Mothers' Day, 2019

If you were looking for the Poetry Sunday you expected, don't despair. Because today is Mothers' Day, the usual Poetry Sunday will be pushed off until next week so that I can present the twelfth iteration of my traditional Mothers' Day post, slightly revised and updated. It may be recycled and tweaked, but it comes no less from the heart. If you've read it before, just know that everything still applies ... read it again if you like, or come back another day for my thoughts on other things ...

Today is Mothers' Day, the one day each year we set aside to honor the lady we undervalue the other 364. It's the day we remember the person who made our hurts better, explained our homework, cooked our meals, washed our clothes, drove us where we needed to go, warned us about our less-savory acquaintances, embarrassed us in front of our friends, and did her best to point us down the straight line of a moral and upright life.

Mothers are the wonderful and woefully underappreciated people from whom the Army and the Navy stole their one-time recruiting slogans - the Army's "We do more before 9 AM than most people do all day," and the Navy's "It's not just a job, it's an adventure." With all due respect to Soldiers and Sailors everywhere ... you don't have a clue.

Somewhere in my web surfing I found this little riff on how we look at our Mothers at different ages:

Age 4: Mommy can do anything!
Age 8: Mom knows a lot!
Age 12: Mother doesn't know everything.
Age 14: Mother doesn't know anything.
Age 16: Mother is so old-fashioned.
Age 18: Her? She's out of it.
Age 25: Mom might know something about that.
Age 35: Before we decide, let's ask Mom.
Age 45: What would Mom have thought about that?
Age 65: I wish I could talk that over with Mom.

It's true.

My mother passed away eighteen years ago at the far-too-young age of 74. She spent a long and honorable life raising four children who, I like to think, made her proud ... most of the time, anyway. And in her twilight years, her once-formidable mind ravaged by Alzheimer's Disease, she missed much of the result of her love and care and sacrifice - a son who can dance (and who may yet write that book she thought he had in him, instead of a blog), a small army of grandchildren, and six beautiful great-grandchildren who will never know her love and wisdom and the off-the-wall sense of humor* that brightened the lives of everyone who knew her.

The next generation of mothers is moving the family forward. Between them, my beloved daughters Yasmin and Tabitha** are raising the world's six greatest grandchildren (Marcy, Joe, Noah, Leya, Elise, and Ava). And someday those wonderful grandchildren will sit down on Mothers' Day and reflect - just as their opa does today - on the lady who gave up so much of her own life and dreams to make them who they are.

And so again this year, I wish my own Agnes, Yasmin and Tabitha, my sister Lisa and sisters-in-law Laura and Brenda, fellow bloggers Amanda and Fiona, my dear friends Kathy and Lioudmila, and all the other mothers out there doing the world's toughest job, a very happy Mothers' Day and many more to come. We couldn't be what we are, or do what we do, without you.

And lest you think I'm getting too maudlin about the whole thing, here's a picture from long ago of my Dad with four then and future moms: my daughter Yasmin, my sister Lisa, Agnes, and my mother ...

We're an odd family, but somehow we've turned out more-or-less all right. Good parents will do that to you.

Oh, and in case you haven't seen it, here's "The Mom Song" by comedian Anita Renfroe, set to the tune of The William Tell Overture ...

Have a good day, and take the time to give your Mother a hug and a kiss. Someday, you'll wish you had.

Bilbo

* Every time you groan at one of my puns, you should be grateful that you never had to go down in flames in a pun war with Mom.

** I don’t think of Tabitha as an “in-law.”

Valentines Day

Today is February 14th - Valentines Day.

It's a day for children to exchange kitschy valentines, men to obsess over the proper gift for their ladies, and women to guilt their men into delivering the proper gifts.

But we are living now in Donald Trump's America, where you'd best believe in that old-time religion*, and the old rules of Valentine love and lust no longer necessarily apply. Here's a collection of puritanical Valentines from CollegeHumor suitable for today's most conservative believers ...

**

Have a happy Valentines Day, but be chaste about it - thine immortal soul is at stake.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* Only the right one, of course. 

