"You Have To Live Spherically"

One of my favourite movies is "Under The Tuscan Sun", which tells the story of Frances Mayes, who after a terrible divorce goes on a ten day tour of Tuscany, courtesy of her friend Patti. There, she buys a run-down villa Bramasole and tries to re-start her life.

 

Above: Catherine and Francis
Photo from tribute.ca

One line that stands out is when Catherine tells Frances, "You have to live spherically, in many directions. Never lose your childish enthusiam...and things will come your way." Sometimes when times are dark, these words come back and I try to think and put them into practice (I don't always succeed though). When you think about it, it is very good advice - I guess it means accepting yourself for what you are and trying your best at whatever you do. Try and enjoy life and always try to see something good in everything.

There is another line I like and have used this as an example sometimes. Seeing that Frances is sad again, Signor Martini says to her, "Between Austria and Italy, there is a section of the Alps called the Semmering. It is an impossibly steep, very high part of the mountains. They built a train track over these Alps to connect Vienna and Venice. They built these tracks even before there was a train in existence that could make the trip. They built it because they knew some day, the train would come."

It's about having faith is't it? Believing in yourself, and having faith that your hopes and dreams will work out.

At the Fair

We went to a fair and this little miss was all decked out in pink. Doesn't she look cute?

Above: Shopping is sooo tiring

Above: How do I look?

Hot

We have had three days of 33º and the house feels like a sauna. Although the temperature has dropped and it's pouring rain outside, I can't sleep. The weather outside is cooler but inside it's like an oven. Somehow I don't think it would be a very good idea to sleep outside. All those mossies - you'd get eaten alive.

It's times like this I wish I was rich - I'd have a house with air-conditioning.

Well do I remember asking my dad when I was a little girl, "Daddy, would you rather be too hot or too cold?" To which he replied, "Neither". "Yes" said I, "but if you had to be too hot or too cold, which one would you choose?"

Dad said too hot and when I asked him why, he replied, "Because you can always get warm, but you can't always get cool".

Ain't it the truth! Very smart man my dad.

I wish I was here -

Above: Little Mermaid Ice-Cream Shop
You can keep the Danish hot dogs - just lead me to your ice-cream!

Above: Peter's Light
This is an original Peter's Ice-Cream Light from the 1950's. You don't see too many of them now, more's the pity. They've been replaced with neon lighting and modern stuff.

A Time To...

Well, it really isn't a good time just right now. I really do feel really cheesed off and of course there isn't a punching bag nearby, I can't go and yell in the back yard (the neighbours would think I was a crazy old bat) and I'm too old to flounce and lose my temper so I'll just have to take it out on here.

Warning
This is a rant so if you don't wanna read and hear me whinge then I suggest you skip this post and go make yourself a nice, hot cup of tea.

Well now, don't say you haven't been warned. It all started off the other day, I was on a forum, someone asked about presents and mentioned Christmas, asked for suggestions. People offered suggestions, I gave this, we gave that, you know the kind of thing, then one suggested several things, a number of which were really OTT expensive - think plasma tv, chopper rides, kitchen items costing hundreds of dollars each, expensive courses. (These weren't the actual items but are in a similar price bracket).

I was flabbergasted and I'm thinking how commercialised Christmas has become, and quoted the three (OTT expensive) things and asked what happened to the meaning of Christmas and has it now become about buying expensive presents and spending hundreds of dollars?

Then a few hours later that one tells me to get off my high horse and then goes on about how she said presents and didn't say the pagan solstice festival I call christmas, (note - not even a capital letter for the word Christmas) then has the gall to say I'm comparing a single income with kids and grandkid(s) with 'dinkys' who only had each other to buy for. Blah, blah, blah how much he likes his ring/watch/whatever more of the same etc.

Sheesh, where do some people get off with having tickets on themselves? So alright, I have mentioned I have children and yes, I've said I have grandchildren, it's not a great big secret. But gee whiz, there's no need to carry on like a two bob watch. Much as I wanted to type off something in a flurry of fingers on the keyboard and tell her what she could do with a pineapple, I knew getting angry and saying nasty things achieves nothing and anyway, that's not my style.

After giving it some thought I did respond in what I thought was a dignified manner, without getting rude or nasty. I qouted the bit about getting on one's high horse and the bit about finances, incomes 'dinkys' etc. Then wrote that I wasn't on my high horse and I didn't think that I was better than anyone else - that's what the meaning of the phrase is - and if somebody said something I didn't agree with, I hoped I'd have enough courtesy and  good manners not to make pointed or personal remarks about what I thought somebody's financial or family situation was.

I wasn't prepared for the avalanche which followed - Oh please, if you chose to bring money into it and make a comment implying that I'm only buying presents because they are are, to you, expensive - of course I'm going to comment on it because it's not comparing like with like, and you do this on a board where you post a lot about yourself...well suck it up princess

In the words of Hermione Granger.."What. an. idiot."

Then of course we have those in the "select" little clique who always seem to come out and have their own bit of loveliness to add. Like Yes, and frankly it doesn't matter what so-and-so (me) thinks since she's not invited to my family home for Christmas.

Well Doh! Even Homer Simpson could have worked that one out. Not to mention there is an ocean or two in between. Anyway, that little remark (about not being invited) prompted someone to say, Ahh the smell of Christmas spirit is in the air... nothing like Christmas to bring out the best in people!

I tell ya, it's better than watching boring soapies on the telly.


You know something? It never ceases to amaze me how the people who are the favoured few can say things and and that's alright, but if somebody else were to say the same thing, the pack of the elite all band together and jump down your throat. I've witnessed this a few times. One person I quite like posted about something that happened at her work and oh boy oy vey... you shoulda heard the catty remarks that came forth - she had committed the unpardonabloe sin of not being one of the "clique" you see. Same thing has happened to some others as well. Another time the nastiness that was directed at someone was horrifying and a few people remarked on it - the amount of venom that spewed forth combined with a complete disregard and utter lack of emotion. It made my head spin.

I came upon this phrase - Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level and I thought how appropriate. It was Quentin Crisp who coined that little pearl of wisdom and it made me laugh.

Well I think I've worked it out of my system now, I actually started writing this before today and wasn't going to click "publish post", but then I added some more and thought why not? It's probably good for one's equalibrium to get it off one's chest rather than bottle it all up inside where it festers. So, I'll finish this and have my tea.