TRATTORIA NIGHT OUT

TRATTORIA NIGHT OUT

It is really nice to be  young.  And gullible.   Something goes wrong and we can blame it on a lack of experience.  Learn by doing.   And I am thinking, Woman’s Night Out.  Dress up and get rewarded by going to the head of the dance club line.  No waiting.  Seems like the Perfect Night Out when things like that happen.  Not sure if it matters where you are, Roma Ladies and Sweet Tomato and homebrew.  Now I am thinking of that luscious handful, and  all you do is pay attention, and get their phone number at the end of the night. 

First course is a Caesar  Salad with an Adonis Hunk with shiny shoes and extra money to spend.  Tis a night long time coming, and can’t wait for the half-baked and the romantic toss.  Big Cheese inside, adorable and tucked away with you.  And I say again, “Its nice to be young.”

All of this is reminiscent of good times and no morning-after headache.  It happens.  Even without reservation.  Wasn’t thinking about too much that night.  Night Out.  Trattoria Special.  Come immerse yourself with  me.  Get your head around this.  Do the southern reach-around, if you know that step.  Dance and fixe the menu so it favors you.  Late Night Treat.  Get you some.  Its all available.  Pretty Ladies.  International Celebration of Life.  Think about it.  A night out, and you don’t really have to go home.  Day for the  Ex-hubby to have the children. His turn.  My weekend free.  And yes.  Best ingredients for a good time.  Free and Fresh and In-Season.  And beyond all this, we leave it to the imagination.  Bar and Meat Market and Men.  Besides all that, It’s family style.  Pick and Choose.  Score a Winner.

Relaxing and delicious.  I am.  Come early and spend some time with me.  Satisfy your craving.  Candles and soft light and a little romance.  Natural place to be.  Sustainable glee and good times.  Couple Up.  Don’t eat alone.  And yes, when he offers to use his credit card, do not say, “No.”  Cozy deal and a taste of the sweet life.  I deserve it.  Friday  night and Gluten- Free.  As good as it gets.  Leave the Android Iphone in the car.  You don’t need it.  I am here.  And there it is.  My favorite recipe for a Trattoria Night Out.  Total Value. 

End of the night and I get it.  Visualize dessert.  A nice girl and a soft bed.  Authentic and very clean.  This describes the scene, and all I have to do is bring it into view.  Centerpiece and Fresh Flowers.  I am inspired.  To go out.  Is Friday Night.  Contemporary way to spend the night without the children.  Intimate and Available.  Come any time.  Unforgettable dinning experience.  And like I said at the beginning.

“Its nice to be young.”

RELEASE POINT

RELEASE POINT

Was reading and it came to me.  “I’m Free.”  And it was in tweet style, with no explanation forth-coming.   Banner and Brief.  Not like it caught me without my shorts, and not like it wasn’t true.  Just on the screen and got me thinking about many subjects, simultaneously.  Like a trigger point, that when pressed, blocks the flow and life stops, or at least it seems like that.  So she went away.  Free to pursue other things.  But I didn’t.  So here I am.  I am free to pursue other things and options.  But I didn’t.  Is the hold on me by forces that make me who I am.  Fell in Love.  And now that’s what I do.  Free to love and be.  And that’s what I do.  Each and every day.  

 “I’m Free.” 

OTHER WORLD VOICE

OTHER WORLD VOICE

It is time to write a blog, and I have a couple of things on my mind, mostly I want to wear my wife’s shoes.  Put the shoe on the other foot, and see if that might slow me down.  First let’s examine my state of mind.  I am befuddled by the world around me.  And the reason is simple.  I am looking at today’s world from an antiquated point of view.  I will try to explain.  I am trying very hard to keep up, and not rush to judgment.    Just accept things the way they are, and not spend a lot of time and energy analyzing the situation.  But two things happened recently that is making me reconsider and not rest easy.  And so I will have my say here and now, and then let it go.  Can’t change a thing.  Its just a blog and the other world operates on its own, separate from me and what I am thinking about.  And so I will call this my Other World Voice, and justify looking at all this from swollen eyes, and will leave it up to you.  “Is he crying?”