** The hell with it - let's tango!

Valentine's Day, 2017

True love ... isn't it wonderful?

Happy Valentine's Day.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

Poetry Sunday

Today is February 14th, Valentine's Day, and it seems appropriate to feature a poem about love ...

The Wall Hanging I Never Noticed

by Dorothea Lasky

I never noticed before

How the red flowers hang from the blue branches

I never noticed before the light in this room

I never noticed the way the air is cool again

I never noticed anything but you

But you but you

So that I couldn’t sleep

I never noticed what was anything but you

Until I noticed you

And could not help it

Until I noticed you I could not help it

Until you made the red flowers alive again

Until the blue branches

The lemons you loved, but also the way you loved me, too

Until all of this I never noticed you

But once I did

I never minded noticing

I never stopped noticing

Until I noticed you

I never stopped noticing

Until you, I never stopped

Never stop noticing those you love.

Have a good day, and come back tomorrow for Musical Monday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

It's Spring, and the Flowers Ain't the Only Things Blossoming

We've just finished an absolutely gorgeous weekend here in NoVa, with warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine. In DC, the famous cherry blossoms came out in all their glory* ...

... flowers are blooming everywhere you look, and - of course - pollen is arriving in all its miserable, yellowish-brown glory.

Spring has sprung, as the saying goes. And as Alfred, Lord Tennyson reminds us**,

"In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love."

But why is that?

I call your attention, Dear Readers, to this brief but interesting article by Lisa Bonos: "Spring Has Sprung, So Does Science Say Love Is in the Air?". Ms Boros interviewed a number of smart people on the subject of why love seems to blossom in the Spring, and one of them - Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist who is the Chief Scientific Officer for Match.com - told her that,

"... the pineal gland - which makes melatonin - is very active in the winter, making people sleepy and potentially less awake to romantic potential."

“In the spring, as light hits the retina (Ms Fisher told Ms Boros) it goes 'into the pineal gland and slows the production of melatonin. And that’s what gives you that light spring in your step, the feeling of giddiness and euphoria … As the melatonin recedes and the light begins to affect the brain, there’s every reason to think that people will simply be more attractive as partners.'”

Ms Fisher went on to discuss how we humans tend to be excited by the sights, sounds and smells of spring - the scent of flowers in the air, outdoor barbecues fired up, and even the perfumes and aftershave lotions applied to more exposed skin areas. What we perceive as the emotion of love is associated with the dopamine system, which can be stimulated by novelty, giving us a gentle nudge toward falling in love.

So now you have the more-or-less scientific explanation for why you feel more cheerful and amorous in the Spring.  How you turn it to your advantage is up to you. Good luck!

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* This beautiful picture was taken during the weekend by my friend Rie, who does more with her iPhone camera than I can usually do with my expensive digital SLR monster.

** In his poem, "Locksley Hall."

Made in the Shades

On last weekend's Cartoon Saturday post, which was dedicated to Valentine's Day (naturally), reader Anemone left a comment asking, "Why don't guys find Valentine's Day as romantic as women do?" My answer, which I thought was pretty accurate, was, "The whole concept of the holiday is geared toward men professing their love for women. Most men don't really get off on things like jewelry, flowers, boxes of chocolate, and sappy cards. If you want to make it a day more men will appreciate, work into it concepts like bacon, football, and fast cars."

Or, perhaps, kinky sex.

This past weekend also saw the debut of the film based on the smash hit novel Fifty Shades of Grey, the first volume of a quasi-erotic trilogy dealing with the adventures of an unlikely couple in a BDSM* relationship. The novels and the film have generated a huge amount of commentary on all sides of the issue of ... um ... alternative forms of sexual expression, from outright condemnation to the tentative "well, let's try it" to those who think it's the greatest thing since the discovery of bacon and chocolate.

One thing that goes along with the whole BDSM thing, though, is the concept of safety. After all, nobody in their right mind wants to be rendered helpless and subjected to physical abuse unless the ground rules are clearly established in advance and agreed to by all concerned. And unless the participants aren't unusually stupid ...

Consider this article posted to the CNN website on Valentine's Day: '50 Shades of Ouch' as Firefighters Brace for More Emergencies.

