mgmp

Death By Scrabble or Tile M For Murder It's a hot day and I hate my wife. We're playing Scrabble. That's how bad it is. I'm 42 years old, it's a blistering hot Sunday afternoon and all I can think of to do with my life is to play Scrabble. I should be out, doing exercise, spending money, meeting people. I don't think I've spoken to anyone except my wife since Thursday morning. On Thursday morning I spoke to the milkman. My letters are crap. I play, appropriately, BEGIN. With the N on the little pink star. Twenty-two points. I watch my wife's smug expression as she rearranges her letters. Clack, clack, clack. I hate her. If she wasn't around, I'd be doing something interesting right now. I'd be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. I'd be starring in the latest Hollywood blockbuster. I'd be sailing the Vendee Globe on a 60-foot clipper called the New Horizons - I don't know, but I'd be doing something. She plays J...

There's a Man in the Habit of Hitting Me on the Head with an Umbrella There's a man in the habit of hitting me on the head with an umbrella. It's exactly five years today that he's been hitting me on the head with his umbrella. At first I couldn't stand it; now I'm used to it. I don't know his name. I know he's average in appearance, wears a gray suit, is graying at the temples, and has a common face. I met him five years ago one sultry morning. I was sitting on a tree-shaded bench in Palermo Park, reading the paper. Suddenly I felt something touch my head. It was the very same man who now, as I'm writing, keeps whacking me, mechanically and impassively, with an umbrella. On that occasion I turned around filled with indignation: he just kept on hitting me. I asked him if he was crazy: he didn't even seem to hear me. Then I threatened to call a policeman. Unperturbed, cool as a cucumber, he stuck with his task. After a few moments of ind...

We had a nice spring break last week. The children had a big sleepover Friday night and then we got offered free tickets to the circus Saturday. Thank you Marty! Baylie had never been before and Taylor and Lane haven't been since they were little. So, it was a huge and unexpected blessing! Things have been very hard lately and I have been a little guilty of overlooking the little blessings in my life. I'm doing better though. We have had 2 great days of school this week! I'm hoping that it will continue through the rest of the week. We have had a late start each day but we have gotten a ton done. We just may finish the end of May! Woohoo! I'm looking forward to summer break and going to the lake to see daddy. I miss my daddy so much! I feel like it has been a really long time since I have seen him. I think the last time I saw him was when he came here to take care of me after my liver biopsy in January. Too too long! I hope that we can get to the lake before Memorial Da...

SILENCE LOVE Once, there was a couple who love very much each other. From the very Begining, the girl's family objected strongly on her dating this guy. Saying that it has got to do with family background & that the girl will have to suffer for the rest of her life if she were to be with him. Due to family's pressure, the couple quarrel very often. Though the girl love the guy deeply, but she always ask him: "How deep is your love for me?" As the guy is not good with his words, this often cause the girl to be very upset. With that & the family's pressure, the girl often vent her anger on him. As for him, he only endure it in silence. After a couple of years, the guy finally graduated & decided to further his studies in overseas. Before leaving, he proposed to the girl: "I'm not very good with words. But all I know is that I love you. If you allow me, I will take care of you for the rest of my life. As for your family, I'll try my best to t...

The New Zealand babies in the picture above are just about 7 weeks old and are only about 2.2 pounds each. They are just as sweet and cuddly as any rabbit can be. They are munching on a green apple while they pose to have their pictures taken! "Bob" is a New Zealand Rabbit New Zealand Rabbit "Bob" Photo Courtesy: Kim "I'm the proudest mum ever!" ...Kim The New Zealand is a wonderful rabbit and makes a great beginner bunny. They are quite social and outgoing, and enjoy being part of the family. They like everybody and most household pets, and they are not biters. One of their greatest features is that they usually love to be handled. Pick them up, set them down, or hold them in your lap! They are often likened to "big rag dolls" because they flop down kind of like a rag doll, accommodating any cuddly manner in which you wish to hold them. They can even be carried across your shoulder! As with all good sized rabbits, the New Zeal...

ideatrash One person's ideatrash is another person's inspiration. I write here about sociology, my life, business, and politics. I also post a work of flash fiction about once a week. 12 May 2010 Reviewing Zelazny [Spoiler for one story below, but it's like 40 years old, folks.] It's interesting, going back and re-reading the classics of science fiction. I mainlined Roger Zelazny recently, re-reading The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth, Doorways in the Sand, Keys to December, and A Rose for Ecclesiastes. (With the exception of Doorways in the Sand, all appear in the collection The Doors of His Face, The Lamp of His Mouth.) All of these works have Zelazny's characteristic command of language - not "flowery", but poetic. Sometimes it gets a bit too poetic, where allegory isn't clearly separated from science fiction or fantasy, but those moments are rare. Doorways in the Sand is a chaotic text. The action jumps and leaps - without bothering to c...

Past attraction: Visitors stand in front of photos from the ongoing “Forts in Java and Sumatra: Trade Conflicts and Territorial Fights” exhibition at the National Museum (JP/J. Adiguna) They might look like little more than old bricks and ruins, but these fortifications are the silent witnesses to the country’s centuries-old journey to independence. Long forgotten and neglected, the forts have lost their attraction today as many of us seem to regard them merely as old constructions with little function. Perhaps that’s true — that they can’t really function anymore — but it’s the stories embedded within their bricks that actually make them precious. Among the stories are ones that take us back to the Java and Sumatra of 300 years ago, where fortifications were at the heart of trade conflicts and territorial fights. These periods saw how the functions of most fortifications shifted from just trading posts equipped with storehouses, offices and residences, into bases of defense and territ...