There are 3 different things going on that influence this blog.  On Monday I was reading about The United States and finding somebody to be Secretary of Defense, a title that leads us down that path, and decided who the Military/Pentagon Boss will be for the next 4 years.  And suddenly was reading articles about how things were changing, and the Military Budget would be cut, and the emphasis would shift from foreign wars, to spending money and balancing the budget and maybe even, Jobs in the U.S.  Not necessarily military spending.  And that was simple enough.  The mindset is changing.  Or at least that is the general impression I had.  But then, I moved forward and looked at a list of movies that were moving into position to win an Oscar.  You know.  America.  Entertainment.  Winning an Oscar.  Like that’s important this time of year.  And I wasn’t sure, what was more important.  NFL football Playoffs and Washington D.C. Redskins playing Seattle Seahawks, that team from the other Washington.  Football is a little bit like war.  And so that’s what I was thinking, when.

When I found out that RG=III, Washinton Redskins Super  rookie QB got hurt in battle, his team lost and now the super talented QB is having Knee Surgery.  Played hurt.  Now finished for the year, and maybe his career is in jeopardy, perhaps.  So I was thinking about that.  Football as War.  A fight for territory and bragging rights, and that lead me directly to thinking about Oscar and the movies.  And something added up for me, and I had to go see it for myself.  What’s the big deal?  Or is all of this small potatoes, and really in the scope of things, looking at my day and life from a 100 year perspective, does it matter that RGIII lost the game, maybe lost his position as QB, and that losing in turf war, ends his career.  If so, what’s next?

 

And now I am looking at the movies that are in top contention for the Oscar, and see two movies that seem to get me thinking a certain way.  There are 3 movies for 2013 that touch upon the theme that comes with this blog and my Other World Voice.  Those movies are:  Lincoln.  Zero Dark Thirty.  And.  Silver Linings Playbook.

 

So I went to the movie yesterday, and after 40 minutes or less watching Lincoln, the 1865 view of President Lincoln and his issues of the day, which was mostly about The Civil War, and giving equality to slaves, and I guess indirectly, to women, who at the time could not vote in the United States in 1865, I walked out.  Yes, didn’t stay to see the whole movie.  It was about war, and about many things that reminded me of the end of military influence and spending in our society, and I just left the theater thinking, Zero Dark Thirty.  And.  Silver Lining Playbook.  Those are the other movies seeking an Oscar Winning opportunity for best picture.  And I have seen Silver Lining Playbook and it was entertaining but in my mind, not Best Picture material.  Football oriented comedy and that’s where the idea, Playbook comes in.  Washington Redskins and RGIII.  About the playbook and playing hurt.  And now I am down to one movie:  Zero Dark Thirty.

And from where I am and my state of mind, its bleak.  Lincoln is not my choice for Best Picture of the Year.  Nor is Silver Linings Playbook.  So what’s left.  Zero Dark Thirty.  A movie about the demise of Bin Laden and water-boarding and behind the scenes activity, we chose to not talk about.  At least that’s the way it seems.  What happens when your best player gets hurt, RGIII and it flashes on the screen:  Game Over.  So it is with Bin Laden.  We know how the movie ends before its finished.  Game Over.  But is that it?   Lincoln and the Civil War ends.  Zero Dark Thirty and Bin Laden’s life ends.  Silver Linings Playbook and its just a comedy, but then I think:  Washington D.C.  Is RGIII’s career over?  And that’s when my other world voice kicks in.

 

Tells me that there are other choices we can make.  That its not all about war and the military budget and that kind of thinking.  And so I look farther.  More movies:  Argo.  A movie about rescuing hostages and has something to do with the Hollywood movie theme.  Haven’t seen the movie yet, so am not sure how it relates to my theme about 1865 Civil War and Lincoln.  Or about football and RGIII getting hurt over the weekend and now having knee surgery.  Or about Bin Laden and all that.  Argo and Les Miserables and Django Unchained.  More trouble.  Violence.  