According to the London Fire Brigade as quoted in the article, incidents where sexual adventurers get trapped in handcuffs, rings**, and other restraint devices have been steadily increasing each year since the release of the first volume of the "Fifty Shades of Grey" trilogy in 2011. The article goes on to report that ...

"The (London Fire Brigade) said that crews have been called out to 393 incidents they believe are related to sex since April 2014, including 28 incidents involving people trapped in handcuffs. In November 2014, firefighters had to come to the rescue of a man who had a pair of metal rings stuck on his manhood for three days. ER doctors were unable to remove the steel rings so two firefighters had to snip them off using hand-held hydraulic cutters. On another occasion, a crew was called by a woman whose husband had become locked in a chastity belt. In the past, reports the brigade, crews have also been called out to incidents involving toasters and vacuum cleaners."

One might think it safer just to stick to the old standbys like cuddling or petting in the back seat of the family car, no?

In the interest of full disclosure, I admit that I have read the whole 50 Shades of Grey trilogy*** and am of the opinion, as an amateur writer with a degree in Linguistics and a love of language, that I'd have classified it as a horror story rather than as erotica, if only because of the brutal abuse heaped on the English language in its pages. Of course, the author of the stories, Ms E. L. James, is probably not overly concerned about negative observations on her writing skills ... as one comment I read on Facebook noted, "She isn't that bothered, she made a shed load."

Have a good day with your beloved, but have it safely. You really don't want the local fire department to have to have stories to tell at the bar after work.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* That would be "Bondage, Domination, Sadism, and Masochism," for those of you who lead more sheltered lives.

** You can probably guess where those rings are supposed to go ... if not, read on.

*** I also read Pauline Reage's Story of O many years ago. Stylistically, it was a much better novel, but also much darker in tone and without the more-or-less happy ending of the Grey trilogy. If you didn't like 50 Shades of Grey, you'll hate Story of O.

Looking for Love in All the Cheap Places

Valentine's Day has come and gone, and June weddings are a few months off, but the search for love continues unabated. In China, for instance, from where this article from the Atlantic Monthly caught my attention yesterday: China's Lonely Seeking a Spouse - at Discount Rates.

It seems that, the economy being what it is everywhere, many Chinese men are looking for "budget wives" (jingji shiyong nu)*. According to the requirements for a budget wife published anonymously on a Chinese blogging site, she should:

* Be between 5'2" and 5'8";
* Weigh between 100 and 120 pounds;
* Have long hair that trails over shoulders;
* Be warm and mild in personality;
* Have B- to C-cup size breasts;
* Not be a "gold digger" (baijinnu);
* Not be a flirt;
* Be a little horny;
* Earn about $500 - $1000 per month;
* Have a BA or above;
* Know how to cook and wash clothes;
* Be responsible and sympathetic;
* Speak appropriately; and,
* Be educated and reasonable

Before you get too upset, ladies, there's also an equivalent concept of the "budget husband" (jingji shiyong nan), the qualities for whom include the following (along with my assessment of how I fit the bill):

* Between 5'8" and 5'11" (I'm 5'10", so we're good so far);
* Weighs between 145-190 pounds (Oops ...);
* Normal haircut and appearance (It depends on your definition of normal, but I think I'm okay);
* Warm and mild personality (For the most part, as long as I'm not spun up about politics or religion);
* Does not smoke, drinks little, doesn't love frequenting bars (Good on all counts);
* Has a BA or above (Yep);
* Earns $500 - $1,600 per month (Yep);
* Knows how to cook (Yep. Baking, not so much);
* Has filial piety and refined manners (Filial piety, yes; refined manners ... well ... most of the time); and,
* Is patient, loving, keen to advance forward, modest, earnest, magnanimous, absolutely devoted and loyal, and ready to shoulder responsibility (I think I'm okay on all these, but I think what they're really looking for is a nice dog).

On the whole, I'd like to think I'm a pretty good buy.

As you might suspect, the lists generated a large number of comments ranging from indignant to tongue in cheek. Many women found the list to be superficial, unrealistic and unattainable, describing standards for "goddesses" rather than for real, everyday women. Many men, oddly enough, defended the qualities of the budget wife as reasonable and realistic.

