The Value Of Time

No one values of other peoples' time. Especially doctors. Right now I am livid. A 2:30pm eye doctors appointment is now over 2 hours late. Why does a fifteen minute appointment need to be two hours late. In my world 2:30 means 2:30. Not 4:30. Why do we put up with such nonsense? If I am late to the train, it pulls away without me. If I am late to a show, the show goes on. Where else can a person book 6 people within one hour, allotting a half hour for each? That means cramming 3 hours of time into 1 hour. No matter how you cut it, it won't fit. It is like putting toothpaste back into the tube. It gets ugly. We need to revolt and make a stand. We need to dock the doctor. That's right, dock the doctor. Minus $1 per minute for each minute we are made to wait. If it goes over 60, he will owe us $1 per minute. This will be called the "reverse dockage". I know this sounds irrational, but maybe that's what is needed. The same idea should apply to the phone company and furniture delivery trucks.

When Worlds Collide

The other day I heard someone talking about their worlds colliding. It took a few minutes to realize what they were talking about. They were referring to what happens, when one group of your friends meets another group of your friends. Most of the time, no good can come from it. That is why it is best to separate your circle of friends. Keep them in the dark about each other. Many years ago, my worlds collided. At the time, I did not know there was a terminology for it. I had one good friend, who was new to the neighborhood. She did not know a lot of people so I decided to be nice and include her in a "girls night out" dinner. I remember it, as if it was yesterday. We went to a Spanish restaurant. I had the shrimps with green sauce.  I was so happy that my new friend got along so well with my old friends. Little did I know what would happen. A few weeks later, my new friend and one of the old friends, introduced their husbands and a tight friendship was formed. They began to go out for dinners....without asking me. I didn't really care that much, but I know I never would have done that to her. I always think about the other person's feelings. Well, now it is twenty years later and I do not even know if they are still friends. It really doesn't matter. Since then I have been careful to avoid having my worlds collide.

Back To Reality

I am back from Florida and I am returning to work this morning. The flight home was a weird one. First, they changed the gate and decided not to tell anyone. When I went to the restroom, I noticed that the sign board said  the flight to Santa Domingo was on time. That's funny. The last time I looked it said that the flight to NY was on time. I asked the man behind the counter what was going on and he said "Oops, I forgot to make the announcement that there was a gate change". We all go to the correct gate and are informed that the television and music system of the aircraft were broken. Sorry. Now, I am thinking that I hope the radar isn't broken too. The man ahead of me decided to argue with the flight attendants about the snacks that were being served. The flight was turbulent and this morning, every bone in my body hurts. That has no bearing on the fact that I have still have to go to work today. I can only hope that there were no big problems while I was away. I will find out soon. At least I am off tomorrow. Then I can get back to my old routine.

Say My Name

Today is my last day in Florida. Yesterday, I went to the cemetery, to visit my in-laws. I do this every year. This was the first year I did not get lost going there. It is located on a Dead End street. No pun intended. When I arrive at the mausoleum, I stand under their grave placards and tell them what has been happening all year. I update them on their grandchildren and the world in general.When I am through, I tell them that I will be back next year to see them. Then, I start to exit the cemetery. That is when I start my goodbye ritual. It is a small cemetery and only has enough room for about 150 graves.  I go up and down the rows and say each name out loud. I stand at each grave for a moment and see how many family members are together and how old they were when they passed away. I believe that if I say their names, they know that they are being remembered. Once I have said my respects to all of them, I pick up a rock and place it on a random grave. In my religion, it shows that they have had a visitor. When I exit the cemetery, I have tears in my eyes. Tears for the deceased and tears for the families that loved them.

"D" Day

Today is "D" day. Twenty eight years ago, today, my younger son was born. It was on a Tuesday, just like today. In those days, you did not have a choice whether or not to know the sex of the baby. You just waited till you saw the lower half come out. He was a beautiful, healthy boy. He still is. He has all of the qualities you would want a son to have. He is honest. He is a hard worker. He is smart. He is loyal. He is loving. I see a lot of me, in him. The good and the bad. He is headstrong and will stand his ground, until the end. Sometimes when we butt heads, it is a contest of the wills, as to who will give in first. So far we are at 50/50. Today is not only his birthday. It is also his six month wedding anniversary. The six months flew by, even faster than the 28 years. Since I am still away, I will not be able to give him his birthday hug or his gift. Truth be told, he probably wants his gift, more that his hug, so I left it for him, before I went away. I wish you a lifetime of health and happiness, "D". You surely deserve it.

