Sweepstakes
My dad was big into sweepstakes, taking advantage of every offer that came in the mail. I’ve entered a few in my life…even purchased a few lottery tickets…but never to the extent he did. It became an obsession for him after my mother died, which explains how he was scammed by the man who called to tell him he had won the Canadian lottery. Dad wired a boat-load of money to Canada, supposedly to insure the delivery of a million dollar check, and never saw a dime in return. But the sweepstakes were not much better. Daddy believed that by making a purchase he would increase his odds of winning, so purchase, he did. He bought book after book after book that he didn’t read or need. Even purchased multiple copies of some books. He had stacks of...
Dead
The Grateful Dead have been around forever, it seems. I’ve heard their name since the sixties, but can’t say I was ever a fan. I was more into beach music and Motown. Loved the Beatles, Four Seasons, Supremes and Carpenters. From the albums I noted in George’s apartment back in the eighties when we started dating, his tastes were quite different: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Riders of the Purple Sage, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Dylan and yes, the Grateful Dead. This music, what I knew of it, seemed rough and earthy to me, conjuring images of drugs, alcohol and endless sex. Far removed from the safe music I favored. I will confess that I went to a Jimi Hendrix concert when I was in ninth grade, at the insistence of a...
Drivers
There was a shooting a few days ago. A guy was driving down the road when another driver shot and killed him, then fled the scene. It’s understandably concerning…a busy road, middle of the afternoon, killer still on the loose. Citizens are concerned. Was it a random killing? Will it happen again? What was the motive? What efforts are being made to identify the killer? Will I be next? So many questions. So few answers. At least none that you will learn from the media. On the news tonight, a reporter, live from the general vicinity of the shooting, interviewed two men. Identified as Drivers. These men expressed opinions that the killer should be found and brought to justice and what a shame it was for the dead man and his family. They voiced concern...
Brown
My dog hates Brown. I’m not sure what created the animosity. Perhaps it stems from the years Prince was kept in our yard by means of an invisible fence. The fence kept him in, but didn’t keep others out, so the Brown driver could easily enter our yard to leave a package at the front door. Prince didn’t like it one bit. Sometimes when I brought the packages inside, I would see the words, BAD DOG, written on them. This made me curious about what transpired when I was not at home. I never smelled pepper spray, but I guess, instead, Prince got kicked or hit by the drivers—not that I blame them. If a big, loud dog came tearing after me, I would try to fend it off any way I could. It’s been three or four years since we depended on the...
Anxiety
Thirty cents. That’s all it took to ruin my day. Reconciling the bank statements at my office is not simple, especially for the main account with its numerous transactions. And it’s time-consuming, so I am delighted when I can quickly check off everything via QuickBooks and get that desired balance of zero. But today, there was a difference of thirty cents. Thirty. Measly. Cents. Poop. I went back through every deposit, studying the numbers to the right of the decimals. Then I went through every check and debit listed. Every single one. No discrepancy anywhere. That’s when I noticed in the reconciliation screen that the beginning balance was thirty cents different from the amount shown on the bank statement. How could that be? I pulled out...
Gossip
Seventh grade science was a most memorable class. It was Miss Miller’s first year to teach. She was an odd-looking little teacher, quiet and unsure of herself. Our class had far too many rabble-rousers to make it enjoyable for her. Miss Miller had no idea how to keep order and the energetic boys took full advantage, running the class as if they were in charge. Some of them were always in the restroom, missing the teaching as much as possible. Miss Miller never seemed to catch on to the fact that they didn’t really need to go. A few of the girls were wild, as well. Rhonda brought chocolate chip cookies to class one day and made a point of telling the female half of the class not to eat any. Turns out, she had used chocolate Ex-Lax in her batter...
Recent Comments