kayewer

Author Archives: kayewer
- Gee, Thanks!
  
  Posted at 2:07 pm by kayewer, on November 20, 2022
  We are now officially four days away from the start of the chaotic end of the year. Everything from the day after Thanksgiving/Black Friday and the second day of January is all about consumerism, commuting and mental confusion.
  
  Black Friday is known as the day when everybody shops, so retail goes “into the black” on the profit charts. Many major retail stores gave up on the idea of opening on Thanksgiving Day and are back to throwing open the doors Friday morning with–if supply issues don’t get in the way–bargains galore for people who think they will get all their holiday shopping done in one day, in advance, and have time to relax. It never works out that way.
  
  For one thing, who knows people’s sizes? And what do you get the man who has everything? Or the teenager who has money to buy everything for themselves? There is always gift cards.
  
  The deliveries, repackaging and mailing of presents, in the meantime, goes on for weeks, and it even bleeds over into the days after the holidays when the late packages manage to find their way home. The postal service is probably the happiest to be in the black of anybody. It is the season for cards and colorful envelopes and stamps themed for religious or non-denominational joy.
  
  Since this is the first Thanksgiving in two years to be considered fully back to normal, millions of people plan to travel to visit relatives this year. This usually means flying or driving, though some people take trains. I have never had to travel for the holiday, so I don’t know if it goes well. I suppose it’s easier to bring a homemade pie on a train than a plane. In fact, it’s probably illegal on a plane, simply because the airlines probably starve the flight crew. The best Thanksgivings we had involved a ten-minute drive with an ice cream cake and a calendar for our host; it was an annual tradition that ended two years ago when the host went to live in a facility closer to family.
  
  Whether you celebrate one, two or more, or none of the upcoming December holidays, you can’t help but become involved in the amazing display of madness going on as people attempt to take on too much before the end of the year. The best part of the start of the holiday season is knowing it, too, will end on schedule on January 2.
  
  For that, we can all be thankful.
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- Step on a Bucket
  
  Posted at 4:29 pm by kayewer, on November 12, 2022
  Today I’m going to pretend that I’m a patron at the movie theater who is not like me at all:
  
  “Wow, I’m at the movies, and my boyfriend is paying for everything; the ticket, the big bucket of popcorn, and the extra large soda which will be my dinner for tonight. If my sidepiece passed an infection on to me when we grabbed some whoopie the other night, I can just pay it forward when my main squeeze and I get it on later.
  
  “I’ll just wipe my buttery hands all over the armrests; heck, they have people to clean these, right? Oops, spilled the rest of my soda. Oh well, the ice cubes will melt. I’m sure not picking up the lid and the straw. They touched the floor!
  
  “Movie is over already? I’ll just drop the popcorn bucket on the floor, too. It doesn’t look cool to walk out of the movie theater with an empty container. Besides, I may get checked out by somebody who will become my third piece.
  
  “Oh, those 3D glasses? I can just drop them and somebody else will pick them up.”
  
  I know this actually happened, because the people sitting next to me in the theater left their food items strewn about, and that includes leaving a soda cup in the cup holder, which annoys me. In second place is other food containers crammed in to fit the cup holder. I nearly stepped on the popcorn bucket. I saw at least three pairs of 3D glasses on the floors in the middle of or against walls, when several bins specifically for them were available on the way out of the auditorium.
  
  It is this type of irresponsibility that causes clutter and possible hazards such as tripping or sliding. Just because a movie theater is dark, doesn’t mean people should behave with impunity and allow others to suffer the side effects of ignorance or entitlement.
  
  The short films that tell you to look for the exits and turn off your devices have neglected the part about taking trash with you, but that does not mean you may dump your disposables anyplace.
  
  My idea of the perfect petty revenge would be to obtain DNA samples from those discarded items, trace them to their owners, transport them to said owners’ properties and place them prominently at their front doors with huge signs reading “You forgot these at the AMC Downtown Pedunk.”
  
  My idea of misdemeanor punishment is having somebody stand on a busy public street holding empty food containers, since this seems to be the most abhorrent thing ever to most folks. I don’t get it, but maybe they might.
  
