M.L. Said
Sunday’s Theme Music
I encountered a friend on the street. He was coming out of a store and I was walking by. Eighty years old, his wife is two years younger. She’s having medical issues.
Married for fifty years, his only spouse, he seemed like he was going through the process of thinking about life without her. They’ve downsized their home twice in the last eight years, but her mobility is going, as is her vision and her mental acuity. In his words, “It all seems to be falling apart for her.”
Sad, and an often heard story. I commiserated with him, but what struck me was his comments about being nothing without her. He said, in his thinking, everything that he’d done after getting his college degree was about her, and then their family that they created, and their life together. It was his constant motivation.
After we parted and I thought more about what he’d said, “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescence (1995) slipped into the stream, a song about being nothing without another.
Quote: Neil Gaiman
Well, that’s life. I’ll just roll myself up in a big ball…
Life –
and I don’t suppose I’m the first
to make this comparison –
is a disease:
sexually transmitted,
and invariably fatal.
Neil Gaiman
Floofeks
Floofeks (floofinition) – Race of mutant animals who are bent on destruction.
In use: “The puppy appeared quite normal, but within a few days, he’d destroyed a chair cushion, rolls of toilet paper, and shoes, revealing himself as a floofek. One could almost imagine hearing him repeat, “Destroy, destroy, destroy,” in a brainwashed monotone as he tore through the house.”
Saturday’s Theme Music
Thinking about disasters as I was walking yesterday. Australia is struggling to catch a break this year, going from bushfires to rain to flooding. Indonesia continues having a tough time, quakes in Puerto Rico, and flooding in Chicago.
Then there’s the snow. A winter storm passed through here, giving us a couple inches. Trudging through the aftermath, we’re grateful because it helps the snowbanks, an important source of summer water, even while many mildly rue and curse the snow. Come on, it’s snow, and disrupts our easy ways and pleasantries with its cold intrusion.
It’s impressive how tiny flakes can add up. Our flakes went from normal or average sized to supersized flakes, back to normal before dropping into tiny. All still added up.
These thoughts took me to a Kate Bush 2011 song, “50 Words for Snow”. I enjoy her but I’m mostly aware of this song because Stephen Fry is the one giving the words. Fry delivers them like he’s tasting the expressions. Then Kate goes on with a chorus, “Come on, man,” telling him how many more words he has to go. I don’t hear this song often, originally hearing it by chance on NPR (“Is that Stephen Fry?”) but have since listened to it on the ‘puter, trying to understand all the words for snow. I find it satisfying and contemplative.
Like snow.
Floofsics
Floofsics (floofinition) – A branch of science that deals with matter and energy and their interactions with animals.
In use: “While humans observe physics, animals observe floofsics, often demonstrating that they don’t respond to the forces of nature, such as gravity, as humans do.”
photo courtesy of Facebook/Life with Cats
Snow Blame
head feels like lead
you’re stuck in bed
blame it on the snow
blame it on the snow
you’re feeling low
and have nowhere to go
blame it on the snow
blame it on the snow
life is passing you by
counting days until you die
blame it on the snow
blame it on the snow
stuffing your face
with cheese and cake
blame it on the snow
blame it on the snow
can’t get to work
pet’s acting like a jerk
blame it on the snow
blame it on the snow
nothing’s on tv
not live or on the stream
blame it on the snow
blame it on the snow
can’t find a mate
being alone is your fate
blame it on the snow
blame it on the snow
you can’t tell a lie
you ate too much pie
blame it on the snow
blame it on the snow
it’s a day without sun
now you’ve got the runs
blame it on the snow
blame it on the snow
blame it on the snow
The Puzzle Dream
It was a challenge to put this dream together, which is so much like a jigsaw. Ironic, as I was making jigsaw puzzles in the dream.
Which is where memories say, this is how it started. Outside, among other people but working alone, I was making and putting together a jigsaw puzzle. When I finished, I had an operating and functional car. I don’t know what kind it was, except that it was a dark, sleek sports car. I was so pleased with it that I was emitting a little, “Yea,” as I surveyed it while circling it.
Others noticed my completed car puzzle and approached with astonishment and appreciation. Most said, “That’s amazing,” or, “That’s so cool.” I was agreeing with them. People asked if it worked, and I started it up for them, showing that it ran. Others asked if I could do it again, and if I could do it with more than cars.
Which I could. I kept producing things of all sizes and manner. I’d make something flat and one-dimensional, cut it up, and then create a real, functioning thing from it. People were amazed. I’d impressed myself, too, but my confident was rising. I thought, I can do this, then I can do so much more. My mind was spinning with the possibilities.
I ended up at a fête, a large, elaborate, but casual affair. I was one of several featured guests. Numerous celebrities were in residence. All made it a point to meet me, shake my hand, and congratulate me on my puzzles.
Several people asked if I could make them jigsaw puzzles. I found that I could. If they could give me a photograph, I’d cut it up and create a bust from them. Then I started doing it with phones. I could take a photo on a cell phone, draw it up into the air, and duplicate it as a full-sized image or bust, depending on the image.
I ended up in a white pavilion. People began settling at tables to eat. Vince Vaughn approached me. Trying to place me, he said, “That’s right, you’re that guy who makes those things.” I realized that he was drunk.
A hockey game was going on beside us. He didn’t understand the rules, because he was going by the old rules, and they’d changed. I started explaining that to him, but he walked off to another table. Watching him, I waited for him to return so I could finish explaining.
The dream ended.
Floofnival
Floofnival (floofinition) – A period of revelry animals conduct at a regular time each year, typically involving processions, music, dancing, and the use of floofquerade.
In use: “Most housepets attempted to attend at least one floofnival a year, with most aspiring to reach Floof Henge for floofstice.”
Michael Seidel, writer 