Psycho&Logical

February 8, 2023 by Leave a Comment

This…will be one of those times that I’ll avoid having The Husband read what I’ve written. Not that he ever really does but, that’s a story for another day.


I’ve previously shared about how we’re two Virgos, always competing to be in the driver’s seat. He can do anything I can do better, , and vice versa. Trust me, it ain’t pretty!

Call it a “knack”, call it a curse, but I constantly initiate marital warfare by interrupting him, usually three words into any given comment he attempts to make. Understand that, after all of these years together, I can easily anticipate what he’s going to say; it’s like me being the engine and he’s the caboose, way, way, back on the tracks, just along for the ride.


My excuse for the conflict is being a writer and I think anyone else who delves into the same will agree. Our minds are always focused on putting every thought, idea, and a motherload of memories down on the screen in front of us, or on some notepad. Not necessarily a bad thing, right?

Example: Enter The Husband, as in most daily scenarios, having just watched a marathon of history shows on the telly, and the conversation begins with…”Did you know that Lake Mead….” and I jump right in and exclaim “yes, it’s over 200 miles wide and more than 100 miles long!” That…is followed by “will you let me finish the damn sentence!!” I smirk to myself and walk away. My bad.

I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing to have one’s mind working at a fair rate of speed, especially during these later years of life. Of course, as long as the mental engine operates on all eight cylinders of course. Yes, I said cylinders. Powered by gas, not some stator wrapped tightly with copper wires which the alternating current coming from the inverter runs through, otherwise known as what makes up an EV along with all of its chronic problems.


Sorry, I regressed there for a moment. I do despise EV’s, though.


When all is said and done, I’d surmise that The Husband would appreciate finishing his comment before I barrel ass into the discussion. That…would involve me turning off my mind, kind of like turning down the gas under a boiling pot of something. Issue is, that lid will come off eventually, having allowed plenty of time for my brain to produce an energetic rebuttal.

I’ll give it some thought but I’m not making any promises.

From Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop: Tell us about a habit or trait your spouse would love to see improved in you.

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A candle burning…

February 1, 2023 by Leave a Comment

My candle burns at both ends; it will not last the night; but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends – it gives a lovely light! Edna St. Vincent Millay

I think we’ve all stared out that same window of thought, wondering how differently our lives might have turned out IF…we were good, really good, at something in particular. It kind of boils down to that “hindsight being 20/20” thing. If we feel stuck, almost weighed-down in a situation, we mentally re-trace the paths our lives have taken and visualize ourselves on some other stage of current reality.


Most of us have learned to adapt, make necessary changes, too often doing nothing more than coasting through each day. We feel we can do most things efficiently but there’s that fine line between the mundane, often repetitious, dynamics involved.

Where I’m concerned, I burn that proverbial candle at both ends, occasionally starting in the middle which, if that makes sense which, to you, probably sounds like some kind of manic behavior. Whatever. I’m driven by constantly attempting to do my best, standing on some shaky platform while furiously digging in my heels. The sad part is, there’s little satisfaction of feeling that a job has been well done and the parade of “Ifs'” start rolling through my mind.

Those wishes about doing greater things? We all have them, of that, there’s little denial. Many…are job-related. Had we followed a different course of study, the chance of employment in a different and better field might find us in a happier zone of existence. Yes, we’re good at what we do but…we watch people in other professions with a fair amount of envy and think how well we might have done had we taken that chance and explored more options.

Certainly, I could have easily shared wishes about being a physician, politician, sports figure and more, but, I grew up in a time where women were pretty much herded into some secretarial pool or worked as bank tellers, clerical workers, sales clerks and, of course, teachers. Most threw on an apron and became housewives and mothers. Our education, for the most part, was geared towards each one of these professions and dreams of anything more were, at best, private, often emotional, experiences.


I’ll admit to doing a lot of self-examination while writing this piece; what if…I had become anything but what has taken me to where I am now? Does wishing I had the ability to handle just what I do on a daily basis, more efficiently, impact the quality of the work I’m involved in? When others tell me that I’ve “missed the boat” after a project is completed really mean I’ve wasted the chances I’ve been given?


