-A group of flamingos is called a flamboyance. Now that is a bullseye collective noun!
-Attending a wedding
reception that has a 360-degree photo booth makes my crazy neighbors even more
fun.
-I am a newly minted US
national park geek.
-For someone who hates long
car rides, driving over 2200 breathtaking miles and visiting many national and
state parks in Northern AZ and Southern UT in March taught me that I do have
some car travel tolerance.
-An October leaf-peeping
car ride of 2000 miles through VA, NC, TN, and WVa had more unexpected vistas
than I could have imagined. Thank you Shenandoah NP, Great Smokey Mts. NP, and
New River Gorge NP.
-I believe I'm being
groomed by a long-distance car travel endurance program.
-iPod earbuds can go
through a full wash cycle and continue to work flawlessly one year later.
-Jim James of My Morning Jacket is my fantasy Kentucky BFF (he doesn't know it yet) Seeing MMJ twice this year fed my soul.
-"You can get the monkey off your back, but the circus never leaves town." ~Author Anne Lamott
-I can hold my own standing in line with enthusiastic children also waiting to stamp their national park passports.
-Pink, a true rock star, is the goddess of stadium concerts. Sing with me now: Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na.
-An unseen benefit of having family working abroad for the US State Department is the use of their
car - thanks to Beth and Aaron!
-One big personal plus from
touring the high desert is frizz-less hair - Every. Single. Day. Ladies, I know you
hear me.
-Wedding vows are usually
solemn and sweet. When a bride’s vows noted one of the things she loved about
her groom was his unrecognizable attempt to use a British accent and then
goaded him into sharing it with their guests (which he did) I learned that
wedding vows can also be very entertaining.
-Staying one day/night in
Pigeon Forge TN delighted me until I saw that Dollywood was closed on that one
day/night. Next time Dolly!
-Sean Hayes' dramatic portrayal of a dour Oscar Levant in Good Night, Oscar was formidable with an equally formidable finale as he played Rhapsody in Blue.*
-The Smartless podcast guys
– Jason, Sean, and Will – are this year’s additions to my fantasy dinner party. It will be a second seating with just those three delightful knuckleheads b/c their antics will
definitely dominate the conversation.
-Author Abraham Verghese (The Covenant of Water) is also invited to my fantasy dinner party - first seating.
-My car has a keyless
entry. I learned this after driving a friend’s car (with keyless entry) and wondering
why my car didn’t have this feature. Alas, it did/does. Yes, it is disturbing to discover this 15 months after purchasing the car.
-Cars are complicated.
-I am more of a dilettante than a sports enthusiast except when a Philly team is in the championship hunt. Red October was an extremely joyful/painful time.
-I am shocked to write that I am a regular listener to the New Heights weekly
podcast. Ahhright nah.
-When James Taylor is a
last-minute sub for Noah Kahan at the Newport Folk Fest, it makes me wonder who
else is on Executive Director Jay Sweet's phone contact list.
-Raised garden beds surrounded by chicken wire proved vital for a bombastic zinnia season.
-A performance by Diana Ross, who is nearly 80 years old, is a marvel and a love fest.
-Overheard while hiking in Zion National Park as a tired, exasperated youngster told her parent, “Mom, allllllll the rocks look the saaaaaame.” She’s not wrong.
-The James Webb Space Telescope brings universal
wonder into focus every day. I believe the images confirm we are playing a
silly short game here on Earth. https://webbtelescope.org/news/first-images/gallery
-Andrea Gibson’s poetry is relentlessly powerful. Please consider adding You Better Be Lightening to your list of “must-read” books in 2024.
Thank you dear Reader for making it this far into this annual vanity project. Time becomes more precious and vexing each trip around the sun and I love the following advice from a favorite author. May time be a worthy companion for you and those you love.
How to stop time: kiss
How to travel in time: read
How to escape time: music
How to feel time: write
How to release time: breathe From the novel Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
*Sean Hayes as Oscar Levant in Good Night, Oscar playing Rhapsody in Blue.
