So I Went to the Mall

I stood looking out the front window. Another delivery truck had pulled into the driveway. It was yet another Amazon truck dropping off its latest package. It just so happened to be the second Amazon truck that day and as I watched the driver place the package on the porch and take the necessary picture I briefly pondered the scope of a delivery network that can send different drivers to the same house on the same day.
Had they optimized their delivery system to fulfill a customer’s request within hours or was it simply an error in sorting and loading to the appropriate route. Although there are much smarter people than me designing networks and writing algorithms, I still tend to believe human error and simple mistakes are the most common answer why things happen. And because I still had a few gifts to buy and I actually still enjoy going out shopping I headed to our local mall.

I had recently seen a video while scrolling of a mall back in the 80’s. It was during the holiday season and the mall was packed with people. Decorations were everywhere and the line for Santa was never ending. Old favorite stores like Banana Republic, The Gap and WaldenBooks flashed by. Even though the video was short there was an excitement and buzz that was unrecognizable to today’s shopping experience. The caption of the video simply stated that today’s kids would never experience the excitement of a mall at Christmas.

Perhaps that’s true or maybe it’s just simply a bit of nostalgia for people of my generation to think back on. My mother fondly recalls taking a bus to downtown Detroit with her mother and spending an entire day shopping at Hudson’s department store. That too was an entirely different time and I’m sure she lamented the idea that malls had replaced department stores as I lament that online shopping has replaced malls.

The death of the mall began long ago and there are plenty of malls being repurposed for other uses most notably for housing or a combination of businesses and housing. Our mall while still open is a shadow of what it used to be. It had a nice run during the 80’s & 90’s. Everybody shopped there and although we knew it was smaller than other malls it still offered a wide variety of shopping and food choices.

But new trends emerge and habits change and the shopping mall belongs in a different time and place. As I walked around I noticed more elderly people walking for exercise than people actually shopping. The decorations were still hung and music played over the speakers but as I walked by Santa I noticed there was no line….he was talking to a lady dressed as Mrs. Claus, perhaps they were making plans for dinner or talking of favorite cookies.
My shopping experience was quick, the line at the checkout was short, and as I headed back out to the parking lot I couldn’t help but wonder what would become of our mall and would it even be here next Christmas.

As I pulled onto our road darkness was beginning to descend as winters grip took hold. An Amazon truck was headed towards me still out delivering. The ease and comfort of home delivery was just a few clicks away and an army of drivers was seemingly always ready.
Perhaps I’ll turn into that person that constantly talks of the old days of how things used to be…. I hope not, I realize things change and malls had their time and it was glorious for a while but the market speaks loudly and the shopping experience is not going back.
I headed inside to wrap the gifts I had bought, now there was something I really dread doing….wrapping….if Amazon had a wrapping service I’d probably take advantage of it.
It’s probably only a matter of time.

Peace and Love,

John

This is How it Begins

I stood in front of the refrigerator. I held the door open staring into the abyss for way too long. I was equally puzzled and amazed that there was so much stuff crammed into it. My wife had gone shopping the previous day and the new items combined with Thanksgiving leftovers the refrigerator had an overstuffed look and feel to it that resembled how I had felt most of the weekend. But since my wife had declared she wasn’t cooking anything until the leftovers were gone I grabbed the plastic containers from the bottom shelf and began preparing the last meal of this Thanksgiving weekend.

The turkey still looked good although not as appetizing as Thursday and the mashed potato’s and stuffing were awkwardly sharing the same plastic container crammed together like commuters on a overcrowded bus who can’t but help brush up against each other. I threw everything on a plate and zapped it in the microwave, added a slice of bread and gravy and settled in for the perfect comfort food on a cold mid-western day….the hot turkey sandwich. It was then I heard the new sound in our house, a beeping and whirring….it was my wife’s new “toy”….the Robo-Vac.

When future anthropologist begin studying our civilization and the inevitable demise of it I often wonder what they will declare was the beginning of the decline. Was it the continued invention of weapons for total destruction, or perhaps it was man’s desires for enrichment and pure simple greed. As I witnessed the Robo-Vac whirring and turning and beeping I became convinced we had just let into our home the very thing that will lead to our destruction.

My wife hates vacuuming, although you would never guess this by looking in the front closet. There sits 2 vacuums each when bought were declared to be the best and most efficient vacuums available. But lets face it no matter how you dress it up it’s still a vacuum and vacuuming is tedious and a bit difficult with the cord and various attachments. And if at this point you are saying to yourself that perhaps I should take over the vacuuming duties let me assure you that I have tried. My wife is just a bit of a germ-o-phobe and neat freak and did I mention her tendencies of obsessive compulsive behavior. Each of my attempts at cleaning usually leaves my wife muttering and declaring that she’ll “just do it herself.”

And this is how we ended up with a beeping, whirring, spinning, methodical disc going back and forth and forth and back across our carpets. After finishing off the leftovers ( I bet you thought this whole blog post would be about Thanksgiving leftovers )…… I proceeded to observe the Robo-Vac. I figured I should probably acquaint myself with the object of our extinction. It was slow and methodical. That’s how all the robots are programmed I deduced as a way to gain our trust. As it was still learning the layout of our house it became stuck in the corner of the spare bedroom. This is the bedroom that has my old tennis racquets and baseball ball bats leaning about and it somehow became wedged between a bat and tennis racquet. I smirked as I dislodged it thinking myself superior.

It soon finished and headed back to it’s charging station or dock as it calls it. I wonder as it sits there the rest of the day if it’s receiving instructions from some mainframe or perhaps a data center somewhere and soon it will implement the grand strategy. I picture it going into silent mode some night and creeping up into our bed and smothering us in our sleep and then going back to it’s dock and reporting to headquarters of it’s success eliminating the humans.

I opened the pantry door and stared into it, it also seemed overly stuffed……my wife breezed through the kitchen and as if reading my mind she said…. “there’s no more pie”….. I sighed and grabbed the box of Cheezits and slumped onto the couch. I pondered the Robo-Vac and it’s meaning as I mindlessly munched Cheezits and because I didn’t want to spend the whole day becoming the embodiment of the Thanksgiving couch potato I got up and brushed all the crumbs onto the carpet. I paused knowing full well what I had just done…. I shrugged…the Robo-Vac would be out again tomorrow and I figured it was better for all of us if he had something to actually vacuum up……best to keep the labor busy so it’s not plotting against us.

Peace and Love,

John

A Face in the Yard

I awoke to the constant patter of a rain on the roof and windows. Better than any alarm clock, a gentle rain reminds you that nature is continuously at work. Is there anything better than falling asleep or awakening to rain. Although depending on your plans for the day, the rain may be greeted with dread, any outdoor activities might have to be rescheduled or completed in wet and miserable conditions. Who amongst us really likes being out in a cold rain ?

The rain didn’t last long and by sunrise it had been replaced by a cool, cloudless blue sky. The wind rustled the trees and the red and gold leaves that fell carpeted parts of the yard. But a morning rain, much like an unexpected guest, also presents an opportunity. Leaves become too wet to rake, wood too difficult to cut and split. Outdoor activities would be delayed. A comfy chair beckons, a book to be read or a show to be watched with no guilty feelings.

As I glanced outside again I noticed the scarecrow in the front yard. Pumpkins and cornstalks surrounded him keeping in company in a postcard setting of autumn. But the scarecrow was not facing the road for all to see, the wind had turned him around so he faced the house. In fact he seemed to be looking directly into the front window. He was soaking wet and his hat was askew, some of the straw filling had become so wet that it fell out of him and lay on the ground underneath him. He still had the same goofy smile plastered across his face, perhaps he was beckoning to me with his smile that it wasn’t so bad out in the rain and wind, or perhaps his smile and the fact that he was looking in the window meant he’d had enough, enough of the rain, the wind, the leaves blowing around him, perhaps he was tired of having a pole stuck through him, tired of wet coveralls and straw that itched him constantly. Perhaps the scarecrow was looking for a warm dry place to settle down for the day. Maybe he could see my comfy chair and big TV from the yard and he needed a break from his job as fall decoration.

I must admit, it was rather unnerving staring out the window with him staring back at me. His button eyes seemed to follow my every move. I went to another window and looked out, his eyes seemed to follow me knowing where I was. I hoped for a strong wind to spin him back around but he seemed riveted to this new position, and so I knew what I must do. Outside I went to straighten him out both metaphorically and physically. I turned him around to face the road, once again he assumed his proper position, a centerpiece among the pumpkins and cornstalks, a postcard picture of autumn.

I thought about somehow securing him so the wind couldn’t spin him any longer, so he couldn’t be facing the house looking in the front window contemplating my cozy environs. But I assured myself it had been a windy night and that as a scarecrow he was his happiest outside in the wind and rain fulfilling his destiny with a pole stuck up his back….who wouldn’t be ? As I walked away I glanced back and as I did so a gust of wind blew him back to face me, his goofy smile taunted me and then another gust blew him back to face the road. It was as if he was reminding me…. “go ahead, go inside, sit in your chair with your book and hot coffee…. I’ll be here in my wet coveralls with my straw filling and pole up my back but remember I’m just not here to scare away the birds and I just might be looking in the window when you awaken tomorrow.”

I did sit in my big chair with my coffee, but then as I looked outside I realized perhaps it wasn’t so bad out and wet leaves aren’t so bad to rake. An afternoon spent outside in the fall is a blessing and an opportunity. I also checked the calendar….only 10 more days till Halloween and then I can take that scarecrow down and decorate for Thanksgiving….turkeys love being outside right ?

Peace and Love,

John

A New Favorite

I was out on my morning walk today and I glanced at the sky. Usually when I’m on my morning walk I see the sun rise if it’s not obscured by the gloom of a mid-west day or the haze of smoke….I’m looking at you Canada. I often catch the sun just peeking over the horizon and many times I stop and take a picture. It’s interesting to see the different sunrises throughout the year. I’ll look back on the pictures and notice that sometimes it rises over the road but a month later it’s in the field across the way and next month perhaps it’s over by the neighbors barn. What struck me today was that I totally missed sunrise, in fact I’ve missed it for the past couple of weeks.

Now before you accuse me of sleeping in and enjoying extra time under the covers, let me assure you that I’m up at literally the same time every day. A son that’s out the door before 6 and a wife getting ready for work doesn’t exactly create a environment conducive for sleeping in. Add in the fact that as the weather has gotten nicer and the windows are open and I can hear traffic on our road and let’s just say that I’m up before the sun.

But as I noticed the sun this morning, I realized I probably haven’t been up before the sun lately. The sun was already high in the sky, really high and it struck me that June just might be my new favorite month.

Ah June, you temptress, you beguile us with your long days, pleasant weather and mild humidity. The promise of summer stretches before us with endless possibilities. Picnics, days at the beach, romping barefoot thru the grass, cool drinks with ice melting and clinking to the bottom of the glass, bike rides and hikes in tree covered woods….these all seem possible in June with a endless summer before us. July and August quickly become oppressive with your heat and humidity, we close windows and click on air conditioners hiding in the cool comfort of a modern climate controlled environment.

But it is June that the longest days are to be enjoyed, the bugs haven’t yet figured out I’m a walking blood bank to be swarmed at first sight or smell. Yes I know, I’ll probably write a blog post at the end of summer lamenting that I didn’t do nearly all the activities that I planned for the summer and I’ll ponder where the time escaped to, but for now I’ll be up early, maybe not to see the sunrise, but still early and I’ll enjoy the long days, mild temperatures and enjoy the possibilities that June brings

Peace and Love,

John

So Many to Read, So Little Time

Daily writing prompt

What books do you want to read?

