This blog was started over a year ago. Originally it was my intent for it to be a mix of politics and anything else that came to mind. Since then I have decided to make a new blog of only political articles. That blog is called Deedon’s Blog. You can find it at www.deedonsblog.com.
All of the political articles published originally here have been moved to Deedon’s Blog. This blog will deal with lighter subject matter, or at least other non-political matters.
Welcome to Derby’s Blog.
The story you are about to read is true. The names have been changed to pronouns to protect the innocent – and because I don’t remember half of them. Hey, it’s been over twenty years, give me a break.
He was working in a store where, among other things, repairs were made to electronic devices.
She had brought in such a device for repair and had now come back to pick it up. She gave her name and/or a claim check.
He went and found the device. A book shelf size stereo radio. It had input jacks to allow another audio device without its own speaker set to be played though this radio. You know, a device like one of those new-fangled compact disc players. The radio also had an auxiliary, 120 volt, receptacle to make it unnecessary to find a separate outlet for the CD player.
He wrapped the cord of the radio around itself to keep it from tangling. Then he plugged the plug into the aforementioned auxiliary receptacle so it would not dangle while she carried the radio to her car. While doing so he joked, “If you plug this in here it won’t use as much electricity.”
She was pleased to learn this money saving technique.
He felt the need to confess that he had just been joking.
She looked disgusted and began to write the check to pay for the repair.
He told her that it would be twenty dollars. Then he added, “Of course, since this is a stereo radio, that will be twenty dollars for each side.”
She started to change the check to forty dollars.
He stopped her and, again, told her that he was just joking.
She completed the check for twenty dollars, took her repaired radio and left the store.
About two minutes later she came back into the store. She walked rapidly past him to another store employee. As she passed him she said, “I have a question, and I’m not going to ask you!”
Now what do you suppose got into to her?
Although I wrote this 38 years and 6 days ago, it sure fits the weather here in Lafayette, Indiana, today.
Gently falling, pure and white,
it make the earth so clean and bright.
A blanket covers valley and hill,
all is silent, all is still.
The maple stands half white, half brown;
half a smile, half a frown.
Nothing moves that I can see,
no tracks to mar the white beauty.
Down it drifts, three inches, four!
Still it comes and there’ll be more.
Daylight passes, twilight, too;
all in sight turns hazy blue.
The stars are shining, the moon is bright;
they twinkle gayly on flakes of white.
The beauty on the ground, extended from the skies;
a wonder to behold, a symphony for the eyes.
That’s right. When I separated my political articles (Deedon’s Blog) from my ‘Other’ blog articles (this blog) I never intended to write one every day. Two, maybe three, a week is enough. Every other day, at the most. Never more than one day in a row. But I have done seven in a row and that’s more than enough. So there will be no blog article today. After all, I’m a busy man. I have a lot to do every day. Eat, sleep, eat, read, eat, etc. There are only so many hours in the day. So, I repeat, no blog article today. Period.
Pretend you did not read this.
This was written November 21, 1971.
.
I’ve tried love,
I’ve tried and tried;
Everytime
It seems I’ve cried.
Is love sent
From God above?
Why does He send
A one-way love?
A one-way love
Is all I could find,
Now I can’t get
It off my mind.
Oh, yes! My love,
One way was true;
But now you’re gone
You’ve left me blue.
.
.
I will write no poem today.
I have no message to convey.
Surely it cannot be this way.
There must be something I wish to speak about.
I could speak of a cat that’s black,
or maybe a childhood friend named Jack,
or sinister things like a torture rack,
or evil drugs like heroin or cocaine.
In my head there rings a chime
to tell me that it is a crime
that somehow, maybe, just this time,
I cannot make the last word sound like it should.
.
.
I compose poems, one a day,
It’s how I say what I want to say.
If I keep going at this rate,
I’ll soon have enough to bore the whole state.
This was written November 11, 1971.
.
You are my night of restful slumber.
You are a cool drink on the desert.
You are vision and bright colors to the man without sight.
You are a song of hope, a song of joy.
You are laughter in the eyes of children at play.
You are everything.
.
You are velvet to my fingertips.
You are honey to my lips.
You are a sweet melody to my ears.
You are a rose to my nostrils.
You are the Goddess of Love to my heart.
You are everything.
.
You are everything.
I am one thing.
I am yours!
.
.
Oh, dentures mine, there in the cup,
with you in there I cannot sup,
So you I’ll wash and scrub and clean,
then eat brown bread and veggies green.
But I can’t have corn on the cob,
nor for red apples will I bob.
It’s not that apples I can’t grip,
but my toupee off my head will slip.
Apples verses oranges. Whoops! I mean Apple desktop and notebook computers verses IBM Compatible desktop and notebook computers. Well, that would have made an awfully long title.
Apple and Microsoft have their little spat going about which type of computer and OS are best. We know it costs more for an Apple system. We know Apple is generally more reliable. Worth the extra cost? That, I suppose, would be an individual choice. If money is no object, it would seem the Apple would be the natural choice. If the budget is tight (and one has the patience of Job) the Microsoft based system would seem to be the choice.
Never have I owned an Apple (computer, that is, I eat Gala, Fuji, and Jonathan Apples all the time [organic, please.]) I have certainly had my share of troubles with the MS based machines. Still, I’ve been reluctant to switch. Money is one reason. Another is uncertainty of what Apple may not do or run, etc. So I am looking for some help, folks. This is your chance to tell me where to go (I know some of you want to do that) – to the Apple counter or the Other counter.
Don’t those of you who lack experience with both systems feel left out. You can leave a reply with what you know about either (or both) system(s). Why did you choose what you chose and/or why do you wish you had made a different decision.
Yes, you do have to register (if you haven’t already) to leave a comment, but it is free and your email address will not be displayed to other readers. Nor will we spam you or an any way use or abuse your email address. I promise!
The more feedback I receive, the more helpful it will be. Thanks in advance to anyone who replies and offers their advice and/or opinions.
Margaret as a newly "crowned" nurse
Then I had to help her get up on Facebook. And that is when our sweet domestic life as we had known it came to a screeching halt. Now I am lucky to have a conversation with her at home. The first thing she does upon waking is turn on the computer. Turning it off is the last thing before going to work or to sleep.
Friends. As of this writing, Margaret has 142 friends on Facebook. I don’t even KNOW 142 people! She has already passed each of her kids and they were both on Facebook before her. I think she is trying to get more friends than both of them put together!
She still has no interest in using a computer at work. She is still afraid of it if I’m not available to help her with glitches. For instance: when the computer hangs up and won’t boot or won’t shut down, I still have to help her resolve the problem.
It’s nice to know she still needs me.