 

And it gets me to thinking.  I have  it good.  Didn’t get hurt playing football.  Didn’t have to make decisions about ending a war and the issues of slavery.  And all I did was walk out of a movie, Lincoln after 40 minutes because it reminded me too much of today.  Finding a new boss to run the Pentagon.  Didn’t want to think about how it all goes down in Washington D.C.  Didn’t want to think about what happen to RGIII and his football future.  And mostly,  Hollywood.  Movie Oscars and Best Picture.  And now I have decided.

 

My Other World Voice votes for a movie called:   Life of Pi.  Part fantasy and Part Reality.  What happens when your ship goes down.  And you survive?  And that’s it.  Other World Voice.  2013 and equality.  All The People are equal.  Sort of.  Same-Sex Marriage and other stuff is in the air.  And I am thinking.  1865 to 2013.  We’ve come a long ways? 

Haven’t we?  Sort of.

SIGNIFICANT-OTHER DATA PLAN

SIGNIFICANT-OTHER DATA PLAN

I went to the phone store recently.  Niece was buying or shopping for a new phone.  Smart Phone she called it.  Asked me if I wanted one.  Like maybe she was offering to give it to me for Christmas.  That didn’t happen.  I spoiled her mood and the conversation when I said, “Can  I use it to hookup with my significant other?”  And who would that be.  I never met her, and why did you bring that up?  Totally inappropriate.”

 

More detail.  I have said it several times, but this is a public blog and well for the sake of clarity I will mention it again.  Significant Other Person passed away from complications of child birth.  Since then, none of us have been talking.  Not that we are fighting, but its well known, that Niece has never seen me with the children, and that’s a disconnect that keeps trying to insert itself into everyday reality.  And now, here I am talking about a data plan and smart phone that is advanced enough to bridge the gaps, and introduce a new reality.  “ New reality:  Significant Other on the other line, will you hold please? “

 

Based on Smart Phone and I have no clue what they can do.  I know they are expensive.  Family Plan and immediately it brought to mind, significant other.  Didn’t add the part:  deceased.  Niece cut me off before I could begin an Alzheimer Story.  “Inappropriate.”  She said.  Conversation stopped.  And that leaves me with blog for today.  Significant Other Data Plan.

 

Shadows and Reflections of the children’s mother take up a lot of my quiet time.  I observe the children in play and talking.  For them, mother is there.  For me, not really.  New Year and at the end of the year, it will be 5 years of silence.  But not hostility or denial.  Still looking for a significant other data plan that will hook us up and for that I would surely pay the outrageous price the phone company charges.   For now, I am not convinced.  How smart can a  Smart Phone be?  And of course I like the idea that you can’t ring me while I am out of the house and on my morning walk.  Best to just leave it to nature.  I feel her everywhere.  And that’s the point.

 

In the image of the children and the dynamic people they are becoming, I see reflections of mother.  And will leave it at that.  New Year and there is no doubt I would like to be with her.  But mostly when the subject comes up, “Do you miss her?”, I look down and avert eye contact.  “Inappropriate.”  I want to say.  But the truth is I am getting older as each day passes.  And the young ones and their smart phones never ask.  Mostly, it is me.   Talking to myself.  Ask.  “Do I miss you.”  And the answer is:  I am in love.   Comes with the first page of the wordless picture book, where shadows and reflections reach out to me, take me in their frozen grasp, and the past comes alive.

 

But this is a new year.  Niece hopes that I will only deal with the here and now.  Only talk to her.  Attend.  And that is the plan.  Holiday and Slot Machines.  Iconic Tradition.  A Return To Love.  And maybe a course in miracles, when and where purchasing a new  Smart Phone can connect you with the people you think about, living or dead.  And just when I am about to say something that might sound like a rebuttal and a conversation we just aren’t having now.  Niece says,

“And don’t forget the adzuki beans.”  We need them for our holiday dinner.  Did you forget?”  And this is her way of reminding me.  Alzheimer’s Stories should not come with us into the new year.  And yes, she gets the message.  Another year, and he is in love with her.  And with the children’s mother.  Shadows and Reflections and Happy New Year.  2013.  Their Love is Endless.  Can be seen, like reflections in ice.  And in his eyes.

