Viral Vicissitudes

One more Floating Holiday, in the April air-ways Circulating, Exchanging: CO2 and H2O, as in trees, which are the primary subject, focus of Arbor Day, the last Friday in April around these parts, while celebrated for a whole week in a few states. So, if we are gonna' keep up, better get planting, in order to add to the fresh air and green vistas. No wonder the "Word of the Day" in my daily feed is "Arboreal"  Short and Sweet:   "Can't see the forest for the trees?" conveys the idea that if one is looking too broadly you might miss some details, which may have relevance (or, vice versa, on occasion). On the other hand, if we don't have enough trees planted we might not have a forest to begin with... That's all I got to say, today. Happy Arboreal Day and, as I am wont to say once per year (given my "Gold and Blue" alumni status) --"Go Green"!

I'm here to clear...up something between us: the social climate, almost forgotten.  A constant re-minder: As in "how could I forget something so important?!" , after covering the earth, then cleansing your minds, the try-fecta of stuff to clear up, as in how we treat each other...being reminded again and again yesterday and this morning, almost a week after Earth Day, that the air is still thick with...  Pollutions and solutions: It's on You. As in the stuff you give out and what might, instead, land on you, as in rumors and gossip...collectively, in the jargon and spirit of "Earth Day" hopefully still instills...what can add up to "trash talk" --whether on the basketball court, in an actual Court "You're outa' line counselor, I'm about to throw the book at ya' if you step over the line one more time...hold you in..." Contempt! You, US:  An attitude and place we've all been, especially if you've visited here on occ...

Here to Clear the Air...do your Mind? Grand Global Gestures: On 4-22-23 on behalf of the environment, at least once per year on what's become known throughout the world as "Earth Day" where we all come together (that would be a problem, if it actually happened, so it's in the 'spirit' of doing so that we all do, collectively) one day of the year and do many noble things to "clean up this mess!" as our folks used to order each Saturday..."before going out to play..." Such gestures planet Earth hopes you'll sustain in order to ensure, for future generations, what's being referred to these days as a "sustainable" future. What used to be called, as we were trying to max out our play time, as we grew more aware of the world around us, simply as concerns with "pollution" of various kinds, principally in attempts to rid the air and our waterways of "toxic" stuff, which came to be a source of great preoccupatio...

Speaking of De-foliating (see April 16th post) Holidays...Convergences, Collisions, Collusions, and lots and lots of...Confusion. A&Q, as in Jeopard-izing... A: "An annual event celebrated around the world on April 22, to demonstrate support for the environment, which started semi-officially in 1970, and now 'celebrated' in 193 countries...the brainchild of a cheesehead, who wanted to raise consciousness, ecological awareness, at a grass   roots  level..." Speaking of... A: "A now annal event whose inception started on 4-1-72, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which grew to be a celebration of grass, whose roots came from a 'joint resolution' -- I mean a resolution from the Michigan Supreme Court overturning the conviction of a cultural activist for possession of two measly joints...which, together with...a re-hashing...re-convening, year-after-year, on... A: April 20 or, in the lingo of those in the know "4/20" -- the origins (confused, dazed yet?) c...

"What a rip-off!" Many happy returns.  Feeling a bit wist-full? No, while I may have punctuated in a non-orthodox fashion, I pronounced it correctly, without a lisp, that is -- "wistful" -- 1) a state of yearning or desire; 2) musingly sad: pensive. In either case, often in the context of a return to that old "yesteryear" time (aka "nostalgia"), especially the days we viewed as being the ones they refer to as "halcyon" (frequently mispronounced)...the zest-fullness for which may even call for... "Anarchy!" Well, something that might sound like it, but look just short of it, as in the French word that I found this morning that comes closest to "rip-off" --"arnaquer" which, at least in the version I came upon was pronounced homonymous-ly. The experience of which, based on the news report of what's going on "over there" that has the French, including what's called the pending "pensioners...

"Twentieth Day of the Fourth Month" Clue-less? UR a 'Growing' Trend One Across: And three boxes in which to enter the three letters in response to the clue, "away from work"...If they'd only let me use a combo and letters and number, I totally got this! But no, they won't indulge me even on a day such as this. So, now "man!" (a word that predated "dude" for us Cheech and Chonger's) I have to come up with another reason why so many employees will probably be a "no call, no show" today...followed by excuses but sans apology, maybe even with a bit of attitude, the past few years (e.g., "what's the problem, no big deal, everyone's doin' it these daze..."). And what an irony, I thought, that many of these who are part of the vaping hole in the economy, will be among the millions who turn out two days from now, complaining about the quality of air...which I guess they'll reconcile in part by plant...

