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I have that picture above as my Book of Faces "cover photo." During some painful days at work I will go to the Book of Faces and just stare at that photo for a few seconds, maybe even a full minute. Brings me peace it does.
You may have noticed that there is no fiction post today, the Muse needed some time to herself, can't say I blame her. The grammarians were out in full force yesterday and it browned me off a bit. You try creative writing every single day and try not to make an error or three. Here's a reminder, I speak English, very well I might add, I cannot type as fast as my brain creates, so typos and grammatical errors occur. Point them out if you must, but add an element of snark, and you're gone. Well, your comment is anyway.
Another shocker, I'm an amateur historian, actually minored in the topic at school, so if you feel the need to add some historical tidbit in your comments, you're not educating me, you're annoying me. Just stop, start your own blog. I mean seriously, in some cases I know far more about the topic than you ever will, so while you might think it's a great comment, I don't. Take a deep breath, comment on the content (I repeat content) of the post or just drive on. 'Nuff said.
And just why is the reference work called "Who's Who." Grammarians, have at it. (No, not really, hold it in.)
Now it's easy to assume that it's just the significant other trying to mold you, sometimes what she's (or he as the case may be) trying to tell you is valid. When your kids agree, well then, maybe your sh!t does actually stink.
I've been extremely crabby this year, snapping at people for what seems like a good reason for me, but isn't really. I'm on the road to my happy place, but I ain't there yet. The Missus Herself has broached that topic more than once, honestly, I just ignored it. But when The Nuke and LUSH both pointed out that sometimes I'm more of an asshole than I need to be, well, I took notice.
Doesn't mean I've abandoned the cult of curmudgeon, simply dialing it back a bit.
The title? Well, it's September, innit? Kids are back in school, the vacation days of summer are gone and people will be closing up their swimming pools soon. I know, I know, it's still summer until later this month, but does it really feel like it?
I thought not.
Anyhoo, going to dinner tonight¹ at an Italian place in Cranston, has good reviews, including a recommendation from a colleague, so there's another reason to not write tonight. Dinner with friends is always something to savor.
So, if I have offended, 申し訳ありません.²
No, really.
I'll leave you with this ...³
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Dinner was incroyable or perhaps I should say incredibile, I mean it's an Italian place, innit?
If you're ever in Cranston, RI, stop by Marchetti's, it's excellent. Tasty food, gigantic portions, we're going to be eating Italian all week I think.
¹ Saturday as I write, Sunday as you read ...
¹ Saturday as I write, Sunday as you read ...
² Very sorry (Japanese)
³ Hat tip to wirecutter. Yes, I know, it's not the same, but I credit him with the phrase.
Sorry if I salted a wound, that was not my intention.
ReplyDeleteNo worries. I was overly bitchy yesterday.
DeleteI try to just enjoy the free ice cream and to make any comments non-judgemental. As far as being an asshole, I used to be one pretty consistently. Now I make an effort not to act that way, being kind is so much more fulfilling, though the asshole is still there in the background if needed.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to be an asshole, but I do relapse from time to time.
DeleteGood idea to keep that visual reminder of your "Happy Place" around to help with the stretch run until you pull the pin Sarge. Conan The Grammarian.....has a certain ring to it........:)
ReplyDeleteOh, it helps a lot.
DeleteFor the muse, you might try a soothing evening by the fireplace with a nice cup of hot tea. (I hears women folk like that)
ReplyDeleteFor the Grammarian's (SP?) even those of us who feel compelled to point out errors should always tread lightly as you are the visitor.
As a guest, gracious manners should always be exercised.
If manners are a foreign word to you, then silence should be your goto.
And as a rather experienced member of Team Curmudgeon, my Dear Wife has clued me into this subtle sign of taking the "Loveable Gruff" act to far..."If ten people tell you you are a Duck, you better check your butt for feathers".
We got our first rain in August yesterday and for the first time the long range forecast doesn't contain a single 100 degree day.
It may not be Winter yet, but Summer is finally over!
MSG Duck Grumpy
Sound wisdom, MSG Grumpy!
DeleteSarge, many years ago I used to a rather forceful grammarian - until I made a mistake in my correction on a pretty widely viewed social media platform. I was quite correctly rebuked for the matter in a rather public and embarrassing way. The lesson has always stuck with me.