  It’s better than getting a disease from your sidepiece.
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- After Hours “A”
  
  Posted at 4:37 pm by kayewer, on November 5, 2022
  The idea behind curfews and noise ordinances is that life is better when some activities are not done in some places at certain times of the day or evening. Once bedtime approaches, people are expected to not make excessive noise, for example.
  
  Somebody in my neighborhood didn’t get the memo. Early this morning, at an unknown hour because I black out the LED on my alarm clock, somebody blasted radio music from their car. Not once, but twice.
  
  It’s understandable that some people work the night shift and may need some stimulus to remain awake while doing their jobs or returning home, but those should be private when the block is dark and people are trying to sleep. It’s hard enough to sleep with politics, international tensions and the economy (not to mention alcohol or late running sports events), so why would somebody broadcast their music preferences–good or bad–at some ungodly hour and awaken the whole neighborhood?
  
  Perhaps they are hard of hearing. Perhaps they are not empathetic to others’ comfort zone being violated. Maybe they don’t like having to work at night and prefer bringing the world down with them or getting fired to quitting.
  
  The popular social media question is if a person would be considered an alimentary canal for doing a particular thing, also known as “AITA.” In this case, yes they are.
  
  When the world is trying to sleep, it is proper to keep noise to a minimum and manners in check. This is why bars encourage designated drivers to reign in their overzealous drinking friends, and why music has a cut-off time.
  
  I’m not sure if I want to find out who the person is, carousing about at such a time and waking us all up.
  
  If you like to do late night stakeouts, let me know.
  
  Better yet, don’t; I won’t be able to sleep.
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- Words to Confuse
  
  Posted at 3:56 pm by kayewer, on October 30, 2022
  When Thor said in Avengers: Infinity War that “all names are made up,” he was honing a conversation down to something basic. We assign letters out of our language to things in word form, and hopefully they aptly apply to them. Some words draw a picture of beauty, others not so much. Sometimes names can be confusing, because they don’t conjure an image or concept. They are just letters on a sign.
  
  Two businesses I passed the other day reminded me that names are not always the draw, and may even look funny on a sign. The first was a seafood restaurant satellite location called Oceancrat. And did I mention that the “A” is represented by a flame? When I saw the sign, I wasn’t sure if the flame represented an “O” or an “A,” and I took the time to look it up. That’s what writers do: learn about new words and meanings. I had hoped to learn some nautical term about crab fishing or something. there wasn’t such a definition there. “Crat” normally refers to a governing head (bureaucrat), so perhaps the name means “Ruler of the Ocean.” I think Aquaman would be a bit offended at the idea of a place serving sea creatures to diners thinks it rules the ocean. I suppose I should visit and see how the ruling class serves seafood dinners.
  
  The second business is a new salon named Vek. I really struggled with this name, because it gives the mouth a workout and doesn’t give any first impression of what they are. Again, I looked them up, and the salon takes care of hair and makeup with a variety of treatment options, performed by two experienced people.
  
  Admittedly, as I read and saw in the short definition the term Brazilian, I immediately thought they also removed hair from the bikini zone, but it’s a type of hair treatment for the head not involving removal of any kind. I sighed with relief.
  
  Of course I’m not one to judge, since I’m from the generation who used a shampoo called Breck. What the heck.
  
  Any words with V or K sounds can jar the ears, as anybody knows when cranking the volume up on the Victrola. And why we call the undead vampires and not coffincrats.
  
  So the question is whether I should have my hair done before going out for seafood.
  
  Or whether our language effectively communicates what people need to know when a new business opens.
  
  I’ll try to find some answers, because I’m no hypocrite. Or is that hypocrat?
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- Eat Your Greens
  
  Posted at 4:31 pm by kayewer, on October 22, 2022
  I always liked my vegetables when I was a kid. That made me a bit of an oddball, because most kids balk at vegetables of any kind. Today I watch how I eat veggies. Because transporting and stocking them is a challenge, and we want to avoid preservatives, fresh is considered best, followed by frozen and then canned (because of sodium content). Any vegetarian will tell you it’s a great way to eat, but I still like my proteins to not come from a piece of tofu, so the veggies are simply a side dish must.
  