ANGELICAL GREEN

This is a blog started yesterday.  I liked the sound of it.  Title.  General idea that this could be my focus for the day.  Liked it that it was centered around the love of my life.  And its not a long story if I leave the personal details out.  On the fringe and will talk without saying things that might upset you.  Must say:

“Christmas is over.  Happy New Year.”

And when I do things like this around my house, an eye of suspicion comes into play, but it’s a yearly routine, and its just the way husband is.  Forget about it.  In a few days he will be on a new tangent, and come up with a novel way to yank the chain of family, and mostly wife, as the Littles are too small to really know what’s going on.  Little and still playing with their Christmas presents.  We try to let them be. Just be happy.  Best we can.  Home and Cupboard full of food, and it was just Christmas and presents under the tree.  The rest is adult stuff.  We carry on.

And now into the topic started yesterday.  Abandoned when the phone rang.  And now its worth the starting role in today’s blog roll.  What does that mean?  Mostly that this is a clever way to introduced the subject of imminent concern, without the children asking:  “Mommie.  Daddy.  Are you fighting?”  And we always say:  “Heaven’s No.” 

And that is the answer that works for them.  Peace on Earth.  Goodwill towards man.  Is a great way to go into the new year.  And I am looking forward to it.  But first, let me tell you about:  Angelical Green.

Angelical Green.  Long rain stops.  Shutters come down.  Gradually, an angelical green emerges.  We are thankful.  Give praise to spring and flowing water.  The thaw and negotiations.  Getting close to the truth of it all.  And close to an ocean, nautical miles away.  Separation is great.  Waves cover the distance.  In winter’s storm, many ships will sink, and yet another year passes and is not you, now unmentioned and in a watery grave. 

Count your blessings, and I do.  Search for survivors begins.  Looking for those who came ashore and now experiencing angelical green.  Landscape and State of Mind.  Christmas is over.  The New Year is about to begin.  And the children ask:  “Are you fighting?”

And in some ways, I am.  Fighting the urge to tell you everything.  Mostly, its about allowing November and December and the spending spree.  Maxing out the credit cards.  Presents under the tree.  And today she asks:  “Where are you going husband? Talk to me.”  And I give that look.  More to say, like you don’t want to know.  Don’t want to know where men go and what they must do, to provide and pay the bills and carry on, year after year. 

Presents under the tree.

But she persists.  “Tell me.”  And I do.  Going out to the field to shoot the cow/beef.  Call her Betsy.  Have to make ends meet.  Pay off the credit cards.  Get ready for a new year.  And yes, the children will notice when Betsy is missing.  But for now, its about fresh meat and coming into the new year, with our heads above water, and keeping our family operation afloat. 

Its about money.  Fiscal Cliff or some

language-of-explanation that is meant to take you off course and in a new direction.  Political Dissonance.  Christmas is over.  The jubilation is felt and now over.  Is replaced by father headed out the door.  Father is succinct.  Lots of information passed along.  Mother now knows.  We are all doing our best, but its about the debt.  To keep going there must be a change of plans. 

 

And he makes it simple.  He calls the process.  Angelical Green.  But we know, its about money and financing foreign wars, and over-spending.  And that‘s it.  We find a way.  We trust mother and father, when they say, “Heaven’s No.  Not fighting.  We love you.”

Angelical Green and is about the end of the shopping season.  Christmas is over.  New Year and we will pay the bills, one way or another.  Tis our job.  Political Football or NFL.  Tomorrow I attend the last game of the season for the Seattle Seahawks.  But there is more.  Good enough to enter the Super Bowl Tournament.  One game at a time.  The excitement mounts.  And when its finally over, be it Christmas or 2012 or the football game: somebody wins, and the rest go home  We don’t say they lost, not really.  Good teams play.  Everybody goes home, eventually. 