So, Dear Readers, what do you think? Given budget cuts, sequestration, increasing taxes, and all the other pressures of the new economy, what are the qualities of your ideal budget wife or budget husband? Are the qualities on the Chinese lists are practical and reasonable?** Are such lists useful as a guide to finding the right spouse?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Have a good day, even if it's on a budget. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* According to the article, the term "budget wife" derives from the concept of the "budget husband," which in turn originates from the term "budget housing" (jingji shiyong fang), government-subsidized low-income public housing.
** I'll give you a pass on the "cup size" part of the ladies' list ... I have a feeling I know which part of my readership will buy into that one.

Happy Valentine's Day

Today we celebrate Valentine's Day - a day dedicated to love and romance, or at least to general once-a-year approximations of the same. The truth is that Valentine's Day is the public front for a sinister conspiracy on the part of the world's florists, greeting card manufacturers, candy makers, restauranteurs, and jewelers dedicated to separating insecure men from their money by preying on their fears of displeasing their women. Men have always known this, but are afraid to admit it. Women have always known it, but accept it as their due for putting up with men for the rest of the year.

The tradition of sending cards or notes on Valentine's Day goes back to - appropriately enough - Saint Valentine, a Christian martyr who lived in the third century and was put to death on - also appropriately enough - February 14th. St Valentine had been imprisoned and sentenced to death for performing clandestine weddings of young Roman men in defiance of the emperor, who needed lots of young, single men to flesh out his army. Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailor, and before he was led away to death, he supposedly passed her a note signed, "With Love from your Valentine."

Awwwww...

I used to host a weekly radio program on WEBR, the public access radio station here in Fairfax County, and each year during Valentine's Day week I'd host my "Anti-Valentine's Day Show." The playlist included hits like, "I Hate Myself for Loving You" (by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts); "Love Stinks" (by the J. Geils Band); "Love is a Battlefield" (by Pat Benatar); and "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" (by Tammy Wynette). It tended to be my most popular show each year, at least in terms of the number of on-air calls received. Coincidence? I think not.

How about a few cartoons for Valentine's Day? ...

Such is life for us men ...

Cupid tries to keep up-to-date with the technology ...

This one's pretty obvious, if you think about it ...

And finally, do other species observe their own version of Valentine's Day? One wonders ...

And who can pass Valentine's Day without enjoying the timeless classic by Spike Jones and His City Slickers, "You Always Hurt the One You Love" ...

But nevertheless, I'll take a moment to shelve the cynicism for a moment and wish - via this classic poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning - a happy Valentine's Day to Andrea, Amanda, Angel, Peggy, Buggie, Fiona, Heidi, and all my other digital heartthrobs out there in the blogosphere ...

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints — I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! — and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Happy Valentines Day, ladies! Men, good luck ... you'll need it.

Have a good day. Come back for Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

Kiss It and Make It Better. No, Really!

Even if you're a hard-core, ultra-conservative, they-had-all-the-answers-in-the-18^th-century-so-why-change-now Republican who doesn't believe in science*, here's some science even you might be able to get behind ...

You may recall my post from last December 7^th titled How To Kiss. It was relatively popular, based on the number of hits the blog recorded that day. Now from the Readers' Digest comes this interesting article: 6 Ways Kissing Makes You Healthy. In case you want to just cut right to the chase so that you can get busy convincing your main squeeze to lock lips with you, here are the six ways:

1. Kissing Boosts Immunity. The article notes that "a study reported in the journal Medical Hypotheses says kissing may increase a woman’s immunity from Cytomegalovirus, which can cause infant blindness and other birth defects if the mother is a carrier during pregnancy**."

2. Kissing Burns Calories. Anywhere from two to six per minute, according to some estimates. And really good kissing leads to other activities which burn a lot more calories than that, if you know what I mean.

3. Kissing Keeps Facial Muscles Strong. Scientific research indicates that you use 30 muscles while kissing, which helps keep your cheeks tight.

