The Struggle

"I must hide for at least a year."-Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovskyas heard in the 2007 film"Tchaikovsky"Twenty-five years ago today:February 28, 1985ThursdayMy last day of February and I had a fair sales day--but one 'humdinger' of a day...Steffanya called me "seven" times. She gave me the bad news."Michael, my cousin Bill of CHICAGO told her he had cancer and that it may be terminal."I couldn't help but feel sad. She was so upset that he had not shared...

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"Neato Mosquito"

"Who knows? Our paths may cross again under different circumstances."Javier Bardem to Rebecca Hallin the film "Vicky, Cristina Barcelona"On Sunday, February 21, 2010 I was working in my office. Yes, I work on Sunday. I was in the middle of my Clutter Removal Project. There was another shoe box filled with cards and letters. I found four letters sent to me in 1989 from San Francisco. I was a volunteer in San Francisco where business professionals...

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Hold the Onions & the Pickles

Never will I lose, though, the lovely impression it all left on my soul and it will ever lure me on to return and will not be satisfied until I am merged into that dream again. You are my inspiration.-Nial Kent"The Divided Path"Twenty-five years ago today:February 26, 1985TuesdayI have low sales points today while Dale is selling away like mad. There are exactly three more months left until my next Birthday. WOW! The big 26!Steffanya received...

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Whatever Lola Wants Lola Gets

"She's got a crush on you and she's too young to know how to express herself."-Steig Larsson"The Girl Who Played With Fire"I was in the middle of a clutter removal project while in my office a few days ago and I came across a card/letter dated June 22, 1989 with the depiction of the Georges Seurat painting of THE LIGHTHOUSE AT HONFLEUR that hangs at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. The postmark on the envelope was from San Jose but...

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Break Through

I want to live in space, in the ideal regions no longer visited--the land of dreams from which one never returns.-Jules Verne"Paris in the Twentieth Century" (The Lost Novel)Twenty-five years ago today:February 24, 1985SundayThe telephone rang at 7:30AM. It was Steffanya. What nerve!"How could you call me at this time on a Sunday?""I had to tell you that I have Bay cruise tickets for April 16th!"I was still half asleep and still thinking about what...

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Kiss-Me-Quick

Far too much of the kiss-me-quick business going on.-John Rolfe Gardiner"Somewhere In France", a novelI was sent a series of comments by children who had to complete an assignment by writing about the OCEAN. I loved what they wrote:Mermaids live in the ocean. I like mermaids. They are beautiful and I like their shiny tails, but how on earth do mermaids get pregnant? Like, really?--Helen, age 6I'm not going to write about the ocean. My baby brother...

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Anonymous Admirer

She's running blindly now, pursued by a nameless fear, with no goal in mind.-Stefan Zweig"The Post-Office Girl"Twenty-five years ago today:February 22, 1985FridayI woke up at 7:30AM. I made it to work in San Francisco by 8:30AM! What a shock!Carl Brooks brought me a yogurt during lunch time. That was a thoughtful gesture. What a nice guy.Dale and I ate lunch at Natoma's and had another round of the usual office gossip. He is so informative....

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Attitudes & Adjustments

"You can be cautious but you have to let people in."-Joan Plowrightas heard in the 2003 film,"I Am David"Have you begun your "Second Life"? Your current job does NOT have to be your worst job. Create your own new, exciting virtual world and see how it goes. There was an article published in New Scientist Magazine on November 13, 2009 by Nic Fleming that spoke of one's ability to create a new, virtual world. You can do so now by going to "Second...

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Phone Sex

"What happened to the magic?"-as heard while watching the 1988 film"Bagdad Cafe"Did you ever read that book called "Vox" by Nicholson Baker? I read it when it was first published in the early 1990's. "Vox" is the story of Jim and Abby who meet over the phone when they both dial one of those 976 party lines that are advertised in adult magazines. After some exploratory small talk, they retire to the electronic "back room" for a more intimate chat....

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If

Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.-Oscar Wilde"The Picture of Dorian Gray"PHOTO: A writer near the Acropolis,Athens, Greece; September 14, 2004Photography by Michael J ArmijoA dear friend, Hanne Reid, of Vancouver shared a poem (by Rudyard Kipling) that was read during a memorial service for a man who died much too young. I was touched by the words and thought I would share them with...

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45 Lessons Life Taught Me

"Worry is interest paid on trouble that has not happened yet."-Meryl Streepin the 2007 film "Dark Matter" "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.It is the most-requested column I've ever written."-Regina Brett, 90 Years Old'The Plain Dealer', Cleveland, Ohio 1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone or loving someone whodoesn't...

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The Paintbox Theory

Perhaps when people treat you as if you're a shifty character, you don't want to spoil the picture, so you kind of carry on the myth.-James Kirkwood"Good Times Bad Times"I learned of 'The Paintbox Theory' while reading "Good Times Bad Times", a novel, by James Kirkwood. It went like this:When we're born, when the Big Joker in the Sky checks us out for our "enchanting" stay on earth, we're each handed a little tin paintbox and inside are a couple...

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What is a Best-Friend?

I have been mostly alone. Owing to family circumstances, you see. But apart from anything else, a good book is what I like best after supper. Always has been. Just recently I read in a prospectus a quotation from some writer or other,"A good book is the best-friend there is" and that's really true, it is so, a good book is the best-friend there is."-Franz Kafka"Wedding Preparations in the Country"A best-friend could also be the one friend who...

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