catbird

For two days in a row, I have been greeted by this sight from my kitchen window.
Yesterday,
I saw the catbird in mid-afternoon, as the sun was leaving the back yard.

This morning, as I was preparing my coffee, prior to the start of the "CBS Sunday Morning" television show, I saw the catbird again, this time as she was strolling across and then jumping up to the lip of the birdbath.
On each occasion, as she completed her lapping of water, she would exit the birdbath and stroll to the right side of the shed, to loll in the sun and stare into the blackberry brambles.
She?
Well, of course the catbird is a "she". Calico cats are almost always "she". Although she appears to be mostly white in these poor photos, she has brown and black mottling on the left side of her head (look closely in the upper photo). She also has brown and black mottling from her right haunch to the tip of her tail, including that right rear leg.
She's really quite pretty, although her coloring is not well suited to hiding.
She seems to be keeping the squirrels out of my attic, so that's a plus. I have no quarrel with that.
So, if she wants to drink from my birdbath, I'll be sure to keep water in it, for both her and my mockingbirds.

the three magi in Savannah

An Imam, A Minister & A Rabbi Come to Services...

That was the title from the Congregation Mickve Israel's website for the event yesterday. As that organization was the host of the event, they were certainly welcome to call it whatever they pleased. I know the rabbi there is known for his sense of humor, and that is a very good trait for a man of the cloth to have, regardless of the religion served.

I prefer to regard the event as the coming of The Magi.
Now, before you think I'm referring to the beings mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, let me set you straight.
Those "three" Magi (the actual number varies in different translations) were men who studied the stars to gain understanding of the human condition.
These three Magi are men who study religious documents and science in search of a better understanding of the human condition.
Their messages of hope and capability and community are both timeless and timely. Here in the United States of America, where everyone has a guaranteed right to the pursuit of happiness, the race card is repeatedly misplayed of late. Specifically, ever since President Obama - a black man - was elected, a rift has erupted, creating an informal civil war fought on streets and city blocks, in boardrooms and in classrooms, out in public and behind closed doors, between family members and among strangers.
In the last year, there have been repeated incidents in which young black men have been killed by white policemen. The media, in all of its forms, have stoked the madness to a fever pitch across the nation.
Of course, people forget that the media - and I include print, internet, radio, and television versions - is a for-profit business, first and foremost, dependent upon advertising dollars to feed its hordes of "news" gatherers. Advertisers only pay if there is an audience present, so the media tends to report only those choice bits of a story which will create controversy.
What matter is the story is accurate? They can always issue a correction the next day, right?

The problem arises when the majority of people who give heed to the media believe the tales being told are the entire truth.
That is exactly what has been occurring of late, with misinformed groups reacting violently toward businesses and organizations which are not at fault, looting and burning and destroying the livelihoods of many.

This Tri-Faith Service and Discussion has arrived right on time to help lead the good people of this town back from the brink of despair.
The real shame is how few people were in attendance.
The real shame is this is the third year of this annual event and the media said nothing about the event. Not in the newspaper, not on the radio, not on the television, not on the internet. I know this lack of acknowledgement to be true: I have actively searched for any word of this interfaith event for the past four days and found not even a single mention of it.
If not for the bulletin from the church I attend, I would not have known of it and would have missed it, as I have for the past two years.
I am blessed to have been present.
I was even moved to tears a time or two during the service and, later, during the post-lunch question and answer session.
Truly, I was blessed.

Reverend Hester provided the first sermonette. As is his habit, he led with a humorous story about a would-be farmer who sees a message of "P C" and interprets it to mean "Preach Church". However, he was not a very good minister, leading one in his congregation to suggest that perhaps the letters meant "Plant Corn"?
"Pray Constantly" is the most helpful interpretation of the anagram. If we are praying, we are searching for answers outside of ourselves, seeking help from God and all in this universe, choosing to continue to hope.

Rabbi Haas was next. He had led the introductory part of the Tri-Faith Service and, 'up at bat' again, he kept his sermonette brief. He spoke of the prayer in which God is thanked for "bringing bread from the ground". But God doesn't do that, as we know. We have been given the tools of intelligence and creativity needed for planting crops and transforming flour into the staff of life. Those are God-given tools and we must be mindful to use those abilities to solve problems.

Imam 'Ali kept his sermonette shortest of all. His message was simple: One Creator, One Creation (female, not male), One Community. We are all related and have a responsibility toward each other and for each other.

