My Take On Valentine’s Day: A Contrarian’s Point Of View

February 14, 2013February 14, 2013 / Ally Bean / 20 Comments

I won’t lie. I think that for adults Valentine’s Day is a big ‘ole waste of time & money. Too contrived.

I like hearts. I like chocolate. I like flowers. I like dinner. I like jewelry.

But need we do them all on one day? Would we not be better served if we distributed these little treats of life over the course of a year?

I think that we would be. And as I adhere to the philosophy that one should be the change one wants to see, I can assure you that the extent of my Valentine’s Day celebration will be this post… with the cute little heart on it.

The rest of you, please carry on in a way that makes sense to you. I know that you will regardless of what I write here. Have a good time. Please. Do.

But as for me, I think that I’ll follow the wise words of Dharma from Dharma & Greg: “A big part of being open is to embrace things you know are stupid.”

Which, for me, is Valentine’s Day. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone.

[Image from here.]

Faith, Trust & Puzzle Dust

February 9, 2013March 23, 2020 / Ally Bean / 14 Comments

WHILE working on a jigsaw puzzle with her husband, she was asked whether or not she had got all the puzzle pieces with blue on them together into one pile.

She replied: Yes.

WHEN it was pointed out to her that there were about 20 more puzzle pieces with blue on them that she had not put into the pile, she thought hard about this.

Then she said: Some is like All, only Less– and Easier.

AND then, having faith that she had explained herself clearly, she walked away from the dining room table, trusting that she had done her bit for this project. Needing to put distance between herself and those 1000 dusty puzzle pieces. Wondering why she said that she’d help with this stupid puzzle to begin with.

[Images of puzzle from Jig Zone. This particular puzzle is here.]

Two Nice Guys With The Same Name

February 7, 2013February 7, 2013 / Ally Bean / 21 Comments

My Zen-Den rented a car. While either in the rental office or while driving the car, my Zen-Den’s black leather business card organizer wallet fell out of his computer bag. He did not know that this had happened.

This wallet holds about 40 plastic cards that my Zen-Den uses at hotels & airlines & car rental kiosks when he travels for work. Also, once upon a time my Zen-Den stuck a receipt for a car service visit in the back of this wallet.

[It would be at this point in the story that I could go off on a snarky tangent about paying attention to what’s going on around you… don’t adopt an absent-minded professor persona… zip the sides of you computer bag. But I won’t.]

• • •

Last Tuesday morning we received at the house an overnight package. On it was the oddest address label. The label said that Zen-Den in MI had sent Zen-Den in OH this package. I figured that it was work related, so I didn’t open it.

[I could have opened the package immediately but:

It wasn’t addressed to me, which technically means that I shouldn’t open it– like that’s ever stopped me before; &

I live in fear of anthrax dust because I’ve watched a gazillion times that NCIS episode where Tony gets the bubonic plague. Hey, don’t judge. It could happen.]

• • •

When my Zen-Den came home from work I handed him the package. He had no idea what was in it, so we both watched as he opened it. And there was his black leather business card organizer wallet.

There wasn’t a note in the package with the wallet, so we had no idea how the other Zen-Den came to have my Zen-Den’s black leather business card organizer wallet. There was only the address label with the other Zen-Den’s business address/phone number on it.

[Again, I could make a big issue of the fact that a stranger had information about my Z-D’s vehicle and license plate number and credit card, but that would make me sound churlish, so I won’t mention it here.]

• • •

So the next day my Zen-Den phoned the other Zen-Den and they talked. Come to find out someone at the car rental company had found the wallet. When the car rental company went through their records, they found the other Zen-Den’s name/address & sent him my Zen-Den’s black leather business card organizer wallet.

The other Zen-Den knew that it wasn’t his, but he took the time to look through it where he discovered the car service receipt with our home address on it. Then, because he was a nice older gentleman, he just mailed it to my Zen-Den. No big deal. Just did something nice.

My Zen-Den offered to reimburse the other Zen-Den for the cost of mailing, but the other Zen-Den said not to worry about it. He had it covered.

And that, gentle readers, is how it came to be that my Zen-Den got his black leather business card organizer wallet back. Amazing, huh? Who’d have thought that there’d be two nice guys with the same name? Just glad that there are.

Sure, You Can Do That

January 15, 2013January 28, 2021 / Ally Bean / 19 Comments

“In vino veritas est.” ~ Pliny the Elder

“God bless the honest, for they shall make my days more entertaining.” ~ Ally Bean

~ • ~

As I have mentioned here before I am a good listener. I am also the “go to” person in my social group for how to start a blog. And, as you have probably already figured out, I get tickled by the darnedest things. To wit, the following real life vignette.

An acquaintance, who I see about once every 3 years or so, asked me about how to start a blog. We were at a fancy reception and there was much wine being served.

I told her my standard response* to her question. She seemed intrigued and started asking a bunch more questions about blogging. In the flow of the conversation I told her that I thought that she’d be good at blogging because she is smart and articulate. [Which all bloggers are, right?]

Of course, I wanted to know what she thought that she might be blogging about, so I asked her. Knowing a little bit about her I figured that she’d say something like: my kids, my love of interior design, tips on antiquing, tips on cooking, my conservative political opinions. Subjects that I know she cares about.

But what I did not expect her to say is the most unanticipated, yet delightful, reason for blogging that anyone has told me to date. She told me that she didn’t care what subject she wrote about. That didn’t matter to her at all. No, what she wanted to do in her blog was to: Tell people what to do. Her way. So that they wouldn’t bug her with their stupidness any more.

Now this is an approach to blogging and a point of view, which you have to admit, is both authentic and could be fun to read about, subjects be damned. Plus, I suspect, that in our heart of hearts there isn’t one blogger [or person] out there who hasn’t thought the same thing, but just never had ~~the amount of wine necessary~~ the gumption to say it. So clearly. And so loudly.

~ • ~

* When you start a blog you need to consider three basic questions.

Do you have something to say? Can you say it in a way that other people will understand? Hmm?
Where will you put your blog? That is, when you decide on your platform will you pay money for it or will it be free?
Will you commit to showing up to your blog on a regular basis? If not, you’ll tick off your friends and readers. And you don’t want that, do you?