  In the past year I discovered avocados. A fellow at the farmer’s market showed me how to find ripe ones, though occasionally I still accidentally try to cut into a premature clunker hidden in a mesh bag among ones which are ready to become guacamole. The best way to deal with avocados is with a medium sized spoon and sharp knife; the latter to cut and remove the pit, and the former to scoop out the joys within.
  
  Instead of just a slice of avocado toast, I’ve found they make good sandwiches when placed between two well-toasted slices of whole grain wheat. They don’t need much doctoring, either. A sprinkle of onion powder and pepper, and maybe some lemon juice (which also slows down the browning process).
  
  Another newer veggie for me is roasted brussels sprouts. They seem to be in second place to green beans in prepared meals at the grocer, and seem to pick up some pleasant flavors roasted, without having to resort to butter sauce (which is how frozen versions of those round guys often come). I ate them back in the day, but not often, because they weren’t a favorite with any of us at the table. They have a distinct flavor, and are an acquired taste.
  
  Other acquired veggie choices include broccolini and greens. These are a more bitter choice, so they don’t get into prepared meals as much, but they certainly are healthy and welcome in any balanced dinner. The stems of broccolini are thinner, and the crowns look rather floppy compared to regular broccoli, but still they work well.
  
  Green beans have become more popular, especially if they’re breaded and cooked to eat like fries. They always seem too long when whole, and try to escape the plate when cut. That’s when French style comes into play. These darlings stay put on a plate, and with a little seasoning mix on them, they’re quite tasty.
  
  As for the champion of green veggies–peas–may go, I prefer mine with little pearl onions. It classes them up and gives them character. You can even throw in some little mushrooms. Just keep in mind that little ones will ultimately use them to shore up mashed potato castles on the plate. Which is fine, because they’re round anyway and tend to roll around if not contained by something.
  
  Like gravy.
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- Pessimystical
  
  Posted at 4:33 pm by kayewer, on October 15, 2022
  Some people just can’t stop being wet blankets. No matter what the topic is, they have to do something to lessen how nice it could be. All week I dealt with nothing but Grumpy Gusses and Gerties complaining about something or other, and none of it is important enough to matter that much. In fact, a week from now, their source of complaint won’t even be around anymore. What a waste of time, just to put a negative spin on stupid things.
  
  TV show? It sucks. Storm cleared? The next one will be worse. New movie coming out? What a joke. I accomplished something? Here, have some snarky political malarkey.
  
  Yes, that really happened. I posted that, after a couple years of effort, I ranked first in an online game, and somebody came back with words of sarcasm about our current leadership climate to put a damper on it.
  
  I didn’t take the bait. Nobody will take that accomplishment away: it’s in the books. So there.
  
  Science has shown that the healthiest people are positive thinkers, and health problems seem to plague pessimists more. That doesn’t stop some folks from being the rain on the parade at every opportunity. I wonder what it’s like to have heartburn all the time. Pessimists have shorter lifespans. Maybe a “thank goodness” is in order? No, it’s better to wish that they would lighten up and live longer.
  
  Sort of reminds me of Kreacher, the house elf serving Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series. It seemed he always complained and mumbled to himself about endless bits of negativity. Even Sirius admonished him to contain his “bile” at one point. Negativity on such a level is insufferable and accomplishes nothing.
  
  Life certainly isn’t a bed of roses all the time, but at some point finding the good in a situation is as necessary as breathing. In some cases it can restore balance when things seem to be going wrong.
  
  I wish some of the grumps I dealt with this week could have taken a step back for a moment. Sometimes it lets a little more light in.
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- Two Topics
  
  Posted at 5:55 pm by kayewer, on October 8, 2022
  In the movie My Fair Lady, the said lady (in training to speak properly) was restricted to only two subjects in casual conversation, to prevent her atrocious Cockney accent from appearing at an inappropriate moment. The topics were the weather and people’s health. She was to say such carefully memorized things as “the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.” As to the subject of health, she managed to cause a controversy anyway, bringing up an ailing aunt who, in a fit of sudden strength, bit through a spoonful of gin meant to help cure her sickness.
  