Hope.
Capability.
Community.

I took the above photograph. Rabbi Robert Haas, of the Congregation Mickve Israel, had already removed his stole by the time I approached the three to ask their permission. Reverend Billy Hester, of Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church, welcomed me onto the platform and introduced me to the others. Imam Maajid 'Ali, of the Masjid Jihad Mosque, greeted me warmly and beamed as I snapped the photo.
I am so grateful to these three men for reaching out to the people of Savannah.
To them, I have one message.
Keep preaching, even if only the choir shows up.
The choir always needs practice.
And sometimes, just sometimes, those choirmembers may even sing the song where others may hear it...

painting the church

There was a Scottish painter named Smokey MacGregor who was very interested in making a penny where he could, so he often thinned down his paint to make it go a wee bit further.

As it happened, he got away with this for some time.

Then the local church decided to do a big restoration job on the outside of one of their biggest buildings.

Smokey put in a bid and, because his price was so low, he got the job.

So he set about erecting the scaffolding and setting up the planks, and buying the paint and yes, I am sorry to say, thinning it down with turpentine.

Well, Smokey was up on the scaffolding, painting away, the job nearly completed, when suddenly there was a horrendous clap of thunder, the sky opened and the rain poured down washing the thinned paint from all over the church and knocking Smokey clear off the scaffold to land on the lawn among the gravestones, surrounded by telltale puddles of the thinned and useless paint.

Smokey was no fool. He knew this was a judgment from the Almighty, so he got down on his knees and cried: "Oh God, Oh God, forgive me; what should I do?"

And from the thunder, a mighty voice spoke.

"Repaint! Repaint! And thin no more!"

***** ***** *****

James went into the Confessional Box after years of being away from the Church. Inside he found a fully equipped bar with Guinness on tap. On one wall, there was a row of decanters with fine Jameson Irish whiskey and Waterford crystal
glasses. On the other wall was a dazzling array of the finest cigars and chocolates.

Then the priest came in and James said to him, "Father, forgive me, for it's been a very long time since I've been
to confession, but I must first admit that the confessional box is much more inviting than it used to be."

The priest replied: "Get out, you moron, you're on my side!"

***** ***** *****

A father was reading the Bible to his little girl before bedtime one night. He was on the first chapter of Genesis.
"In the beginning, the world was without form and void," the father read. "And God said, 'Let there be light.'...And God separated the light from the dark."

"I know what happens next!"the little girl exclaimed excitedly.

"What happens next?" asked the father,smiling.

The girl replied, "God did two loads of laundry."

***** ***** *****

A Sunday School teacher began her lesson with a question: "Boys and girls,what do we know about God?"

A hand shot up in the air. "He is an artist!" said the kindergarten boy.

"Really? How do you know?" the teacher asked.

"You know," the boy replied, "Our Father, who does art in Heaven."

***** ***** *****

After the pastor finished his sermon, he stayed at the doors and shook folks' hands as they went by, making sure to give a smile and a kind word to each one. By the time he finished, most of the people milling around in the church lobby had left except for a few.

The pastor noticed in particular one elderly woman who was sitting on one of the benches, nearly in tears, rocking back and forth. Concerned, the pastor walked over to her and heard her say, "How long, Lord? How long?"

Touched, he laid a hand on the white head. "Ma'am, God has heard you. I am sure that He will come through for you."

She looked up at him with a small smile and thanked him.

Feeling that he had done a very good deed, he turned and was about to walk out when the door to a small women's restroom opened and someone came out.

The pastor definitely had a feeling of chagrin when the old woman yelled, "Praise the Lord!" and ran inside.

***** ***** *****

(These jokes brought to you by my fsilm, finally back online again!)