4. Kissing Naturally Relaxes You. Scientific reports say kissing increases the levels of oxytocin, the body’s natural calming chemical, increases endorphins, the body’s feel-good chemicals, and boosts levels of dopamine, which aids in feelings of romantic attachment. Of course, there's a certain amount of anxiety involved in kissing*** which might counterbalance some of that, but on the whole, I think the evidence is in favor of relaxation.

5. Kissing Helps You Select the Best Mate. According to a professor of evolutionary psychology quoted in the article, “At the moment of the kiss, there are hard-wired [biological] mechanisms that assess health, reproductive status and genetic compatibility ... Therefore, what happens during that first kiss can be a make-or-break proposition.” It may not be love at first sight, but it could be love at first kiss ...

6. Passionate Kisses Are Good for Oral Health. From the article: "According to Dental Health Magazine, 'deep kissing increases the flow of saliva, which helps to keep the mouth, teeth and gums healthy.' The additional liquid helps get rid of food particles in your teeth, and in stimulating your immune system, you're aiding your body in the fight against infection." I'll bet that Laura, my dental hygienist, has been keeping this a secret in her never-ending quest to get me to floss regularly.

So, what are you waiting for? Start looking for some nice lips ...

As Edmond Rostand remarked in his play Cyrano de Bergerac, "A kiss, when all is said, what is it? A rosy dot placed on the 'I' in loving; 'tis a secret told to the mouth instead of to the ear."

Have a good day. Kiss your very best beloved ... it's good for you.

More thoughts on Tuesday.

Bilbo

* "Lies from the pit of hell," according to Representative Paul Broun (R, GA), who sits on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, in remarks made in September of last year.

** Because the website requires membership to search, I was unable to read the actual study report, so I guess we'll just have to take it on faith.

** Particularly on a first date, or with a kissee on whom you wish to make a good impression as a first step to second base.

Flirting Advice for Men

I can't remember if I've done this post before or not*, but I was going through the Blog Fodder file and found the link to this article at (where else - Match.com) - Men: Five Little-Known Ways to Flirt. It'll be my late Christmas gift to all my male readers, and a heads-up for all you wary ladies out there.

Here are the five little-known ways for men to flirt (with my commentary, of course):

1. Wear red. Red is a traditional "power color" for both sexes. I've shared some thoughts on the color red in other posts, most notably this R-rated one from last April. As it happens, I have four different red shirts I often wear to go dancing.

2. Eat celery. According to the article, the cytoplasm found in celery contains the same chemicals as those found in the sweat that’s responsible for a subtly masculine scent, and contains the steroid Androstenone, which makes men more attractive to women. It may also be that the loud crunching sound as you eat it makes you easier for a woman to find in a crowd.

3. Play romantic music. Well, duh ... why wouldn't you want to set a romantic mood with the right music? Shelve the Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and grunting, misogynistic rap and hip-hop and go for some soft vocal or orchestral background music. A study cited in the article found that women who were exposed to romantic music before interacting with eligible males were more likely to give a prospective date their contact information than ladies who were exposed to “neutral” music in the same scenario.

4. Order a chocolate dessert.

Eating chocolate increases levels of serotonin in the body, and serotonin can improve your mood by inducing feelings of euphoria. The article notes that “By being around a woman while she’s eating chocolate, you get this sort of ‘halo effect’…she likes the chocolate you ordered her, therefore she likes you.” Better loving through chemistry, as it were.

And finally,

5. Learn some dance moves. Trust me on this one - women love a man who can dance. And by "dance," I mean hold the lady properly, keep to the rhythm, know a few moves (but know them cold), and have good, strong posture. Had I but known all this back in high school and college ...

And really finally, here's one of my own ...

6. Be funny. Not funny as in "odd" (although I'm right there, thank you very much**), but funny as in "gently amusing." Know a few good (clean!!) jokes*** or have a few funny stories about yourself that show you're not a self-absorbed egotist.

Okay, men, now it's up to you. If you have any other flirting hints, go ahead and leave a comment. And ladies, what works for you?

