Random Quotes

I recently found this marvelous addition to my collection of quotes. Albert Einstein said "The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." That would indicate that time travels along its own axis, independently of those in this three-dimensional world. Well, that's the same thing I've been saying, as evidenced here and there and again and in one of my favorites.
As you may have realized by now, time is a favorite topic of mine. So often I have heard people talk mostly of wishing they were younger or sometimes longing to be older and I cannot relate to anything that would involve arbitrarily changing one's age. Of the former, I have these queries. Are they wanting a return to the naivety of their youth? Would they want to again have to relearn those lessons that seem only to be attained through aging and experience? Would they want to be young and have their knowledge and memories? Wouldn't that make everyone else seem out of touch with reality, when, in truth, they would be the one guilty of that charge? Are they wanting to be forever young? Does that imply a wish to be a vampire? Why would anyone want to watch all those they know and love wither and die whilst they stay fresh as a daisy? Where would be the fun of that?
As for those who would want to be older, perhaps to be able to instantaneously reach retirement age, here are the questions for you. Would you truly be willing to shroten your lifespan just to decrease your number of working years? Would you give up the opportunity to vicariously enjoy more of the youthful years of your children, your grandchildren, your nieces and nephews? Are you truly prepared to live on a fixed income for the rest of your life, knowing that the political powers that be have their fingers on those pursestrings? What about health issues: are you in good enough health to enjoy your new-found leisure, or would the sudden advanced aging be more detrimental than beneficial?
Scary thoughts, especially in the wee morning hours. I'll stick with the age I've been blessed with, day by day, thank you very much.

bears in bars in Billings

The following is best read aloud. Truly. It's a hoot!

A bear walks into a bar in Billings, Montana and sits down. He bangs on the bar with his paw and demands a beer.
The bartender approaches and says, "We don't serve beer to bears in Billings."

The bear, becoming angry, demands again that he be served a beer.
The bartender tells him again, more forcefully, "We don't serve beer to belligerent bears in bars in Billings."

The bear, very angry now, says, "If you don't serve me a beer, I'm going to eat that lady sitting at the end of the bar."
The bartender, in a huff now, says, "We don't serve beer to belligerent, bully bears in bars in Billings."

The bear goes to the end of the bar and, as promised, eats the woman. He comes back to his seat and again demands a beer.
The bartender states, "Sorry, we don't serve beer to belligerent, bully bears in bars in Billings who are on drugs."

The bear says, "I'm NOT on drugs."

The bartender says, "You are now. That was a barbitchyouate."

Big Bad Wolf?

Tonight, I joined my stepmother for dinner. Yes, yes, I can just hear it now: "On a Tuesday? Doesn't she live in Beaufort? Why not wait?" Why not wait. Well, let me suggest: Why wait? Time is short on this planet, and the older we get, the shorter the time we have left to be with each other and enjoy each other's laughter.
So, after talking this past weekend on the phone, I decided we really needed to see each other. Many reasons I had, too, for pushing the time up from that first weekend in October. I had already obtained her birthday present and wanted her to open her gift early. I thought she could stand a little cheering up. I wanted to let her KNOW I think she's special. And, since Daddy is no longer on this planet, I wanted her to have something to cuddle up with at night, too, 'cause big ol' beds weren't intended for solo sleeping, ya know?
We met up at the Wendy's near the traffic circle on the way to Bluffton. Only about 30 minutes for both of us, so not bad. This Wendy's is HUGE: spacious, bright, great service. I deliberately left the present in the car, to wait until after dinner. Sure enough, after we ate, she wanted to take a little walk, so we went to my car so I could put my dinner container in the trunk... and I gave her the Big Bad Wolf. Mind you, that's just what I've been calling him, and I've thought that from the moment I saw him. I even have that song from Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, done in the 1960's, still in my head, talking about Little Red Riding Hood and howling. And you know what? Without me even mentioning it, SHE thought of that song, too, and told me the story of the field trip to the beach that her high school class took in 1966, with the teacher cranking up the radio and them all singing along to that song. I told her I remembered Daddy singing and hamming it up to that song and that I thought of him, endearingly mind you, as the Big Bad Wolf. We talked about that a bit more as we walked, gradually changing to other topics, as the color of the sky deepened and night fell.
When we returned to Wendy's, I walked with her to her car and she took the wolf out to look at him and talk some more. I told her he was definitely a good wolf, as part of his cost went to help endangered animals. She was holding him and looking at his face when she proclaimed him to not be a wolf, but a sheep in wolf's clothing! Imagine that!!! And you know what? She was absolutely right. Those were NOT the ever-hungry eyes of a wolf, but the soft, deep brown of ovine eyes. That creamy muzzle protruding from that beautiful gray fur was far too sweet to be that of a carnivore. Judge for yourself.
Now, the question is: what to name him? There's a book, published in 2007, with several all-puns-intended suggestions, but I don't know that they'll be quite right. RAMbunctious? RAMshackle? Heyewe? Not my choice about the name, though: he doesn't belong to me. I'll let you know the name when I do... maybe!

One More Thing 'Bout That

Make a Smilebox photobook

point of view

The sound of a steady rain, gently washing my part of the world clean as I fall asleep. The taste of peach cobbler made the way my Mama made it. These are things that money cannot buy. Such was the theme of last week's philosophy discussion: "Things Money Cannot Buy." And I interpreted that to mean things that bring pleasure to us in the here and now. Tangible things, you understand.
I seem to have been almost alone in that interpretation. For most everybody else, the topic was centered on intangibles. Memories. Peace of mind. Contentment. A sense of self.
I guess it all depends on your perspective.

melding

On this Eve of my departure for my second-ever Dragon*Con, I have spent the last few hours putting together packages of memories. Yes, tomorrow, I leave to attend an incredible conglomeration of science, fantasy, and science fiction, from films to comic books to works of fiction throughout the years. This time, I will again attend with my best friend's teenaged children, as I did last year when we all had our virgin encounter with this wondrous beast. We will attend in memory of our guide, Sam "Blaxstone" Johnson, aka the Fickle Fat Fudge Fiend. His enthusiasm and love of the show fueled our own, encouraging us to participate in the story tale unfolding before us.
Some few weeks ago, I had received the tribute dvd, shown above, created by Sam's niece. I finally found a program which allowed me to make duplicate dvds, sans the fancy cd label, and have created six for Sam's friends scattered around the world. Literally. Although most will go to homes in the States, one will travel to Australia, to a woman for whom Sam almost forsook us. It occurred to me that the timing was perfect. As I am venturing off to create new memories, I am sharing old memories with friends far and near. My planets of my irregular galaxy must be aligning...

Pride

"As a member of the Outer Alliance, I advocate for queer speculative fiction and those who create, publish and support it, whatever their sexual orientation and gender identity. I make sure this is reflected in my actions and my work."

As part of Outer Alliance Pride Day, members are posting the above in conjunction with fiction or blogposts commenting on queer speculative fiction. I highly recommend this blog for those who want to know more http://www.benjaminsolah.com/blog/?p+1630

I am not yet a member of The Outer Alliance, but I wanted to participate and show my support. I can think of no better way to commemorate the birthday of one of my best friends than to acknowledge this particular Pride Day celebration. She would most certainly approve, Harry Potter fan that she is, openly living as a homosexual woman in today's world. I only this morning discovered the existance of this group, through my affiliation with the Kiwi Writers. What serendipity!