cocktails and trivia

Just as I was drifting into Slumberland last night, I had a thought. Grabbing the pad and pen on the nightstand, I scribbled these words - mojito, Moscow mule, mint julep - then sailed off into dreams.
Why did I write those words?
Good question! Glad you asked!
On Tuesdays, I sometimes attend the trivia game at a local sports bar in my neck of the woods. Barbara and Sandy (two of my NK! friends) are on the Drunken Noodles team there, as well as a guy from a Saturday night dining group we all sometimes attend. One of my former students is even on the team!
Believe it or not, our team tends to win 2nd and 3rd place prize money on a pretty regular basis at this trivia game!
Last night, the question asked for the name of the Russian cocktail made using vodka and mint. Fortunately, one of the teammates had looked up the evening's "free answer" on the Trivia Nation's website: Moscow Mule. This had to be the question that matched that answer... right?
And it was!
Hurray!
I wondered aloud if the drink might be akin to a mojito, but no one seemed to know.
On to the next question, please!
And I thought no more about it until I was almost asleep.
Now you're wondering about the cocktail, too, aren't you?
Sure you are!
Well, wonder no more!
The Mojito, generally regarded as Cuban in origin, contains rum, sugar water (aka simple syrup), crushed mint, and lime. A mango-enhanced recipe for this "smashed" beverage can be found here, as well as a link to the more traditional version. Try them - they'll help ward off scurvy, just as they did hundreds of years ago!
The Moscow Mule, created in New York City, is fashioned from vodka, sugar water (in the form of ginger beer), mint, and lime. Here's a few recipes to try at your local bar. Vitamin C and ginger, too - sounds like a healthy drink to me!
What about the Mint Julep? Being a Georgia peach, my brain also wondered about the kinship of the above with this Southern traditional cocktail. Did your brain try to draw that linkage, too? Well, the only thing missing is the lime. Kentucky bourbon is a must. Check out a good version here.
So, now you know, folks. Three drinks with "m" names, all containing mint and the ethanol of choice. And two of them are good for sailors with no other source for citrus.
(smile!)

keb mo knows the blues!

Here I am, post-concert, hanging out, albeit briefly, with Keb' Mo'.
I had the great good fortune to usher this show at the Lucas. (Thanks, Shea!) What that truly means, of course, is I had the great good fortune to dance to all of his music.
So very fine a time!
The man has an enormous volume of music which he has crafted and he presented much of it tonight. My favorite was "She Just Wants To Dance". I told him tonight that I felt he had written that song for me. His response was beautiful and sincere: "I did."
I felt I could have swooned!
The other songs he sang tonight?
Well, there were "More Than One Way Home" and "Dirty Lowdown and Bad".
Then you have "Shave Yo' Legs" and "Am I Wrong" and "Life Is Beautiful".
And let's not forget "Kind Hearted Woman" and "Tell Everybody I know".
That last one is quite good - you might want to hear it twice!
But for just plain fun, "Government Cheese" is hard to beat!
(smile!)

hush, hush, i thought i heard her calling my name

Okay, so, by this stage in the game, we all are aware that watching movies is a favorite activity of mine.
It's even better when I have someone watching the movie with me, but I still enjoy it as a solo experience.
And, if I'm at a kid-friendly movie and kids are in the audience, I expect some level of chatter now and then. Not a problem. That's to be expected, with the attending parent hurriedly shushing the child(ren) after the outburst.
I've even become somewhat inured to the pre-film "peas and carrots" sibilance from folks sitting in groups (usually pairs or trios). I occasionally will glance behind me, in their direction, to remind them to "hush, hush, voices carry". As a rule, that chatter disappears when the previews are over and the main attraction has begun.
However, once the movie begins, I expect the audience to participate through laughs and tears, but to keep their mouths closed. After all, the two holes in the head for listening cannot effectively work if the one hole for talking is still emanating sound.
Some people have never learned that lesson.
Those same people also believe they can somehow alter the course of a movie by talking loudly to the characters on the screen.
I don't know, maybe that course of action does yield results in their living room, with their televisions.
You know, like folks believe when they're watching a televised football or baseball game and think their cheering and advice are truly making a difference to the results of the game?
Or, you know, when folks are following their favorite characters on the soap operas and give unheeded advice and get all upset when the plots don't unfold the way they would like?
When you're in the privacy of your own abode, you should definitely feel free to jump and shout and yelp as often as you please. As long as you're having fun and those around you are entertained, go for it!
Some cinema attendees, however, fail to make the distinction between the screening room in the cinema and their personal living room. These folks evidently do not go to the cinema very often.
I doubt they know the Joe South tune, "Hush", even though it goes back to the mid-1960's and has gospel roots. Still, if they had purchased a cola at the cinema, they would have seen the above message on their cup and, like me, been reminded of the song. Or, at the very least, been reminded to minimize their vocal outbursts.
Not so tonight.
I attended a free advance screening with my first niece. She was familiar with the film "Beyond The Lights" and was eager to see it, especially as it starred Gugu Mbatha-Raw. I knew little of the movie except it was about the life of a singer and was free.
Apparently, that last point was the driving force that brought quite a few folks to the cinema tonight. I'd be willing to wager good money that some of these people had not been to a cinema in more than a year. To them, it must have seemed like a very large living room.
Consequently, television-watching mode kicked in and these folks talked, loudly, back to the screen throughout the movie. They no doubt were encouraged to continue doing so when their initial outbursts were not quelled by those sitting near them.
My guess is: they were middle-aged or older and unaccustomed to being in cinemas.
Christina and I would look at each other and grin at the inane vocalisms, but we didn't say anything to the loud-talkers. If the folks hosting the event didn't confront them, then who were we to do so?
Still, I would hope the people at Relativity Media and at WEAS-FM (aka E93) will learn from this experience and, perhaps at the next screening, issue a gentle reminder about cinema etiquette.
Hopefully.

