MODERN IFIGENIA

I INJURED MY TOE SEVERELY TODAY. I WAS TYPING. 

I love traveling around the world and around my town. Since I was young I learned to enjoy things around me regardless of whether I was alone or accompanied. There was nothing remarkable about that until I became an adult and suddenly, there was an expectation that I should always be accompanied. This expectation or assumption has led to many awkward moments with various service providers, but particularly with the restaurant industry. So here are some tips I would like to give to restaurateurs if you would like to maintain the patronage of people who are patronizing you on their own: DON'T: Ask "just one?" DO: Say "thank you for choosing us today" DON'T: Take the food away when the customer goes to the bathroom DO: Ask the customer whether they are done with their plate DON'T: Have one tiny table in the back of the restaurant DO: Have small tables spread throughout the restaurant DON'T: Let the customer to their own devices when it comes ...

There is something about our outlook in this world that has been bothering me lately. I can't quite put my finger on it. Some are blaming systemic bad behaviors on our economic system, political interests, etc. But I think a lot of the bad we are seeing isn't just about the systems that we work within/under. I often hear bad behavior justified in one of two ways: They made me do it" or "I didn't force them to accept a raw deal, they took it of their own volition." I have seen many people I believed to be good do bad things using these justifications, but they are never a satisfying ones. I think people forget that in every relationship, in every transaction there are two parties, and morality isn't just about the morals of the individual/group in the accepting role, but it is also about the individual/groups making the offers. Why don't we hold offerers to the same moral standards we hold acceptors. Like somehow we agree the acceptors make bad mor...

Porque yo, siguiendo equivocado, tenia la certeza que mi sitio era a tu lado ----Pepe Aguilar

A few weeks ago I started to have doubts as to whether I should continue to live in the home I own. I have lived in it for over seven years and have never faltered in my love for this place; It has original stained glass, hardwood floors, all the transoms work, panoramic windows-but it is huge, and made of BRICK . Brick is my favorite exterior across the board, but I am now learning that it costs a lot to repair. As I began to share my homeowner woes with one of my friends, he started to ask a lot of questions that slowly made me wonder if I was actually married to my house. Here is the conversation with literary liberties: Friend: So how come you didn't notice the damage? Me: I have just been so busy for so long that what was a small leak went unnoticed until the wall started to really fall apart. Friend: So what are you going to do? Me: I am thinking of selling it after the repairs, I really can't afford to keep making such expensive repairs, but I love it so much. Fr...

I ran across an  essay today and I almost fell apart. It highlighted a truth I knew subconsciously, but had trouble admitting to for along time. I am someone who hates being photographed, and after the end of my marriage, I realized I was in very few of the photographs we took; maybe 5 over an 8 year period. Keep in mind we traveled to Alaska, Kenya, Paris, London, Ireland, Jamaica, Venezuela, etc. so at the very least there should have been some photos of me in those places. I had long attributed the lack of photographs of myself to my absolute hatred of being photographed. But then I ran out of excuses, over that period of time I noticed that somehow, my friends and family had photographs of me. They captured me when I wasn't looking or when I was laughing so hard, I just couldn't stop them from taking pics. Somehow, the people who wanted me to be a part of their lives found a visual way of making room for me, even against my objections. A few weeks ago a n...

Guy: I think dating you will be good for my health Gal: Really, I'm flattered, but I am not really healthy Guy: Yeah, being around you will help me ward off Alzheimer's Gal: How so? Guy: Well, you say these things that have a logic to them, but are totally nonsense. So it takes my brain quite a bit of work just to understand the things you say. So it's like learning a new language which they say helps fight off Alzheimer's. Gal: What the hell is that supposed to mean? Guy: It means you are the best thing to happen to me.