ReplyDeleteA polite thought to all the grammarians out there: We are all guests here. The authors of 99% of the blogs in existence do this for free, not for any sort of remuneration except the pleasure of writing and the joy of sharing that writing with people who enjoy reading it. Have the same sort of patience you do with any sort of amateur activity.
Or to Sarge's point you will be left with one or two options: 1) Enjoy the shrinking pool as bloggers stop writing or 2) Start writing and publishing yourself.
Amen, brother!
DeleteOops! Sorry. I thought the leading bit about The People's Commissariat would indicate that it was tongue in cheek. With as many tpyos as I manage to post from my phone I'd be a fine one to go chucking πέτρες (petres) at someone's grammar.;-)
ReplyDeleteNo worries.
DeleteThe picture looks so like my father's cousin Włodzmiérz (v H) that I wonder where you got it (he passed away in '57 and we only have some B&W's of him that my father colored); he often looked like that when he found a piece of pepper in his food (sweet or hot) because he knew it was going to kill his digestive tract for three days, from the gullet to the "last ditch".
ReplyDeleteIn re grammarians and historians:
"On the Gripping Hand" (OTGH):
we (and I am one [a grammarian, that is]; never a historian except for what I know of my family's history in the area(s) in which they flourished and how they interacted with and sometimes changed [very local] history) do this because we love (are enthralled by ) what you write (and the manner in which you write it) and, by making corrections (certainly not to embarrass you) relieve you of the time it takes to make these minor corrections yourself, as well as to insure insure perfection, gilding the rose, so to speak .
I, for one (and I'm certain I'm not the only one) apologize and promise/swear never to do so again. I'll just continue to follow the peregrinations/antics(?) of your characters as you (and your muse) develop the story line.
I eventually spot the more egregious (and not intentional who vs whom, I despise that latter word) typos and the like when I'm consolidating the story into the bigger Word document I maintain for reference and (perhaps) later publication.
DeleteBut as I said above, I was just being exceptionally bitchy and tiresome yesterday.
It happens, no harm, no foul.
En avant! Dish out what you like, when you like, and visitors are free to savor the incredible variety of delightful fodder laid out before them. If they like it all, great. That proves that gustatory delights are truly appreciated by many.
ReplyDeleteWhiners and caustic critics pretty much fall into the same category as some of the sailors on one of my ships a long time ago, in a land far away. And, this is no sh!t. [Obligatory preface to any sailor's sea story.]
We were docked in Ushuaia, Argentina the capital of Tierra del Fuego, on the Beagle Channel. Absolutely the most beautiful spot I ever visited on a ship. Our supply officer had arranged a special treat for the crew, procuring enough king crabs from local sources so that every member could have one. Chow time came and they were dishing them out on the chow line, basically one plopped onto the center of the stainless steel mess trays, legs dangling over the edges. A once in a lifetime experience for most people, and most of the crew enjoyed it immensely. However, some people just cannot appreciate the finer things in life. A handful just flat refused to have anything to do with these huge red crustaceans sprawled across their mess tray. They vociferously demanded some "real food" and the cooks ended up providing hot dogs for the malcontents. This also allowed some of the crew to get a second king crab!
So, anyone unhappy with the fare at Bistro d' Sarge is welcome to dine elsewhere. Ignore the rare negative reviews, and remember that most rate the fare here at Five Stars.
As a sporadic occasional contributor of second rate filler material, I know how hard it is to crank out a post or two, and marvel at Sarge's ability to crank out daily installments of truly exceptional quality. I also admire his clever creativity sprinkling in a typo, spelling or grammatical error, just to see if anyone is paying attention. Sarge's s transcriptions of what his Muse tells him is up there with Tom Clancy or Michael Shaara.
John Blackshoe
I fear I would have been one of the whiners aboard that ship. While I enjoy both crab and lobster, I can't abide wrestling with their carcasses. I tend to order dishes where someone else did the dismembering.
DeleteI'm fussy that way.
Sarge, I would go for the hot dogs too. The first reason is when the fork bounces off the armor plate - just how am I supposed to eat this. The second is that fresh seafood tastes "off". Not like the frozen stuff us Midwesterners are used to.
DeleteWell, you've got that backwards, at least backwards as a New Englander looks at it.
DeleteSeveral reasons you are more grumpy this year than normal.
