A mixed bag

All posts in the A mixed bag category

last thoughts

Published March 14, 2021 by Nan Mykel

I know not how to live my death

so choose instead to skip it.

When the fan’s click fades I’ll know

it’s time to re-cast the show,

re-write the script –

most of it.

There’s no curtain call this time,

only a re-shuffled cast.

The kids all remain

and Big Ma too.

Perhaps I’ll keep

a teacher or two,

and surrender my role 

of playing the shrew.

After, I may

shout out and call,

Adieu my dears, adieu!

As I shove me and my load

out to sea, to see…                                                  Nan 3/13/21

Waiting

Published March 13, 2021 by Nan Mykel

Exquisite…

merrildsmith's avatarYesterday and today: Merril's historical musings

A thousand wonder-worries cloud the night—but

play in shadows and in light,
soar in time, moon-drunk, star-dazzled,
as wind whispers to water, flow, live–

and if you dream, recall
the luscious, languid sighs
of pink-petaled branches after the storm,
and the cool-blue smell of sky and air—

waiting

in honeyed sunglow,
watching the diamond spray
of spring rain on ripening buds,

waiting,

for the moment to embrace
color, to heal the world.

My poem from the Magnetic Poetry Oracle. She knows spring is on its way.

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RACISM part one

Published March 13, 2021 by Nan Mykel

There’s too much to say on the topic, so I’ll just write in small chunks, over several days.

To correct the belief that no one is born prejudiced: the grim fact is for us moderns that evolution gave us millions of years of the unsocial tendency called kin selection, which means that evolution favored maintaining one’s own genetic family line over others’.  (Remember all the kin in the white house?)

“People of different races are different. Although we are all one species and quite capable of exchanging genes, the fact remains that members of any race seem likely to share more genes with each other than with individuals of a different race. Physical resemblance almost certainly has some correlation with genetic resemblance, and accordingly, we can expect the principles of kin-selection altruism to operate on this fact.” (David Barash, The Whisperings Within, 1979 p. 153).

“…we’ve got to be carefully taught not to hate others who are different from ourselves, because it may be our biological predisposition to do so…If evolution does incline us to a degree of racial bigotry, that certainly does not mean that such inclinations are justified. What may have been adaptive under the conditions of our early evolution , when groups rarely met and were likely to be strongly competing when they did, is today not only dangerous and stupid and socially reprehensible but woefully maladaptive…We must demand that our cultural institutions, such as education and child rearing, make sure that we are “carefully taught” to love one another. Because, but true, we seem unlikely to do so by ourselves.” (Ibid 154, 155).

P.S.  A post has appeared on my website several times showing the supposed enlarged penises of black natives.  I wonder if its purpose is to feed competitiveness between men of different races.

Next: The Malleability of Humans’ Attitudes toward outsiders.

 

I MAY SUE…

Published March 13, 2021 by Nan Mykel

 

Because I split a gut laughing…at Diane Ravitch’s reblog of

Alexandra Petri and Jessica M. Goldstein of the Washington Post watched Oprah’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markie and they came to a sudden realization: Princesses need unions!

Go to and read, you’re welcome in advance.  

Janis Ian – a truth teller with her songs – Keith reblog

Published March 8, 2021 by Nan Mykel

 

About twenty years ago, my wife and I got to see a concert where two old favorites regaled us for a wonderful night. I remember the evening to this day. Don McLean was the closing act and he is always worth the effort with songs that go well beyond “American Pie.” Yet, just as entertaining, was a tiny Jewish girl who came on stage by herself and mesmerized us – Janis Ian.

