I am happy to report that I am most happy which seems more than a little unusual considering my existence at this moment. Could say that I am marching toward the completion of Ramadan but lying in bed most of the time could hardly be considered marching. My desire to be around people has faded, despite being surrounded by kind, pleasant fellow residents in the sunny beautifully maintained complex that I call home. One could call me a hermit, which is defined as being a person living in solitude as a religious discipline or any person living in solitude or seeking to do so. Its synonyms are all over the map: recluse, solitary, loner, ascetic; anchorite, anchoress, eremite, stylite, pillarist, pillar hermit, pillar saint, solitudinarian. In Japan such folks are called hikikomori. Alexis, the hikikormori, finds solace in Ikebana. That is true, my ascetic and reclusive solitude is relieved by arranging stems and branches in original ways. That is done on the patio so there is some human contact.
My anchoress is slightly exaggerated due to the fact that AAA came to administratively assist on Tuesday and Thursday. On Tuesday there was an outing to the local Safeway and to UPS where we mailed a copy of my In Contemplation and In Conversation book to my favorite artist in the whole world – Jean Paul Langlois, residing in Vancouver. Regular postal delivery was eschewed:
Me: I am sending the book via UPS as it would be great if you receive it during our lifetimes. ou That is highly unlikely if I relied upon the Canadian Postal System.
He: You make a strong point, Alexis
I, masquerading as Alexis McTwit, am his favorite patron, declared that to be so on Instagram. Recently thought of a means and mechanism to expand admirers of his work. Dubai will be hosting Expo 2020 on October 2021 and each country will have pavilions illustrating their art works and other accomplishments. For example, the Italian pavilion has a statute of David, it was delivered last week with much fan fare. Jean Paul’s magnificent murals would be an excellent addition to the Canadian pavilion. Not sure what I could do to assist in that endeavor – it is one of those tasks to be undertaken after the completion of Ramadan. The list is growing, many things postponed until greater strength and energy are mine. Hey, perhaps speaking of Jean Paul’s murals on the blog might be a first step. I do know that at one point in time the Crown Prince of Dubai did read this blog – Expo 2020 is his ‘baby’, there are videos of his touring the sight as it nears completion. Now that would be a feather in my cap. That is an expression means “an act or deed to one’s credit; a distinctive achievement” The origin? It was once a common practice to award a feather to a soldier who had killed an enemy. Well, I did not exactly kill an enemy but winning recognition for Jean Paul would be a distinctive achievement.
But back to my hours with AAA. A list was made and tasks were prioritized. Painting my face as the Scottish flag was on the list but not a priority. She was able to assist with my various devices and give Instagram advice. The rewards were immense. KQED Passport is coming my way and I am watching Ken Burn’s series on Hemingway from my computer. It is fascinating, learning so much about that famous author. It was most surprising to learn that AAA did not know who he was – what are they teaching in high school these days? I suppose how to access streaming on computers. (Hahahaha). She got Netflix up and running. I am watching Schitt’s Creek, a Canadian comedy series that features an Alexis. I saw it before, now I am seeing it again. Told the world of my viewing habit on Instagram by doing a Story, showing my television and me laughing away in the background. Not sure how big the response but Emily from Australia responded:
She: Great tv choice!!
Me; Just love it and it does not hurt that there is an Alexis in the show.
So corresponding with Australians on Instagram is getting MOST interesting. There is this man and he is very funny and said that I was a Prize – my humor, my love of life etc. He did a Story of a visit to a sushi restaurant with his nephew. I responded, the hilarity began:
Me: So love sushi! Wish I was there!
He: I’ll get some extra sushi and bring it your way.
Me: Such good news!
He: Packing my bags now and canoeing over.
Me: Greatest news I have ever heard. Row on, young man, Row on.
Me: Cannot wait but the canoe thing is sort of slow and I am old.
Me: And there might be sharks, it would not be safe.
He: I will turn the sharks into sushi and bring them along.
Me: My goodness, a handsome young man arriving, bearing gifts of sushi. Be still my heart.
Me: But on second thought, you should grown wings and fly, it would be safer and faster.
Do not where we are going with that one but it is doomed as he is not Muslim and lives in Australia. Suppose another reason for my happiness is that there are no men in my life at the present moment. Reason? Lock down, the ongoing pandemic barring travel and becoming a Muslim in October of 2020. I would have to marry the man and he would have to be a Muslim, It does narrow the field, so to speak. I am communicating with an eligible one but he communicates with EVERYONE so I am nothing special. I am actually but the price would be most high. A contract is signed at an Islamic marriage, the man is obligated to pay the wife a great deal of money if he divorces her. This amount is flexible, depending on the wealth of the man but it has to be large enough to hurt. Oh, by the way, did you read that Bill and Melinda Gates are getting a divorce? I once eyed a very, very rich man and thought that with his money I could become a Melinda Gates. It just might be possible as the field is emptying – her largess will be lowered. Not sure whether Washington is a community property state but if so – it would be halved. I was an attorney but did not practice divorce law – just got divorces. Hahaha
Very interesting news from Qatar. All that glitters is not gold it doth appear. “All that glitters is not gold” is an aphorism stating that not everything that looks precious or true turns out to be so. While early expressions of the idea are known from at least the 12th–13th century, the current saying is derived from a 16th-century line by William Shakespeare, “All that glisters is not gold”. More definitions: 1)the shining outer look of something is not a consistent sign of its real character 2) not everyone that appears good, turns out to be good 3) not everything that is apparently glittery is precious 4) something that looks to be perfect but is not in real life.
Photograph of another unicorn. If I keep this up there will be no room in this apartment for me.