Its just a matter of time. 

And in the end, we explain it all.  And bookmark the experience and the process of spending and paying the bills.  By talking about it in special language.  He repeats the keywords.  Fiscal Cliff.  Over Spending.  And Spring Thaw.  Stopping the leak and the money drain.  Shoring up the sinking ship.  Going under that bridge when we come to it.  And it’s about performance and responsibility.  Just say.  Angelical Green.  Spare the details.  Don’t talk about Betsy missing.  The children will adjust.  And father and mother and nation find a way.  To pay off the debt.  And continue on.  Happy New Year.  Tis the goal.

Go  Seattle Seahawks. Just win.  And if you do.  Mother and Father will be smiling all  next week.  NFL Football.  Count your blessings, and I do.  The search for survivors begins.  Looking for those who came ashore and now experiencing angelical green.  Landscape and State of Mind.  Christmas is over.  The New Year is about to begin.  Football.  Paying the bills.  Getting ready for what lies ahead.  Angelical Green.  The money pours in and the rain stops.  Tis my blog for today.  Missing you. ( Betsy The Cash Cow.) Now nameless and unmentioned. The bills are paid.  G-D provides.  We are grateful.  And the children are safe and at play.  For this we thank you.     Amen.

Go Hawks.

 

ON THIS DAY

My life and most, are a division of labor, fortified by the gift of love received, from the sweat of difficult toil and a constant grasp of the gratitude  we share, as humanity.  It is all so fleeting, and yet the reward is great.  As we reach out and express the love we have for each other.  Having said that, I will clarify.  This is a blog dedicated to all those out there who could not be home for Christmas, nor the holidays ahead.  A sense of loss and failure when we are denied, to be with friends and family and presents wrapped and distributed on Christmas eve or day.  And it is On This Day I package all the love I have and pass it on to you.

It is symbolic.  Being together.  Expressing love.  This is the meaning behind the event.  And for some, it is but a wish and a thought that they could be with us.  Ever clear, lights become the high-light of celebratory cheer and hope and a promise for all that we wish to be in the coming year, as health and wealth and prosperity of family, all together.  .  And so it is.  A division of labor and love.  Expressed on Christmas day.   And on this day.  In a blog.

More to explain.  I live in two worlds at the same time.  One is real and can be expressed as  The-Here-And-Now.  The other is The World- The Other Side.  Detached from me, and yet flows through the veins of others, I hear their cry.  With that said, I would like to display this beautiful quote from Anonymous.  It speaks to me and is my motive for all that is, on this day.

“…. Corner iron barrels lit in the bone cold of this dark winter.  The great quest is to find a way to complete the rest of this long journey.   And to be with you.”

From where I sit, on this day I reflect upon the light, and brace for the bone cold of winter.  And yet, am warmed by the thought of you.  These are the days of difficulty.  Shattered and Torn by the winds, Heart and Soul remains the link between us.  Not all can be home for Christmas.  Some are on the other side, trapped by circumstance.  And so it is, on this day.  I reach out to you.  Hold out the promise, when it is said, “Love is Eternal.  I will be there for you.  At the end of this long journey, we call life.”

Words presented.  It is a brief assembly of all that is important to me.  Not forgotten, just not home for Christmas.  Lonely am I without you.  And yet, will endure for another year.  Saying to myself, “ Next Year in Jerusalem.”  The corner iron barrels will be lit.  Starving off the ill effects of bone cold chill and the darkness of winter and life without you close to me.  Saying, “We will find a way.   Love is eternal.”

AT MY AGE

At my age we don’t start the day with a lion’s roar, but rather with the purr and demure of a royal cat, one I adore and tribute as the perfect companion and gives me company, when in my dreams I see a royal throne and a place of splendor, just waiting for my arrival. 

