Eightball rides a bus off into the sunrise; or, late nights and early mornings.

[derien]

As I was updating my Semagic to show cyberquail on my friends list I noticed that mizzmarvel has changed her byline from "Mechenzoid, Director of Robot Resources" (I was quite fond of that one, sorry to see it go) to "Could that someone be Mack the Knife," which is going to earworm me for the rest of time every time I read her journal.  Curse you, Macky! 

Where did my morning go?  All I did was read a little bit of LJ.  I should never let myself read before I write. 

And I had started out so well, too.  I got up early (4AM) to take Eightball to the bus station, and the timing on that worked out just about perfectly:  He had time to gather his things and we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for an egg sandwich and a coffee, and we arrived at the bus station just as they were boarding.  And he made the ticket counter guy take our picture. :)  I was so tired, though.  "What?  I have bacon on my sandwich?  Oh, that IS what the menu says, isn't it?" and then he tried to come up with some incredibly over-elaborate justification for why it was perfectly reasonable for me to have been confused.  I think I was just asleep, dear boy. :)  Because I was back shortly after 5AM and didn't want to wake eor up that early, I went for a walk, and then I was wakeful enough that I was able to get the laundry in before 8am.

And then I started reading LJ and it all broke down.  Pit of evil!  Luring me to look at lucylou's artwork, and then at her friend nells_monster's journal for more pictures of Lucy, but she posted about Wookieepedia, so of course I had to look at that, etc, etc...  Dear me, sometimes I think I really have no hope of ever being a productive human being if I'm going to keep letting myself be so distractable.


So, um.  The plumbers just arrived.  Good thing I didn't get into the shower ten minutes ago when I thought I might.   

Brain and brain, what is brain? 

Eightball is a little less organized than Hawk - he had things to grab and stuff into his luggage this morning, whereas Hawk's luggage was ready to go and he actually managed to be up, dressed and cook himself breakfast in like a half hour (What the hell?  How can anyone do that?) - though he is a little more organized than Mom.  Hawk is really the star player of the family as far as getting things done and fitting things in, but even he does NOT excel in communication.  Big breakdown problem for organizing visits with other people.  We all get these notions in our heads of things we want to do, and then forget to actually say what we want when we have a chance.  Mom had plans for Eightball to get back here, last night, some five hours before he did, but he got hung up with his old friend (from grade school) who he went to visit night before last (well, the slowdown was probably mostly due to the fact that the guy now has little children who required shepherding), and she was upset.  I kind of did the same thing around breakfast the other day; I had intended to have breakfast with Mom and Eightball on Sunday morning, but I didn't say so to them on Saturday night, so he got up early and snuck out quietly and I missed out.  I was kind of miffed to have been cut out, but at the same time I realized two things: A) They might actually want to visit without me - sometimes people want one-on-one time, and B) I hadn't published my intentions, therefore I had absolutely no right be upset.  So I caught myself before I ranted and chalked it up as my own failure, with a memo to myself (which I will probably forget) to try to do better next time. 

The challenge is in noticing your opportunity for stating your plans.  I don't want to be pushy and dictate how everyone else's time should be spent, and I think everyone has a similar impulse.  Hang loose, see what other people want.  Except that if everyone is doing that, nobody knows what anyone wants. 

On the good side of stating what one wants, however, I've often found that it helps me to think about what is really feasible if I say something out loud.  If I'd said something out loud about my plans for returning the car, last night, it probably wouldn't have turned into such a mess.  You see, I had this notion that I would return the car today, and Eightball could send me a check for the cost of the car.  He was going with what the car rental agent suggested - that he be with me when I returned it and use his credit card.  But because of the delay leaving his friend's house we didn't go to return the car until after 9pm, meaning we didn't get done with dinner until after 10pm.  It was a mess.  And it wouldn't have needed to have been a mess if I'd just said, "Send me a check sometime.  It can stay on my credit card for now."  So, again, I fail, and there was much misery.  Better luck next time.


And now it's much later and those guys are still working on the shower.  Something tells me I'm not getting to use it this morning.  Um.  Hm.  Maybe I shouldn't also wear the same shirt again which I wore yesterday?  Ack.  I should just pick myself up as I am and go to work.  Shove the uniform in my backpack and go.  And I had even hung that shirt in the shower to de-wrinkle it.  Maybe I'll just spray it with room deodorizer or something.  I'm such a Lister. :) 

Comments

[mizzmarvel.livejournal.com]

Mechenzoid was a very college-based in joke. (It was my nickname at work, after someone told me I should be director of Robot Resources. Then, two years later, a friend called me it at random and I said, "How did you know my robot name?" It then became...a thing.)

So I decided a new start! A new byline! I prefer Mack over Mac, and when people ask why, I always say, "Mack the Knife! Mack the Knife!" Then they go, "...?"

(Also, there are two great comedians of the silent movie era who spelled their names as such.)

Wow, that was right rambly.

[derien.livejournal.com]

Rambly is good. I've been meaning to try to find out who the two comedians were of whom you spoke, but keep realizing that's not much to go on. And then I realized I could try googling "Mack" +"silent movies," or I could just ask you.

I also keep meaning to find a way to filk the song, but I suck at filk. There's four syllables in each of the girls names who are swooning over Mack the Knife in the song:

"Sukey Tawdry, Jenny Divers, Lottie Lenure Sweet joosetta, Sweet Lucy Brown Ol' derien,
Oh the line forms on the right, dears, now that Macky's... back in town. No, I screwed up the ryme, sheesh."

I suck at filk.

[mizzmarvel.livejournal.com]

Mack Sennett and Mack Swain!

And why are you "ol'" Derien? Hot Derien, more like it!

[derien.livejournal.com]

*blush!*

[(Anonymous)]

Maybe I'll just spray it with room deodorizer or something. I'm such a Lister. :)

Nice touch:)
lookstoalaska