drowning in a sea of newsprint

Hey, Dood!

Here's another week heading into a weekend and I'm bogged down in newspapers. Seriously.
I have stacks of pages pulled out to read, stacks of newspapers still with rubber bands on or still in plastic sleeves, and my recycling bin is full of discarded ad inserts and skimmed headlines.
Well, that last part is an exaggeration. My recycling bin is the same size as my trash bin, so, it would be difficult to fill it up with just newspapers. Still, the daily deliveries have become yet another mound of paper cluttering up my house and slowing me down.
Today, that has stopped. My subscription expired yesterday. Hooray! No more rolled-up masses awaiting me at the end of the sidewalk every morning!
Truly, I will miss the comics and the game page. But, that's about all I'll miss. And I won't even miss those for a while because I still have so many unread papers here already. It's rather ridiculous.
Kind of like this letter, huh?
Hahaha!

with much love!

election month joke: Who is a city official who hopes many slots are filled?

answer: the mayor of Las Vegas!

jumble'd up

Puns... you know I love them, right?
I especially like those which are hidden in puzzles.
So, lately, I've been receiving the local newspaper. I happened to be home when they were soliciting to enlarge their route, and, silly me, I signed up.
You should see the stack of unread, still rolled up (some with rubber bands, other in plastic bags), untouched papers. Then there's the stack of dismantled remnants of newspapers, in which the only remaining pages are those containing the comics and the games. The bulk of those papers went into the recycling bin outside, awaiting pick-up by the city trash service.
Honestly, once I've skimmed the headlines, I'm done with the "news". After all, if it's only bad stuff, why read it? Change the names and it's the same thing over and over, proof positive that humans haven't changed much in the last few thousand years.
Only our toys are newer, bigger, faster!
So, if I could get the carrier to only bring the "good stuff" to me, my house would be neater and I could stay caught up with the onslaught of print.
(sigh)
I have definitely enjoyed reading the comics! I especially enjoy tearing them out and sharing them with others! That is certainly made clear in this post and this one and this one, too.
But, more so than the comics, the games page truly brings me great pleasure. Crossword puzzles! Sudoku! Jumble word games!
Oh, yes! The Jumbles, the game which features scrambled words, the comic clue, and the answering pun to be puzzled out!
You may have noticed some of those games in the aforementioned posts, right?
Definitely fun!

So, here is a collection of Jumble'd up puns, as I think of them.
Enjoy!
I certainly do!

After arriving late, they symphony conductor... faced the music.

After the collision at home plate, the player's mother was glad he was... safe and sound.

He wanted to follow the instructions for installing the new staircase... step by step.

The eagle planned to escape from his cage at the zoo because he wanted to be... free as a bird.

To paint the swimmers, the artist used... brush strokes.

After losing the hot air balloon race, the team was... deflated.

The cattle rancher wanted to stock up, so he went to the... bull market.

She thought that winning the $1000 in the raffle was a... grand prize.

He wanted to practice with his new clubs, so he planned to... swing by later.

The astronomer was very good at his work. He did a... stellar job.

When he beat the Grim Reaper at the poker game, he was... cheating Death.

Asked if their band would succeed, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey said... Who knows?

Getting hit on the head with a can of soda hurt a lot, in spite of it being a... soft drink.

When the plane hit turbulence, everything... went flying.

He needed to look for his missing watch, but he couldn't... find the time.

The tree wasn't growing coconuts like it should, and in order to find out why, they hired a... palm reader.

Trying to find their misplaced map was a... lost cause.

After losing his lease, the owner of the plant nursery was being... uprooted.

