A Series of Unfortunate Events August 29, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Health & Wellness, Life Balance.comments closed
I am sick.
And tired.
Exhausted. Fatigued. Frustrated. Stressed. Overwhelmed. Sad. Weighed down. Worn out. Wrung dry.
Not happy.
I’ll be back as soon as I can say:
Aah . . . that’s better!
Better Safe Than Sorry August 26, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Life Balance, Mindfulness, Nature.comments closed
We’ve been keeping one eye on the eye of the storm as Tropical Storm Isaac whips up the wind and waves while wending its way north from the Caribbean.
While we wait for Isaac, we’re busy battening down the hatches:
* We’ve filled the tub with water for flushing toilets and taking sponge baths.
* We’ve readied flashlights and radios with fresh batteries so we can see in the dark and hear what’s happening with the storm’s progress.
* We’ve charged up the cell phone so we can stay in touch.
* We’ve brought in the deck furniture to prevent it from being tossed about by 60 mph+ winds.
* We’ve filled the cars with gas in case we need to evacuate.
* We’ve taken showers and done laundry and vacuumed the villa.
* We’ve stocked up on peanut butter, jelly, bread, bottled water, and other non-perishables.
And, now, we wait, watch, wonder, and . . . you thought I was going to say “worry,” didn’t you?
Nah. What’s the use of worrying?
We are as prepared as we can be for Isaac. So, we’ll wait, watch, wonder . . . and SING!
Que sera, sera.
Whatever will be, will be.
The future’s not ours to see.
Que sera, sera.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Ella Minnow Pea August 24, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Books & Movies, Word Play, Writing & Writers.comments closed
The other day, Jodi Miner, My Literary Quest, mentioned an intriguing book ~ Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn ~ in conjunction with her post, The #1 Essential Writing Skill, written to extol the value and virtue of typing skills to writers.
Agreeing completely with the sentiments expressed in the post, I responded with two pangrams:
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs.
That prompted Jodi to mention Ella Minnow Pea, a novel set on the fictitious island of Nollop, off the coast of South Carolina, and home to Nevin Nollop, the supposed creator of the well-known pangram, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”
The tale chronicles the effects on local literature and social structure as various letters are banned from daily use by government dictum.
Have any of you read Ella Minnow Pea (phonetically: L~M~N~O~P)?
What did you think?
Postscript: I finished reading Ella Minnow Pea last night and recommend it. Told entirely through letters from one citizen to another, using an increasingly limited alphabet, it says so much about our need to communicate freely . . . without governmental intrusion.
Related Post: Daily Prompt ~ Twenty Five
Snapshots ~ Frozen in Time August 22, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Happiness, Mindfulness, People.comments closed
An unflattering photo of me is floating around the neighborhood and soaring through cyber-space.
Or so hearsay says.
Snapped at an inopportune moment, the photo (as described to me) caught me with a murderous expression on my face.
Whose murder was I hatching?
If you know, do tell.
I haven’t a clue.
Despite the fact that pertinent facts surrounding the snap have disappeared into the ether, my frowning countenance is now frozen in time for others to pass around, and ponder.
If they are so inclined.
Like snapshots (flattering and not) which fail to tell the whole story, our reputations with those we meet are patched together piecemeal from extraneous facts and evidence.
Recollections and memories, like photographs in the digital age, are susceptible of conscious and unconscious manipulation.
In truth, we have as many reputations as we have acquaintances and NONE is accurate. Some see us in a more flattering light than we deserve. Others focus solely on superficial blemishes and miss the big picture entirely.
My advice, listen to Dr. Seuss:
Be who you are and say what you feel . . . those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Going Nowhere Fast August 21, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Mindfulness.comments closed
The purpose of life is a life of purpose. Simply stated, we need a reason to get up in the morning.
The overriding purpose is sustaining life itself.
We must produce, forage, beg, steal, find, borrow, or buy food, clothing, shelter, and water . . . and find mates for companionship and to ensure the continuation of the species.
Basic needs satisfied, we can choose to be idle. But if we choose idleness, happiness escapes us for purpose eludes us.
This is why the “idle rich” are so seldom happy with their lot in life. They have no real need or reason to get up in the morning if all they will do is consume accumulated resources.
Floating through life devoid of purpose is B~O~R~I~N~G.
So the Paris Hiltons of the world find diversions, and thinly disguised vices, to amuse themselves.
They shop. They lunch. They gossip. They gamble. They gather at clubs, hobnobbing with others of like ilk. They swap mates.
