Bitcoin

I was just chatting (texting) with my friend Cathy Godard and she mentioned bitcoin.

I've been hearing more and more about bitcoin lately and I will confess, right here and right now, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT.

Does it mean you pay via the internet with $$$ that's not really $$$?

Do you "deposit" real money somewhere and then you transfer it to someone else?

There's apparently a value to this bitcoin pretend money.  Like the stock market?

So I suppose one must set up some kind of an account.  And I suppose that will mean another user name and password.  Really?

We hardly ever write a check anymore.  That I can wrap my head around.  Paying bills automatically from our checking account and direct deposit to the same account is totally convenient.

Will bitcoin make my life even easier or complicate the hell out of it?  Maybe age is a factor.  Many of the senior citizens (Petey and I are included in that club) are all about being savvy.  We're semi-savvy but the concept of bitcoin sounds daunting.

Not sure I'm up for it.

Soft Stalking

Interesting title, eh?  Aren't you dying to find out what it means?

Ok, I'm going to define it - my way.

I love music and I have a handful of artists that I greatly admire.  I follow them online to see where they might be performing and then Petey and I jump in the car and take off when possible.

If a musician's web site has a "contact me," I'm all over it.  Why not?  I send my compliments and almost always hear back from them.

I was absolutely captivated by EG Kight.  I email-stalked her until Petey and I could finally get down to see her in KY.  We've seen her several times since then.  She let me sing with her IN MY LIVING ROOM!  We've become friends.

We got the Blues bug the first time we saw Delbert McClinton on TV.  We were hooked.  We just saw him in Ann Arbor Tuesday night and it was the best ever because we were incredibly up close and personal.  When we saw him in KY (same venue as EG but a different time) he was staying at the same hotel we were in.  Can you see what's coming?  Yup.  I saw him across the parking lot and ran screaming toward him.  It's a wonder he didn't call the cops.  He was gracious and gave me a kiss.  I didn't wash for a week.

I met Greg Nagy (a MI fella) at a benefit concert a number of years ago.  I made it a point to speak to him and we fell in love.  Can't you see it in this picture?  Ok, maybe not love but darned close.  I've lost count how many times we've seen Greg perform and enjoy the hell out of him every time.

We only got to see Ann Rabson once with the Uppity Blues Women.  She was amazing.  I knew she and EG were friends so I used that (and my elbows) to make my way to her during the break.  I must have said something very amusing to make her laugh so but 30 seconds with her made me realize she was just that way.  She died some years ago but has certainly left her mark with wonderful lyrics.  She actually wrote a song that EG and Greg recorded on EG's latest CD.

There's a sub category to the "soft stalking" - it's called "mild email stalking."  That is reserved for authors mostly but that's how I met EG too.  I have sent many emails to authors telling them how much I liked their books and have always gotten a reply - and not one of those canned emails either.
Hey, who doesn't like an atta boy?

So, I'm wondering if stalking is too rough of a description of what I do.  
Maybe I'm just a persistent, adoring fan.

Whatcha think?

A Metaphor

First off I have to tell you that I had to check the definitions for metaphor and analogy.  I always get those two mixed up.

I think I'm set so here goes.

I have several pottery bowls.  I love pottery.  It's a Brachman daughter thing - we all love pottery.

One of my favorite bowls broke recently.  It was a favorite because of its size, not necessarily the color.  It was a bowl I used a lot.

The break wasn't horrific.  I thought it was possible to glue the parts back together so I took it up to my bracelet making work room.  

Super glue did the trick - almost.  It wasn't going to be very usable so I had a decision to make.

Keep it and not really use it which would mean it would take up space on a shelf and look pretty . . . except it really wasn't very pretty.

I struggled with the decision and finally decided to through it out.
I can hear my sisters right now.  "Eeeek!  She threw it out!"

Can you see the metaphor coming?  

I'm likening the decision in what to do with the bowl to many decisions one has to make while traveling through this life.

Like:  1)  not keen on this job I've had for 16 years.  Should I continue on or look for something different/better?  2)  I love this pair of jeans.  They're so comfortable but are all worn out and I look like a bag lady in them.  Do I keep them and only wear them in the house or toss them out?  3)  this relationship is going nowhere.  Calling it quits will be rough.  Do I hang in there or make a clean break?

It's that bowl.  I liked it ok but not my fav.  If it had been the raku one on my dining room table I would have done my magic with the glue and kept it.  It isn't used for serving but is oh so pretty.

Is this blog striking a chord for anyone or am I out here all by myself thinking about broken bowls?

PS - if this doesn't really fall into the metaphor category, please don't tell me.  I'm feeling very smart right now and don't want the buzz killed.

Thank you.

Do you have a schedule?

This question would apply to everyone - still working outside the home or toiling like a ranch hand inside.

My mom used to wash the bed sheets every Monday.  I have tried to keep that regime alive as well.  Do I always succeed?  Not always.  I asked a friend (don't twist my arm I won't tell you) how often she washed her sheets.  Her reply:  when they start to smell.
See why I didn't divulge her name.

Grocery shopping has never been scheduled for me.  It may possibly be tied into the fact that I hate cooking and also live only 2 blocks from the store so I can fly by anytime.  Often it's on a daily basis.  I try to tell myself that I'm shopping like the Europeans.

Other than the sheets I call Sundays "face and floors" day.
I know you understood the "floor" thing but you must be wondering "what the hell is she doing to her face every Sunday?  We know she's not taking it to church."

Well, if you must know then I must tell you.  I use a facial scrub to keep my cheeks looking like a baby's butt.  Ok, maybe I don't quite achieve that goal but it doesn't stop me from scrubbing.

At my age you don't want to over-scrub.  So getting after those cheeks weekly is better for senior citizen faces than every other day like when you were in your 20s and 30s.

Oh.  I just thought of another schedule - monthly haircuts for Augie and me and monthly massages for ME!!!  I make those appointments for the next month as I'm leaving so I don't put anything else on my calendar.  They're extremely important to my health and happiness.  Augie agrees.

So.  Now it's your turn.  I'm sure there's some smart ass out there that's going to say they wash their windows twice a year.  

Don't bother commenting if that's you.  hehe