Yeah, I must admit...as much as I enjoy what I do for a living, the holidays are definitely a bad time for me....particularly Christmas. All of my family is in the U.S. and I usually go home in the summertime to visit them, so I have spent the last 5 Christmases away from loved ones. I always get invited to someone's home for a meal, and usually I accept, but last year I was coming down with a bad cold and didn't want to infect anyone, so I stayed home. My meals that day were a bowl of Cheerios in the morning and, for dinner, a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup. No presents to open (my sons give me online gift certificates, which works well for me, so it's not that I didn't get any gifts at all...just nothing to open); laid around on my couch having a pity party and watching DVDs. My favorite day around the holidays is the day AFTER Christmas. This year will be better, though...I know this because I am determined to make it so.
Trudy, I am so sorry to hear what happened and I sincerely wish you a speedy recovery. Take good care of yourself and know that you are being thought of from all over the globe. Na eisai kala, koukla-mou me ta ble matia! (be well, my blue-eyed doll!)
One thing that turns me on is someone who keeps me intrigued and driven, someone who may often be one step ahead of me in his intellect and his humor (not so far ahead that I feel out of my league). A man who can keep me on my toes will surely drive me ultimately to my ___________) (Fill in the blank)
Tired here, too...it's midnight now. We are an extra half hour apart in our time zone, which drives me nuts. Go grab some chow, Match! You need fuel for your wit and wisdom!
I fear that the art of conversation is....well, if not dying, certainly it is ailing. And I wonder about this sometimes. Our technological age has made it so easy to communicate with people the world over, but we have resorted to a sort of shorthand-speak. A prime example is the thread running on this forum where the young woman types as if she is (a) sending a text (b) sending it to an illiterate individual and/or (c) unable to speak or write in the English language
I find it sad...not just her, but the whole dumbing-down of our language and our communication skills. Having said that....just how much money DO you have, anyway??
(Written during darker days, years ago....not indicative of current emotions or thoughts)
BITTER
Please do to me what he used to do; that thing he did so well Where every time he’d speak to me, another lie he’d tell For in those days before the fall, my ignorance was bliss And it isn’t him or the life we had, but my naivete I miss. Take me to that place and time, before I finally figured it out When I was deaf and dumb and blind and with never any doubt That he and I would share the dream of Happily Ever After And the only tears brought on by him were from tenderness or laughter. If you really want to make me feel that I mean the world to you You won’t go wrong if you learn to do the things he used to do.
Some say that they must have honesty for a relationship to last But truth is the reason why I’m alone, trying hard to forget the past So if you truly think that you want to be with me night and day Practice the art of deception, my friend…in all you do and all you say. You may be insulted at my suggestion and strongly disagree But the day will come, as it always does, when you’ve grown tired of me And if you’ve done as I advise and made dishonesty an art You can live the life you want to live, and I’ll still have my heart. Take special care, as he used to do, to look me in the eye And pacify my suspicions and fears with a well-constructed lie Make me feel so petty and small for asking where you were Always hold firm—never admit that you spent the evening with her.
Promise me you’ll always be with me and you’ll never do me harm Say these things as you pull me close and wrap me in your arms And when the phone rings and I pick up and the caller disconnects Tell me I’m foolish and way off base to suspect what I suspect And when I feel guilty for having doubts, continue to deceive For we can both have what we want, as long as I can believe. I desperately long to once again wear the blinders worn in my youth For I, like Tom Cruise in “A Few Good Men” just can’t handle the truth So don’t tell me anything other than the things I want to hear Tell me you’ll always love only me, and for God’s sake—sound sincere!
There are some Canadian troops at ISAF (along with British, Italian, German, Spanish, Greek, Bulgarian, Macedonian, and others). I will see if I can give your message to one of the Canadian soldiers. I'll do my best, anyway.
Tomorrow is my final night in Afghanistan and I have been invited to join some friends of mine (all soldiers) for dinner in their chow hall at ISAF (International Securtiy Afghanistan Forces). I have read all of the threads where people are posting their words of gratitude for the men and women who are serving now or have served in the past. I would be happy to print your messages and hand-deliver them to the troops serving in my area. I can give them to a general I know (one of the nicest and most admirable men I have ever known) and I'm sure he will see that they get distributed or, at least, can be posted somewhere for wide viewership. Either post here or to any of the other threads and I will take your well-wishes with me tomorrow evening. Of course, any personal messages between posters will not be included; only the messages meant for the troops.
Very, very nice, Alex. I have been here in Afghanistan for about 5 months now...I work at our embassy here in Kabul (I'm a secretary in what is known as the Front Office....where the Ambassador's and the Deputy Chief's offices are). In this capacity, I hear of bombings, IEDs, suicide bombings, and kidnappings on a regular basis and I learn of the results....how many wounded, how many deaths. I hear of things that never make the news reports. And I will never forget the sacrifices made by these wonderful men and women. Thank a veteran today (proud to say that I am one, too, though I served during peace time).
You know, this is way off topic and it's VERY late here (actually almost 5:30 in the morning now!!), so I may be getting a bit giddy.... BUT.... every time I see your name show up (Vitaminehug), for some reason I think of Vitameatavegamin! (Does anybody remember that old I Love Lucy episode???) For that matter, does anyone even remember the show at all? Anyway, Vitameatavegamin was a classic! (It's so TASTY, too!) Like I said...I'm a bit slap-happy at the moment. Should go to sleep but having too much fun!
Thalassa Forum Posts (2,410)
and 
Bitter
Sadly, methinks a lot of people can relate.Ahhh, well...life goes on (as it has).
G'morning to ya, koukla!