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For the last few years I’ve been keeping track of the books I’ve read. Each year I try to read more than the previous year. This past year I read 17 books….. I believe that’s the most I’ve read in a year but I know it pales in comparison to some people, my wife is a voracious reader who can easily read 1 or even 2 books a week.

I like to to keep track of what I’ve read to see if I’m perhaps reading too much of a certain author or genre. I enjoy reading John Grisham books and each year I seem to read 1 or 2. Either he comes out with a new one or I find a title I haven’t read at my local library. I recently found one at the library that I hadn’t read. The story revolved around the theft of the F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts from the Princeton library. It got me thinking that I never read any other works by Fitzgerald except Gatsby. It took me multiple readings of Gatsby to truly appreciate it. I was always hung up on the idea that it was just a story of the rich and privileged doing awful things and not being held accountable. Even though Gatsby is hung up on his high school crush it’s still a story of love and loss. I read that Gatsby wasn’t even a big success when it was written and Fitzgerald was bankrupt and so desperate for money and recognition that he was writing screen plays in Hollywood when he died. I think I’ll read more Fitzgerald this year to see if his other story’s are as good as Gatsby.

I’ve always been fascinated with Hemingway. He himself cultivated an image of a man who could drink more, write better, out fight and out womanize anyone else. As with a lot of mythology some of this is true and some of it is pure fiction, but the man could write. Not everything he wrote stands the test of time and some of his subjects are just plain puzzling nowadays, his fascination with bullfighting and traveling around Europe as part of “the lost generation” seems odd. His personal life may have been as tragic as the characters in his books but some of those books are pure genius. The subjects of love, loss and death permeate his great works and I think I’ll continue to read as much of his work as I can.

Being a sports fan I could easily spend a whole year reading nothing but sports books especially baseball. I think of all the sports, baseball is the sport that has the most books about it, perhaps it’s the history and tradition of the game or maybe just the simple pace and day to day nature of it but I do enjoy a baseball book during the long, dark, cold winter months. Reading a baseball book in the winter gives me something to look forward to as the seasons eventually change.

I read somewhere that the best story’s are about baseball, running and horses. Maybe it’s the solitary nature of running, the lyrical day to day grind of baseball and the simple beauty of a horse but I have read great books about all 3 of those subjects. But there are great story’s everywhere…..go find a book and read it

Peace and Love,

John

Changes Happen

Daily writing prompt

Is your life today what you pictured a year ago?

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No…..most definitely not. There’s been a big change from a year ago. I call this new phase semi-retirement or Act 2. Back in September the large multi-national global conglomerate of a company I toiled for over 25 years announced they were consolidating operations and closing the location I worked at, and although I was offered another position at a different location I thought it was best to move on.

My routine of getting up and rushing off to work and working 8 or more hours has been replaced by lazy mornings sitting in my sun-room, laptop open scrolling through news and contemplating blog posts. The birds are getting breakfast at the feeder and in the field behind our house the deer roam languidly searching for any last beans that didn’t get harvested. All the projects that get talked about and never started have been started and some have been completed to be replaced by more projects. To be honest not everything has been started, that book I keep contemplating has not been started….that might be a commitment I’m not ready for.

I spend more time researching travel destinations…..did you know the best time to go to Machu Picchu is in the spring or fall to avoid the rainy season and avoid the crowds of the summer season. If you desire to hike the Inca Trail it’s a four day hike to Machu Picchu but there’s also a train that can take you to the top. So far my semi-retirement travel has been limited to the continental U.S. but perhaps with more free time I’ll expand my destinations.

Also this has been the first year in forever that I sent out Christmas cards. I always had the excuse that December was actually my busiest month so I had no time for cards, but this year cards are mailed, decorations are hung and most of the shopping is complete with still a week before Christmas.

Much to my wife’s chagrin there are times during the week I don’t even know what day it is, and as the weather has turned colder here in the mid-west my lazy mornings are stretching into lazy afternoons. I find myself sitting around more and watching stuff instead of doing stuff. These are not habits that I want to continue so Act 2 is evolving and I recently accepted a part-time position at our local community college. I love the idea of working part-time at this point of my life. I’ll still have the flexibility of time but with the incentive and purpose that only a job can provide, and lets face it my allowance around here wasn’t increasing.

