Care Package

Close to Easter 2015 I received a care package from a very good blog friend, Jolene of Jo's Jumbled Jardinière.  It was my first package ever from Singapore.  She's a very sweet girl--a good wife, sister and friend (some of her current friendships started in...well, I'll just say they started when she started school :).  

Jo included a selection of items for my taste buds and my mind.  The package had:

--Yan Yan (tasty cookie sticks with a pool of chocolate for dipping):
--Pepero (chocolate covered pretzel sticks):
--Inspirational magnets:
--Captain America (Diamond blocks):
--a book on the Evolution of Language: and
--a jar of candy--including eyeglass candy packaged in the shape of a lucky 8!  The jar included samples of Haw Flakes, White Rabbit taffy, lemon candy (Smarties style), grape Magic Pop (pop rocks).  

You're probably thinking (and I wouldn't blame you) that I ate it all too quickly to take any pictures.  But I did take pictures.  I lost them when my IPod crashed right after that.  I still had the jar of candy, so I took more pictures of that and the non-consumables with my replacement IPod.  Since I am somewhat cursed when it comes to pictures*, my IPod and computer won't speak to one another.  So no pictures!  I've tried many times.

But pictures or no pictures, I remember and appreciate your kind gesture, Jo!  Thank you!!!

PS - Thanks to Jo, I know that, after a brief fling with Malaysia, Singapore became truly independent in 1965.  50 years ago!


* I lost almost all of my childhood and early adult photos when someone stole the leather bag my wife had put them in.  She had taken them to her office to scan them--so we would always have copies.  Cursed! 

Context (and "So long, farewell...")

In early November I received a promotional e-mail from "Brad's Deals" touting shopping bargains for the day.  The first item listed on the Subject line was "personalized stockings".

That confused me.  Why would a woman need her stockings to be personalized?  Is it like moms putting their kids' names in their underwear before they go to summer camp???  I deleted the e-mail without opening it.

In mid-December I saw a Christmas stocking in a commercial.  Christmas stockings!!!  Of course, THAT is what "Brad" was promoting in early November.  This reinforces my belief that Christmas is promoted too early--before I'm ready to think about it.  Let me get to Thanksgiving, then start bombarding me with Christmas.

That said, merry Christmas to all (who celebrate it) and to all...farewell. 

I'm closing down Waiting for Wisdom. Saturday Night Live stole one of my stories, so I'm out.  It has nothing to do with the fact that I haven't had a good idea for a post in many months.  :D 

Thank you for humoring me over the years and being part of my extended family.  I over-shared like crazy here and you were always understanding, supportive and a wonderful source of treasured observations, humor and advice.


PS - But you're not free of me yet!  I'll still be visiting your blogs and commenting, hopefully on a regular basis.

Disappointed...

in myself.  I started to name this post "Today's yesterday", but that might have given the impression I think this post is deep.  It's not.


During quiet moments it's not unusual for some of my own recent events to come back to me. Conversations, encounters, decisions...anything, it doesn't have to be a big thing.  It's not intentional.  It's just where my mind goes at times.  We all do it to some extent.


As I was commuting home yesterday I remembered seeing a story on the news last week about a murder near a gas station in a neighboring county.  As my wife walked through the room that evening I said, "Hey look, gas is $1.97 there."


Gas!  A man had been killed and I was noticing the price of gas.  At the time I didn't think anything of it.  But it was bad.  I didn't realize I'd gotten desensitized to the news.  I shared this story with a friend at work and he laughed--but out of surprise rather than thinking it's funny.


Any suggestions on how to re-sensitize?