ
(Pirating transferable skills, wench-adeptness, and likelihood of mutiny were deciding factors in this ranking)

In order of who I would butcher first and make into a sandwich when Judgment Day arrives and we resort to cannibalism:

NJJBIMATKJKKNH
(Likelihood of deliciousness, chances of prolonged post-apocalyptic survival, and dietary variety have been taken into consideration. Usefulness with overthrowing our machine overlords and repopulating the devastated landscape have not been factored in.)

In terms of mnemonics / hilarious acronyms:

THINK BJ MAN, JK / JK
(It just worked out that way, I swear! But seriously, think about the BJ. Big fan of the BJ.)