Only the gentle are truly strong.
James Dean
*******************
Yesterday morning I sent yet another email to Just Plain Bill and was soon informed by his son that Bill left us last November. I was very sad to read that news. I wept.
Bill was a particular friend of mine and I will miss him very much. He was always instant with advice, encouragement and instructions to help me with my computer. When every now and then I was sloppy with my journal entries he was my proofreader.
After all these years he was the only Jlander/Blogspotter I have ever met personally, face to face. He often visited me here, bringing something to give me. He gave me some books. One day he brought me a bottle of Wild Turkey, my favorite hard stuff. I still have a golf club mitten he left behind, a calling card, I guess. He gave me my digital camera and taught me how to use it. He spent two hours one day trying to get my deviant, devilish Dell to work and finally took it away. And when some of you got together, pooled your resources and bought me the Hewlett Packard computer I have now, it was Just Plain Bill who delivered it to my front door, hauled it up three flights to my attic aerie and helped me to install it.
Bill once told me he had no sense of humor and yet on a few occasions we shared good times and laughs together over crab cakes and manhattans at the King George here in Bristol. The King George is closed now. Bill once told me about some of the bars he used to visit in this area but whose doors are shut now. I got him to laugh about it when I said "Bill, you've closed more bars than the temperance movement. What's your secret?"
Bill was a good guy for certain. We discussed many things. We disagreed about politics but we never argued about it. In fact I never heard him say a harsh or unkind word about anyone or anything. He was a true gentleman and a fine, first rate friend. I will never forget him.
Good bye Bill. May a giant bubble of blessings surround you wherever you go.
Dana Bate
Vagabond Journeys
*******************************
Showing posts with label Just Plain Bill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Just Plain Bill. Show all posts
Monday, January 24, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Mixture In The Jar
Life is bitter. Life is sweet. Life is marmalade.
Anonymous
**********************
I know a man who is in love every minute of his day with a woman he never sees and almost never talks to, and then only through emails. They worked together many years ago and that's how they met. There were a few times when they almost became close but there was always something that interrupted. As the years past they saw each other less and less, but he kept in his heart and his mind a constant yearning for her and a continuing hope for her happiness and well being.
Eventually she got married to a great guy. He's glad of that but his heart burns with a solitary desire that things had worked out differently. She knows how he feels because he told her. But she has been happily married for 15 years. He tries not to think about her, but he thinks about her every day. It is a bitter pill that won't dissolve.
---------------------------------------------
I've never been much of a wine drinker. I do enjoy beer, and can drink buckets of it, which makes me very jolly. If I have a cocktail it's generally a manhattan. Just Plain Bill http://justplainbill7.blogspot.com/ and I have enjoyed some of those together at a local oasis.
But at the Artists' Christmas party last December I had a glass of wine (Merlot) for the first time in many years. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, I had two glasses of it. So I then bought a bottle of wine for myself to have with my dinner, a tasty and gentle Cabernet Sauvignon. Wednesday evening I had a glass with my dinner and it was a delight.
I planned to have two glasses of it. But I drank half the glass with my dinner and as the evening wore on I sipped the rest of it and then went gracefully and sweetly to sleep.
----------------------------------------
I performed in a very large musical production at a theatre up north one winter. During rehearsals I climbed up to an upper level, waited for the orchestra and choir to finish, then stepped forward and delivered a speech. I was by myself on that upper lever though there were benches set up around me.
But on opening night when I ascended the steps all those benches were filled with young girls, members of the high school chorus. Each one was as pretty as the next one. I must have appeared a bit shocked to see them for they all smiled at my reaction. They made a place for me to sit and I sat feeling like a father with 20 beautiful daughters all the same age.
After the performance i discovered that one of those girls was mildly, but permanently crippled. She needed to walk with a cane. I thought how bitter it was that such a young, pretty girl should be cursed with that burden for the rest of her life. I got to talking with her and found that she was a delightful person, sweet, charming, intelligent and full of life. I sought her out after every performance and we became temporary buddies. I am grateful to her. She taught me a lot about the bittersweetness of life, about the marmalade of life.
DB - The Vagabond
************************
Weekend Puzzle
Here are some famous trios. Who are they.
On your mark. Get set. Go!
