Wednesday, September 28, 2016

The face that launched a thousand ships

As is the norm on our sojourns, My Beloved and I went shopping, as is our habit to do when we're on vacation. We're with friends and we hit some stores we might not normally hit when it's just the two of us. All in all I don't mind shopping when on vacation. It's only when I'm not that I hate it. Being a retail manager for sixty hours a week doesn't really allow me to enjoy being in stores when I'm not at work. It's kind of a hazard of the trade, so to speak.

Well, we hit a store that I'm sure I've been in before and with the recent topics of body shaming so prevalent in the news recently, this store gave cause for me to veer toward this topic. I like picking some clothing out for My Beloved, although most things I hold up, she just smiles and nods. The sizes were 0, 1, 2. Okay what the hell is this all about?

Then it struck me. All this body shaming is brought on not by the regular guys of the world. It's brought on by the women themselves and the fashion industry and style mongers they are so devoted to. The industry as a whole can't even put together a sizing guide. So often I've heard from the women in my life that sizes vary by store. What the hell? How am I supposed to buy something for her birthday or Christmas if I don't even know what size I'm supposed to buy? I once bought underwear based on the size of the pants she wears. Boy, was that a mistake.

All this shaming is ridiculous. I don't hear the men I've been around most of my life complaining about their woman's size. We value them for what they are, they way they are and we love them for that. The real men of the world don't particularly care. We're workers, businessmen, electricians, plumbers, truck drivers, managers and all the rest. We don't care. Women have done this to themselves.

When normal men see beautiful faces such as Ashley Graham's they think, that's the face that launched a thousand ships. If you don't know what that means, look it up. If you don't understand, you're part of the problem.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Horizon

There is nothing like seeing the horizon the way God made it. As a land-locked small town dweller it is something we are robbed of in our confined world. Although I love the sight of trees, earth-grown monsters filled with a catacomb of branches and leaves, one of the reasons My Beloved and I purchased our most recent home was the setting, however seeing the horizon where water meets sky is something that fills the imagination.

Do you see clouds within the mainland? I do, but nothing like horizon-filled cumulus puffs of cotton that stretch as high as the imagination will let them. I sit on the beach with my feet comfortably tucked into the white sands and let my mind wander. From here as the heavens open and fill with strings of cotton candy pulled beyond their breaking point, wisps of white litter the blue skies in all directions.

Their forms take all shapes as I see stuffed bears and running rabbits. Fierce dragons that roam the sky give way to alligators and lizards as their shapes meander from the upper winds I can not feel. In their haste, mighty steeds gallop beneath the solid blue walls, dark where the sun can not penetrate within their secretive confines.

It is these and a hundred other shapes that dance in their never-ending theater that hold my imagination this day. At the end of this week I will give up my view of the unending curvature of this earth and take with me that which I will carry only within my most cherished memories.

Until we meet again ...

Monday, September 12, 2016

Have a seat

No, I basically can't.
You can't what?
I can't sit down.

Having had a recent outpatient surgery for something very minor but something in an awkward place, I've essentially haven't been able to sit down for nearly two months. Sounds horrible you say? What's the big deal you say?

Well, in comparison to someone who is fighting a disease such as cancer or heart or kidney disease, it's nothing. It is however something I've never experienced before. I've never had any type of surgery in my life; heck, never been to a hospital. I think that's quite an achievement for someone of my advanced  years. One of the issues concerning this is ... I don't know how to react to this stuff.

Although I'm a very active person, as a retail manager who routinely walks thirty-five to forty miles a week on the job, you find out quickly how limited you are when you can't sit down, and I mean literally. Think of all the things you do during the day even while you're at work. You answer phones, work at a computer, have meetings, take conference calls, chat with customers and fellow employees.

Well, I can't do any of that sitting down. Ever try to do computer work standing up? It's not easy when the desks aren't built for that height. As a writer, one needs to work at a computer. For the first month I tried writing while standing at the island in my kitchen. I also flopped myself over my leather ottoman and tried to type with the computer on the floor. That's really hard on the neck and shoulders. The only other position is to lay down. That doesn't work too well either. Want to have some fun? It's a blast to go to a restaurant and eat standing up.

I did find out however that I am very tired at the end of the day and have slept very well. The reason? I've stood up all day. That gets exhausting. Those small breaks you get during your day when sitting down, no matter what you are doing lets you rest. You can't rest standing for sixteen to eighteen hours every day for two months.

Fortunately, my tushy is finally beginning to heal and though very uncomfortable, I'm starting to sit for very short periods of time. It's still not easy as this ramble is typed standing around the kitchen table. My writing has taken a hit as I had hoped to have the second science fiction title published by now. Oh well, that'll have to wait.

It's coming ... please keep the faith...and have a seat round the fire.