Sunday, October 22, 2006
Sunday Oct. 22, 2006 - to sleep over
-4C/26F, brilliant sunrise, clear & cold; Gusta attracted the attention of a yappy little lap dog that reminded me of Jack Layton – all yap, no substance
yesterday turned out OK . . I really enjoyed being a Toastmaster for 1/2 the Division C & J Contests + walking away with a Toastmaster of the Year trophy for Division C felt pretty good too
"I Have Learned 5 Things:
1. The sulfurous flame sunbeams in corners lightning like cracked glass the bulb of an idea your dark eyes all have one source
2. Pain is truer than people truer than a full plate truer than God
3. Joy is a suitcase packed with everyday things no beaded gowns, no hats no umbrella just pajamas, a toothbrush, sneakers. If it rains stand there soak up every drop like applause
4. I have learned that I want less: the sound of lake water lapping tadpoles listless in sun-heated shallows wispy grass, knobby reeds greeting me, my name caught in their raspy throats one or two clouds and a bird, maybe, if it doesn't sing
5. Old age is where you started, a child looking up at the light at jumbled faces at mouths hispering, "there, now, go back to sleep." – Elaine Christensen
when we are little kids, a sleepover is a pretty big deal; we pack some things, go to the birthday party or whatever the pre-text is for the event – then we wake up in a strange house with people we don’t know all around us, possibly a dog with a penchant for licking feet & faces, with unfamiliar choices for breakfast – waiting for mom or dad to collect us – like it is never going to end; we mutter ‘never again’, but we are young & have short term memory loss
when we grow up, sleepover is part of that mating/dating process we like so much, but then it turns to marriage which is the sleepover that never quits (I often wonder if my marriages might have lasted longer if we'd had fewer sleepovers, or maybe we should have had more - just not together)
‘Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.’ – Anthony Burgess
(I've learned to fore-warn of my snoring; not so much an aberation as it is a gentle melodic chainsaw sound that should please anyone’s ear, advising that earplugs might be in order)
when we have little children, having a sleepover is tons of fun that culminates in having 6 yr. olds named Patricia eat pickles for breakfast while a gaggle of pajama clad toddlers groggily start their day
when we get divorced, there are variations on the theme – though sleep has little to do with it
when we live alone, a sleepover can happen spontaneously whether or not we carry an ‘ever-ready bag’ in our car; dinner can become a sleepover, a movie can become a sleepover etc. etc
just like a speech or a piece of writing, the sleepover comes in various forms, but each has a beginning, a middle & an end - sometimes it is all about the middle, sometimes we cannot wait for it to end - a risk/reward continuum
there is the sleepover that you wish for but never comes
there is the un-invited sleepover that mixes pleasure(we hope) & tension
there is the surprise sleepover; the one where hygiene habits, snoring volumes & early morning behaviour can surprise as much as that 6 yr old pickle eater
however, having a dog to mind affects sleepover potential - but of course that depends on whether you are host or visitor
being a sleepover guest for dog owners requires going out about 10 PM & returning before 7 AM or there is a doggy-anger price to pay in terms of things chewed
being a sleepover guest for dog owners requires going out about 10 PM & returning before 7 AM or there is a doggy-anger price to pay in terms of things chewed; for those who must advise kids still at home that 'mom won't be home tonight' brings yet another dimension into play
being a sleepover host for dog owners requires little, especially if the visitor is bringing the dinner – but otherwise it is easy; the guest must rise early to go for a dog walk or else pack up to be gone by then which is the likely case if the guest is also a dog owner (see above)
most middle aged singles, when they do a sleepover, don't always do it because of romance as much as they do it because driving home alone late on a Friday or Saturday night to then sleep alone & wake up alone is enough to make one stay at home in the first place; when it is over, we sometimes mutter ‘never again’, but we are old & have short term memory loss
so . . the next time someone says c’mon over for dinner & bring your toothbrush, don’t be surprised if your whole life flashes before your eyes
sometimes, the benefit of having old friends visit, it is not the same - we can visit, mislay reading glasses, alter morning routines for a day, be OK with them leaving the toilet seat up & generally be ourselves without pretence, without any need to muffle the amount we snore or to shuffle our priorities for sex vis-à-vis sleep for a night or two
you need just pajamas & a toothbrush - to sleep, perchance to sleepover
I like sleepovers - I think I still do; sleepover; sometime soon I hope
