Family, Food, The Future, Uncategorized

Party Down

32 Comments

Today’s post comes from tim

my daughter had a graduation party this weekend when she described what she wanted it sounded strange as it turns out it was very nice she wanted to have a waffle bar and a barista serving espresso oh what about scones and muffins no she said maybe donut holes and how about some French roast coffee and the amaretto hazelnut flavoring maybe if you said but I think chai tea is a better choice the barista asked me to show him how the espresso machine worked and that was that…he was busy non stop and chai tea was a hit along with espresso cappuccino and latte grandpa from Chicago handled the waffle bar and took great pride in knowing exactly how much of the batter should go into each waffle maker strawberries raspberries blueberries chocolate chip jams marmalades and whipped cream rounded out the entire offering  there was a little table with a wooden decorated imitation steamer trunk to put cards to the graduate in and a memory book to jot down heartfelt messages to last through the ages there was an area to take pictures in front of a back ground sheet holding up a Mardi Gras mask or a 2017 identifier on a stick The rain held off until 245 for a party that was supposed to end at three and everyone who was remaining scurried to their cars and left in short order in by 305 we were picking up the yard The table folded down nicely the table cloths got washed or throwing out depending on the weather they were cloth or paper the table got moved to locations that made sense when there weren’t clusters of people spaced sporadically about the yard and everything was wonderful except…

by the guest login book and the waffle buffet my wife had purchased gala table centerpieces with stars and iridescent streamers and must have also received Little pieces of  confetti in the shape of a graduate hat these little pieces of confetti were the size of the stars they used to get on your homework paper back in the old days they were very similar if not identical to the stars used to get on your homework paper back in the old days it occurred to me that those confetti stars are made in such a way that they will sit in the landfill without degradation for a lifetime they are put on the table as kind of a cutesy afterthought and thrown away without a concern or a thought about how they came to be placed in the landfill and how long they would remain I walked by the garbage can in front of my garage door and saw one of those little graduation hats sitting on the concrete and knew that if I left it there it would be there two years from now when I am celebrating my last daughters graduation party I feel bad when I take a perfect moment and find a little detail to bitch about but it seems to me that that’s what’s wrong with the world is that nobody thinks about the little details of making a meaningless piece of confetti out of everlasting material instead of biodegradable material

The oil companies Third World countries and developing nations all find a reason to worry about it later I hope my daughter and the people who are graduating today learn from the mindless guidelines that have been left by our generation for them to tweak

how do you keep from letting a little disturbances screw up your day

32 thoughts on “Party Down”

  1. Rise and Shine Baboons!

    Gosh, tim, I hope you did not use up your annual punctuation budget on those paragraphs. And what about the capital letters in there? Can you justify those? Sounds like a great party for your daughter. Congratulations to her, BTW.

    Sometimes I do let little disturbances get in the way. Sometimes I don’t, then discover that they are something I should have paid attention to, because they really are important. How does anyone know the difference in the moment? Only the test of time can tell us if they are important. The little confetti pieces may not matter in the long run, or maybe they will.

    Keeping an eye on, then remembering, what may be important or may not be important is my constant mindfulness activity. History tells the story. Paying attention to the people or processes that can discriminate among priorities is often the real task.

    Phew. Way too deep for 7 a.m.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  5. I calm myself with the knowledge that I am doing all I’m capable of doing…within my household, voicing my concerns etc to family, friends and any/all ‘government’ connections in US and abroad.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. i kind of whipped this one out and when i did the verbal dictation on the smart phone it looked great. sentances ended in the right place and i noticed a capital letter or two and let it go.
    when i saw the result this morning i realized i need to take care in the future.
    live and learn.
    i will not let this little thing get me this morning

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    2. Your writing is right up there with e e cummings poetry. Being dyslexic and having a creative gene I have no problem reading and following your writing. I’ve always been fascinated by run on sentences which manage to break all grammar ‘files’ yet make perfect sense.
      Keep on dictating!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  7. What great memories she will have of this party tim – congrats to all of you.

    I have been known to fixate on some negative aspect, but it doesn’t happen real often. i.e. I have issues with several things on our Winona lot that I would have done differently – one is that when they sided the garage, the went right over the only existing window. I’ve been telling the story that I have to open the danged garage door to see anything in most of that space. A friend just pointed to three light sockets that could have a light bulb inserted and voilà! – I could have light… Hmmmm.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. get off by myself. if it’s a big disturbance, it helps to write it out. being outside a lot helps me keep my equilibrium. unless the dewpoint is much over 60, then it makes me crankier.

    Like

    Reply

    1. one of my motivational self-help tapes made the comment once that the pressure you’re feeling isn’t out there it’s in here and you can deal with it from in here
      that that helps me

      Like

      Reply

  10. I’ve endured a chronic disturbance: way too little income. Three days ago, I impulsively put an ad on Craig’s List offering my cottage for occasional paying guests. Kinda like a B & B, only without the breakfast. I’m asking $75 for week days; $150 for weekends per night. Low and behold, I’m getting calls! One is a surprise getaway for a husband’s 50th. birthday. Another from a woman who lives in Duluth who’s worked here for years and stays in hotels (which are about the price I’m asking).

    My only question to myself is why I didn’t think of this way to make money years ago? Now, I’ve got my eye on major sporting events.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. Most of my days are nothing but a series of little disturbances. I’ve just grown accustomed to dealing with annoyances, fixing what I can, and disavowing (a la Mission Impossible) the rest. I still hope for improvement or better choices or more thoughtfulness or whatever…but that’s why I consider myself a ‘cynic.’

    My definition of ‘cynic’ is ‘a realistic optimist.’ I always put out the hope for the best but I expect the worst. If I didn’t put out the hope of optimism, I’d just be a pessimist. And, contrary to popular belief, I’m not a pessimist. I just wish I was pleasantly surprised more often…

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  12. Husband has been terribly morose and irritable of late, which is saying something since his general demeanor is that of Eeyore. He finally admitted that he is very upset about his father’s struggle with Alzheimer’s, and worries about it a lot. Since talking to me about it, he is feeling much better.

    I just try to cope with devotions and prayer. Wine helps, too.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. yep alzheimer’s is a tough one
    that’s not one of life’s little disturbances
    it’s hell on earth watching a loved one lose a grip slowly and ruthlessly
    peace to chris

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  14. Dementia in it’s various forms is a heavy burden to bear, perhaps more so for the loved ones than the person afflicted with the disease. Our friend, Ken, has now been in a full-time memory care facility for a whole month. Although he no longer recognizes Eva as his wife, or his three adult daughters as his children, he’s happy to see them and wants to go home with them when they leave. Visiting Ken is really tough on his “girls.” I can only imagine how your husband feels about his dad, Renee, especially if he does not see him regularly and his decline is becoming more and more pronounced.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment