I have not been blogging for a few days so things are going unreported. The magnificent concert at VSO; exceptional service and a new friend at VPL being two of many incidents which will be dutifully reported at a later time.
First, to clarify a prior blog. GG’s nickname needs some refining He is the man who emailed with news that he had found a copy of my Uncle Dave manuscript, we connected after over a year’s absence. When I first met him I determined that he looked like a Greek god and named him but them could not remember the name of the god. I went to VPL and hit it lucky because helpful Nichole had specialized in Greek mythology. It ends up that he was not a god but a mortal whose name was Adonis. Adonis was not only good looking, he was hot. He was the lover of Aphrodite but he came to a bad end. He was killed by a wild boar. Help was sought from a far away source who also came up with the answer.
He: If you want to see a problem , its gory solution and the lessons for us mere mortals then your greeks are the ones to go to. I think you know tom Lehrer , Oedipus scmoedipus, did he love his mother.
Me: You are so funny. My Adonis has nothing to fear. The original was killed by a wild boar. I may be a little wild at times but I am not a bore.
I did attempt to do some match making with my Adonis and a certain young lady of my acquaintance but it proved unsuccessful. She tactfully informed me that there was someone in her life with the added advantage that he was close at hand and not in far off London.
Me: Your guy probably does not deserve you – what man could because you are so great. But having him closer to you is probably a good idea Trust me, these long distance relationships are a bit difficult to handle. They are not under your feet bothering you but then you start missing them. Email is possible but it is not the same.
Getting to San Francisco was rather enjoyable because I did NOT go Air Canada but instead United. I think I made a new fiend, the woman sitting next to me was in Vancouver for a conference, returning to Salt Lake City. We blabbed the whole way. She is twenty-four and wise beyond her years. We spoke of the futility of men. We have had parallel experiences, which is a bit unusual as I am older than her grandmother. Interestingly her grandmother was college educated, a rarity for the times. New friend’s name is Claire which is magical to me as I do know (rather intimately and preciously) another Claire.
So landed, picked up baggage that arrived (unlike Air Canada) caught a Yellow Cab and was whisked to my hotel. Yellow Cab is my very favorite Vancouver Cab Company. The SF cabbie and I had a great chat wherein we railed against Uber. I do hate Uber as do most thinking people.
So today is Election Day here in the USA. I am not terribly hopeful particularly after reading the San Francisco Chronicle of yesterday. The paper announced that if the House of Representatives goes Democrat there will be a lot of San Francisco power. But this sentence was ominous. “Although a divided Washington probably won’t agree on much legislation, a number of Californians would nevertheless be positioned to be visible and vocal checks on the Trump administration.” So big deal – even if Democrats take over the House no legislation will be passed and there will only be checks on Trump. The political system in this country is deeply flawed and has always been. Across the world no new democracy has ever taken on the USA model but instead opt for the parliamentary system. USA remains in deep denial of this fact. Their chickens may have come home to roost. I am thankful, at this point in time, for my Canadian citizenship.
I just also learned that my haven, my bastion of civilization in this country – Marin County is not safe. There was a mass shooting Monday at a rehab center because a guy had a gun and felt wronged. Clearly gun control in this country is an impossible dream.
But here is good news, coming from the front page of the November 6, 2018 San Francisco Chronicle. The American Academy of Pediatricians came out with a strongly worded statement that ‘research over the past decades has shown that swatting misbehaving children doesn’t teach them self control and can make them more aggressive in the long run.” It is proven that the adage “Spare the rod, spoil the child” is dead wrong. Dr. Robert Sage stated: “We know that children grow and develop better with positive role modeling and by setting healthy limits.” We can do better.” The article was beautifully written ending with this wisdom. “A lot of parents will often say that they were spanked or hit as children and they turned out fine, I’m glad these people turned out fine, “she said. adding that wasn’t the case for everyone. “Those times we didn’t know any differently.”
Perhaps adage can be the word of the day. noun I should have remembered the old adage ‘look before you leap’: saying, maxim, axiom, proverb, aphorism, saw, dictum, byword, precept, motto, truism, platitude, cliché, apophthegm, commonplace.
So this is rather ending on a high note. The photo was taken at the Vancouver International Airport and posted on Instagram with the following caption. “On the way to SF stocking up on Crown Royal. Two utterly charming women helped me and I flirted with the Customs Officer who flirted back. And he let me into the country!” For the uninitiated people go through Customs in Vancouver. A sign is posted that says: Welcome to the US.
Me: Funny, I thought I was in Vancouver.
The good news is that the Customs Officer does live in Vancouver (I guess). He did have grey hair, he might be age appropriate. He does know how old I am.