Frozen in time and eternal it gives me comfort, to put cat food out and a water dish and turn up the heat to displace the morning chill, as we all get things started, day after day, and never boring, as I am centered in the mind of perfection, even as I know, The Lion’s Roar is the signal to get it all going in the right direction, picking up power and energy and by the end of the day, through the marvel of modern ways and means, its all been done and said, somewhere out there, mostly independent of me. 

And at my age, I don’t care.  I have made my peace with the setting sun.  And with you.  

New Years is but a week away.  So I implore.  Make those changes while you can.  New ways and new intentions, and at my age, the lions roar, and not so much does this influence me.  If and when I do something different, it comes with a time-release capsule that speeds things along, makes my blood thick or thinner, depending on the week and the day and the readout on my tiny app that suggests if you do this, health and wealth and happiness will be yours today. 

And at my age, we don’t believe everything we read.  But that is just the lessons of time and endurance and survival kicking in.  Let the others take on that world of better deeds and proficiency.  Get it right and you will be rewarded.  So they say.  Is the carrot they dangle in front of me.   And so far, so good.  In the history of sports and neighborhood football, we have had a good year.

And so that brings me to the point of boil, as I talk about Seattle and Seahawks, and the second NFL season that will get new life, as 2013 comes into play.  And yes, New Years is but a week away.  And tis my purpose now to share information and dedicate some of this blog space to American Football, nfl-style.

 Just to remind myself and others, NFL, stands for:  not-for-long.  Short season and before you know it, its over.  Injuries accrue.  And the teams that are still winning more than they are losing, play a single elimination tournament that gives the last team to win, a trophy and a Super Bowl reputation that they can take to the grave with them, if that’s how it goes.  A young man’s sport.  Takes strength and vitality and a lot of talent.  And so it seems, walking distance from my residence is a place where the Seattle Seahawks play football.

 

And now, more than ever, The Lion’s Roar and people are taking notice.  Winning games and doing it in style, the gossip is that these guys are on a roll, and if you play them in this tournament, be prepared.  These guys are good.  And at my age, all this comes as good news.  Restores my faith.  Gives a few more weeks of anticipation. 

And that’s it.  Win or Lose.  Looking forward to the attention that all this brings to the people of this city and area.  Seattle, a suburb of Alaska.  Have heard such things, and brings up a good belly laugh.  “How silly.”  But then I realize I am dedicated to the moment and to the integrity and respect that comes when we get things right.  And so the game is football.  Violence and Sports.  

And I am thinking.   This year is almost over.  Wink at Santa, and praise his words, as we see him and the reindeers go out of sight, “Peace Be With You.  And to all, a good night and a good year.  Just around the next bend.”  

Am beyond the point of incomprehensible guilt.  War is not my first thought, and yet football players on the front line, instilled with a warrior’s desire and mentality;  Push the opponent back, and take his place and territory, one inch at a time.  My only goal, is his defeat.  And this gets me looking for fingerprints on the glass and with my suspicious nature, a sense of injustice.  But for now its just a game.   

 

By repetition and doing, and consent, we buy a ticket and pay the price for letting things become an everyday correspondence, one with the 15 year old, playing combat games on the video console.  Teaching by doing, and without hesitation, taking the field with young lions and players, on their way to victory at The Super  Bowl.  Just a game.   But yes, what a game and the way they play it inspires me.  Super Bowl Champions.  2013.  Go Hawks.  

Young Lions going to war.  Is that it?  Making New Year’s Plans, and I ask again.  “Is that all there is?  Young men at war?”  And the reassurance of The Elders saying, “No worries.  Its just a game.”  WE choose to play.   And give to our children.  Best we can do.  Presents under the tree.  An autographed football.  The subscription reads, “Go Hawks.”  Bought at a store.  Signed by their star players.  Leaves us wanting more.  

And like I was saying, New Years is but a week away  Make those changes while you can.  And at my age, the time is now.  And I live in peace.  One day at a time.  At my campsite.  Honor morning and sunrise and the chance to suggest.  Better Times Are Coming.  2013.  A New Year.