What’s top of my mind: Travel arrangements. So many people to visit and so little time to do so! Visiting Father remains the priority; I need to get in a few trips including late July while Brother #3 et. al. go on holiday. I have lots of desire to travel, mostly to visits chums many whom are well over four feet. Here’s some places to go and people to see:

A couple of conferences – hopefully in towns where I can meet up with people (Penguin and Hamster; Raven and Vic/Jeff; Tim and Larry – to name a few):

Santa Fe for the opera and Utah for the Shakespeare festival.

Chicago for a fundraiser and see The Personal Financier (who is also well over four feet).

Palm Springs again to see Fearsome Beard and anyone else who wants to show.

Getting any trips accomplished will that some effort and now is the time to do so.

Where I’ve been: Beating about the bush. The backyard has two rawther large bushes of ? species that have become messy and overrunning the sidewalk, so a few weeks ago on Sundays I started hacking away at them. There is a lot of dead branches too, which I am slowly pruning. The bushes are looking less shaggy but also are a fraction of their original size. There is a part of me that thinks it best to prune them way back and let’em start from scratch. It feels pleasant to be doing some gardening again.

Where I’m going:  The Princess Bride. The Phoenix Symphony Orchestra occasionally does a gimmick where they show a movie while the orchestra plays the music. This Friday they are doing ‘The princess bride”. I have never seen this movie. For usual concerts The PSO is lucky to get an auditorium that half full but this show is sold out for all three shows. I am just as curious to see who is the audience. I hear tell thems who like this movie are quite devoted, like Rocky Horror picture show fanatics.

Have you seen this movie?

What I’m watching: Great Expectations – maybe. I am a big fan of Charles D, so I was eager to see the latest rendition of “Great Expectations” on Hulu. I reread the book last year so the story was fresh in my mind. Oh the horror. Thems in charge of this version are taking great liberties with the characters, adding all sorts of shenanigans not in the book. In this production Pip’s sister is a dominatrix and Miss Havisham is an opium addict and a panderer. It feels like the director thinks the story itself won’t hold attention unless he makes it somewhat lurid. I kept commenting out loud ‘that’s not in the book’ enough for Someone to question our continuation of watching it and he’s not wrong. I may see one more chapter before pulling the plug.

What I’m reading: Old science fiction. On the ‘to-read’ shelf for many years is a used 1950s paperback of science fiction. Whenever I open a book I stick my nose into it for a whiff. This one elicited an an instant euphoria of memory before my frontal lobes connected the dots what it was. I purchased this one in an used bookstore in Key West FL – how many years ago I wonder? The smell brought back memories of the dusty slightly damp bookstore and all that was Key West in its glory. In side the book in red ink is the bookstore’s bookmark with its address on Truman St. So far the book isn’t very good, in fact it’s a bit cheesy and dated – real 50s stuff, but the touch and smell of the thing is remarkable and marvelous to me.

What I’m listening to:  St. Clements choir. During the Lenten season I listen to more quiet/spiritual music. St. Clements Choir does a fine job with Old Dead Nuns tunes:

What I’m eating: KFC. Sometimes we go to Uncle Albertsons for ‘chicken and sides’ but Someone has been lately disappointed with him as when we do go we get the dried remnants. The other day he proposed he go get a bucket of chicken at KFC. Patience above! We haven’t had KFC in so long I don’t remember when. He came home with enough chicken and sides to feed us for several days. I thought the chicken sort of tasteless and the coating soggy. Was KFC better in my youth I wonder, or have I grown picky in age?

Who needs a good slap: Whoever ate all the sweets in the office candy dish. Every so often I buy a bag of sweets for the candy dish located at the check-out window at the PHX office. On Monday last I brought in a bag of milk chocolate eggs, individually wrapped in pastel colored foil. By noon the whole bag was nearly gone; only a few remained. This is a puzzle as I only a few folks at most actually came to the office that morning. I suspect one of the patients went away with more than the implied ‘one per customer” portion.

On my 1-5 scale, I give the greedy-guts one slap.

Who gets a fist bump: Mr. Bezos’ minions. The evil empire that is Amazon has its faults but sometimes I am most grateful they are there. Last weekend I brought home the office coffee pot to wash (as is my wont) but I broke it (which is not my wont). Asking The House Manager to replace it through the proper channels would take time and that means no coffee at the PHX office for awhile. The howl of sharpened famine for this loss echoes through the kingdom of hell down to the very throne itself. I wrote Mr. Bezos on Saturday to send me a replacement pot and lo! it was there on my doorstep by Sunday afternoon. At work no one is the wiser.

What I’m planning:  A freezer cleanse. There are several Tupperware containers of ‘mystery items’. I am taking them out one at a time to thaw in the fridge for a look-see. What’s coming out of the deep freeze isn’t looking that appetizing so it is all going down the disposal. It’s a waste of time and effort. At least it frees up space in the freezer and some Tupperware containers. Next time something goes in it gets a label and used in a timely manner.

What’s making me smile: My industry. I used to write in my journal only on the days I thought there was something noteworthy to record. In these past few years since covid times, there is often hardly anything to write, which makes for thin journals. It’s sort of bleak looking. I decided to write something, anything on a daily basis even if it is just my thoughts. According to the “Way of Life” app today I hit 500 days in a row for writing. Good for me! The contents aren’t often much, but I’ve done it.