Playing The Long Game

Oooops – another scheduling error. I am always sure I select AM when scheduling my posts…so when I find out they were not published…and that they are still waiting to be published twelve hours later! Oh dearie – this is what happens when you schedule posts when you are tired.

Short term wins versus long term conquests. I was talking to a friend the other day about how minor setbacks can be discouraging, but in the long-run may seem like small blips compared with the greater goal.

We had a situation recently which was initially disappointing. Someone sought to put us down, dismissing what we do as pathetic and inconsequential. We responded with grace.

Three and a half months later, this person has been dismissed (I have no idea why) and we have been entrusted with tremendous responsibility by this person’s seniors.

Keep on playing the long game!

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Ready For Another Monday

Mondays – in my new schedule, Mondays are quite demanding. I am always glad to see the back of them.

I am learning to prepare for my Mondays and to take some time to clear my thoughts. I want to think clearly, be calm and keep a cool head no matter what stress is thrown at me.

It is not always easy. But it is just one of those things. I have to face Mondays just like everyone else. I try to treat myself though with a yummy meal on Monday evening – my little reward for surviving the day!

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We’re Waxing Down Our Surfboards

Jim Adams aka Newepicauthor, the creator of A Unique Title For Me, is hosting SONG-LYRIC-SUNDAY and this week he has chosen the theme: SURF ROCK

I suppose this week I have picked the obvious track – you know the one that springs to mind as soon as you hear the term “Surf Rock”. The Beach Boys surely epitomize this genre.

“Surfin’ USA” is just perfect to exhibit this sound. I know there are lots of songs that could qualify under this umbrella, but really I think is the one that is unforgettable.

If everybody had an ocean
Across the U. S. A.
Then everybody'd be surfin'
Like Californi-a
You'd seem 'em wearing their baggies
Huarache sandals too
A bushy bushy blonde hairdo
Surfin' U. S. A.

You'd catch 'em surfin' at Del Mar
Ventura County line
Santa Cruz and Trestle
Australia's Narrabeen
All over Manhattan
And down Doheny Way

Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S.A.

We'll all be planning that route
We're gonna take real soon
We're waxing down our surfboards
We can't wait for June
We'll all be gone for the summer
We're on surfari to stay
Tell the teacher we're surfin'
Surfin' U. S. A.

Haggerties and Swamies
Pacific Palisades
San Onofre and Sunset
Redondo Beach L. A.
All over La Jolla
At Wa'imea Bay

Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S. A.

Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S. A.

Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S. A.

Written by: Chuck Berry and Brian Wilson

Hello, I Am A Writer…

I surprised myself this week. I was asked to come up with some content at very short notice for an online event. A colleague of mine had been supposed to provide graphics and information for a presentation on some of our work. She had a family emergency, and so shortly before the event, I received a call with a plea for help.

I had every right to say “Sorry, I can’t, I will be working all day.” However, I said “I will try to send over something, it might not be very good.”

What followed was bizarre. I was trying to think straight, recall statistics that could both convey information, but more importantly inspire and motivate. Well…it all started to swim around my head…and words formed lines…which formed verses…which formed a a long rambling rhyme. It ended up thirty-six lines long…each line being thirteen syllables.

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It just flowed out of me….in a higgledy piggledy manner. But I was rather pleased when I finally realized I had a memorable rhyme that hopefully would go down well with all those tuning in for the session. I would not find out until later that evening (after I had finished work) how things went. I had over forty emails in my inbox telling me my rhyme was great.

It turns out…I am a writer…and I don’t need to be shy about staking that claim. I write. I write a lot. These days, most of what I write is in the form of e-mails and reports. Yet, I am also a creative writer. I have published novels, a poetry book and thousands of shorter articles including short fictional stories and poems on my website.

If that does not make me a writer…

…well, what the hecky-gecky would?

This Could Work For Me

Last night, I spent my last evening as a guest in someone else’s home. Tonight I will be back in my bed.