Cities built on the lunar surface could result in a... full moon.

The new shoe company was gaining a... foothold.

The tennis courts at the minimum security prison featured... servers.

After trying to use a stolen credit card, the identity thief was going to be... charged.

They parachuted together on a regular basis, until they had a... falling out.

When it came to Neil Armstrong's determination to walk on the moon, he was... on a mission!

When he was arrested, the mime chose to... remain silent.

After his plastic surgery, Donald Duck had... bill payments.

rabbit holes

Today, I jumped into a rabbit hole, figuratively.
Here's the problem with rabbit holes: there's no way of knowing how deep they are until you're already invested in the journey.
This morning, after breakfast, I decided to finally watch a DVD.
I've had it for almost two years. It was one of the rewards received for my role as Fliss of Kickstarter.
As you may recall, late last year I began catching up with my responsibilities as that persona. I firmly believe I need to give feedback to these valiant creators, these brave souls baring their hearts to the world.
It is not a responsibility I take lightly.
So, it has taken quite a bit of time.
However, the process has been rewarding for me, too, in a way that I had not expected. I have returned to kickstarter many times, researching the projects I backed, and I have found that flame still burns brightly.
The flame of discovery of new talent.
I completely understand why Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are still serving as judges on "The Voice".
So, today, while in beautiful Daytona Beach, I listened to the steady rush and ebb of the Atlantic, admired a clear and blue sky, and wrote about four of the successful kickstarter projects I helped support. I had only intended to write of one of the projects, the one attached to the DVD, but then I found I had not yet written about two others.
I had thought for sure that I had.
I have to wonder how many others I may have not yet completed in my reviewing process, even though I have crossed them off of my "to do" list.
As luck would have it, today was a bit too cool for walking along the shore. You could say the weather encouraged me to stay inside, exploring this very deep rabbit hole, and work on finding my way clear of it.
But isn't "work" too strong a word for what I was doing?
It isn't like anyone is going to pay me for it.
No, I certainly will not be paid for these hours of research, review, and writing. My reward will come from sharing my words with those who did the work, those who have shared their brain-children, their precious idea-fruit, with me.
Feedback is very important.
It's always good to know someone else cares.
It's always good to know someone is listening.

teddy bear on a motorcycle

See him? Isn't he the sweetest little brown bear ever?
No, really!
Don't you see him, looking right at you, perched atop some luggage on that beautiful red motorcycle?
This was the second time I had seen him on my travels down to Daytona today. I had wished I had taken a photo earlier, then I was granted this second opportunity.
Yeah!!!

Oh, wait.
That's right.
The image may be burned into my brain, but you don't see it, do you?
That's because my flip phone flipped when I held it in the almost-70-miles-per-hour breeze from my open car window.
Instead of getting a marvelous shot of the large teddy bear, I was treated to this lovely composition of blue sky and fluffy clouds.
Pretty, yes.
What I was aiming at, no.
But still quite nice.

Knowing I had missed my goal, I tried again.
As the biker was pulling off to the rest area, I snapped this one.
If I had known he was going to pull over there in time, perhaps I would have followed him, perhaps I would have asked about the bear.
Perhaps.
But I like the way this story ended.

You win some.
You lose some.
You carry on.

happy new year, with music!

No, I haven't lost complete track of time!
I'm talkin' 'bout this "Happy New Year"! The Bollywood musical!

The cinema in Pooler is continuing to regal me with the musicals I so love - thank God for the Royal! Ever since September, I've had an Indian musical to make me happy every month! I do believe I just may be addicted to them.
(smile)
This time, we have a group trying to pull a heist, but there's a catch, of course. They have to qualify as entrants for a dance competition to be held on - when else? - New Year's Eve. Much hilarity, much dancing, much fun!
Here's a joke I wrote about it!

Q: What do "The Full Monty", "Sneakers", and "Happy New Year" have in common?

A: All have a collection of odd guys working toward a common goal!