As I sit here and think about the changes of the past couple of months I realize that life can throw you some unexpected curve balls and it’s important to be willing to accept change and look ahead, perhaps even if you think your taking a step back it’s really just a precursor to a new situation….Act 2…..the mornings are better, it hardly matters what day of the week it is and finding a new purpose is a revelation to be embraced…….

So look ahead and enjoy the journey, don’t sit around and if possible start planning your next adventure…..and avoid the rainy season

Peace and Love

John

Can I Have 3 More ?

Daily writing prompt

Name your top three pet peeves.

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This is like when you find the magic lamp and the genie pops out and grants you 3 wishes….your first wish is to ask for unlimited wishes but then the genie says “nope, you only get 3″….. ok fine, 3 pet peeves

The first is technology…..oh technology, my friend, my enemy, my frenemy…… you make everything so easy and so, so frustrating. Need directions, just take out your phone and get turn by turn directions. It’s gotten to the point that I wonder how anybody got anywhere before maps on our phones.

Need to find out which president died shortly after his inauguration because his speech was too long and he caught pneumonia….it’s just a query away on your phone ( I don’t actually know who that was or even if he did die of pneumonia because I didn’t actually look it up but I do remember from history class that did happen )…..my point is before smart phones and Google we had to find information in the encyclopedia or at the library or by asking our parents, and lets be honest 2 out of 3 of those were probably accurate and the other just told you something to get rid of you.

I marvel at all the wonderful technology and information just a few keystrokes away but nothing and I mean nothing gets my blood pressure rising than creating a profile and password for every single stinkin thing on the web. Scan this QR code, create a profile and password, become a preferred member, accumulate points, get a discount………why is it that everybody on the web wants me to be a preferred member with a profile and password. My password book is now multiple pages long and yet most on them still don’t work…… is that all caps for that one or just one capital letter and is that the number one or the special character the exclamation point….UGH, WHY WON’T IT TAKE IT…..I KNOW IT’S RIGHT….my wife’s solution is to just ask for another password and update it…….but I have a book of passwords of multiple pages some of them must work….right ?

My second pet peeve is fake outrage. Everybody is outraged about something and they have a way to express it. Blame the cell phone again or perhaps social media but I blame us, humans for this one. Folks…..are we really devolving into people that whine and complain about everything……please you can’t really be outraged about all the things I see on Facebook or Tiktok or Twitter. I do feel this is just sad attempts at seeking attention for yourself and whatever cause nobody is really paying attention to. And lets face it most things posted on social media are quickly forgotten as people scroll by and there’s so much outrage going on that it’s really just become noise, background noise that people ignore like traffic noise.

The third pet peeve and this one is the cousin to fake outrage…..fake urgency. Just because you can reach me immediately by phone or text doesn’t mean I have to respond immediately. Just because you think your problem is of utmost importance doesn’t mean that I have to solve it right now. Very few things need to be taken care of now….in fact most things can wait, an hour, a day, a couple of days in fact…..so if I don’t answer my phone the first time you call then send me a text but if I don’t answer it right away I’m probably looking through my password book for the right password for my profile so I can become a preferred member and get points and discounts on the web……

Peace and Love

John

Make Bread not Art

While scrolling some headlines this morning my attention was diverted by a story about a banana duct taped to wall in an art gallery. Evidently this piece of art is soon to be auctioned off by Sotheby’s auction house and could sell for $1 million or higher.

This artwork titled “Comedian” by an Italian artist first debuted at a Miami art fair in 2019. It quickly became a much discussed piece and selfie seeking crowds so thoroughly crowded around it that it eventually had to be removed, but not before another artist who was perhaps jealous of the attention, removed the banana from the wall and ate it necessitating a backup banana be brought in.