Although I will be glad to be no longer living out of a suitcase, I have to admit, I have been spoilt this week. Every evening I have arrived after a long day at work…and a delicious nutritious vegetarian meal has been waiting for me.

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My lovely friends told me that they would love to see more of me, and that any time I can pop by and there will always be a seat at their dinner table and a spare room for me to sleep in.

It sure is good to know! I think I would become very spoilt if I took advantage of their kindness and hospitality too often.

Not Content With Just A Day

I am never really sure about designated “days” to observe a cause, a movement, a celebration of progress. I understand why some people like there to be a day devoted to something they feel is important, but set days – sometimes they end up undermining or trivializing important issues.

Take for example yesterday – International Women’s Day. Yes, reminders of how much progress has been made, and yet how much more needs to be made. But I am not content with one day being used to draw attention to this subject.

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I think the whole idea of one day for women seems trivial when you consider that recently there was a Pancake Day. Yesterday, International Women’s Day was shared with National Peanut Cluster Day. Today (9th March) is designated National Barbie Day as well as National False Teeth Day. Tomorrow (10th March) will be Red Nose Day and also National Cheesesteak Day.

It gets worse, coming up later in March we have the following:

• World Plumbing Day
• National Wash Your Nose Day
• International Fanny Pack Day (I think we know them here in the UK as Bum Bags)
• Fill Our Staplers Day (which I do several times a week anyway)
• National Ear Muff Day (which is tempting)
• National Brutus Day (a little scary!)
• National Napping Day (even more tempting)
• National No Selfies Day (will someone tell Jack about this please!)
• Dental Assistant Recognition Week (really?)
• National Professional Pet Sitters Week (you are kidding!)
• National Procrastination Week (this is just going too far!)

There are others – perhaps I have choses some of the odd ones over the more admirable commemorative days or weeks. But still, it just seems to undermine there being a day to recognize the challenges women have faced and still face to feel safe and to access education and opportunities.

As I said earlier – I am simply not content with one day to promote protection and empowerment of women in every corner of the world.

Tulip-Mania!

We are expecting a cold spell this week. I think the temperature has dropped, only I have been indoors lots, and wearing a big thick coat when I have been outside. The weather forecast keeps on warning us that we feel very cold at some point.

Despite the threat of wintry weather – spring is popping up in every corner. I particularly love walking past the florist round the corner from where I am staying – it has every possible shade of tulip.

Aaaah – tulip-mania is a definite sign that spring is winning this battle!!

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Learning At Home

I love learning…but I do find that the right environment makes a big difference to me. I have been teaching and training others since I left school, so when someone trains me, I sometimes pick up on their teaching ability (or lack of teaching ability).

The Pandemic seems to have particularly disrupted the confidence and ability of teachers and trainers. Nowadays, I am finding it so much easier for me to have access to training in text form so I can just read it myself.

The other advantage of learning at home – peace and quiet, a comfy chair, coffee whenever I need it, learning at my pace, being able to double-check or triple-check my understanding. I am strongly favouring learning at home alone, to a poor trainer covering a subject in a higgledy-piggledy ramshackle fashion that leaves me bewildered.

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Misguided Loyalty Blinded By love

I had a little bit of a lightbulb moment this week. I was thinking about my first ever boyfriend. I have not written anywhere near as much about him as I have about Goldfinch and Jack. That is partly because I felt settled for a very long time about our relationship coming to an end.

It has not always been easy, but I just knew it was the right thing to end our courtship. I was aware that we had grown into two very different people, with different ways of looking at other people, different attitudes towards the weaknesses of fellow humans. Our differences threatened to drive a huge wedge between us – indeed they did.

But last night a memory came back into my mind….one that horrified me…

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My boyfriend had a period of illness. He was so ill he had to move back in with his parents and have intensive medical treatment to recover. During his recovery, we were spending a lot of time together. He also spent time with my sisters and friends. One day, my sister was driving him home (I was unable to because I had to be at an event) and he did something really stupid, really dangerous.

