Some folks told me they didn't get this blog that was composed on Thursday last week and should have been received in your inbox on Friday. So I'm reposting it. For those of you who read directly from the website, don't be confused to see this out of order. - S.
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Thursday and it's a busy day ahead. Lunch with a friend, ex-employee and her friend/co-worker. Then meeting with a client and this evening Martin, tantra. And the lunch makes me smile because just when I was thinking about being relevant (after disappearing Mike said it was his life's goal), I got an e-mail from Sue saying she is a regular reader of this blog as is her co-worker who I've never met - the gal wants to meet me. So yay for two things: being compelling enough that someone wants to meet me and also great to actually press some flesh - this one way electronic relationship I have with y'all gets pretty lonely some days!
Last night the writing group did not disappoint - six writers - we all wrote well. I led the prompts and the first was the triptych picture thing I do where I find three random images from magazines like Smithsonian, Vanity Fair, etc. and tape them together into a mini collage. The three pictures I chose were a white orchid, a ballerina on point, and a dark Edwardian looking alley with barred doors. These were recycled prompts - James had this same one last time. Speaking of James, the guy is really honing his skills - we make him read last because it would discourage the rest of us from reading. Second prompt was inspired by nursery rhyme titles and it didn't surprise me that James chose, I Love Little Pussy. He wrote the most hilarious poem and with his permission, I'll share it with you tomorrow. I chose Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater and wrote a piece about female genital mutilation. Here's my first piece for your reading pleasure!
The first time Jason saw Inez he knew she was the one - the one he had searched for, for too long - even longer than it took him to find a brand new heretofore undiscovered orchid. A five continent search that ended in all places, a wooded, jungled area behind a newly built strip mall. All the other orchid hunters, that day, had gone deeply into the jungle, caravans of donkeys and supplies. Jason stayed behind to check out the copse behind the mall - noticed it when he got a latte at the brand new Starbucks, noticed too the rare cymbidium next to the tip jar. When he asked about it with a controlled nonchalance that belied his excitement, the sweet young Spanish speaking girl bubbled over and in Costa Rican valley girl Spanish said, "Senior eet ees so beauoootiful, the jungle behind - I go there on eeevery break.!"
It was there he found her - orchids would always be "her" to Jason. At first blush, a common phalaenopsis, at closer look, something entirely new and never been seen to his knowledge. The orchid society concurred and waited for him to name it. In due time his orchid would become common - propagated over and over - someday its offspring might even sell for $15 at the local Dominicks. But for now it was rare and new and wonderful and it awaited a name.
The end of the search created a void in Jason's life - it had consumed him for over twenty years, the quest for ethereal beauty. And really the thrill couldn't be replicated. Yes, he loved his orchids, but now he longed for more, something, someone, orchid-like who he could also own and smell like he did his beauties, but with whom he could also sink his teeth, penetrate.
Inez - why did it take him so long to realize ballerinas are human orchids. She was graceful with a translucence that rivaled his yet unnamed phalenopsis-like orchid. At the ballet that night, he knew his search was over. It had been easy to get her to his fortress home - just showed her the article about him and the discovery - she was eager to lay eyes on the lovely flower - only a handful of people had seen it. And he made sure no one knew of the invitation and visit - begged her to secrecy for the safety of the orchid. Like everything Jason did, the hunt was well planned and executed.
She came. He captured. She was now part of his collection - kept in a glass room. He would keep them both always - his two Inez's - his orchid named at last.
I hope you liked that - it was a lot of fun to write. Wish I had more time - it's a challenge to come up with an idea and lay it down in only 15-20 minutes. After the writing, I begged off going out for drinks. As I said yesterday, these days, everything I do is coming under scrutiny - questioning the things I do just out of habit. Lately it's just been James, Liza and I at the Orrington after writing and typically we are tired and drained and should really be home in a hot bath. And these days, there is little inspiration that happens when we three get together to coffee klatch - everything's been said and we keep rehashing the same old stuff and vying for whose life is shittier. When we do have fun, it's when we drag our asses to a play or concert and forget our troubles for a while. I'm not saying we shouldn't hang out - it's just that we need more and different. Time to mix things up a bit.
OK, one really funny moment between Elizabeth (my daughter) and me yesterday. When she came over to drop Joey off for the day, she noticed a cast iron pan with sections (wedges). "What's this?" she asked curiously. As I explained, what at one time seemed absolutely normal to me, I had to laugh at myself. "It's a pan for making scones." "You're going to make scones?" she asked. "No, it was at the office in the pandemic flu supplies." "We were going to eat scones during the pandemic flu?" she asked, confused. "Yes, I had all the ingredients for scones and assuming there would be no utiliities, I envisioned we would cook them in the fireplace, hence the cast iron." It was at this point, I realized just how over the top I had been - I was working on amassing enough food and supplies to sequester my famility in my home for a full year. And given my Martha Stuart streak, it wasn't enough to just provide them sustenance - we would eat well! While the rest of the world melted down, civilizations fell, there we would be in our living room, singing songs and eating scones! I even had jars of English clotted cream and homemade strawberry preserves to go with them!!!!! When I moved the office, the clotted cream ended up in the alley - it was over ten years old.
Challenge today is to enjoy your day and this cooler weather. That's all.
Peace,
Sarah
PS. My cell phone is in the next room and is ringing. I am NOT running to answer it! It can wait! It's not the boss of me anymore!
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