A spokesperson for Sotheby’s calls it “profound and provocative” ……….although truthfully I feel he says this about every piece of art. Just to clarify the bidders won’t be bidding on the original banana and piece of duct tape as the fruit was always meant to be replaced.

In fact, what you are really buying is not the banana and duct tape but a certificate of authenticity that grants the owner the permission to reproduce the banana and duct tape on their wall as an original piece of artwork by the artist.

So really I or anybody else doesn’t need to spend a $1 million to duct tape a banana to their wall. I could do it for considerably cheaper than that, but I’m sure my wife would not be happy at my attempt at modern art and removal of the banana would probably take paint off the wall and we do have a fruit bowl sitting on the table and even though I never considered it a piece of art I suppose I could duct tape a banana to the fruit bowl…..who knows maybe some day, somebody would consider a banana duct taped to a fruit bowl to be “profound and provocative”

So go ahead make art with fruit, duct tape or any other household items….just make sure it doesn’t damage the walls or your spouse would not be happy about your modern interpretation of art……or you could just make bread

Peace and Love,

John

Go Ahead and Do It

Daily writing prompt

What’s the biggest risk you’d like to take — but haven’t been able to?

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There is something I’ve been pondering and putting off. A couple of weeks ago I saw a notice about a short story contest open to all residents in my state. I thought it might be interesting to enter but I became paralyzed each time I sat down at the computer to enter.

I had a short story in mind that I liked and thought others might like but each time I sat down to submit it I would stare at the screen and eventually turn it off without entering the contest. Part of the reason was the submission guidelines….you have to create an account and password and I had to change the spacing and font on the story. I know these are all minor and easily overcome but I used these as an excuse not to submit.

I knew the real reason for my reluctance was that my story would be read and judged. I have a very small audience of readers of my blog and that’s fine…..sure I would like more readers but I know the loyal few do actually read it and generally find it to be entertaining……and really that’s all I’m aiming for here.

By entering a contest my work would be judged against other stories probably submitted by real writers, not by bloggers who write once a week about something that happened in the grocery store. And that’s really why I’ve been pondering this and been paralyzed into in-action for the past couple of weeks. I know my story probably isn’t good enough to be considered against other stories but when I write a short blog post a few people read it and some even hit the like button but nobody comments how bad it was.

So this morning I sat once again at the computer staring at the entry guidelines and submission page. I found myself filling out the application and attaching my story to it and away it went into the internet ether…..a few minutes later I got a confirmation e-mail and it was submitted.

I don’t know why today was the day…..maybe because it is Monday and I wanted to get the week rolling in the right direction or maybe I got tired of making excuses and sitting around worrying that others would read my story and possibly dislike it or call it the work of an beginner but my work is out there for others to read and really as writers that’s all we really want.

Peace and Love….

John

Do Something…..

Daily writing prompt

Do lazy days make you feel rested or unproductive?

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I love a lazy morning, in fact a lazy Sunday morning might be my favorite time of the week. Especially when it turns colder in the fall or downright freezing in the winter. Nobody really expects anything out of you on a freezing Sunday morning, so it’s perfectly acceptable to curl up under a blanket and read a book or the paper (although the paper is on my phone so curling up with my phone reading the paper doesn’t sound as romantic as it should)

I’ve never been the type to sit for hours and not do anything, although I have been known to doze off under a blanket in the chair by the fire listening to a podcast awakening an hour later only to discover my podcast has ended and I must decide if it is worth the hassle to go back and listen to it again because I doubt I really grasped the concept of it while napping. Most times I don’t….if it caused me to doze off it really wasn’t holding my attention to begin with.

I’m not the type to binge watch an entire season of the latest and greatest show or even watch more than one episode at a time. No matter what I’m doing on a lazy morning, after awhile I feel this urgency to get up and do something. I really can’t stand the idea of an unproductive day….it seems so wasteful and I feel very lethargic unless I accomplish something…..so yes I love a lazy morning but it almost never stretches into a lazy day

Peace and Love

John