Thursday Thirteen

1. Gas prices are inching back up, but then they always do in May - Memorial Day is a big travel day and the unofficial start to summer. The big oil companies can't miss out on their profits from travelers, now can they?

2. How I developed my cynicism about the world is not a mystery - I have lived. I don't see how any one can live in this world and not be a cynic, and disbelieve practically everything one hears. The disinformation in the "information age" is astounding.

3. I asked my doctor for a special prescription earlier in the week - one that will hopefully will have me writing if not here, then in my journal daily. I have plenty to say but not necessarily the will to say it anymore. Maybe a doctor's order will help.

4. Just because I asked a friend about him. Just because I spoke his name somewhere. Just because I saw him then went all to pieces, he think I still care. That's a country song from my childhood. Here's a version by Anne Murray which seems to be from a record player with a skip in it. I remember playing this song with my father about 35 years ago. Sometimes the words come back to, though I am not sure they are the right words or in the correct order. I grew up on country music but when I found The American Top 40, country music was no longer part of my listening experience.

5. Kisses are the most second wonderful thing in the world. Hugs are the first most wonderful thing, I think. If we kissed here like they do in Europe (friends on the cheek) and weren't so weird about our sexuality, maybe kisses would be first on my list. But we don't do touch well here in the U.S.A., and I think that is a very sad statement. I wish I could put my arms around the world.

6. Last night I dreamed something about peanuts and bombs. I have no idea what the two have to do with one another, and I haven't eaten peanuts or peanut butter in ages . . . so clueless as to where that came from. However, I dream a lot, often waking myself and my husband with yells or cries. I don't have nightmares, I have night terrors, and sometimes they are pretty intense.

7. Magic in every day life is hard to find, but I like to look for it. I see it in a child's smile, or when a tired clerk responds to my wink of encouragement, or when some fellow takes my grocery cart from me so I don't have to haul it to the storage bin or the store. Every day magic is an important part of our lives, but we miss it most of the time.

8. Nothing on my desk needs to be there, but it is there anyway. Piles of papers, notebooks, tissues, an empty water glass - is this what I want to surround myself with every day? I must, or it would not be there. Thank goodness for walls, where one can place pictures of beauty.

9. Occident is a word that means countries of the west, esp. Europe and the Americas. Occidental is a person from those countries. I learned this word when I was quite young, and in trying to use it in a sentence, I informed my uncle he was an occident. He heard "accident" and bristled at the thought that he was not a planned child (he was four years older than I).

10. Partisanship seems to be tearing the country apart. Is there an answer? I wonder if these United States will remain united, or will we end up a divided country yet again? History repeats for those who refuse to learn, and we obviously have slow learners amongst our population. It makes me sad to see so much infighting and disagreeing amongst ourselves. I think ultimately we want the same thing; safety, good economy, the right to be left alone and live our lives as we want. So why does everyone keep getting into everybody else's business?

11. Quizzes on Facebook are frequently weird but I sometimes take them anyway. Why I find it comforting to be a Unicorn or a rainbow or the person who is thus and so, I do not know, but the quizzes are popular.

12. Rolling Stones is my husband's favorite musical band. He has most of their albums, I think. He saw them live in Charlottesville several years ago and I was so glad he was able to see them. They are in the news this week because they don't want a presidential candidate to play their songs. I wonder if he will ignore their request?

13. Sometimes I find I have nothing to write on Thursday 13, and grasp at straws. Today is one of those days. I chose a letter from the alphabet to start each number, beginning with "G" and ending with "S." So here we are now, at the end.


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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 446th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.