  I have been unfortunate enough to have caused a stir on my own this past week which may have cost me an old friend, though in my defense I merely dug deeper into a topic by posing a question, and it was to somebody else and not her. She then came back at me for no real reason that I can fathom, and said that I was being a bully. Folks who know me will dispute that, and normally that would include her, so the accusation was truly out of the blue. I regret that we may never get down to the true nature of her upset, but I have placed the return volley on her side of the net, and it may well succumb to the elements before it is ever dealt with. A sad turn of events. I feel sorry for the forgotten tennis ball.
  
  If we all stuck to small talk, we would never get to the bottom of anything. A well handled discussion of any topic can bring about resolution or, at least, compromise, if we agree to disagree. Being censored or accused without proper backing only causes more dischord.
  
  My blog is designed to provide some observations and ask questions, so if I must restrict myself to things which can be discovered by watching the newscast or asking how one is feeling today, I would have no purpose in posting at all.
  
  The toughest issues are ones we sometimes feel we can’t talk about. We still must discuss them. I will try in the future to be less subject to scrutiny while maintaining a standard of writing which may bring you to think and examine further into issues beyond the weather and health.
  
  Me? It’s sunny out, and I have sore feet.
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- Curtain Call
  
  Posted at 4:45 pm by kayewer, on October 1, 2022
  It’s a new season in theatre, but Broadway is having a hard time getting back on its feet. Performance venues there (and at the local level) are all struggling to find shows, restart their schedules and attract audiences. When a production such as Phantom of the Opera closes on Broadway, you know times are tough. The wondrous show has been at the Majestic Theatre since January 1988 and will close for good just after celebrating 35 years onstage.
  
  The big problem–as with everything while we’re finding our way back to a new normal–is whether rows of patrons packed together in an enclosed space is safe, and can audiences return to the idea of going out for enjoyment. In a century, nobody imagined we would have had the situation we did, and when Broadway went dark, an entire industry shut down. With it went the escape of entertainment we grew to depend upon. Now that we are also dealing with the stress of socializing again, we face a new threat, as evildoing individuals bring extreme weaponry to public places to send a message to total strangers.
  
  Perhaps it takes bravery to get back to normal.
  
  We need to step out into the changes we have yet to adapt to. We need to sit within a few inches of other human beings and look ahead to that stage or screen where we all intend to share a singular experience.
  
  The cast and crew of Phantom will move on to other things, and another production will find its way to its new home, where it may flourish for 35 years. Whatever happens, we will certainly find a way to restore something of what we had before. Part of that is going back to the theatre.
  
  A new season, and a new reason. Hope to see you sitting next to me.
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- Self Belief
  
  Posted at 4:31 pm by kayewer, on September 24, 2022
  We have all given ourselves a pep talk or two (hundred) these past few years, mostly to get ourselves through some stressful moments. The lack of improvement in what has caused the stress hasn’t made it any easier to try to perk ourselves up, because our efforts to try and make ourselves feel better seem to be devoid of any validity.
  
  Our commercials are placing a lot of emphasis on chasing our dreams and accepting who we are as individuals. Even dog food ads promote lives well-lived, for the canines as well as their humans. The problem is that even the bad guys chase their dreams and accept who they are as individuals. Whether they see it or not, they’re wrong. We can’t seem to be able to stop them. Which adds to our own stress and the need for more pep talks.
  
  Sometimes the rewards for being good people seem to take forever to appear, while the bad people receive almost instant gratification. We have to remind ourselves that bad people get a lot of rewards quickly because the rewards themselves are meaningless. They tend to pursue the same reward, get it again and again, and are never happy with what they received. The rewards good people receive are fulfilling, meaningful and humbling. Compare the evil overlord who defeats yet another army, to the underling among his army who returns home to spouse and children, and you will see the truth of it. The overlord goes on to defeat another army, and another, until none are left or defeat fells them. The underling has the warmth of hearth and home to receive him back, while the overlord rarely returns home.
  
