Same ‘ol, same ‘ol or

Boring old “normal”

OK, so the “devil made me do it”. I read a posting on Facebook from someone who wrote that they didn’t really go for the “normal” and how boring “same ‘ol, same ‘ol” was – which of course made me decide to figure out how many things are wonderful as “normal” or “same ‘ol, same ‘ol”.

• The sun coming up in the morning (I for one would not do well in a land where half the winter is only dark and half the summer only light. I like a mix
• The seasons: same reasoning, I love having 4 of them even if they do sometimes seem to get turned around (i.e. we are having spring in winter right now where I live)
• Getting to eat every day – sometimes even three times: nothing boring about getting enough (o.k. mostly too much) in both quality and quantity
• Having a roof over my head: love the sheer boredom of spending several nights in a row in my own bed
• Travels: to family and friends – or even the “adventures” with my housemate: that’s my “normal” and boring it ain’t!
• Same ‘ol family: love them all – love getting to know distant cousins better, love every time I get to see my kids, or sister or brother or nephews, or…. You get the idea?
• Same ‘ol friends: ah the comfort of knowing someone well enough to be able to talk even without complete sentences; to know someone well enough to be quiet with them, or call on them if you have need.
• Same ‘ol car: o.k. so the current one is not very old, but my past three were good for 12 years, 14 years, 23 years and 14 years: love knowing how to drive something “same ‘ol, same ‘ol”, knowing the quirks, knowing what might be wrong if there is a problem
• Same ‘ol “normal” health – have had enough health crises so love the boredom of no crises

 
Same ‘ol life: I’ll take it!

Maxine says it all and miscellany

And here we are only the 9^th day of the year.

Work bombards me from all sides, yet I have chosen to make a point of relationships this year and have thus been occupied with coffees, lunches, dinners and outings.

My mind flies in all directions:

• From http://wordsmith.org/awad/index.html– I have a fine collection of subjects needing treating, but only one for this collection of miscellany (kept from last November): amaranthine, as in  - “as long as I live, tasks will be amaranthine”. Just in case that doesn’t suffice to give you a clue as to its meaning – it is an adjective meaning both unfading or everlasting, as well as referring to the color deep purple-red.
• From my new “trivia” calendar http://www.pageaday.com/store/product/365-days-of-amazing-trivia-2014-calendar : today’s question is what is the record high number of points scored by a losing team in a National Basketball Association game? Answer:184, in triple overtime in December 1983. The Denver Nuggets lost 186-184 to the Detroit Pistons in the highest-scoring game in NBA history. Pop that one out at some cocktail party and I bet that the conversation would come to a screeching halt.
• From an old Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff calendar: “Spend a moment every day thinking of someone to thank. Gratitude and inner peace go hand in hand.” Starting to calm down already.
• From the local newspaper, finally saw a graph that clearly explains why we can be warm in Switzerland whilst the East Coast of the USA freezes, counter-clockwise pressure system over the Atlantic which is pushing cold Artic air down through the East Coast of North American, swirling over the Atlantic and bringing up warm air from the South to us. Planned to start breaking up at the end of this week. Meanwhile we can actually have coffee out on a terrace, wander the town without jackets – or at least the jacket is open. Save on our heating bills and all sorts of other lovely benefits.  It would however behoove us to remember that nothing lasts forever and that we will surely have cold, winter days before we see any true signs of spring.

So having divested myself of some of the flaky, un-related thoughts, I can now go back to concentrating and get on with the book keeping – arghhhhhhh.

Rejuvenation – the easy way!

Feeling jaded, cynical, a bit “over-the-hill”. Stuck in your mounting years? Forget the botox,

forget the plastic surgery, never mind anything costly, I have found the fountain of youth: in the youth themselves.

I am lucky enough to know a large variety of persons and benefit from a great circle of friends of all ages.  If I find those 20 years older than myself ever so knowledgeable – and some of my most fascinating friends are in their 80s and even 90s – if you want energy, hope in the future and a positive faith in what might become of the planet – hang out with the younger generation.

On New Year’s Eve we ranged from 20 to 91 and every age in between. One could discuss engineering, travel, literature, agriculture, culture, studies, etc. (and that in no way encompasses all that was discussed). I didn’t notice any lack of conversation in the 6 hours of the evening.

Then I had the pleasure of being invited for dinner with young adults. What a party, in all the positive terms of the word: stimulating (and sometimes confrontational) conversation, great (and healthy) food, and a young child just learning to walk. Now, my friends – and even acquaintances – know that I have a “thing” for babies and young children: it’s perhaps not a compliment to me that they look at me and laugh, but, hey the pleasure of making anyone smile is one that I’ll take every time, regardless of the why. This 1-year-old grinned, let go of the table and “walked” the two steps into my arms: I’m in love.