Many women (and men) within ten years of my age will know her immediately for her huge hit which told the unvarnished truth she learned “At Seventeen.” This song spoke to so many as most of us are not blessed with model like looks and effervescent charm. And, when you are not, you face a different set of challenges. Yet, the other part of this “truth” is even when you are born with looks and charm, you need to be able to find and be yourself, because looks don’t last forever, even with Botox. Here are a few lyrics, which ironically were penned by two men, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear-skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired

The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
Were spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truth

And those of us with ravaged faces
Lacking in the social graces
Desperately remained at home
Inventing lovers on the phone

Who called to say, “Come dance with me”
And murmured vague obscenities
It isn’t all it seems at seventeen

…To those of us who knew the pain
Of valentines that never came
And those whose names were never called
When choosing sides for basketball

It was long ago and far away
The world was younger than today
When dreams were all they gave for free
To ugly duckling girls like me

Yet, if you download her body of work or purchase a greatest hits CD, you will find a number of enchanting songs. Once you do, pour yourself a glass of your favorite wine, light a few candles or stoke the fire and listen. Here is an excerpt from “Between the Lines” written by Janis which speaks to how people do not know what to say to each other after the games and banter end.

There’s never much to say between the moments of
Our games and repartee
There’s never much to read between the lines of
What we need and what we’ll take

There’s never much to talk about or say aloud
But say it anyway
Of holidays and yesterdays, and broken dreams
That somehow slipped away

In books and magazines of how to be and what to see
While you are being
Before and after photographs teach how to pass
From reaching to believing

Another one of her classics, is called “Jesse” by Columbier and Michel Jean Pierre, about her loneliness over her lover Jesse’s departure. The pacing of this song is emblematic of her style. She is never in a hurry and she has a voice that soothes, as well as portrays her pain. So, you can find the words amid the tune.

Jesse, the floors and the boards
Recalling your step
And I remember, too
All the pictures are fading
And shaded in grey

But I still set a place
On the table at noon
And I’m leaving a light on the stairs
No I’m not scared – I wait for you

Hey Jesse, I’m lonely, come home

Many people likely do not know Janis Ian. My older brother was the first person who turned me onto her music. She followed in the tradition of similar singers like Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell and a contemporary Phoebe Snow. If I had to find a more current performer, I would liken her to Traci Chapman. But, I think her words and music resonate with people as she would never be considered a glamorous person. In fact, when she walked on stage with her guitar, she came in from one side and walked all the way to the other side and exited the stage. This shyness was characteristic of her and her music. But, as McLean said later about Ian when he came on stage, ‘that little lady can sing her hind end off.”

So, if you do not know her music, you are in for a treat. Every 17 year old girl (and boy for that matter) should listen to “At Seventeen.” If you know her, please use the opportunity to revisit her songs. And, remember the glass of wine and the candles.

Keith Wilson, Charlotte
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

WHAT I FELT LIKE…

Published March 7, 2021 by Nan Mykel

When I filled out the papers for my second covid vaccination I checked “Female,” and then saw that I was offered the option of “Prefer not to say.” I felt good about the fact that the LGBTI population was being taken into consideration.(The I stands for Intersex, about which I was totally ignorant). I decided if I was ever offered the choice I would check that box, to support those groujps of humans who experience what has been called “medical racism.” I had an eye-opening experience this morning when I visited Intersex and Transgender on Google. The illustration above comes from one of those sites. The articles explain the difference.

Thanks, Hook: Read Across America Day ~ 2021 — By Hook Or By Book

Published March 5, 2021 by Nan Mykel

So true–I’m reblogging! Thanks, Shira…

ShiraDestProjectDoBetter's avatarContext, Thought, and Learning: ShiraDest publications Offers Project Do Better

Stories never really end…even if the books like to pretend they do. Stories always go on. They don’t end on the last page, any more than they begin on the first page. ~ Cornelia Funke, Inkspell ~

Read Across America Day ~ 2021 — By Hook Or By Book

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NEW SHORT THOUGHTS

Published March 5, 2021 by Nan Mykel

A reasonable (not one-sided) article on Alter Net caught my attention today. It was by Issac J. Bailey March 04, 2021 and appears to be free of so much of the extreme bias floating around today. It relates to the firing of a N.Y. Times reporter who used the “n” word. The clarity of it is refreshing.

I’m curious why two Capitol police committed suicide on or after Jan. 6. Maybe it’s due to confidentiality or something, in which case that’s okay. The limited performance of many capitol police suggests either poor training or poor screening, but I guess the same could be said for the Defense Department and the Pentagon.

It kinda hurts to see another momentary hero bite the dust, with Cuomo’s hiding the nursing home deaths. And did “Me Too” have more impact than “Black Lives Matter?” I’m not sure I’ve seen Trump criticized as much for his behavior and verbiage re disrespect of women. Seems everywhere I look someone is experiencing the Humpty Dumpty Syndrome. .