At the time, my sister was fuming. He could have caused a car accident. She felt it strongly – he could have killed them all (there were two teenagers in the back of the car).

I remember that whilst I was upset to hear what he had done, at the same time, I just ached with love for him. Somehow, I let him laugh the situation away. I very quickly forgave him and forgot all about it. I wanted to…because I loved him…he could do no wrong in my eyes. Whereas my sister could not forgive and forget. She refused to have him as a passenger in the car she was driving every again.

The reason I was thinking about this…

….well, it has taken me over fifteen years to realize that his actions that night in the car my sister was driving – that should have been a big deal to me. I was wrong to let it pass so quickly. It was a misguided loyalty because I was blinded by love. Now, I feel the error of my thinking more…well, Milly has had cancer and we nearly lost her to septic shock. Milly’s life is perhaps even more precious to me than ever after what she has been through. Milly is a mother. The incident I mentioned above happened before she was every married.

In addition, my boyfriend, whom I always put on a pedestal, covering over his moments of foolishness and recklessness…I allowed him to be put on an international platform. I allowed it to happen. I spoke about it to Jack last weekend. I see photographs of my ex-boyfriend, my first ever boyfriend – because he was used prolifically in media coverage – and it is a little hard for me to realize he is representing charities that are all about protecting women, children, people who have been abused – and I know he was involved in two series incidents that undermine him being used as a poster-boy in the way he has.

Jack offered a few suggestions about this…and I am glad for his viewpoint. He understands my conscience, my concerns, the awkwardness involved.

I think maybe…exploring Annabelle’s misguided loyalty blinded by love when it comes to Dean – it has awakened a memory within. I was bothered that at the time I could have and should have said something to my ex-boyfriend…I didn’t. I just let him laugh off those situations…because I was so deeply in love with him.

Ironically, it was because he was unwilling to extend mercy, forgiveness, kindness to others when they made mistakes, that I realized he and I were never going to be able to live and walk through life together. Now I am in a situation in which I realize I was much too quick to overlook two incidents that revealed some very questionable attitudes and behaviour on his part.

The Woman That’s A Got That Beat

Jim Adams aka Newepicauthor, the creator of A Unique Title For Me, is hosting SONG-LYRIC-SUNDAY and this week he has chosen the theme: ROCKABILLY

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I have discovered something while researching potential song choices for this week’s theme – I really really really like Rockabilly! In the end I picked a track which just seemed to embrace this genre so heartily. It is a great song and for that reason it has been covered many many times and my some top music icons. But it was Gene Vincent that originally launched this track “Be-Bop-A-Lula”.

I found a golden oldie of a video showing a live performance, but the sound quality was very poor. I love this recording – it really captures the incredible this phenomenal sound of Rockabilly.

Well, be bop a-lula, she's my baby
Be bop a-lula, I don't mean maybe
Be bop a-lula, she's my baby
Be bop a-lula, I don't mean maybe
Be bop a-lula, she's my baby doll,
My baby doll, my baby doll
She's the woman in the red blue jeans
She's the woman that's the queen of the teens
She's the one woman that I know
She's the woman that loves me so

Be bop a-lula, she's my baby
Be bop a-lula, I don't mean maybe
Be bop a-lula, she's my baby doll,
My baby doll, my baby doll

She's the woman that's a got that beat
She's the woman with the flying feet
She's the one woman that I know
She's the woman that loves me so

Be bop a-lula, she's my baby
Be bop a-lula, I don't mean maybe
Be bop a-lula, she's my baby doll,
My baby doll, my baby doll

Be bop a-lula, she's my baby
Be bop a-lula, I don't mean maybe
Be bop a-lula, she's my baby
Be bop a-lula, I don't mean maybe
Be bop a-lula, she's my baby doll,
My baby doll, my baby doll

Written by: Gene Vincent and Tex Davis (the story has it that Donald Graves had a big part to play in this song)