They generate new “needs” (seldom more than desires and wants) to fuel ego gratification through external accolades, applause, and recognition. Bigger houses. Fancier clothes. Faster cars. Private jets and yachts. Jewelry. Art. Furs. Sports Teams. Conspicuous consumption.
They plan outings to the opera or symphony. They don silly hats to watch horses race round the track in circles.
Going nowhere fast.
Like horses stuck in circuituity for perpetuity, they begin to realize, at some level, that they don’t need to be here at all.
With that realization, fat cats and parasites without purpose turn to drugs, legal and illegal, to mask the pain of a purposeless existence. We find them, bloated and dead, in hotel bathtubs or stuck on toilets in Graceland.
Who can blame them? Singing the same songs on different stages for amorphous masses is as pointless as horses racing round in circles . . . going nowhere fast.
The purpose of life is a life of purpose . . . keep reinventing yourself.
Aah . . . that’s better!
The scariest moment is always just before you start. ~ Stephen King
Running Between The Raindrops August 19, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Gratitude, Happiness, Humor, Life Balance.comments closed
This summer has been “the worst.”
I have had to remind myself, repeatedly, to resist the pull of pessimism so I don’t transform into Eeyore with a perpetual dark cloud over my head.
Most days, I succeed in eluding pessimism and its tenacious tentacles ~ long enough, at least, for smiles and laughter to dispel the doom and gloom.
Giving me a chance to run (and dance!) between the raindrops for a time.
And if that doesn’t work . . . I blow me a raspberry!
Aah . . . that’s better!
Quote: We can only live happily ever after on a moment by moment basis.
Related post: Change of Plans (Janna T Writes)
Embrace the NOW! Feel the WOW! August 16, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Humor, Mindfulness.comments closed
We create our reality, moment by moment, by the thoughts we think. If we want to be happier, we need to look for reasons to LAUGH.
We do not laugh because we are happy, we are happy because we laugh.
Have a laugh with Mr. Rossi and me . . . as we follow the advice of Dr. D!
1. Smile. Bigger. Bigger. Aah . . . there ya go!
2. Stop believing the lies you tell yourself.
3. Be spunky! Get funky!
4. Believe in your awesomeness, your creativity, and your magic.
5. Rise above self-imposed limitations.
6. Know that you are being guided . . . the past has no power over you.
7. Join Dr. Dooley (Andy) for an Awesome Break.
Aah . . . that’s better!
Uncapping My Cyber Highlighter August 13, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Food & Drink.comments closed
It’s been a while since I uncapped my cyber highlighter to point a spotlight around at posts I’ve enjoyed.
Here are a few worth a view:
Fully Fitted Freight @ Thoughts From Finchley ~ proof of magic on the rails even when the destination is not Hogwart’s School of Witches and Wizardry.
Top Ten Apps for Food Lovers @ Agrigirl’s Blog ~ these apps are right up my cyber alley . . . and I don’t even have a Smart Phone.
The Significant Others @ Candid Impressions ~ a beautiful reminder that we are most significant to others when we recognize their singular significance.
Ready for Post Olympic Letdown? @ Breathelighter ~ Debra’s attitude, more than anything else, affects the successful outcome of her uplifting posts.
Stay tuned! More soon.
In the meantime, keep breathing (and reading).
Aah . . . that’s better!
There is creative reading as well as creative writing. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Dawn? . . . {{yawn}} August 13, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Life Balance, Magick & Mystery.comments closed
Time demonstrated its peculiar prowess this summer.
Dragging sloth-like from moment to moment while traversing corresponding weeks and months at super sonic speeds.
Rather like a roller-coaster ride that’s slow on the uptake but over before you know it.
The two months since we convened for our family reunion have passed by in a blur of celebration, illness, death, planning, organizing, sorting, surgery, pain, recuperation, packing, loading, moving, and getting resettled into a life with an entirely new rhythm.
Despite the fleet feet of recent weeks, the daylight hours often seem interminable.
* Minutes prodding seconds to stop dilly-dallying.
* Hours admonishing minutes to move along.
* Hands at a complete standstill. A dead crawl. Determined strikers picketing the passage of time.
Nights, in contrast, seem far too short.
Heads no sooner comfortable on pillows when cocks and cock-eyed optimists start crowing that dawn is breaking.
Morn has arrived. Again.
Dawn? . . . {{yawn}}
Coffee? . . . please!
Aah . . . that’s better!
Evidence of Excess August 10, 2012
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Food & Drink, Travel & Leisure.comments closed
Related post: Weekly Photo Challenge ~ WRONG
Spirit Lights The Way 