Then her parents, my own two sons and a very close friend proceeded to discuss everything under the sun – and some things in the universe. Hard tearing myself away, but I had to drive all the way back across town. The French have a saying: “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. The concerns of young adults today are still the age-old concerns: how to be productive in their careers (or how to find a career/job), how to have a happy life, how to raise their children to be decent people, but they have added one that turns up perhaps more often than in my younger years: how to help the planet and others.

It is all to their honor and I can highly recommend an evening with other generations if you want to improve your own life and “stay young”.

Thanks M&D, S, S, D and Sophie for a wonderful evening - I can continue to avoid surgery as only accumulating laugh lines and proof that I am still living.

Gray, grey, whatever: go away!

I may have mentioned recently how our gray weather weighs on us for about 6 months of the year. This year it seems to be bothering me even more.  When I originally thought about it back in early December, the cold wind “la bise” had come up and that usually chases it away, meanwhile I am much more aware (a good thing) of any and all color wherever it may be found

A still yellow or orange leaf, Christmas garlands, a building with a red ribbon, anything with color, including our trash bags, which are yellow.

 

winter 2012/2013

Need all the help we can get today as it has rained non-stop since yesterday. So although they following photos are from before Christmas, I’ll be keeping my eyes open for any other spots of light or color in the gloom!

On no, the mystery is no longer

And I don’t like the answer!

OK, one of my good friends (you know who you are – I figure you may not want to be cited here for all to know your perfidy) gifted me with a daily calendar: “365 days of Trivia” (www.pageaday.com). Day number one ruined my life.

“What makes a glass of Champagne fizz?”  Now, I reckoned that I was in for that explanation that I can never remember about the CO2, etc. but no – it was worse, much worse: and again I quote: “Dust particles and dish towel fibers … according to scientists at the University of Reims, in Champagne-Ardenne, France. They found that if a glass was totally smooth and debris-free, carbon dioxide molecules in Champagne would not bubble up; they would evaporate without ever being seen.”

So the fact that I love the bubbles means that I have dirty glasses and that the champagnes I have not liked as well, due to lack of bubbles, were actually served in clean glasses?

My world will never be the same.

Some of my favorite things

Notice I speak of things, not people so don’t expect any tributes to friendship, etc. although my New Year started with the luxury of being with friends and I hope that this year will be one of not only maintaining old friendships, but also of caring for all friendships, be they of acquaintances or family.

But back to “things”: again not an exclusive list, just what pops into mind (and in no particular order either): food (yep that figures high on most of my lists), travel, photography, reading, trivia, words.

I love words: reading them, hearing a good speech, a combination thereof, a play on words, and just plain old individual words.

I subscribe to http://wordsmith.org/awad/index.html as mentioned before and some days are pure happiness: today’s word “yare”.

PRONUNCIATION:

(yahr or yayr)

MEANING:

adjective: 1. Easily maneuverable; nimble. 2. Ready; prepared.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Old English gearo/gearu (ready). Earliest documented use: 888.

So I can imagine myself nimble all whilst being prepared (good thing I noticed this after I had fulfilled some of the items on my current “to do every day” list).

Now what’s even more fun is that this combines two of my favorite things: words and trivia. Note the date at which it was first documented: 888. With a bit of luck it was on the 28^th of August – or the last entirely even-numbered day until the 2^nd of February 2000!

Just makes my day to combine these two things – and the sun is even deigning to grace us with its presence so although the 2^nd day of the year was looking to be pretty bleak (everything still shut, nothing planned with either family or friends, gray skies) – it has done a 180° switch and turned into a great one.

May we always be yare for opportunities and positive changes.

A New Year

All bright and shiny, as scintillating as a freshly

unpacked piece of crystal or cut diamond.

A new set of 365 days, days as yet untrammeled

by care or worry; days that we will open – as if

pages of an uncut book – in order, yet each a blank

upon which to write our own story.

If we hadn’t a calendar and a new start, we

would have to invent one, simply in order to put

behind us those moments and days that are too

heavy to carry for any length of time.

A new year gives us the opportunity to hope again –

to invest ourselves in something new, to strive

for change and betterment, to continue along

life’s meandering banks.

Le Nouvel An

L’unique, l’extraordinaire,

Le nouveau début

À notre vie.

Une nouvelle année – plus banale,

Comme toutes les autres que nous avons commencées

Avec tant d’espoir.

Un nouvel an

Porteur de l’espoir du renouveau,

De meilleurs jours, du Bonheur et des joies

Jusqu’à là inconnus.

La nouvelle année –

Toute fraîche, vide du contenu,

Une page vierge sur laquelle nous laisserons

Des traces à notre guise;

Une année ou tout peut arriver.

Que cela soit “Le” nouvel an, une nouvelle année,

Un nouvel an ou une nouvelle année,

Il/elle sera ce que nous en faisons.