My style is far different than that of the previous editor's, which of course is as it should be. But at the stage of life that we find ourselves here, there can be great resistance to change. I'm feeling my way, hoping there won't be too many complaints. Either I'm being shielded from them, or there haven't been any about the first month I took the position. So here is my column for February's newsletter which won't be slipped under our doors until next Tuesday night.
IT’S ABOUT TIME
“It is familiarity with life that makes time speed quickly. When every day is a step in the unknown........as for children......the days are long with the gathering of experience.”
George Gissing
“Never, never again
This moment, never, those slow
ripples across smooth water,
Never again these clouds white and gray....
The sun that rose from the sea this morning will never return for the broadcast light that
brightens the leaves and glances on water will travel tonight on its long journey, out of the universe, never this sun, this world, and never again this watcher.”
Kathleen Raine
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Where in the world does the time go? I thought, when I queried some residents about it that some would report that time passes slowly for them, but to a person, everyone I asked gave some version of fast..... from Jeanne G’s ”It goes rapidly”, to Betty K: “It passes quickly because I stay involved with volunteer activities.” and, Jeanne K’s “Time goes faster and faster..... so many things I plan to do. One of the problems is that I’m not fast anymore.” Jim H. said, “It just zips by.......even when I was confined to my room for months with a bad case of the shingles.” Mr. Bob’s favorite phrase to Jane is “Hurry, every chance you get.” and he feels that time goes extremely fast.
My guess is that in the Health Center time passes more slowly for the patients. In my experience, time has crawled when I’ve been ill with something as serious as the flu. Then time simply crawls. I remember sleeping and sleeping some more and looking at the clock and 4 minutes had passed.
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Someone once observed that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
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What do you get when you cross a kangaroo with a calendar?
A leap year!
Did you realize that February this year brings us an extra day.......a whole 24 hours that we didn’t have last year? How are you going to use yours?
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“Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment,sparkling like a star in our hand...... And melting like a snowflake.”
Marie Beyon Ray
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Not included in the newsletter is this question which I pose to you.
Are you an "over" or an "under" in the great debate about toilet tissue? At our house, we're "over" people.
Not included in the newsletter is this question which I pose to you.
Are you an "over" or an "under" in the great debate about toilet tissue? At our house, we're "over" people.
You live west of the continental divide, which explains both time and t.p. issues.
ReplyDeleteOh..Ted's remark fascinates me....I wonder if that is really accurate? Any thoughts from others? We both do over. However, the person at our local Ralphs market who cares for the ladies room does it under. Am always tempted to ask to meet her, but then I'm sure they would call the local loony bin to come get me if I told them why I wanted that. Love your writings on "time". I don't ever remember hearing any "grown ups" say it passes too slowly. Rusti
ReplyDeleteWe're over the top t.p.ers but that is because that's the way our parents did it. I always think it is more sanitary because your fingers don't accidentally touch the wall when you reach for the paper. My mom was OCD and trained me YEARS ago (I'm talking half a century) NEVER to touch the door lock with naked little fingers..always take a piece of t.p. first and holding that in your hand, lock the door and that goes twice as fiercely for using a handle flush !!! I'm too much a lady to go into the reasons for this necessity!!! T.O.Joanne
ReplyDeleteTP goes over the top! That allows hotel staff to make cute little folds. Under risks starting a TP waterfall, leaving the paper piled on the bathroom floor.
ReplyDeleteExcellent editing! I like it. It is important to have different styles. It makes things intereting. I think we were taught to put the t.p. over. if I buy quality toilet paper the weight of it if not installed over will unroll, in my experience.
ReplyDeleteSusan H
over for sure! Love your blog Jane....makes my day! Love, Susan
ReplyDeleteLoved your column about time.....
ReplyDeletethe Manor is lucky to have you as editor of the newsletter.
Hope you’ll publish the results of your toilet paper survey!
I’m “over,” my husband is “under.” This means that it’s
usually “over” since (as in most households I assume) I am
usually the roll changer. Why do men assume that women
should be the ones to handle anything to do with bodily
functions (like cleaning the toilet and changing the toilet paper
roll)? I notice that you referred to it as “toilet tissue.”
I was in the ad business for years, as you know, and one of my clients was
Charmin (please don’t squeeze the Charmin). We always had to call it
toilet tissue but recently, I notice, ads are calling it toilet
paper. Wow! A breakthrough! I also notice that people in ads are now
drinking directly from their cereal or soup bowls --
another breakthrough, although not as positive in
my mind as being able to use the forbidden phrase “toilet paper.”
Speaking of which, in the U.K. the toilet paper in public places (like
museums) used to come in small separate folds — each
stamped with the words “Property of HRH Queen Elizabeth II.”
The restroom authorities eventually had to stop doing
that because so many tourists stole huge quantities to take home.
I still have some somewhere — a treasured possession.
Nancy H.
Love it ! A Non Y Mouse
ReplyDeleteOh my on the Queens tissue. The thought of the official stamp to the bum....yikes. another reason it is gone! Well, in my world is is over. I do remember for my decades at McDonald's that in a particular dispenser it had to go under.
ReplyDeleteWe're definitely overs.
ReplyDeleteAs for time passing quickly, I tell my Joe every day that the days at work seem very long, but then when I wake up after sleeping all night, it feels like it was just 5 minutes. What's that all about...
As I recall, the toilet paper dilemma was explored when the original Dear Abby was still writing columns, and the results ended up being almost exactly 50-50. I'm at a loss to explain how BOTH of my children--who were raised in a strictly "over" house--became "under" adults. I tried so to be a good mother. Thankfully, only one of them abandoned my political party.
ReplyDelete