  Prior to any type of competitive event, the masses on either side tend to perform rituals to psych themselves for what is coming. There is self-inflating chanting and encouraging words, whether it’s a battle of hundreds against hundreds or many against a handful. We reinforce our daily lives with talk of self-worth and, whether we win or lose, we regroup and start again later.
  
  The bad people have it rougher, because their pep talks are often laced with words to turn self-doubt and fear into hatred for the “other guy.” Good people talk about playing to their own strengths, ensuring an honorable match and a desire to win. The key word is desiring a win, not making it a coup to wipe out the other side at all costs.
  
  The true victories are not in making oneself seem greater by eliminating those who are not yourself, but in knowing who you are and who they are, and you both manage to live your lives anyway. You should not have to lie to yourself to feel better. Just have a little pep talk about how you can succeed because you are strong, resilient and able.
  
  The face in the mirror is always the one you have to face in life, so make sure that face staring back at you is an honorable one.
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- Field Trip
  
  Posted at 2:57 pm by kayewer, on September 18, 2022
  I just returned from a car ride that took a total of ten hours and about six hundred miles to complete. Some people do that in an RV all the time, but I’m not an RV person. I just sat down in my typical vanilla four-door gas-powered vehicle, with a bottle of beverage and the directions by my side, and headed out early in the morning.
  
  I was reminded of Tom Hanks’ character in the movie The Terminal. He traveled to New York from a foreign country, simply to obtain an autograph, but ended up spending months trapped at the airport because his home country lost its international recognition status due to a political coup. Even though I was only traveling through another state, my purpose was similar: I was going to a gift shop for a specific purchase, and I had no expectations of being detained or prevented going home again. Still, some people would find that frivolous. I call it adventure.
  
  The drive was one of the most pleasant I’ve had in forty years. The early fall foliage met my view every hour, with barely cloudy skies and the sun at my back. I went through four mountain tunnels, saw plenty of cattle, goats, horses and deer, and huge stretches of nothing but farm country and bucolic barns and silos dotting the background. I drank when my ears popped, shifted in the seat at least twice an hour, and stayed away from the rest areas except for the one time I had to fuel up.
  
  The only major hiccup I experienced was the act of having to pump my own gas, being from a full service region. Still I managed, after figuring out not reading the directions on the pump was the way to go. It was also unusual to not need a toll road ticket. Apparently the cameras captured my vehicle plates and they’ll bill me. That will not be a surprise I look forward to in the mail, because I figured it out, and the cost was the equivalent of something else I could have bought at the gift shop.
  
  Still, the visit was worth every cent, especially since using the toll road took an hour or more from my drive time. I drove up one winding road and down another and came upon my destination, tucked neatly into the mountainous middle of nowhere, and I was met by friendly people who remembered I had called the week before and were happy to see me. I’m not even the furthest-traveled, I learned, because some folks came from two states away to visit regularly.
  
  That’s when you know you’re from a dedicated group of people.
  
  So it’s a day later and I’m tired and behind on most of my usual weekend projects. My plan is to reward my car with an oil change, and to not drive more than ten miles the rest of the week.
  
  I wonder it it would be worth trying a non-toll road for the next excursion?
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- Feedback
  
  Eden on A Good Rabbit Hole
  Eden on Free Secretary
  Eden on Getting the Message
  Eden on The Unasked Questions
  Eden on And Her Shoes Were #9

	Eden on A Good Rabbit Hole
	Eden on Free Secretary
	Eden on Getting the Message
	Eden on The Unasked Questions
	Eden on And Her Shoes Were #9

Author Archives: kayewer

Posted at 2:07 pm by kayewer, on November 20, 2022

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Posted at 4:29 pm by kayewer, on November 12, 2022

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Posted at 4:37 pm by kayewer, on November 5, 2022

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Posted at 3:56 pm by kayewer, on October 30, 2022

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Posted at 4:31 pm by kayewer, on October 22, 2022

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Posted at 4:33 pm by kayewer, on October 15, 2022

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Posted at 5:55 pm by kayewer, on October 8, 2022

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Posted at 4:45 pm by kayewer, on October 1, 2022

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Posted at 4:31 pm by kayewer, on September 24, 2022

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Posted at 2:57 pm by kayewer, on September 18, 2022

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