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
T KTY, T NJQB TQE T ATQM JZ ATDK
NSJJE, UVBTR TQE RBTKU
IKJUNO, URDSSU TQE QTUA
ZTDRA, AJXB TQE IATKDRO
ZTRABK, UJQ TQE AJSO YAJUR
AJX, UMDX TQE HCFX
ACBO, EBVBO TQE SJCDB
SDZB, SDNBKRO TQE RAB XCKUCDR JZ ATXXDQBUU
XBRBK, XTCS TQE FTKO
KBTEDQY, VKDRDQY TQE TKDRAFTRDI
KBE, VADRB TQE NSCB
UQTX, IKTIMSB TQE XJX
RAB RAKBB URJJYBU
RDQMBK RJ BGBKU RJ IATQIB
RJF, EDIM TQE ATKKO
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Good luck.
------------------------
Here's a quick one, if you read this far.
Something happened on August 28, 888 that didn't happen again until February 2, 2000. What was it?
2 correct answers so far.
******************************
Anonymous
**********************
I know a man who is in love every minute of his day with a woman he never sees and almost never talks to, and then only through emails. They worked together many years ago and that's how they met. There were a few times when they almost became close but there was always something that interrupted. As the years past they saw each other less and less, but he kept in his heart and his mind a constant yearning for her and a continuing hope for her happiness and well being.
Eventually she got married to a great guy. He's glad of that but his heart burns with a solitary desire that things had worked out differently. She knows how he feels because he told her. But she has been happily married for 15 years. He tries not to think about her, but he thinks about her every day. It is a bitter pill that won't dissolve.
---------------------------------------------
I've never been much of a wine drinker. I do enjoy beer, and can drink buckets of it, which makes me very jolly. If I have a cocktail it's generally a manhattan. Just Plain Bill http://justplainbill7.blogspot.com/ and I have enjoyed some of those together at a local oasis.
But at the Artists' Christmas party last December I had a glass of wine (Merlot) for the first time in many years. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, I had two glasses of it. So I then bought a bottle of wine for myself to have with my dinner, a tasty and gentle Cabernet Sauvignon. Wednesday evening I had a glass with my dinner and it was a delight.
I planned to have two glasses of it. But I drank half the glass with my dinner and as the evening wore on I sipped the rest of it and then went gracefully and sweetly to sleep.
----------------------------------------
I performed in a very large musical production at a theatre up north one winter. During rehearsals I climbed up to an upper level, waited for the orchestra and choir to finish, then stepped forward and delivered a speech. I was by myself on that upper lever though there were benches set up around me.
But on opening night when I ascended the steps all those benches were filled with young girls, members of the high school chorus. Each one was as pretty as the next one. I must have appeared a bit shocked to see them for they all smiled at my reaction. They made a place for me to sit and I sat feeling like a father with 20 beautiful daughters all the same age.
After the performance i discovered that one of those girls was mildly, but permanently crippled. She needed to walk with a cane. I thought how bitter it was that such a young, pretty girl should be cursed with that burden for the rest of her life. I got to talking with her and found that she was a delightful person, sweet, charming, intelligent and full of life. I sought her out after every performance and we became temporary buddies. I am grateful to her. She taught me a lot about the bittersweetness of life, about the marmalade of life.
DB - The Vagabond
************************
Weekend Puzzle
Here are some famous trios. Who are they.
On your mark. Get set. Go!
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
T KTY, T NJQB TQE T ATQM JZ ATDK
NSJJE, UVBTR TQE RBTKU
IKJUNO, URDSSU TQE QTUA
ZTDRA, AJXB TQE IATKDRO
ZTRABK, UJQ TQE AJSO YAJUR
AJX, UMDX TQE HCFX
ACBO, EBVBO TQE SJCDB
SDZB, SDNBKRO TQE RAB XCKUCDR JZ ATXXDQBUU
XBRBK, XTCS TQE FTKO
KBTEDQY, VKDRDQY TQE TKDRAFTRDI
KBE, VADRB TQE NSCB
UQTX, IKTIMSB TQE XJX
RAB RAKBB URJJYBU
RDQMBK RJ BGBKU RJ IATQIB
RJF, EDIM TQE ATKKO
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Good luck.
------------------------
Here's a quick one, if you read this far.
Something happened on August 28, 888 that didn't happen again until February 2, 2000. What was it?
2 correct answers so far.
******************************
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Bury The Hatchet
Politeness is to human nature what heat is to wax.