Hey, I didn't say it was a good joke.
(smile)

I was so very psyched up for this movie! As I was ordering my popcorn, I was chatting with the young woman behind the counter about my love of the Bollywood films and how I had seen the ones for the past two months and was so excited to be seeing another one.
(Yep, I even ran on like that, too.)
And you know what?
She's a big Bollywood fan, too!
And you know what?
She gave me a poster for this movie!!!!!
Yes, she did!
A full-sized movie poster!!!!
(smile!!!)

keeping informed

Texting with the ex about medical issues and memories, catching up in the mid-afternoon, 25 August:

me: When are you next scheduled with the doc?
the ex: 6 months for the g p, 1 year for the urologist. Endoscopy on the 10th of September. Colonoscopy tbd.
me: Ok. Your slate seems to be filling up. I will make a note of the endoscopy date. Why the urologist?
me: Prostate issues?
the ex: I was noticing a little blood where I shouldn't have been noticing a little blood. Urine sample gave precancerous material. All tests since have been - but the CAT scan showed possible signs of cystic activity in the pancreas. That's why the endoscopy has been ordered. No prostate issues BTW.
me: That's good about the prostate. Bad about the blood. GREAT that you went to the doc.
the ex: * have been negative
me: Still, I would think kidney before pancreas. I will do some research on that.
the ex: Well, I'll be due for a kidney profile soon, since I'm taking meds again.
me: Just the blood pressure?
the ex: 2 now for that, plus a cholesterol one.
me: oh, joy. :-)
the ex: Doctors have learned a good lesson from preachers nowadays. If all you do is talk shit about fire and brimstone, people stop coming to church. The GP counseled me on the effect of extra weight on overall health but didn't go all Hardigan on me and suggest bariatric..
me: Have you spoken to Arlene? She and Michelle expressed how surprised they are to hear more from me than from you. They did confess that they don't call either.
the ex: I just spoke to Auntie the other day. Brian texted me a bit from Metro Airport but I was still at work.
me: That's good on both counts!
the ex: I've texted Stephanie and Christopher a bit from the bar. :-)
me: :-) heard yet about his roles thing?
the ex: Roles?
me: Poker. Stupid word choice thing. grumble grumble.
the ex: He may have changed numbers. I send messages but don't hear back. I hear from Steph.
me: Def possibility. I will check with her later and find out.
the ex: I didn't wanna mention health thing to Auntie or anyone really until I had a little more information.
me: Heard. Just don't do like your mom and not tell anyone about surgery until you are already in the hospital. Okay?
the ex: Did she not tell us until after they had resected her intestine? Well, now that you mention it, I do remember that.
me: I don't think I will ever forget that.
me: She called us, at Arlene's insistence, the day before the surgery.
the ex: All I remember is thinking of her on the couch during that year of chemo. And the argument Auntie and I had afterward about the validity of that decision.
me: Yeah, I know. Hard time.
the ex: F**k. Now I'm upset. That whole f**ked up Christmas trip.
me: My apologies, Jeff.
the ex: Not your fault.
the ex: I was the one arguing with her in the car, not you. Those car keys lodged in the innards of the couch probably because they fell out of my pocket not yours.
me: Still, maybe I shouldn't have said it. I just wanted to make sure you tell us about any med issues you have.
the ex: I will.
me: Thank you for keeping me informed. I do appreciate that.
***** ***** *****

During the endoscopy, he stopped breathing.
Not like "dying on the operating table" stopped breathing, but "just because he was sleeping hard" stopped breathing. Truly alarmed the operating team.
As good fortune would have it, his episode was very early in the procedure, so they woke him back up and informed him he needed to have a sleep test done before anything surgical could proceed.
That's when he was first faced with the words "C-PAP machine".
To which he said "C RAP."
So, time went into limbo mode while that test was being scheduled.
Here he is, at the end of September, shooting me a photo of him lifting a tall glass of dark, frothy, beverage and our conversation resumed, including an inside joke:

the ex: Look at this son of a bitch! I mean the beer, not me. Ha. It's a coconut stout.
me: You are so funny! Hope it was not as sweet as it sounds.
the ex: Well it was somewhat sweet, as you might imagine. Also thick, creamy, with loads of coconut flavor. Served at room temperature. It was tasty but it was oh so hard to drink.
me: Maybe you should have had a cake back with it. :-)
the ex: Cake back!
me: Or maybe a nice slice of pie would have complemented the beverage.
the ex: Just finished with a doctor's appointment. Sleep test in a month or so. On the upside, 140 over 90 b_p.
me: Good! I am a bit surprised the sleep test is not sooner, though.
the ex: Well, the doctor said a month or so. When the clinic calls me may be a different matter.
the ex: People are making jelly out of Mountain Dew! That's just crazy ... enough to try.
me: THAT is def crazy. Silly sweet jam to offset your coffee - may as well be speed.
the ex: Yeah!! Speaking of which, I just read that caffeine has a half life of 5 hours. I'm back to 2 cups a day, and *none* after noon. That may have helped the bp.
me: How large are the cups? ba BOOM! :) But good that you are cutting back.
the ex: Haha. They're the dumbass Keurig servings... 6 oz each.
***** ***** *****

Then, at last, an update with some meat on it, on the Ides of October:

the ex: They tell me I need a CPAP machine.
me: I am so sorry to hear that. On the plus side, you will get better sleep.
the ex: My school was a lot lower than, but still outside of the range of not needing it. Grrr.
the ex: * score
me: Got it. I have lab now, so must go. Will talk tomorrow?
the ex: Early. Call with Bob at 7

Well, we didn't actually talk - I mean talk, too, not texting - until that Sunday night, talking for over an hour. That gave us a chance to really catch up, you know?
As I keep trying to tell the bfe, talking beats texting EVERY TIME.
EVERY time.
***** ***** *****

So, we were waiting on a second sleep test to be scheduled, to confirm the first results.
Here's the conversation on the 30th of October:

the ex: Getting my CPAP machine Monday.
me: You already had the second sleep test?i>
the ex: Day before yesterday. They said it would be 7 to 10 days before a company called me. Well, they called me thirty minutes ago.
me: Wow. It must be pretty serious then, Jeff.
the ex: Ok, the guy's not looking for a serious. He just acted like they were a really good company that was on their toes! To sleep text said it would be good if I had this thing retested/ recalibrated every 2 years or so, or if I ganined/ lost significant weight.
me: Will someone be there to make sure you use it properly? Will you be retested periodically?
the ex: Oh yeah, he is going to take 40 minutes to make sure I know how to use this thing, clean this thing, et cetera.
me: So, a preemptive strike. Kind of. Gotta go. Film Festival. :-)
the ex: Oh cool.

And tonight will be his first time with the machine at his bedside.
I'll have to give him a call tomorrow, see how it went.

lollipop, lollipop, oh lolly lollipop - LOLLIPOP!

Seriously, folks. Doesn't this card front make you smile and think of that 1958 song?
The drawing has a definite similarity to my scribble flowers that I draw from time to time. No, you haven't seen one of those yet? I promise to remedy that in the near future.
Meanwhile, here's the latest to my youngest brother.

"Dear Tony,

What wonderful news about all the birthday wishes you received! Woohoo!!"
[Aside: I had created an "Event" on fb for his birthday and invited family and friends to send him birthday cards or Halloween cards. I also included a link for them to send him money.]

"I have some wonderful news, too! Michael and Melanie's two little girls were born last Wednesday! Yep, on October 29th, our family got its first set of twins ever. Mama and Frank would have loved that. Alyssa came first, at 5 lbs 11 ounces (pretty big for a twin!), and Leila arrived 3 minutes later, at 5:11 Am, weighing 5 lbs 1 ounce. Both babies and mom went home on Saturday. I'll try to get a photo for you in a few weeks, maybe around Thanksgiving. Right now, they're saying Leila looks more like Michael and Alyssa like Melanie, but... they just look like babies to me!
[Aside: Seriously. It's actually not that easy for babies to imprint on me. Of the two, I think Leila may be the one who does it. Even with her eyes closed, I was rocking her -in the crib, mind you! - at the hospital.]

I had meant to share that bit of news with you last week, while I was enjoying some of the Savannah Film Festival. However, somewhere along the way, the card I brought fell out of my bag. I had to keep pulling my sweater out and putting it back in - those theatres were so cold! But the films were all very good, at least the ones I was able to see."
[Aside: A little white lie there. The card did fall out at one point, but I was able to retrieve it. Then, I thought it might be interesting to pretend a kind-hearted stranger found the blank note in the addressed & stamped envelope, a stranger who decided to go ahead and mail it anyway, after writing a brief note in the card. I think Tony will get a kick out of it!]

"Tonight, I give my students their fourth test. Only one more and the final exam! But, as you know, it isn't lecture that bogs me down as much as Lab does. With lecture this term, I've not even been using notes to organize my thoughts - I've taught this for that long!"
[Aside: This term has marked my 20th year of teaching survey chemistry for the future nurses and radiology techs and nuclear medicine specialists of the world!]

"But grading all of those lab papers - ugh. Only two more labs, this week and next, and that will be over!
Well, until January. :-)

I'll catch you later!
with my love!"