Photography, seeking, writing…and learning along the way. Want to come along?!
Due to circumstance, I tend to spend quite a bit of time on my own these days. Today, with temperatures above 40, I decided to get out and see what was happening in the neighborhood.
I am happy to report– the sidewalks are clearing and lots of smiles are on the faces of people who are out and about. My neighbor, Scott, was tending to the ritual of clearing ice and snow off his roof. Enjoy my view!
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/photo-challenge-window/
Five meant
Mark was still alive and barely grown,
Just 17
A musical feast…
A traveling wonder to one so young as I
Just a little sister
Who adored the hero man/boy who
Taught me to color inside and outside the lines and yell, loud.
And spun me about by the arms and legs, faster, FASTER, FASTER
Until mother would emerge at the back door, yelling, ‘you’ll dislocate her arms…”
I am still five, at the heart of it.
You are still my hero.
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/01/10/daily-prompt-hero/
The triumphant return of the red sparkle toy
The four-year ritual is upon me, renewal of my Minnesota state driver’s license. I turn a whopping 56 in February (but don’t feel, or act, a day over… well– it’s all relative, I suppose :-)).
As I suited up (long underwear, scarves, double mittens) and went to jam my foot in my right insulated boot, I felt something I had not noticed yesterday. A round, red, sparkly cat toy! Bagheera’s favorite! Long-lost, apparently since the boots were worn last winter. Looking for him, I could see he was already dead to the world, buried under a quilt. Play-time would have to wait.
The birth certificate
This year I go to the DMV armed with my birth certificate. At some point I became “Chris Louise…” on my license. The dreaded nickname– ‘Chris’; the name that causes airport security to look me over thrice because it does not match the name on the ticket; the name to which Chris Alfieri ( a BOY) and I both responded when the teacher called upon us (to our mutual horror) in the 3rd grade.
Happy endings
The woman at the DMV was lovely, my name is now amended and Bagheera is, once again, in possession of the fave toy. My boot fits better, too.
…and in the beginning (of the mid-life career change) is more shameless self-promotion!
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/01/03/photo-challenge-beginning/
It is already old news. Minnesota, and much of the upper Midwest, is really in the deep freeze. With the backyard thermometer reading -20 (Fahrenheit), I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to visit The North Pole – restaurant, that is, in Newport, MN, a few miles outside of St. Paul.
Mary North and her husband David (pharmacist/ owner of the attached drugstore) are proud to be the third generation of Norths to operate the family business– in the present location since 1952. Once a general pharmacy with soda fountain for patrons, the restaurant business became an entity in its own right in 1958. The North’s son Brian serves as Manager, while daughter Tricia is a pharmacist, working with her dad.
The North Pole is a community hub; a place for regulars to meet and enjoy a home-cooked meal. Mary knows many by name– and the frequency with which they visit.
This morning, budding novelist, Dawn Plessel, was having breakfast with her husband and son. “I often come here to work on my book…it is half-way done!”
My friend Holly, who was with me, shared that places like The North Pole are central to the life of small towns and communities. Growing up in the rural Midwest, she recalled a café that was the heartbeat of her hometown. “Everybody watched out for each other…”
When I was 20 and a grad student at the University of Michigan, I worked as a Domino’s Pizza™ ‘phone girl’. Seriously. It was safer in the shop that delivering to drunken frat boys.
Memories of this job popped into my head as a new Domino’s commercial sped by on the TV screen just now. It is ‘football Sunday’. I don’t usually watch football, but I am alternating between a great book (more about that later), baking– and the pre-game show…while temps hover around -10 outside.
But I digress.
Flash back to 1981:
“Domino’s Pizza, may I take your order please?”
“Yeah, hey, we’re havin’ a group over at Beau’s and need 25 pies…”
I took the order and went to rally a driver for the delivery. Mayhem ensued.
“Jesus girl, do you know whose order you just took??!!”
“The one for 25…”
The manager cut me off. “Call the number back and make sure it’s on the up-and-up.”
It was.
(Beau Schembechler coached football at Michigan from 1969 to 1989 (he infamously turned down a $3 million offer from Texas A&M in 1982). He began his tenure as head coach at Michigan with a rallying cry to his players: “Those who stay will be champions.”) Wikipedia
The new ad suggests that it is best to place your order online; calling in is just a bumbling process. Ha!
BIG mistake Domino’s.
M Go BLUE!
WOW! I am starting off the New Year with a bang. The results are in from the latest job entries:
*In house Travel Writer: “Thank you for your interest in the Associate Travel Writer (in-house) position at D****P***G*. We have reviewed your application, and unfortunately we are unable to offer you a position at this time.” (I suspected this would be the outcome due to a rather nascent interest in travel writing, but one never knows.)
And then…
After an amusing visit to the post office, I also decided to apply for a position as a part-time mail carrier. This is a very straightforward process, all online. After a standard employment application one takes an exam via a computer delivery method. 180 (or so) questions later, I just knew, unless I lied through my teeth, the outcome would be bleak. The (desired) employ-ability factors seemed to be: absolute emotional fortitude– no matter what scenario might be unfolding, accepting authority without question, saying yes to repetitive tasks, and so on. Here is a snap shot of my immediate, automated rejection letter (in PDF format). I will not bore you with all three pages…
CITY CARRIER (2310-2009) INELIGIBLE
CITY CARRIER ASSISTANT 1 (2310-0045) INELIGIBLE
Brava! My sense of humor is in great shape and I am on to new adventures. Day 3 awaits!
West Seventh Freelance 
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