Uh Huh, I am Listening

Photo by Breakingpic on Pexels.com

I have a friend who talks non-stop on the phone.  She includes minute by minute details about what she is doing, has done or will do.

And all I have to say is, “Uh huh,” and off she goes again.

Then one day the oddest thing happened while we were on the phone.

Nature called me.

At first gently.

And then URGENTLY.

A bathroom run became a neccessity.!  And Argh!!!! 

My friend was on a roll winding up for a marathon one-sided talking session.

This quickly became a competition between her call and Nature’s.

Not wanting to interrupt or hurt her feelings, I made a rush for the Necessary Room and took my phone along too (with friend still chattering away).

I just-in-time managed to stifle a loud sigh of relief and said, “Uh Huh”.

And to my surprise she kept on talking!

Now every time this friend calls, my body reacts with the urgent need to evacuate and the same ritual is repeated.  I keep saying “Uh Huh” at crucial times and she keeps on talking.

She is like a built in laxative.

And I am actually enjoying the bathroom subtrefuge now too.  Feels like mini escapes.

At first I thought I might be missing something important but  this particular friend manages to repeat the same stories over and over when I see her in person.  If I get the beginning and the end of the story during our bathroom sessions I can fill in the middle when next we meet.

Uh Oh!  Have you called me recently?

Did you think I was listening?

Did I say,”Uh Huh” in the middle of our conversation?

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

Gathering Grownups

 

Last week the son came.

Then one of the three granddaughters arrived with Kota the dog.

Followed by the middle grandgirl.

And finally, the oldest who lives the farthest away.

It was her (Jessica’s) birthday!

A day and a night and a day.  Some left and returned and the son stayed.

What did we all do?

A whole lot of talking.

The girls made stir fry vegetables.

We ate out.

And there was  a whole lot of talking and catching up to do since “the kids” have all grown up.

Read Full Post »

The Writing is On the Wall

http://www.schoolfonts.com
ZWriting Guided for Zaner-Bloser Cursive Writing work sheets and curiculum

They say the art of elegant penmanship is disappearing.

If you are still writing in “cursive” you are a member of the leftover generation who are from the Age of Wisdom.

Many others are regressing to caveman status and posting cartoons on walls to tell their stories.

But we, of the Age of Wisdom, do love to complain about lost luxuries like talking and writing.

Talking is disappearing along with longhand writing since most people are texting now.  Texting is a true form of shorthand without having to learn how to really do it.  There are books on how to learn shorthand, but I suppose those are extinct too.

 I remember there were two teenagers in the back seat of my car who sat in stony silence.

“Why are you so quiet back there?” I asked.

“We’re texting each other.”

TALKING USED TO BE IMPORTANT FOR SOCIAL REASONS but nowadays, people go to analysts to understand why nobody talks to them.

Communication has been “dumbing” down this way, and there is now widespread use of block printing punctuated by hearts and smiley faces to demonstrate approval.  Like the now missing physical hug, our vocal chords may also be in danger of going extinct.

ADVANTAGES OF SCRIPT WRITING TO THE LEFTOVER GENERATION

If most people cannot read it, then most people will not know what it says, and most people will not know how to forge it!  How can anyone forge something that looks like it is written in a secret code they have never seen before?

I write all my checks in cursive now.  Ha!  Try forging that!

And if I want my check to be “lost in the mail”, I address it in cursive writing.  How many postal clerks can figure that out, particularly if the zip code is slightly obliterated?

• Cursive held a firm place in the predawn era of interstellar connections, but is now verging on extinct.  This may sound sad, but consider it a HAPPY ADVANTAGE because it is indecipherable to the uninformed.
• Script writing is beautiful when done properly, but requires training and practice.  This is a primary advantage to us old timers since the copiers and forgers cannot decipher anything so written..
• Those in the know can communicate to others in the know in a code that cannot be easily translated by those who are not in the know.
• Pen pals can share deep dark secrets with no fear of being discovered.
• GURUS FROM THE AGE OF WISDOM CAN OPENLY COMPLAIN about the young and the restless now in the Age of the Uninformed who can only block print and post symbols on walls.
• As the Keepers of the Code, OURS IS THE KINGDOM OF EXPANDING SOCIAL COMPANIONSHIP and we can still talk.

Have you ever tried writing in a style where all the letters in a word are connected?

Just think how excited you will be to find you can write entire words without lifting your pencil from the paper.

Oh, I forgot.  Writing paper is almost extinct too.

Cursive comes from the past participle of the Latin word currere, which means “to run.” In cursive handwriting, the letters all run into one another and the hand runs across the page, never lifting between letters. Every time a document asks for your signature at the bottom, you are meant to use this flowing cursive writing style.
Definition from: http://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/cursive

Read Full Post »