Using All 5 Senses

One day I was playing cards during lunch with family...It was my turn to deal.


Me - "Hum...these must be the dinner deck. I can tell because they are greasy."

Sister - "Yes and they all smell different. See (Sniffing a card) Pizza! (Sniffing a card) This one's hot dogs! (Sniffing a card) Leftover lasagna..."


I learned a new game that day. It required all 5 senses.

Transportation Games

It's light out. I realize I need to start my journey. I gather my pack. Inside I put the supplies I know I will need. Sunglasses, bus pass, wallet, water bottle, sunscreen, watch and a hat. I know it will be cool at first so I wear a jacket. Locking the door behind me I start walking. The air is fresh and cool. The familiar smells of summer sting my nostrils. Freshly mowed grass and dog poop.

Soon I realize my pace is too quick because my legs begin to ache. I've only gone a block. As I start my approach to a busy intersection, the exhaust greets me. By the next crosswalk, I feel the beginning signs of dehydration. Though the air is cool, I am beginning to sweat. After the crosswalk sign changes, I cross the street, I can feel them all watching me. At the same time, feeling safe because no driver can say they didn't see me in my yellow jacket.

I take out my pack and find my water bottle. The water is still cool and refreshes me. After returning my bottle to my pack, I continue walking down a long stretch of sidewalk. I notice a gradual increase in traffic. I find the source of the mowed grass smell as I pass two mowers. Thankfully, they pause when I pass so I'm not sprayed with the damp green blades.

As I near my destination, I realize that I don't see it. The bus stop should be visible from here. Looking at my watch I should be there just in time to not have to wait long. Continuing, I start to get nervous. How far is the bus stop from the road?

My nervousness makes me thirsty. I get another drink from my water bottle. Maybe it's just further back from the road. As I get closer I realize it isn't. The bus stop is not there at all.

I decide it hasn't been moved or has it? Then I consider the possibilities. Am I at the right intersection?

I'm not. I must have confused the street names. Everything starts with "H".

Checking my watch, I realize I have to move fast to get to the right street. It's not likely that I will make it in time. I quicken my pace. Distressed that I have to stop at the crosswalk for what feels like forever. I'm not walking anymore but marching down the sidewalk. My legs are feeling the pound against the pavement. I will have to cross the street again, but the bus stop is there I can tell from the distance. I'm about 50 feet away from the intersection when I see the bus turn, stop and leave before I can cross the street. I missed the bus.

Checking my watch, I may have time to walk home, and drive my car to my appointment without being late. It's hotter now and the marching has made me sweaty. I take off my jacket and tie it around my waste, so I'm still visible to the drivers. I am able to arrive home and drive to my appointment without arriving late. Public transportation is a game. You win or lose. Maybe I lost. Maybe I just beat the system.

Inagural Banjo Concert

Salz relayed the following story to me and I felt it was entertaining enough to translate:

So at my banjo lessons, my teacher starts our conversation like so:

"I'm pretty sure the answer is going to be "no," but I'm going to ask anyway. would you be interested in playing something for the Christmas concert?"

(Long pause, accompanied by a look of shock) Uhh, like in front of other people? How many people? Where is this going to be at?  When? Am I the only performer over the age of 6? Are you sure you want me to play something in front of people and you need to acknowledge that I am your student?

Salz "Do I have to answer right now or can I think about it and get back with you?"

Teacher "Sure you can think about it. We would need to know by next Friday, so you can let me know next Wednesday. We can pick out something to work on. I think Joy to the World sounds really good on a banjo."

Salz "Yeah, I think I want to think about it first and actually be able to play something appropriate for a Christmas concert."  Somehow the murder ballads we've been playing for months just don't seem like they'd fit.

So, he proceeds to play Joy the World while I am recording it on my MP3 player to listen to and copy later. Again he reiterates my need to sing while playing to help me keep the beat.  I want to reiterate that I can't tap my feet and play banjo at the same time much less sing while playing banjo.

Jump forward 3 weeks and it's the Wednesday before the Friday concert. He hands me a flyer - invite your family and friends he says. I surely will. This is a great opportunity for them to support me in something. It's not like they can go to school with me and cheer me on while I stack and sort books in the library....They could enjoy a good Christmas concert. Oh, it's a fundraiser and it costs money? I'll have to warn them... $10, really?  There had better be some talented 6 year olds there!

I could even step it up a notch and throw in some fun dance moves. Mostly to distract from my inability to play Joy to the World with a consistent beat. If you can't sing along or recognize the tune at least I could get a giggle or two for being shamelessly bad, right?

Now it's Friday. My school day was so draining and frustrating I didn't even think about the concert until getting home. Now I'm sweating bullets and my face is bright red (when I'm hungry, hot or nervous). My dear friend and favorite cheerleader Pheffer takes me out to dinner and drives me to the concert "hall." I go in and notice no sense of organization and realize my teacher never told me if I should be there early, or when I would be in the schedule or if I should be backstage or in the audience? I've never been here before anyway... I find a program and see my teacher's name. OK, I'll go up with him and his other students. Makes sense. As we enter the audience, someone grabs me and asks if I want to be backstage with the others (I guess she noticed the banjo on my back). 

Salz - OK.

