I shall begin with Patricia Highsmith, featured in the magazine section of The New Yorker. I do so love the written word, which to me (of all people) is a book or a magazine, not my trusty computer. An excerpt of the Highsmith article appeared in my Inbox which makes copying easy. This is what she writes, it so mirrors my thinking: “Now I know why I keep a diary,” she writes. “I am not at peace until I continue the thread into the present.” Alexis does not keep a diary, she writes a blog and the blog is her diary as she writes almost daily. I truly am not at peace until I continue the thread – the events of the day, the research into a subject then into the present. The present is the blog of the day (or every other day). The blog becomes more frequent when there is a great deal going on or about to go on in my life, as anxiety mounts. Needless to say anxiety is mounting at this moment as I a total change of scene is being contemplated – cannot imagine a greater discrepancy than that between Dubai from my ‘home’ town of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Writing quells my anxiety.
I am familiar with Patricia Highsmieth because she also wrote a play I saw performed in London, during my theatre days, the London days preceding my residence (2014-2017) . Every year for six years, attended a theatre group ‘outing’ which provided two weeks of hotel, theatre tickets to fab plays, and an opportunity to meet the stars – writers, directors and actors. Laurence Fox, my absolute hero, was in the play and I got to flirt with him. Well, surrounded by a lot of old biddies from the theatre group who were consumed in jealousy – but still, it was SO much fun. I drool when catching him on the television screen. absolutely drool. But not just a star struck fool, was also a stickler for knowledge and so learned of Patricia Highsmith – a truly amazing author and playwright.
Brace yourself, it is word definition time, there are at least three. Auspices , the archaic derivation of the noun is a divine or prophetic token. But in every day language, under the auspices of means with the help, support, or protection. Quell is the second word, it meaning, put a stop to. Its synonyms are: stamp out, put a stop to, end, finish, get rid of, crush, put down, check, crack down on, curb, nip in the bud, thwart, frustrate, squash, quash, subdue, suppress, quench, extinguish, stifle, abolish, terminate, overcome, defeat, rout, destroy, demolish, annihilate, wipe out, extirpate; squelch, put the kibosh on, clobber. I nip the bud,, overcome, and wipe out my anxiety by writing. Stickler is the last word to be defined: a person who insists on a certain quality or type of behavior. I insist, of myself, that knowledge of a subject, any subject is important because appreciation soars under that condition.
Further time and energy shall be spend reading the magazine version of the diaries of Patricia Highsmith but now onwards with the correspondence between my faithful and true Computer Guru Chris Jackson and me.
Me: Just read the blog! Did I look bad! I did not say that some dumb doctor within my hearing range said that one more inch and I would have been dead or brain damaged. Yuck. I survived it and the attempt on my life in San Francisco. Nothing that bad can happen in Dubai – but who knows???? 😝 🤪 hahaha Alexis
He: Dear Alexis..its quite rare for anyone with any kind of online presence these days to present themselves as anything less than perfect, I admire your ”warts and all’ honesty.in these instagram filtered and botox fakery times . cheers.. Guru Chris x
Me: A more wonderful message I could not have received!!!!! I think that is SO SO true, so my imperfections – the occasional lack of editing of blog, my extremely amateur Instagram offerings are, I think, as you so wisely said, a relief to ‘consumers’ – because they too feel that they do not have to be perfect. I could give a darn weather or not I get a million stupid emoji to my Instagram stuff – do not even give a darn how many views I get on my reels. For many reasons, my strongest fans cannot respond publicly – I know that and send reels of important things to them. For instance, me in Muslim dress at the crumpet place saying vaguely that I am saying goodbye to Ross as I am leaving. One reel with me on my hobby horse practicing how to ride side saddle. It means nothing to the perfection people who are sending their hip music, graphic unladen stuff of no content or depth – just vacuous attempts to get likes and views. Does that give them an identity? Absolutely not, they are pandering for a like or better yet a meaningless emoji that counts for a comment. Their lives or vacuous, chasing after followers and emoji – avoiding intimacy, community ties, their own families. I have followers who broadcast every outing they have with their grandchildren. The outings are probably planned for their Instagram Story or Post – invading the privacy of their grandchildren for their own self-aggrandizement. I once had a step-daughter that began a blog that did just that – she made cookies, meals, decorations with her kids to show that she was a perfect mother. I felt duty bound to check in, it was the early days of blogs. I am positive that she no longer blogs. She was always competitive (and hence jealous) with me. I no longer see her, although she lives in Ross (or at least used to live in Ross). There may have been a reversal in her husband’s inherited fortune., as he took over management of it.
So you cheered me immensely with your words. I will just keep doing what I am doing. There is a lot of destructive stuff going on here with Tamal Vista apartments colluding with the Central Marin Police Department. I am not focusing on it but instead the good things, my legacy gift to Brandeis, and other jollies at the JCC. I am about to be long gone from these so-called United States. This country is lawless, rude and ill mannered. The undisciplined children are screaming and yelling at the pool, the cacophony of noise has just begun. Did my flower arrangements in the morning when quiet. I shall go pick up groceries, my abaya ana for the trip to Dubai (at the cleaners) and my medication when the noise is deafening. I have grown to hate the people here – there are some good ones but they are few and far between. There is no time to form a relationship with any new people anyway.
And here is the power and the glory – I do not need botox. I went to ‘my’ face guy the other day and he said I do not need anything and he would get money if he said he did. Dr. Hand is his name. I just want to get out of here at this point. I thought today was Tuesday – next Tuesday – so I have a couple of free days. Honest to God I did. What a relief – was heading out the door to go to Physical Therapy, looked at the time and it said it was Saturday. Hmmmm – so I – did flower arrangements, made breakfast and went back to bed. Where I am now. Much love to Clare, and of course to you.
But despite all of that what are my blog statistics doing these days. Hahahaha. I am serious, I do rather wonder. Alexis
Photographs will be of the beauty of my flower arrangements. This place does not deserve me but I did take a walk around the complex and there are some Hallowe’en decorations. There are indeed some good people here but you know about rotten apples.
Several word definitions and the rotten apple proverb. Cacophony’s synonyms are din, racket, noise, discord, dissonance, discordance, caterwauling, raucousness, screeching, jarring, stridency, grating, rasping. Those undisciplined children are caterwauling, screeching, racketing at the top of the lungs. And I was accused of excessive noise based on unknown complainants over a six month period? Huh?
I fear for these children and their parents. Their parents are marginally employed with no retirement plans, the children need manners and education to get ahead in this world and make money to support their parents in their old age. Neither shall be forthcoming. I did rather enjoy one or two, perhaps even three or four of them at one time. I said to Jacob Huerra that I am happy that I will not be around to see them grow up. I shall be in Dubai where bad manners and lawlessness do not exit. My anger at Jacob Huerra has abated. He was “just doing his job” – but in a lawless country it is not really an excuse. Look at Nazi Germany where people were just doing their jobs. More on the rehabilitation of Jacob Huerra in a later blog.
Self-aggrandizement is the action or process of promoting oneself as being powerful or important. Nothing could be less powerful or important than prostituting oneself or their children, grandchildren and/or dogs to get followers on Instagram.
A rotten apple spoils the barrel is a proverb. It only takes one bad person, thing, element, etc., to ruin the entire group, situation, project. The criminal, unethical, corrupt, or otherwise negative behavior of a single person will spread to other people around them. We have recent examples on this blog – Officer Mendes, the Attorney Todd Rothard who is now pursuing a bogus unlawful detainer action against Alexis McBride (more about that later). It seems all of this was occasioned by the Regional Manager of the Corporation that owns Tamal Vista whose first name is Justin. The attorney Rothard should be disbarred – but will he be in this lawless country. No way.
Here come the pretty posies – a relief from the ugliness that surrounds us all. But perhaps not so much for Computer Guru – the UK is not as lawless as the United States (and Canada).
