I Sense A Presence I've Not Felt In A Long Time

Funny how smells can linger on your mind even after years and years. I guess it shouldn't be that strange since many animals recognize each other by their individual scents, and many use the sense of smell to hunt. I guess it's kind of amazing though, when you catch a whiff of something that you recognize from long ago. My first grade teacher is long buried, and even if she stood in front of me looking as she did back then I wouldn't know who she was, but I'd be able to pick her out of a lineup by the perfume she wore. I have no idea what it was, but once in a great while I catch an odor of it and it reminds me of first grade. My wife used to wash her hair with Body On Tap shampoo, and I still remember the sensation of holding her and smelling her still- wet hair after a shower. The smell of a baby is a special thing, and when I was holding my grandson the other day it brought back the times when my own kids were that young and innocent and made me realize how quickly time has passed since then. I've heard that the memory of an odor can be recalled from early in our lives right up to the day we die. I hope so, because when I get old I want to remember the special things in my life, in one way or another.

Time Travel

The beautiful Michelle posed a question to her readers a few days ago, asking them when and where they would go if they could go back in time. I've given this a lot of thought and have come to the conclusion that there are two ways to go. You could go back to a time in your life you wanted to either change or relive or, you could use your time machine to take you to places that fascinated and excited you. I think the latter was more the answer that she was looking for, and the endless possibilities this presents are every one's dream. I can imagine going back to prehistoric times and witnessing the age of the dinosaurs or finally solving some of the great mysteries of the world by being there and watching them unfold, but that wouldn't really be my life. To be able to live out your dream you'd have to put yourself into a situation that would create an opportunity to do so. I guess then, that I'd choose a simple life. I'd go to the Dominican Republic in the seventies, where baseball was played on every vacant lot and every back yard, producing many major league players from this small republic. I know, it's nothing extravagant and with so many kids playing I doubt I would stand a chance at any kind of a baseball career, but it might be fun nonetheless. In my real youth I played as often as I could, but living so far from town and other kids limited my ability to see just how good I could become, and my high school days on the team were interrupted by work so much that I only played my sophmore and junior years, not doing much to impress anyone but thinking I might have if I had a better chance.


So I guess that's it. Sure, I'm thinking that I could go back and change the way I am, be nicer to my parents, get better grades in school, invest in the stock market, save the world...things like that, but I think I'd pass that all up for a chance to play baseball everyday.... I'm not a very complicated person.

Suddenly Last Summer

A good song for the season. Stirs up the passion and longing which can really heat up the summer. Martha Davis has such a sultry voice, I've always loved this song.

Extinction of the Thin Shelled People

With all the violence abounding today, and tv and movies catering to ever more graphic depictions of such, it seems there is a segment of the population which is rapidly fading away. This would be the soft, kind- hearted people who go through life with the innocence of a child. They are the ones who people sometimes relate to with a feeling of stability. Grandma. Uncle Fred and Aunt Martha. The woman who always bakes cookies for all the neighbors at Christmas. People who have been the same for as long as anyone has known them and probably will stay that way until they die. Nice, kindly people who are disappearing as the chaos of the world forces them out of their innocent cocoon and makes them watch as murders, rapes and despicable happenings are paraded through their lives. Its not easy to turn aside and not be affected when faced with so much harsh reality.

As a parent, I try to protect my children as much as possible, but at the same time to warn them of the dangers in life, thereby exposing them to the insanity I want so desperately for them to avoid. Thankfully there are still a few examples of the kind of people who stay as they are... People who become emotional at the sound of a baby crying, or who feel pain at the loss of someone they didn't even know. I only hope these people are more of an influence on my kids than the so-called leaders of the world.

Men Shoppers

I guess I'm a pretty typical male shopper when it comes to buying clothes, food and everyday items. I like to go in, get what I want and get out. My wife is the very opposite, looking at everything - most several times over- and making an excursion out of every shopping trip. I only shop for clothes when the need is at its most extreme, like when my once-black pants have paled to a non- color and people remark about the color of my boxers which they can see through the worn or torn spots. Last week it was time to restock my clothing supply, which saw me picking out a shirt and three pairs of pants. Being the browser that I am (and hearing the word "browser" always brings to mind Rodney Dangerfield and his hilarious line in Easy Money "Maybe I'm only half browser") I went to the store and was in and out in ten minutes, not bothering to try anything on, of course. After all, I wasn't picking out a new drill, right? Seeing that I've been wearing the same couple of short sleeve shirts to church for about a year and a half I picked out a nice one from a stack of packaged shirts on my race through the store, content that I had been a wise, frugal shopper. Right before time for church I opened the shirt package to throw it in the dryer to get the wrinkles out and discovered my new purchase had grown long sleeves, perfect for a 90 degree day. Guess I should have read the package. When Monday morning rolled around I jumped into my new pants, running late as usual. I was about halfway to the car before I realized that I should have tried them on first. Oh well, too late. I spent the rest of the day feeling like I was in clown pants, as I seemed to have lost weight and shrunk a couple of inches. Lost weight... yeah, lets go with that. Anyway, I still have two pairs that I'm hoping will fit.... maybe I should try them on before going out in public....... I really hate buying clothes.