Arthur Schopenhauer
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Today I got an email from Bill telling me that I should develop a more harmonious relationship with my printer, that we should develop a workable synergy between us, that we should, in short "bury the hatchet" and become friends. Bill is right. I know it's hard but I will no longer get upset if it says "out of paper" when it clearly isn't, or rant if it says "you're printer is off line" just before it prints. And if it wants to take three sheets to print one I promise to try to understand it's needs and be sympathetic.
One of the nastiest people I ever knew was my sixth grade teacher. She wasn't abusive to everyone, only to those she didn't like and she sure didn't like me. One didn't dare sass a teacher back then or you would get a knock on the head, a twisted ear or a ruler across the knuckles. These day I hear horrible stories about things students say to teachers in public schools. And about how teachers' hands are tied from dealing with it.
Is it any wonder when you see the examples children get to see. We are supposed to respect or government figures and yet we see some of them flinging poisoned verbal darts across the aisles. In the old days we were told that it was good to play sports because it would build character. And yet look at the over aggressive "characters" that show up in professional sports today.
It isn't easy to be polite and gentle in the face of rudeness and hostility, Bullies are hard to deal with merely because they are so ignorant. If someone is having a bad day what gives them the permission to take it out on other people. Certainly there are times when a person needs to be aggressive: a fighter, a debater and chess player, a rescuer. But why be aggressive when it isn't necessary? Why is it the norm that we must watch out for other people's behavior? Why is it that some people have to ridiculously "get even" with people they don't know and have never met?
We have TV shows, both fictional and reality, that entertain by showing human beings in their worst possible behavior. That's the way the world is? That's human nature?
Is it? Okay. In that case I suggest you all meet in some desert where you can all fit, beat each other to death and get it over with. In the meantime I'm going to be a gentleman with my printer and also with my fellow man, no matter how much of a skunk he is.
DB - The Vagabond
**************************
SUMMER QUESTION
(This is not a contest.)
Who are the 2 (two) most important people alive today? Why?
Only 7 responses so far. Summer is about to close her gates. Get with it. Don’t be left out in the heat.
dbdacoba@aol.com
Thank you.
DB
********************
Arthur Schopenhauer
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Today I got an email from Bill telling me that I should develop a more harmonious relationship with my printer, that we should develop a workable synergy between us, that we should, in short "bury the hatchet" and become friends. Bill is right. I know it's hard but I will no longer get upset if it says "out of paper" when it clearly isn't, or rant if it says "you're printer is off line" just before it prints. And if it wants to take three sheets to print one I promise to try to understand it's needs and be sympathetic.
One of the nastiest people I ever knew was my sixth grade teacher. She wasn't abusive to everyone, only to those she didn't like and she sure didn't like me. One didn't dare sass a teacher back then or you would get a knock on the head, a twisted ear or a ruler across the knuckles. These day I hear horrible stories about things students say to teachers in public schools. And about how teachers' hands are tied from dealing with it.
Is it any wonder when you see the examples children get to see. We are supposed to respect or government figures and yet we see some of them flinging poisoned verbal darts across the aisles. In the old days we were told that it was good to play sports because it would build character. And yet look at the over aggressive "characters" that show up in professional sports today.
It isn't easy to be polite and gentle in the face of rudeness and hostility, Bullies are hard to deal with merely because they are so ignorant. If someone is having a bad day what gives them the permission to take it out on other people. Certainly there are times when a person needs to be aggressive: a fighter, a debater and chess player, a rescuer. But why be aggressive when it isn't necessary? Why is it the norm that we must watch out for other people's behavior? Why is it that some people have to ridiculously "get even" with people they don't know and have never met?
We have TV shows, both fictional and reality, that entertain by showing human beings in their worst possible behavior. That's the way the world is? That's human nature?
Is it? Okay. In that case I suggest you all meet in some desert where you can all fit, beat each other to death and get it over with. In the meantime I'm going to be a gentleman with my printer and also with my fellow man, no matter how much of a skunk he is.
DB - The Vagabond
**************************
SUMMER QUESTION
(This is not a contest.)
Who are the 2 (two) most important people alive today? Why?
Only 7 responses so far. Summer is about to close her gates. Get with it. Don’t be left out in the heat.
dbdacoba@aol.com
Thank you.
DB
********************
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