Add-Mired, to your list of Desperate measures. If it's not one thing... It's one thing to be tired, a common feeling word, we can all relate to, on many of occasion. It's a whole other set of circumstances to be "mired" as in "bogged down", like you're just trudging through it. Like when we watched a few movies recently, experienced these stronger-than-average feelings words...well at least we experienced this drudgery of an existence, by watching actors posing as the ones who back then, experienced this muddy existence in reality. Which is sort of the point of this post, my reporting to you, as I do from time-to-time, about not only words that can expand your "emotional vocabulary" (or what's sometimes termed "EQ"), but also how these things get so-called reported... "As he was saying" As in within 90 seconds (no exaggeration, as I'm actually reporting to you on facts and letting you decide...) the "corresp...

Floating Holidays - They are so...Taxing! Feeling Over -Taxed?   As in trying to find either the time, physical, or financial resources? Me Too...as I also try, agonize over, the weird terms of "fixed expenses" as well as "fixed income" that inevitably come up, when you or I are prepping to finalize our tax forms or, in turn, anticipate a "return" (lucky you!) -- as "fixed" here seems - to me, to be at least mis-appropriated if not mis-applied...as, in the first place, expenses seem to only go in one direction, and incomes, these days, seem to be broken, as opposed to "fixed". Oh, well, I have to allow for...as in... Allowances made: As in a degree of flexibility for how you or I may use either some income ("flex account" do they have these any more?) or how you might use those, what are still referred to, in some corporate settings, as "floating holidays" - - those that either move around, not always the same date o...

A New Toxic-city, coming your way..."Warning, warning, warning!" Narrowly defined, now broadly applied: At least in my world, the world of clinical psychology that is. Wherein lots of time is spent helping people in their various relationships, an increasing number throughout the past decade or so, the ones that used to be referred to as "sub-par" or even "unhealthy" or now, especially for the younger set, defined as "TOXIC!" -- something (some body) to stay away from, due to it's...well, toxic (or "poisonous"!) nature, I would assume. While growing up we started hearing about some of the waterways being infested with various chemicals, many of which we eventually learned occurred "naturally", as in from breakdown of stuff in nature, the traces of which got absorbed by the environment--ranging from the soil, to the waterways, even for us, in this region, the "Great Lakes" and then, winding their way even into the...

Running to, from...Desperately seeking "So, what do you see...?" A common question that was first put to us by our professor, who taught us the essentials of what in the analysis of personality attributes, is referred to as "Projectives" -- the study of someone's thoughts, feelings, and emotions by having them 'project' them onto an object. In our training, most often a picture...or at least one which sort of resembled one as in the scribblings ("ink blots") of one Hermann Rorschach. With many other iterations and illustrations, often presented to an unsuspecting individual, the accumulation of images and impressions, which may make an impression on the clinician in question, regarding some of the "underlying" feelings, thoughts...which may in turn give them but a glimpse into...their "Minds" Which brings us to this very morning, a moment in time, when we are all "caught off guard"... "The Disciples Running......

Bar Code: All about exclusions and inclusions, Alphanumeric soup. "Shoes and socks" Not only not required for entry here, but shooed away, as in unfashionable, especially if you came here, to the beach, during your recent Spring Break! to dip your toe in the water, or in the case of... "Not your average Joe" As in Joe Woodland who, having come to hang out on what might be the same beach, which by now has accumulated a lot more "sands of time"...apparently not, like your beach goer then nor now, started "drawing lines in the sand" with a purpose...which eventuated in lines that can not only be transferred from product to product, but from farm to shelf, to table...that tells "them" (the cashiers, the producers and, of course, all those who now specialize in "analytics" of our buying habits)...the now iniquitous..."Bar Code" -- one which followed a code of silence that had been around since "guys" started ha...

"I'm Nobody's Fool" (At least not today...) "I mean it...this time...!" That is, "If you don't quit foolin' around, you're finally gonna' lose ...I finally mean it, this time...You may have fooled me once, shame on you, twice, the shame was on me, and this thrice time, not nice at all, worthy of..." "Your shoes are untied!" On of the oldest pranks known to...man-kind, at least since shoes started coming this way. "No, I'm deadly serious" said rather prosaically, according tio the hundreds of UCLA college basketball players that the stellar coach John Wooden showed, as in the first thing he (re)taught them, was the right way to put on their shoes and socks. A man of reason, he reassured them it was not a prank, as he was just trying to prevent blisters and other issues that could potentially bench them. No hoax, the joke was on the opposing teams, if you look up Coach Wooden's unparallel success... "O...