ReplyDelete1. You have no fluffy stress reliever. There's a reason cat/dog/otter cafes are popular in Japan, people can take their lunchbreak or stop after work and get some fluffy stress relief.
2. The political climate. It's bad out there. And the eneMedia isn't helping things by openly lying and in collusion with a certain party. Most democratic election evar! Just this is bad enough to grump actual Jesus, let alone lesser folk like you. We have a rule in the Beans' Household. No real-crime murder-death-kill shows after midnight. Same with politics. Only mental floss past a certain point. Because the outside world is scary before you add the politics.
3. And the big one. It's YOU. Duh. Or more appropriately, it's the retirement blues. You/your brain wants out. But you're stuck to a certain date. It's like getting stuck at work right before a vacation, but far worse.
4. Being nice at work. No, really, this is another big one. To make matters worse, on top of the above 3, because you've pulled the ejection handle but you're waiting for the canopy to blow and your seat to rocket out, you've become hyper-critical of the work environment. Every time someone does something corporately-stupid, whether new corporate-stupid or rerunning past corporate-stupid, you, as the voice of experience and reason want so very much to shout, "What's your major malfunction, numbnuts?" Or something far worse. The strain of having to be nice for a few months more, when you'd rather be using a clue-by-four or something automatic to punctuate your unhappiness. Your mind is going all "Falling Down" but without the ability to actually take physical action against the corporate drones and mis-managers that you are surrounded by.
You need some stress relief, serious stress relief. Something mindless that drains the tension. Blow some sh...tuff up, physically or videolly. Something that you can get satisfaction upon completion. Breaking rocks, splitting firewood, attaching C4 to the local ratrod racers making too much noise in your neighborhood. Or chuck the brainwork and go read a book.
I do believe you've hit the nail on the head, drove it outta the park, etc.
DeleteDrums sound like a good form of stress relief- we know you got some.
DeleteGet some earplugs for the Missus and hit 'em!
JB
Now there's a thought!
DeleteSome folks around the camp stove appear to favor "form over substance". What we get a peek at is a hot-off-the-word processor first-draft; "substance". Please, until a call for "form", stow the red pens.
ReplyDeleteL/CPL. Snuffy McNasty
Thanks, McNasty.
DeleteCrusty Old TV Tech here. A superb Italian place in RI? That's gotta be up there with a molto bene Italian place in Utica. Never had a bad dish of Baked Ziti, or scallopine, or Carbonara, or (name your favorite dish) at any of the haunts of old in Utica. Like shooting ducks in a barrel, that is!
ReplyDeleteAh man, I get that A-H comment, really I do. Same here. I find myself arguing with Excel and Sharepoint hourly in the Space Puzzle Palace, with much restraint to not sing the PC a 4-letter aria for its sins (or maybe mine). Not that close to pulling up the handles yet, but aged enough to not tolerate BS as I once could. Aged like a fine Stilton, or Limburger, haven't decided yet.
Aging like cheese, I like that. I can identify with that.
DeleteBeing crabby, yelling at other drivers, etc. is holistic. Instantly dissipate the stress, allowing you to continue your serene way. Others,after you explain the concept, may not agree.
ReplyDeleteThat's my argument, WSF. The Missus Herself ain't buying it.
DeleteSigh ...
I think that you, like everyone, deals with the "end times" in their own way. The fact that we don't have hoards of pissed off folks going "postal" a lot more, tells me that (((Their))) ability to keep us pacified, with fluoridated water, super processed foods, additives and poisons added to everything, hundreds of EM frequencies permeating every square inch and of course bread and circuses. Your degree of ass holedness seems to be well within tolerances. I don't remember your position on the Jab, but I've noticed a marked increase since 2021 of "neurodivergent" behavior, non black chimp outs, driver aggression, a major increase in "died suddenlies"' and complications from the clot shot. all, faithfully suppressed by the media, entertainment, medical, political, industrial complex. Your opinion may vary.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the jab. I stopped that shit early on, maybe not early enough. My Doc said, "You should get ..." and I looked her in the eye and asked, "So you're buying that crap?" Her eyes said, no she wasn't, it was a corporate question. We both knew the right answer.
DeleteWell, no matter what, I'll still be reading you.
ReplyDeleteGood to know!
Delete