I cannot understand how anyone could admit that they want to make it more difficult for others to vote. That sounds almost as dishonorable as admitting you want your child dead.

Here’s a head’s up if you ever suffer vertigo. It’s called the head tilt procedure and a physical therapist trained in the procedure can fix it. Two sessions with a similar therapist and my daughter was permanently cured of a really disconcerting 6-month bout of it. The therapist explained something about a ball bearing in the head getting off kilter…

Almost as good news is the “drug to fight obesity” reported in the March 3, 2021 The Week magazine pg. 23, basedon an article in the New York Times. Robert Kushner from Northwestern University says the findings mark “the start of a new era of effective treatment for obesity.” People on it reportedly lose20 percent of their body weight. It’ a “semaglutide, already in use for type 2 diabetes.” It is a synthetic version of G.L.P.-1, a naturally occurring hormone released by the body after a filling meal.

Warm Memories of Bankrupting Company: Keith

Published March 1, 2021 by Nan Mykel

Another retail bankruptcy

– Retail malls were over built to the extent we have many thousands of unneeded malls just in this country. Rather than improve a mall, new ones were built, often cannibalizing on existing markets for the stores.
– Walmart had a significant impact on retail stores, leading the way for the other discount retailers to eat away at margins for others. When Walmart came to town, other retailers went away.
– Online ordering put brick and mortar stores on notice and many out of business. The ones who survived, blend online with in-store purchasing, better than others. Even Walmart was harmed by the online effort and had to react.So, the pandemic comes along and those store franchises that were teetering, fell down. There will likely be more bankruptcies in the future. All stores must now compete against cheaper and easier online sales. Those store franchises with better customer service models stand a better chance at survival, but all are at risk, unless they can embrace online sales along with in-person sales. Nevertheless, COVID has put a damper on in-person sales and will continue to do so.
When I think of Belk’s, I think of my grandmother who worked there for years in a small town in Georgia. She worked for a local retail company that sold themselves to Belk’s. She ran the children’s department, then later ran the men’s clothing department. Many of her customers truly grew up with her.Her favorite story was the day Mr. Belk came into the store. He toured the store and needed to borrow my grandmother’s pen, which he put in his pocket by mistake. My grandmother said, “Mr. Belk, that is my pen. My boss is to cheap to buy us pens, so if you want me to do my job, you need to give it back.” It should be noted her boss was standing right there.My grandmother was all about relationship sales. Her customers would come back after college and ask for her to outfit them in new suits, since they trusted her. And, that is why retail stores do have a market when done right. Relationships. Trust. Customer first. Yet, if they don’t get the technology end right, it will be for naught.

Keith Wilson:   Musingsofanoldfart.wordpress.com

 

I’D LIKE YOUR OPINION

Published March 1, 2021 by Nan Mykel

What should I do?
This blog began as a vehicle for the expression of thoughts about psychological concerns and experiences and a tad of creative writing.. Back in the late 1950’s as managing editor of the summer UF Alligator I had a weekly column that tended to be somewhat political called Artifacts. Later I received a PhD in clinical psychology and headed a sex offender treatment program at a state prison. In the meantime I had given birth to four children, the last of which was a cute redheaded daughter with Downs Syndrome. I had always been interested in writing, and at the time I began this blog in 2015 I had published a book on my experiences as both a treater of sex offenders and as a survivor of sexual abuse.
The old pull towards political activism (reduced now at 85 to this blog) has reared its head again, with subsequent loss of readership. I don’t do a good job at the political angle, and have left the enotional aspect to hang out to dry somewhat.  I’m not looking for warm fuzzies but your considered suggestions.

Any suggestions as to where I should go? I’m running out of energy and almost no one visits my many pages, which I therefore fail to regularly maintain. I can’t just quit–this is my main outlet, especially in the age of self quarantine. It would be too boring to simply pass along other good sites.  Starting an additional blog feels draining and I am already behind in that I don’t do the Gutenberg editor, partly because I haven’t the excess energy to cope with anything new…

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