My October 24, 2019 blog spoke of a portent or an omen. It was my first day of volunteering at the Asian Art Museum and I was drawn to a book: Chinese Love Poems and felt compelled to buy it, as I was particularly drawn to two poems. What actually happened while in London was perhaps a portent, it was not an omen. Here are some synonyms that might be applicable:
presage, warning, forewarning, harbinger, augury, signal, promise, threat, menace, forecast, prediction, prognostication, prophecy, straw in the wind, writing on the wall, hint, auspice; premonition, presentiment, feeling, vague feeling, funny feeling, feeling in one’s bones, foreboding, misgiving; literary foretoken. I am thinking that presage, harbinger, and augury might fill the bill. Here is what the first poem said:
If you tenderly love me,
Gird you loins and wade across the Chen;
But if you do not love me –
There are plenty of other men,
Of madcaps, maddest, oh
.
If you tenderly love me
Gird you loins and wade across the Wei;
But if you do not love me –
There are plenty of other knights,
Of madcaps, maddest, oh,
Well the guy that I was thinking about did not gird his loins nor wade across the Chen nor the Wei. But the harbinger was this: there were plenty of other men and an individual with a status greater than a knight whom I met in London. My goodness, one of them was even a poet.
The second poem warned of long distance relationships.
Do not till too big a field
Or weeks will ramp it,
Do not love a distant man
Or heart’s paint will chafe you.
Do not till too big a field,
Or weeds will lop it.
Do not love a distant man
Or heart’s pain will fret you.
Well one of the men lives in a distant and exotic land but his family owns an entire airlines – it seems useless to fret and chafe when all one has to do is go to SFO and get on the plane. It is a short ride to the airport and Personal Driver is only too happy to drive me there – it only takes about half an hour. Who could have ever guessed this outcome? Not me, not in my wildest dreams or even my worst nightmares.
It is now real morning here in San Francisco and I have actually made myself breakfast. I have been so spoiled for over three weeks with so much care and attention and even a machine where one can Watch Your Pancake Cook. It was a healthy breakfast this morning – soft boiled eggs, bacon and toast. Mint tea with honey as occasionally coffee can give me stomach problems and there is much to accomplish on this day. A medical appointment and a task. To officially fire my provider Verizon the worst managed telephone company in the world who have caused me nothing but problems which earnestly I attempted to work out without avail. When something does not work out – WALK AWAY Alexis, walk away. When I do another opportunity awakes that is brighter, fresher, more appealing and the guy’s family might just own an airlines. I am so funny sometimes, just right back there, for example I was funny. Personal driver is coming to collect me, the plans have already been worked out and he is utterly dependable. He revealed in a recent telephone conversation that he shook the hand of the Sultan. But I have one better – the Sultan fist bumped me in the elevator, the second time we met. Wikipedia discusses the matter in some detail. “A fist bump (also known as a bro fist,[ power five, tater, PIB as in pound it bro, knucks, or pibbys[ is agesture similar in meaning to a handshake or high five. A fist pump can also be a symbol of giving respect or approval, as well as companionship between two people.” Fist bumps are often given as a form of friendly congratulation. The Sultan initiated the fist pump because I said something that was particularly astute. Astute is an adjective: having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one’s advantage.” What did I say to the Sultan? I ain’t talking. But it was shrewd, sharp, sharp-witted, razor-sharp, acute, quick, quick-witted, ingenious, clever, intelligent, bright, brilliant, smart, canny, media-savvy, intuitive, discerning, perceptive, perspicacious, penetrating, insightful, incisive, piercing, discriminating, sagacious, wise, judicious; cunning, artful, crafty, wily, calculating; informal on the ball, quick off the mark, quick on the uptake, brainy, streetwise, savvy. An extremely helpful woman at Heathrow Airport, when hearing of my meeting the Sultan and the first pump said that perhaps he was proposing? Hmmmm – seems unlikely but a fun idea and I did fist pump back. My comment was most astute, all of those synonyms – well perhaps not cunning.
I am in a good mood – a wonderful staff member at the Pestana Chelsea Bridge said:
He: You are always in a good mood!
Me: No I am not, because there is no joy without sorrow. But I keep my sadness to myself and let it out only when I am alone.
The photograph attached to this blog is one I took from my window along a terribly busy street in San Francisco. Two days after (a longer conversation with the Sultan) he went to his city of Dubai and led a run of 70,000 people urging them to give up their cars. Perhaps he could be invited here to perform a similar a function. I am inviting you Sultan – the traffic noise is getting me down.
I said in Instagram, posted on October 13, 2019 before I met him:
Me: View from my window on a Sunday afternoon . People going nowhere in their trucks, Cars and SUVs adding to global warning and pollution. All rather pathetic!
