September
2015, Presidio Sentinel San Diego
.
By Laura
Walcher
Yeow. There’s
something about August. Are more babies born in August than any other month? Someone’s
probably done some useless study.
I attribute its possibility – if
not probability – to the cold, early sunset
months of December.
But I
already digress. My August
birthday was kind’ve shocking. I was much too young for it, tho’ I accepted, if not
embraced it - with steely grace and not much whining.
I shared
the family celebration with one other of us, who became 51. Now that’s a
tuning-into-seniority number. He put a bold face on the occasion, but I could
tell he was hiding a little chagrin.
I wouldn’t reach my next birthday if I gave you his name. This is very sensitive stuff.
These
days, playing my flute constitutes great pleasure with serious remorse,
idiotically having given it up for decades in the wake of career and family
fostering. Did I recover my former expertise? I only recovered not embarrassing myself, and by now, I’ve discovered Aleve for my fingers, my best new
friend. (thanks, Mom).
Good
news in August happened when, in the park with Fen, we met a tall, good-looking
fellow dog-walker, who remembered me - by my hair. He pulled out his I-phone to
show me how he’d copied it for dressing up
as a woman for Comic-Con. But, he said, he’d
had one problem. “How,” he
pleaded, “ did you get the white part so white?”
Well, that cheered me up.
“Just
wait, “ I said.
Technology and entertainment constitute my
greatest contemporary challenges.
Even tho’ I have Mr. W., the techo-genius, in house, what am I to do if he’s walking the dog? My computer declares, “NOT CONNECTED TO
THE NETWORK.” “TRY AGAIN.”
Yeah, right. When I “Try
Again,” it says, “Try Again.” If he tries again, the computer falls to
its knees in obeisance.
(Fortunately, per making my Presidio Sentinel
deadlines.)
Here’s a test: Who are OMI, The Hills, The Weekend, Silento, Major Lazer
and DJ Snake? This list of Billboard’s Music Awards’ star performers will only
drop into my conciousness via social media – thereby combining the contemporary
frustrations of technology and entertainment.
Every now and then, my sister in Columbus sends
me a list of her ordinary schedule for the day, the week, sometimes for just
one evening. Here’s a tiny excerpt:
“…yesterday. You would’ve loved
it. 10:30 a.m., annual dance
concert, it was FANTASTIC. i grabbed a little lunch and raced to Duxberry school - across city -
for their annual Arts day and I was their 'guest artist' so i had a few big
workshops with kids (through the day , not just me, but mine were mucho fun and
wow- those kids full of beyond belief energy. Home around 5, (BF) made good supper-
i brushed my teeth, met my friend Sarni at annual African dance concert - may
go see it again Sunday afternoon. Wish you could have been there. It was unreal.” Etc.
I had to
edit this, of course, to spare you the exuberance of her chaotic punctuation. Not
that she’s illiterate. Just excited.
Wish I had been there. She’s a model of her favorite
line, which, tho’ being the struggling,
imitative “little” sister, I yearn to live: ‘I’m too young, to
be this old!” xxx
