Out of the pan and into the fire...one cook's story: The End Game

Out of the pan and into the fire...one cook's story: The End Game:   “We look before and after, And pine for what is not; Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught; Our sweetest songs are thos...

The End Game

 

“We look before and after, And pine for what is not; Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught; Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.” Percy Shelly, poet

 

The smile:

My grandmother was an interesting ol’ lady, full of vinegar and self-resolve.  One afternoon she drove to the convenience store on the corner from her home to get a pack of the filterless Camel cigarettes she smoked while she sipped straight bourbon during WWE wrastlin’ . With the intention that it would only take her a moment to get what she needed, she left the car running and hobbled into the store.

She bought what she had come to get and was working to get the carton into her suitcase sized purse when she glanced up to see four large, rough looking men straight from the hood sitting in her car. Rap music shook the car so hard from the music they were listening she could see the headlights vibrate to the beat. She gritted her teeth and fished around in her purse until she found the nickel plated .38 revolver in the bottom. She narrowed her eyes and took the few steps she needed to get to the driver’s side door. She rapped on the window with the barrel of his pistol. The 300 plus pound man who sat on the other side gasped in surprise, slowly turned down the radio and rolled down the window. She simply said, “You know what you need to do.”

All four men quietly got out of the car without saying a word and moved to the sidewalk. She climbed into the driver’s seat and adjusted it all the way forward so she could reach the petals. The men stood and watched as she pulled away in the car and headed home.  For spite she turned the rap music back up to show them they couldn’t rattle her.  

She pulled into the driveway at home to be greeted by my grandfather as he sat on the front porch and watched people pass in the neighborhood. He frowned and asked, “Honey, where did you get the new car?”

 

The ponder:

So I am playing this game 2048 this morning. My actual current game board is pictured below for anyone that is a fan. I have been playing this specific game for a few minutes every day for about six weeks. I’m not sure why…why I am playing this game. I already know the outcome. There will evidently be a point where I have no more moves and the game will end. Yes, I have determined how to get extremely high points in the game though there is no real winning. In the end the game will not be defeated.

Last night a friend sent me the attached video of Tyler Perry’s Medea talking about relationships. Here’s the link: https://vimeo.com/1814525 . The humor is spot on as is the advice. While “don’t mix up seasonal people with life time expectations” sounds simple to follow, it can often be like the 2048 game. Both are fun in the beginning. Both have rewards that bring you some certain amount of satisfaction for a moment. Both make you want to keep trying to accumulate the points and go farther. Both will end in the same way.

The question for today’s ponder…if you are involved in a 2048 scenario in your life, what point will you quit playing?

Out of the pan and into the fire...one cook's story: Czech Is In The Mail

Out of the pan and into the fire...one cook's story: Czech Is In The Mail:   “But, you can't marry this man you've known only four days. You've known head waiters longer.” James Cagney in “The Bri...

Czech Is In The Mail

 

“But, you can't marry this man you've known only four days. You've known head waiters longer.” James Cagney in “The Bride Came C.O.D.
 (1941)

The smile:

I tried to count my cousins one time. Being from an old Southern family this is a much bigger task than someone not from the South may imagine. There were more “begots” than a chapter in the Old Testament and I learned I can’t really date anyone in Chester County for fear of making our family tree grow straight up.

I have one cousin that I was particularly close when we were kids. We still stay in touch though I find less time to make it to the little house he lives on the long dirt road that leads to nowhere. I recently went to visit and as we caught up he showed me the JC Penny’s catalog he had been browsing. He flipped past a few pages of the models and exclaimed, “Look how beautiful these women are!” I shook my head in agreement as he continued, “I think I may order one.”

Puzzled I inquired, “One f those women?”

He vigorously nodded and told me, “It says mail order right on the back of the book. I’m going to get me one of these pretty mail order brides.”

I snickered and let the subject pass.

A few days later I was back home and my cousin’s mail order bride came to mind. Laughing to myself, I gave him a call and asked, “Did you get that girl in the mail yet?”

He excited responded, “Not yet, but she has to be coming soon. All of her clothes got here today.”

The ponder:

According to www.divorcestatitics.info “The marriage breakup rate in America for first marriage is 41% to 50%; the rate after second marriage is from 60% to 67% and the rate in America for 3rd marriage are from 73% to 74%.”…..That really makes me sad...

Dr. Robert J. Scholes in a report to Congress stated “marriages arranged through these services would appear to have a lower divorce rate than the nation as a whole, fully 80 percent of these marriages having lasted over the years” which translates into a 20% divorce rate…

It makes me wonder two things:

1)Is it easier to make things work as a couple if you don’t share a lot of the same background, culture, et?

2) What makes that 50% to 59% of couples that don’t divorce work?

Out of the pan and into the fire...one cook's story: Helping Hand

Out of the pan and into the fire...one cook's story: Helping Hand: “We create our fate every day . . . most of the ills we suffer from are directly traceable to our own behavior.” Henry Miller, writer ...

Helping Hand

“We create our fate every day . . . most of the ills we suffer from are directly traceable to our own behavior.” Henry Miller, writer

 

The smile:

Jackson was a much smaller place when I was a child. There were certain businesses we relied. My parents always got my new winter coat every year at McCoy’s Department Store. My grandfather always took me to the barber in the Pythian Building. My favorite milkshake was at the lunch counter at Walgreen’s.  If I was sick, Baker’s Drug Store is where we had my prescription filled. Mr. Baker was always friendly and quick to respond.

I was twelve years old on one particular day I walked into Baker’s Drug Store. Mr. Baker was standing at the back of the store in the pharmacy area and was occupied with filling orders. I went straight back to him and stood at the counter.  He looked over his reading glasses after a moment and asked what I needed. I asked him, “What do you have that will get rid of the hiccups?”

Mr. Baker put down the bottle he had in his hand. He walked around the counter and stood beside me. I looked up at his towering figure just as he slapped me hard on the back between the shoulder blades. I took a step forward and caught my breath. He asked, “Do you have the hiccups now?”

“No,” I answered still short of breath, “but I think my mom out in the car still does.”

 

The ponder:

I still find myself following familiar patterns. I generally go to the same grocery store, use the same mechanic, hangout at the same watering holes. It is common for most people. What are similar patterns in your life? If you changed your pattern, would it be a positive or negative effect on your life?

 

The Fudoshin Challenge:

Today is weight training, specifically leg day. Let’s see how well I can kick, walk….stand…after 100 or so squats. LoL