BOYS WILL BE BOYS . . .

It's always interesting to me that boys will be boys and men will be boys, no matter how old they are, no matter the life experiences they've had. The two best examples I can think of are as follows (and yes, yes, these are mean, broad generalizations, but they remain generalizations because they are generally true!):

First: when men get sick, they moan and groan like the world is ending. They could wake up in the morning with a little tickle in their throat, and all of a sudden they have laryngitis. A bit of post-nasal drip indicates malaria. A stomachache signals dysentery. And all of these symptoms and illnesses are magnified when their mother, wife, sister, girlfriend enters the room, for lo! Entereth someone who shall take CARE of them! It's sort of endearing ... isn't it?

Second: when men offend someone, namely a female friend, they hardly ever apologize straight-up. Nay ... this is when they bring out the (1) conciliatory innocuous conversation starter; or (2) the kindler, gentler tone of voice that speaks of everything other than apology; or (3) the sweet puppy-dog eyes and cozy grin that bespeak intimacy and anticipated forgiveness. This is not endearing for there's nothing more pathetic than an emotionally manipulative man-boy.

I'm just sayin' ...

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THRILLED TO PIECES . . .

An occasion has arisen for which I must return to the new A&P Fresh Supermarket in a couple of days. I couldn't be more excited.

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MENTAL TORNADO . . .

Waiting for an interview result ... preparing for another interview ... hearing "truth" from someone who keeps on giving it unsolicited and with questionable motives ... waiting to hear back from someone I miss very much ... conjuring up a fresh new idea for a child's birthday present ... coordinating yet another farewell get-together (would people stop leaving already?!) ... balancing my finances to account for much-needed new window treatments ... balancing my finances, period ... wondering when I'm going to send that letter I promised to send ... wondering when I'd see my LOLs again ... wondering if my upcoming week off would really be a week off from anything ... wondering when and if to forgive the man-boy ...

When it's all too much, I do what I do best: clean my office.
Dang, it's spic-n-span today.

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EARLY-BIRD SPECIAL . . .

I went to bed last night at 10:00 p.m. This occurred after an earlier-than-usual dinner, a piece of fruit for dessert, the reading of four chapters from two books and one chapter of the Scriptures, and a leisurely face-steam over my bathroom sink.

I am going to recreate this tonight (although I added one more book and three more chapters to the mix -- one can imagine my state of literary confusion tonight). I don't know whether to feel extraordinarily proud of myself ... or extremely aged.