The Friendly Cookie

On Friday, in Key West, I passed a bakery. The smell from the freshly baked goods was unbelievable. I went in, to look at what they were selling. In the showcase were a few types of big cookies. One half pound cookies. They had chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and peanut butter. Even though they were five dollars each, I bought one. Normally, I would never spend $5 on one cookie. It just looked too good to pass up. I took the big cookie and sat at a table eating it. A few minutes later, a couple walked in, and went to the cookie counter. I saw them discussing the cookies and talking with the salesgirl. They started to walk out without buying the cookies. As they passed me, the woman said, "I hope that the cookie tastes as good as it looks". I replied that it did. She then said "All I wanted was a small taste, so I didn't want to spend $5. I told her that the cookies was far too big for me to eat it all, and I would love to give her a piece. She hesitated for a moment and looked at her husband, then said "Oh, I couldn't do that". I said to please take some, as it was really big and I would just be taking it home. She looked at her husband and gave me a little girl smile, and took the piece of the cookie. She kept thanking me. I was glad to share it. After a few more bites, I put the big cookie (now the 1/2 big cookie) into a bag and took it home. Saturday morning, me and the big cookie traveled 200 miles to my parents house. On Sunday morning, I went to a nearby Flea Market, just to browse. I took the big cookie with me, for a snack. After about an hour, my feet got tired, so I sat on a bench and began to break off pieces of my big cookie. Sitting next to me, was an elderly woman. She looked over at me and said "Can I buy a small piece of your cookie"? I said that she couldn't buy it, but I would be glad to give it. So, I broke off a small piece of the dwindling cookie. She looked so happy as she ate it. She turned to me and said "Never in my life, have I asked anyone for a bite of their food. I can't believe I just did that'" I said that this cookie has made three people happy so far, and she made my day, by asking for a bite. I still have a small piece of the big cookie left, and I hate to eat it. It was the friendliest cookie I ever had and don't want it to end.

Broadway Lullaby

I arrived at my parent's condominium yesterday. I seem to have brought the cold, New York weather with me. Living in a Florida condominium community, is like living in no other place in the world. It is comprised of people who are mostly over 70 years old. They have worked for most of their lives and feel that they have earned the right to have the day run their way. With this, they have brought with them a very humorous way of living. I am a voyeur, when I am here. I silently watch what goes on and laugh to myself. Take last night for example. It started off at the diner. The food is good and plentiful and the prices are reasonable. The only thing wrong, is the nasty hostess. The people tell the hostess their name and she puts it on the list.She then gives then a nasty look and tells them to go outside and wait. As they walk outside to wait their turn, each person passes me by and says "what a bitch". We eat our meal and head on to the theater. We then wait to park, as the cars ahead of us slowly empty out their passengers. I mean slowly. Half of them stop getting out of the car and start to talk to each other. They do not care that they are clogging traffic. Let them wait. We enter the lobby and all of the people are talking about last night's show. Depending on who you were talking to, the comedian was either hilarious or terrible. The theater doors open and everyone finds their seats, but no one sits down. They scan the theater to see who is also there. Their necks are like owls, literally turning 360 degrees. Then I hear the "roll call".  "There's Fred". "Where"? "There". "Where"? "Next to Norma". "Oh, now I see him". 'There's Lenny"? "Where"? "There." "Who is he with"? "I can't see". "Why is Judy sitting in the front"? "How did she get those seats"? The lights dim, and the announcer comes out. "Welcome to the world famous Palace Theater". The lady behind me shouts out "cut the shit about the world famous theater." Her husband says "shhh" and the man next to him says "the announcer is new." His wife replies "he is not new, he just lost weight." The show starts, and it was very entertaining. I even ignored the wrong words to the songs. I was probably the only one that heard, "Give my regards to Broadway. Remember me to HArold square." So, Herald was now Harold. No one noticed but me. After the show, back out int the lobby, the people gave their reviews. "I loved it". "I hated it." "The costumes were beautiful." "The costumes were gaudy." I just stood there and smiled. I was there with my 88 year old parents. I could have been watching an egg fry and be happy.