Perhaps, no to all. However, that big “yes” continues to haunt me as the years pass quickly and opportunities wane. My dreams and wishes that once were…leave a fading light as the candle slowly burns.

From Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop...Write about something you wish you were good at.

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Just five things…

November 16, 2022 by 2 Comments

 

5 things

 

What you don’t know about me (and probably don’t honestly give a hoot about!)

  1.  I attended General Motors Training School years ago.  Received certification in Engine Rebuilding, Carburetion, Ignition Systems and Air Conditioning.  (Can I work on any present-day automobile with said credentials?  Sadly, no.)
  2. I did a fair amount of drag racing back in the day.  (Loved it and wish I had the opportunity to do it again.)
  3. Thanks to a huge collection of cookbooks I’ve amassed over the years, I am a self-taught cook.  Not a chef, mind you, but I can hold my own in the culinary field. (From Julia Child’s Kitchen was my first)
  4. Type A Personality?  Yup, that would be me.  (I aggravate myself on a daily basis)
  5. First impressions mean very little to me.  I have a tendency to see beyond who and what I come face-to-face with.  (Judgmental, moi?  Not at all, I gravitate towards honest people and have little time for anyone overly full of themselves.)

5 things I’m knowledgeable about (you won’t give a hoot about this either, trust me!)

  1. Writing.  (Simple enough.  I am here, on my own website and still attempting to finish my first book.  I think that qualifies me.)
  2. Scleroderma.  Nothing humorous here.  Both my father and mother-in-law suffered with and passed-away from complications of this  chronic connective tissue disease which is generally classified as one of the autoimmune rheumatic diseases.  Research indicates that there is a susceptibility gene, which raises the likelihood of getting scleroderma, but by itself does not cause the disease. (Research being what it is, this is a disease not listed with high priority on the list of any big fund-raising conglomerate.  It affects so many individuals and is often mis-diagnosed for Lupus or Fibromyalgia.)
  3. Intuitive feelings.  (This probably goes along with the whole “first impressions” deal but I firmly believe in going with any thought that pushes me toward…or away…from either a person or situation.)
  4. Tom Petty.  His words, his music. 
  5. Finding everything my husband misplaces.  E v e r y single day.  (Trust me, when he doesn’t misplace something, I worry)

5 things I know nothing about (only 5? )

  1. Nuclear Physics
  2. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System
  3. Where Jimmy Hoffa is. (Maybe someone should check #2)
  4. Hunting
  5. Pokemon

5 things I believe (As is often said, one has to believe in something.)

  1. God.  I was educated in a parochial school system and live with the fear instilled in me about not believing.  So I do.
  2. Human Nature.  People will behave at their worst sometimes more often than their best.  This is pretty evident on a daily basis where politics are concerned.  None of us will change the world based on our opinions but to turn on each other over the right to express same is asinine.  Underneath it all, I need to feel that most of us are decent and caring.  (Regardless of any chosen political affiliation.)
  3. The world is round.  Definitely believe that. (Can you believe there is a “Flat Earth Community” who believe that that the Earth is not a globe, as most of us think, but some kind of plane, with edges?  Reminds me of lyrics from Hal Ketchum’s “Small Town Saturday Night”.)
  4. Miracles.  They do happen.  In small ways that we don’t even realize and in much larger fashion.  Give them a chance.
  5. Santa Claus.  Of course I believe, don’t you?  (I’m no dummy, less than one month before Christmas.  Call it my need to hold onto the magic of the season!)

My choice of Writing Prompts from Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop this week and a re-post of what I shared back in 2018.  Five Things. List 5 things we don’t know about you, 5 things you’re knowledgeable about, 5 things you know nothing about, and 5 things you believe.

So, there you have it.  Gave this prompt my best shot given that writing about oneself can be taken in various ways.   I mean, who really cares?  Mostly, it’s more information that anyone needs but, hey, it’s light reading and probably far more interesting than all the malarkey shared by the hapless mainstream media.

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