Act

A while ago I desperately wanted to get away. At the same time, a friend desperately wanted someone to teach for him. Voilà! I was in El Paso Texas for a few days.

What it took was putting together enough courage to ask him. That is, to act on what I suspected would work for us both, He'd already said he needed time off, I already knew I wanted out of NYC. In the event, asking him also gave me a chance to discover that I like African Gray Parrots.

All in all, a decent act, and everyone well served.

ambiguity - a job

An aquaintance had hired a friend to perform errands and secretarial duties. She's gotten more frail however, and realizes that she needs someone live-in who'll also do housework.

Her friend is not a suitable cleaner, although he is perfect as a walker or other escort.

She told him she'd hire the live-in person in September.

He heard "You're fired".

She's convinced she merely pointed out that his job might change.

He's no longer as responsive if she tries to call him early (8am or before) or late (8pm or after). She wonders why, and no amount of explanation will suffice.

Love and Romance

I hate the part where anxiety hits and your throat contracts each time you say the beloved's name.


You know, the "in love" part.

Yet people proclaim it - endlessly.

Six months later though, you can relax into each other. You have a history together. You have a shared language and jokes.

Ah... that's a delight.

Day to day life, waking up together and complaining about whose turn it is to unload the dishwasher, or make the coffee.

Love experienced and expanded through performing loving acts. On going caring.

Oh so preferable to the aching sensitivity of the first few months.

Water - a ship...

We lived in England from June 1968 until September 1969. In that far off time it was prohibitively expensive to fly transatlantic (or so the parents told us) so we sailed (or rather, took transatlantic cruise ships)

We took the France home.

Apparently it was the largest, most stable, most marvelous boat available, with the shortest transatlantic crossing. So stable that no one could get sea sick.

The food was lovely. (Not that I could keep it down)

My stomach was tolerable only in the pool, feeling the salt water shift from side to side, and from 6 to 12 feet.