By the time I drove past, the property was engulfed in flames. There were at least 30 firefighters there, using hoses and every available method to extinguish it. I pulled over safely and parked. I said, “Wait here I’ll be right back” to the passenger.
I ran toward the building and shouted over and over. I then ran back to my car and got inside.
My passenger asked, “What were you doing?”
“I always wanted to shout ‘THEATER!’ In a crowded fire.”
X
“There’s no such thing as universal advice. For example, you don’t tell masochists to treat others the way they want to be treated.” – X
“People change when they run out of options. Or they see that the road they believed to be infinite does indeed have an end.” X
“The therapist recommended I cry myself to sleep. My efforts to do so proved futile until I saw her bill.” – X
Love, X
I watched the older black man in front of me at the convenience store. He left his BC powder at the counter and shouted something funny out the door to an unseen partner. I waited, knowing he’d return after the volley of words. Shaking his head and laughing, he came back in and piled out the change he had in his pocket to pay for it. He told the clerk he would leave the extra change for the next person to pay it forward. I told him to leave a 20 and really make someone’s day.
“I’m here to feed them, not fatten them,” he said with a wink and a grin.
I hadn’t heard that one in decades.
I love that old saying. It conveys a lot more philosophy than it seems.
X
Want To Laugh?
Erika was finishing in the other bathroom. I decided to shower too. Ever since the baby shark incident, she won’t let me shower with her. Often, I shower in the dark but left the light on this time – not that it helped to have it on this time. No soap. Okay, I will use body wash. None. Shampoo basically empty, But used what little I could get out, just enough to get my head and face soapy. No problem. I grabbed the dark bottle on top to finish. Squirted too much on me. Rubbed it all over me. Something seemed off. I rinsed my eyes as best I could. I was shocked to see I was covered in blue or black… something. Not only that, but I could see it apparently staining the tub and the shower curtain. One part of me wanted to holler for a Erika to come see the incredulous mess. The other part of me, my lizard brain, desperately tried to get whatever it was off of me and off of the shower and tub. This is a Airbnb after all. I’m not sure blackening the shower tub is covered under the deposit. My showers are routinely very fast. Not this time. I felt like I emptied Lake Michigan attempting to get the dark stain off of me and everything else. While I was still rinsing, Erika stepped in and I decided to tell her what I had done now that it looked like all the damage had been erased. Someone had left a bottle of Redken blue color enhancer on the top shelf of the shower. And a miraculous series of coincidences resulted in me using it as body wash.
X
I’m a big fan of Facebook because I use it for humor and personal stories. I never share memes or do inane things that people tire of.
But I was very surprised when they blocked the post in the picture. It’s a harmless joke. And decently funny.
Each day I open the app to see some pretty outrageous content. From violence, drugs, and adult content.
It’s no wonder their numbers are declining. It will be a loss because the platform has so much potential. But seeing this kind of content being blocked by an algorithm makes their decline inevitable.
Love, X
Many people love Ricardo Montaner’s classic Spanish love song “El Poder del Amor.” Lesser known is his follow-up song after a breakup: “El Joder del Amor.”
Don’t Google the phrase. The translator will make it an obscenity!
X
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Surprise!
At the wedding I performed a few weeks ago, “Macarena” played. The five boys of the bride and groom danced joyously to the song. It was a delight.
At the reception table, people were watching the dancers and chatting. Since I’m bilingual and also a music story aficionado, I asked, “Do y’all KNOW what this song is about?” No one did.
“It’s actually very dirty. The song is about a girl named Macarena. While her boyfriend is joining the army and out of town, she takes home two hot friends of his and has sex with them both.”
Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. Which I am.
Nevertheless, the song details how promiscuous and unfaithful Macarena is. Evidently, she does this all the time.
While the song is played at schools, weddings, and just about everywhere else, the content remains a mystery to most people. If you know Macarena, you should run down to the clinic to get some blood work.
X
NSFW implications: though none of my friends ever, ever curse… A bucket list is awesome to help you prioritize and motivate yourself to action. There is a corollary idea that is based on non-action, non-attachment, non-participation, and non-response. And usually? It saves you a lot of thinking, drama, and unhappiness. It’s zenlike in its implications.
X
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I went to an emergency training course.
The facilitator started off by saying, “Raise your hand if you know the consequences of severe head trauma.”
I raised my hand and said, “Immediate promotion to at least vice president of the company.”
At least I got the rest of the day free.
X
X
P.S. Parenthetically Speaking 