Have a good day. Flirt safely and well ... you don't need mistletoe. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* Give me a break here ... this is my 2,263rd post, and my memory isn't what it used to be.

** I prefer the term "eccentric."

** Agnes would tell you that I don't have any, but that's only because she's been hearing the same ones for more than 30 years.

Desire

I noted yesterday in this space the old adage that in the spring, a young man's thoughts turn to love. Well, to sex, actually, but love sounds better in an all-audiences blog. Wouldn't want to make some hardshell Republican's head explode, you know.

In the spring, the air grows warm, the grass grows, the flowers bloom, the birds sing in the trees, and we pay our income taxes. The ladies wear more revealing clothes (not applicable in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan, and other hyperconservative and sexually repressed places). We think about renewal - the blossoming of new life for a new year before we begin the long slide to the dead of the next winter.

Ah, spring! The time when we think about new life and applied desire.

But as we think about that new life and applied desire, we don't always think about what it means for the long term. And this morning my daily Writer's Almanac e-mail offered this wonderful poem by George Bilgere that pretty much sums it up ...

Desire

by George Bilgere

The slim, suntanned legs
of the woman in front of me in the checkout line
fill me with yearning
to provide her with health insurance
and a sporty little car with personalized plates.

The way her dark hair
falls straight to her slender waist
makes me ache
to pay for a washer/dryer combo
and yearly ski trips to Aspen, not to mention
her weekly visits to the spa
and nail salon.

And the delicate rise of her breasts
under her thin blouse
kindles my desire
to purchase a blue minivan with a car seat,
and soon another car seat, and eventually
piano lessons and braces
for two teenage girls who will hate me.

Finally, her full, pouting lips
make me long to take out a second mortgage
in order to put both kids through college
at first- or second-tier institutions,
then cover their wedding expenses
and help out financially with the grandchildren
as generously as possible before I die
and leave them everything.

But now the cashier rings her up
and she walks out of my life forever,
leaving me alone
with my beer and toilet paper and frozen pizzas.

All you men out there will understand.

Have a good day. Enjoy the scenery. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

P.S. - apropos of today's topic, I note that today is also the birthday (in 1725) of renowned libertine Giacomo Casanova. In addition to being a noted lover and seducer of women (his name is now defined in the dictionary as "A man who is amorously and gallantly attentive to women; a promiscuous man; a philanderer"), Casanova was a soldier, poet, gambler, lawyer, librarian, and spy. One wonders how he had the time to fit in all that seduction.

B.

Valentine's Day, 2012

Today is February 14th - Valentine's Day - the most obvious symbol of the worldwide, anti-male conspiracy launched by a sinister cabal of florists, restauranteurs, jewelers, candy-makers, and greeting card printers to force men everywhere to spend money to stay on the right side of their ladies.

If you're a man, you know what I mean. If you're a woman, this will go over your head because Valentine's Day is just part of the tribute you have been trained from birth to expect from your drooling love slave. Or your husband, whatever.

You can read what I wrote in this space about Valentine's Day last year here. But another year has gone by, and it's time to take another critical look at the sinister phenomenon of Valentine's Day.

This is how life goes if you're a man ...

Sometimes, it's more like this ...

Now, I'd be willing to admit that, sometimes, we men aren't all that good at planning the lovey-dovey, spur-of-the-moment things our women say they like ...

It's often hard for us to say the right thing ... and we don't always get the response we were hoping for ...

And we all know that women are very, very good at stockpiling grievances ...

Even pets are not immune to the evil lure of Valentine's Day ...

Nevertheless, in spite of the fact that we know we're being set up, we men lurch forward blindly each year into Valentine's Day. We know what's expected of us, and we perform our steps in this annual kabuki dance in the way we've been conditioned. Our ladies play us like fine violins, drawing the bow of female expectation expertly over the strings of male guilt and sexual desire. Yes, we all play our parts, because we've been conditioned to do so. And because we hope that, for once, we'll manage to do the right thing and get our reward.

Good luck.

And with that, we close out another Valentine's Day post with this classic video from Joan Jett ...

Have a good day. I hope all goes well between you and the object of your fondest desire. Or your wife or husband. You decide.

More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo