As many of you may know I now write the blog in the lobby of the Trump International Hotel. This is for many reasons – the main being Thesaurus (in the person of Triple C.) is there at his station. But things went awry yesterday morning. I found painters in my space with ladders and plastic covering the furniture so there was no place to sit and lots of noise. This revolting development necessitated an email exchange. Me: What is going on down there. I came back from breakfast and found that there is work going on in my office. Why was I not consulted???? I spoke to the workers and they said it was going to take all day. So here I am up on the 19th floor writing my blog from bed instead of in my office. The quality will probably suffer and it is all your fault. Me
Triple C. Wow ………… I am so sorry for the inconvenience, this is not satisfactory for my Queen, imaging sitting in a $5000 bed with a lovely brewed coffee writing your blog ……. such unfair severe working conditions! haha
Me: You kill me. I am almost falling off the $5000 bed laughing. Queenie (or is it Queeny)
Triple C. Queenie sounds better I think.
But the problems continued because next door to me in my aerie a barking dog made an unwelcome appearance. It sounded small and yappy. How can one concentrate under such conditions? Several calls down to the front desk and although courtesy and empathy was afforded the barking continued. Apparently this is a ‘dog friendly’ hotel but I pondered: “Is this a “people friendly’ hotel? I do not thoroughly understand the concept of taking a dog with you on a trip. Dogs do not need a vacation, owners may but dogs do not. But if you, a dog owner, insist on bringing the dog with you on your vacation then take it with you when you go out. Triple C. personally called to say he was trying to help but it was impossible to reach the owner.
Me: I guess I can put in earphones, drown out the sound with classical music for a short term solution. I can concentrate and write to classical music.
Triple C.: Thank you Ms. McBride
Me: I can suggest a long term solution.
Triple C. And what would that be?
Me: Don’t put any dogs on the 19th floor.
Triple C.: Novel approach. A dog free floor.
Me: Exactly.
When I venture outside the walls of my castle into this crowded urban environment I am amazed at how many dogs there are, dogs of all colors, shapes and sizes. They are usually being walked. Assuming the dog owners work for a living it does seem cruel to imprison dogs within the confines of a small apartment for most of the day. For what purpose? Dog owners tell me that it is wonderful to have the animal ecstatic to see you when you walk in the door. People are less reliable in this regard,I have found. Personally an enlightening podcast is all I need to fill the lonely hours. Yesterday a TED talk on altruism was extremely enlightening and I did not have to pick up any dog dodoo.
I continue to seek a permanent role within the walls of this castle. This exchange took place between The Emperor and Yours Truly.
Me: I think you should pay me $10 every time I make someone laugh.
The Emperor: That is impossible.
Me; Why?
The Emperor: We would go bankrupt.
Frenchy returned from a five day vacation and I have elicited his linguistic abilities in finding a new name for the Trump International Hotel, a name that would recognize my presence. The Alexis Castle and Tower sounds much better in French and this is ,after all, a bi-lingual country. Ze Alexis Chateau et Tour, Vancouver has a very nice ring to it. Almost everyone agrees but The Emperor has not been approached with the possibility of name change. I suppose it is going to be up to me to take on this task. He will probably just roll his eyes and walk off.
But off to more serious things. Triple S’s birthday book contains the following quote penned by Stephen Chbosky. “So, this is my life. And I want you know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.” My goodness that is profound and that is my dilemma.
I will veer off now into something serious, not sad. But what is the opposite of happy? Is it Sad? Or is it Serious? My tome explores Uncle Dave’s gift, his ability to write in an engrossing manner. The title of this serious piece is Nurture, Nature, Neither. It will be continued on a subsequent blog.
“Dave Dryburgh, sports writer, appeared out of nowhere. There was no family tradition of letters or academic prowess. Education was not particularly valued, either before his time or after. So I ofttimes wonder, was it nature or was it nurture that formed David the Dryburgh’s creative genius? I more than just wonder, I research and explore. I have a B.A., not a B.Sc. so bear with me as I attempt to grapple with these truths.
Of course, both the nature and the nurture theories has at its’ foundation the genealogical record of a family. This for the Dryburgh side of the family is sketchy and incomplete. Cousin Faye, has done an admirable and thorough job, her accumulated data dates back two or three hundred years. These records. however, are limited to who begat who and when. Those records do not delve into the lives of the people who were doing the begetting. Those more tantalizingly details were left to the curiosity, audacity and sheer snoopiness of cousin Gail and yours truly. So, In the summer of 2015 we went back to where it all began Scotland, specifically to Kirkcaldy, the birthplace of both of our grandparents George and Janet Dryburgh. The visit also included a stay in Edinburgh the site of Scotspeople, the treasure trove of all things Scottish. The hope, the dream, the idea was to find answers to the nature/nature dilemma.
Spoiler alert! There were some answers but those answers just raised more questions. Here is a peek into the vast caldron of uncertainty.”