‘it’s just a sleepover’ seems just as innocent as ‘it’s just a lunch’
gotta go . . lunch date
Mark
yesterday turned out OK . . I really enjoyed being a Toastmaster for 1/2 the Division C & J Contests + walking away with a Toastmaster of the Year trophy for Division C felt pretty good too
"I Have Learned 5 Things:
1. The sulfurous flame sunbeams in corners lightning like cracked glass the bulb of an idea your dark eyes all have one source
2. Pain is truer than people truer than a full plate truer than God
3. Joy is a suitcase packed with everyday things no beaded gowns, no hats no umbrella just pajamas, a toothbrush, sneakers. If it rains stand there soak up every drop like applause
4. I have learned that I want less: the sound of lake water lapping tadpoles listless in sun-heated shallows wispy grass, knobby reeds greeting me, my name caught in their raspy throats one or two clouds and a bird, maybe, if it doesn't sing
5. Old age is where you started, a child looking up at the light at jumbled faces at mouths hispering, "there, now, go back to sleep." – Elaine Christensen
when we are little kids, a sleepover is a pretty big deal; we pack some things, go to the birthday party or whatever the pre-text is for the event – then we wake up in a strange house with people we don’t know all around us, possibly a dog with a penchant for licking feet & faces, with unfamiliar choices for breakfast – waiting for mom or dad to collect us – like it is never going to end; we mutter ‘never again’, but we are young & have short term memory loss
when we grow up, sleepover is part of that mating/dating process we like so much, but then it turns to marriage which is the sleepover that never quits (I often wonder if my marriages might have lasted longer if we'd had fewer sleepovers, or maybe we should have had more - just not together)
‘Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.’ – Anthony Burgess
(I've learned to fore-warn of my snoring; not so much an aberation as it is a gentle melodic chainsaw sound that should please anyone’s ear, advising that earplugs might be in order)
when we have little children, having a sleepover is tons of fun that culminates in having 6 yr. olds named Patricia eat pickles for breakfast while a gaggle of pajama clad toddlers groggily start their day
when we get divorced, there are variations on the theme – though sleep has little to do with it
when we live alone, a sleepover can happen spontaneously whether or not we carry an ‘ever-ready bag’ in our car; dinner can become a sleepover, a movie can become a sleepover etc. etc
just like a speech or a piece of writing, the sleepover comes in various forms, but each has a beginning, a middle & an end - sometimes it is all about the middle, sometimes we cannot wait for it to end - a risk/reward continuum
there is the sleepover that you wish for but never comes
there is the un-invited sleepover that mixes pleasure(we hope) & tension
there is the surprise sleepover; the one where hygiene habits, snoring volumes & early morning behaviour can surprise as much as that 6 yr old pickle eater
however, having a dog to mind affects sleepover potential - but of course that depends on whether you are host or visitor
being a sleepover guest for dog owners requires going out about 10 PM & returning before 7 AM or there is a doggy-anger price to pay in terms of things chewed
being a sleepover guest for dog owners requires going out about 10 PM & returning before 7 AM or there is a doggy-anger price to pay in terms of things chewed; for those who must advise kids still at home that 'mom won't be home tonight' brings yet another dimension into play
being a sleepover host for dog owners requires little, especially if the visitor is bringing the dinner – but otherwise it is easy; the guest must rise early to go for a dog walk or else pack up to be gone by then which is the likely case if the guest is also a dog owner (see above)
most middle aged singles, when they do a sleepover, don't always do it because of romance as much as they do it because driving home alone late on a Friday or Saturday night to then sleep alone & wake up alone is enough to make one stay at home in the first place; when it is over, we sometimes mutter ‘never again’, but we are old & have short term memory loss
so . . the next time someone says c’mon over for dinner & bring your toothbrush, don’t be surprised if your whole life flashes before your eyes
sometimes, the benefit of having old friends visit, it is not the same - we can visit, mislay reading glasses, alter morning routines for a day, be OK with them leaving the toilet seat up & generally be ourselves without pretence, without any need to muffle the amount we snore or to shuffle our priorities for sex vis-à-vis sleep for a night or two
you need just pajamas & a toothbrush - to sleep, perchance to sleepover
I like sleepovers - I think I still do; sleepover; sometime soon I hope
‘it’s just a sleepover’ seems just as innocent as ‘it’s just a lunch’
gotta go . . lunch date
Mark
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