I try to pay attention to how we get backstage so I can find my way out again (It should be noted that I am notorious for getting lost on my way home). Backstage is like a crowded basement full of people I've never seen all showing off how well they can jam on their acoustic instruments including some small children. It takes me awhile to find a corner where I can unload my banjo and tune it in secret, avoiding eye contact.  

I'm not going to be able to sit here for an hour waiting for my turn. I can't even here the other performers. This sucks. I want to be in the audience. I think that will calm my nerves more than sitting here, staring and sweating. I do find my teacher and he says I should go watch the performance and I'll have plenty of time. I find some family members and sit with them.

I notice that the teachers of the academy show off their talents then have some students perform. Makes sense. There was a really cute 6 year old that sang and played Red River Valley on a violin. I'm totally intimidated, by a 6 year old with a red bow in her hair. I should just go home and practice for 2 more years.

So it's about 2 hours later (yeah, couldn't tell by looking at the program) and it's the last group before my teacher. I decided it's time to go backstage and prep. I say something to my teacher, "Should I get ready?"

"Yeah, get ready to get out there."

So I practice a little, getting really tense now. Notice someone else is there with a banjo! How exciting among the sea of guitars. I say something about it being nice to see another banjo. So we share banjo stories and he says he goes with his daughter to the beginner jam sessions (coming up next to perform). That's cool. 

I'm sweating like a man, that's not cool. So the jammers go on, and I watch from the side stage quietly. A stage manager, says "go on out there."

Salz "Oh no, I'm not with them.

Stage mgr "Well, do you know when you do? Are you on the program?

Salz "I'm one of his students. So I think I would go on next right?

Stage mgr "I don't know. You'll have to ask your teacher."

Makes sense. My teacher has just come off the stage playing his numbers. So I approach and ask,

"So Jim, what time do I go on? After the jam session group?"

Teacher "Oh, were you going to play something?"

(pause and look of shock) "Yeah, I was."

No, actually I have been here for 2 hours to support you and I brought my banjo with me so I could get in free. Really?! We were just talking about this WEDNESDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If he said anything back to me I don't remember what it was. I was needing to walk. So I am side stage with the manager again.

Stage mgr - "Well did you find out when you need to go on?"

Salz "Actually my teacher didn't know that I was playing so I'm not in the program."

Stage mgr - "Oh, no! well just go out with them (beginners jam session still setting up on stage)."

Salz - "I can't. I'm not part of that group and I don't know how to play that song."

Stage mgr - "Oh, you'll be fine you can just stand and smile and it will be fine."

Salz - "No. I only know one song."  And I'm not going to stand there and I definitely would not be smiling.

It was time to load up the banjo and leave. I told family members through texts that I owed them $10. So, they still wanted the concert they paid for. They got a private one. Theretofore I declare: All banjo concerts from here on will be private, include lots of "dance moves" and FREE. 

A still image from Salz's private concert

Debt Free

My birthday present to myself.

Anyone Read Hie-ro-glyph-ics?

Anyone?

We met some folks that felt compelled to give us a gift which they had picked up while in Egypt (yeah, not making that up). Brilliant colors and on papyrus. That's all I can tell you about it. I wasn't sure about asking them if they knew what it said. Pretty sure they did not speak Egyptian.  But maybe someone out there does?

I would want to know what it says before framing it and mounting it on a wall right?

 

1 Fish, 2 Fish, Dead Fish, Undead Fish

So I'm not much of an animal person, but I have had fish for a few years. They are a unique kind from Asia, White Cloud Minnows. They are somewhat colorful small and difficult to kill. Not that I am trying to kill them on purpose, I just was less successful with other kinds of fish. I believe the words they used were resilient, to temperature changes and pH level changes, etc.  They were just the right kind of fish for me.
  However, since I have moved 3 times in the past 5 years, moving them has become less fun each time. After the last move, I decided that I would not maintain the typical number of minnows to 5-7, I would just let them die, naturally....In their own time. I started with 4, and one died a couple months ago. They strangest thing happened last week though. I had a fish come back to life. Seriously, he was stuck in the filter. I thought I would get him out the next day so I wouldn't smell fish on my hands since I was going to bed.

I tried to take pictures of my tank, but even with the underwater setting it just wasn't working, so I'll try my best to illustrate my point. Here you can see that one fish is stuck in the filter.

This is the next day. Two fish are again swimming in the water....

First I was shocked, doubting that he was ever really stuck in the filter. I quickly reminded myself that he really was stuck in there. Are there any life lessons I can learn from this? I would have put more that to that, except that that fish was on his side in the bottom of the tank that evening. I guess I can say that they are true to the advertisement: Die Hard minnows.
Here is his final resting place (between the rock and the leave plant you should be able to see his red tail attached to his silvery body).

If there were room in the label,  I would change this one to, "stranger than fiction."

Round 1

So this is just another part of the fun to be had for me. I will tell a few stories and you vote whether you think it really happened or not (truth or fiction). After so long  I will respond with the right answers.

1. On my way to the post office, I passed an unnamed gym for women just as two employees were stepping outside for a smoke break.

2.  I have had my picture taken with two superheroes so far in my lifetime: Spiderman and Superman.

3.  I was reading to a group of children, when one boy sitting next to me, leaned over to sniff my armpit. Afterward, he smiled with his eyes closed. He did this not once but three times.

Let the guessing games begin!!