Kitchen Sink

Clutch driving!

First of all, I want to say it was all my fault. My daddy didn’t raise no lazy pedal pusher. No sir! I was taught right! I was raised in the old school, learning the art of clutch-shift-gas-engage. My first car had a five speed, manual transmission – as every car I’ve had since. I went WAY old school when the synchronizer for second gear went on my ’77 Civic &#8211…
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Soapbox

With these rings

I’m almost sure I’m revisiting this topic, but it’s a worthy subject. What? You don’t believe me? The other day Cheryl was talking to someone about her grandmother’s wedding ring. Cheryl wears it on the “other hand,” in addition to her own, which she wears on her “right hand,” which of course is her left. I had a little too much fun writing…
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Wellbeing

Medicated me

This is how medicine works for me. Last month (around the time I was living in the attic) I found a treatment that seemed to work. In this case I slept… all night… really well. The next day I felt great, except for a nagging ache in my right shoulder and tingling feeling radiating down my arm into my hand (like it went to sleep). I called my doctor’s office and they said…
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Kitchen Sink

Going against the grain

Weather wise, it was a great weekend. Emotionally, it wasn’t so great. Depression had the claws out. And yet, it was a productive weekend. Determined to do something, I did – a project I’d been putting off for cooler temperatures. Unfortunately, this meant while many of you were enjoying the mild weather, I was crawling around in our attic. Why? I’d been meaning to expand…
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Family and Friends

Mutiny on the pitch

It didn’t take long. Adam just had his first soccer practice, and already the parents are planning the coach’s ouster. From what I hear it might be deserved, but I’ve never coached little kids so what do I know? First, there was the last minute way it was organized… as in: nine o’clock the night before we got a call from the coach – complete with a shopping list…
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Wellbeing

Status

It’s not as bad as it sounds, or will sound (if you can make any sense of it). This week I’ve been sick (again/still – pick your adverb) and between medications. I’ve been weening myself from caffeine, on doctor’s orders, and I’m suffering the consequences. My meds of choice for headache are no longer part of the arsenal – due to the caffeine, so I’m…
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Kitchen Sink

Words I would use

My mother-in-law called me earlier. She told me it was 63 degrees in New Hampshire, but it was raining. Everything before the comma was good natured taunting – it’s still seat sticking hot here. Vinyl seats are cruel and unusual punishment. I think the raining bit was supposed to cushion the blow, but I’m the odd Floridian who doesn’t like this much sun. I would replace the…
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Family and Friends

Joy sink

“Grandma’s coming home tomorrow right? I can’t wait!” That was Beth Wednesday night, talking to me and our pastor on the first night of confirmation class this (school) year. “So when will she be coming HOME home?” That was when Beth realized home can be a relative term. “Oh,” she replied, crestfallen. That was when I told her the truth, unvarnished…
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Kitchen Sink

Just passing through

People come and go in my life, like passengers on a subway. We share a small piece of our lives until opportunity, circumstance, or chance steers us to another train. I’m used to it, and I’m not. I know it happens, then it does, and I get over it. I’ve been really lucky. It’s been a pleasure to share my ride with most of the people I’ve bumped into along the way. Pat…
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Kitchen Sink

Lunchtime thoughts

What gets your attention? What does it take to create enough spark for you to read more than a few words, or stop pressing the channel up button? Does the quality of content suffer from too much quantity, for reasons beyond dilution? I’ve only got a few more minutes before I should get back to work. Every day I need time to get away, hide, and decompress. It’s not because I find my job…
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