Shoe Whore

 

Po Boy Views

By

Phil LaMancusa

Sole Search

Or

Shoe Whore

        I read a book when I was much younger (actually, I’ve read many books throughout my life as well as when I was much younger); this one was about a boy my age, at the time, eleven or twelve, who had run away from a cruel orphanage and went and (not surprisingly) joined up with a circus!

        Well….the orphanage wants the boy back for further nefarious and malicious endeavors on his psyche, spirit and fragile physique and they send some goons out to find him. Big, mean, hulking, slobbering knuckle draggers wearing military storm boots and ill fitting beige woolen suits, employed by the sinister reprobates that run the facility; they want the kid back. So they send out these thugs to find him, search for him until they do and drag him back by the scruff of his neck or the heels of his feet, sadistically  bruised and battered if necessary (at least that’s how I remember it).

        Well, the boy is happy as a clam with his new circus family, a cute and smart boy just like I was at that age; here he is taking a rest under a picnic table after a morning of cage cleaning, scoping out the crowds passing on their way to the Big Top and analyzing people’s footwear: farmhands, schoolboys, fancy ladies and housewives; bankers, brokers, clodhoppers and kids from the boondocks. And then he spots a pair of those prison guard boots walking by and he knows that the carefree days of cleaning up elephant poop and breakfasting with the clowns and high wire dames in tight clothing is in danger of coming to an abrupt end. A wild and wacky adventure ensues (naturally with a happy ending) and I’m left with a future of checking out what people wear on their feet as a past time and a habit in case someday some goons might come after me.

        Everybody’s gotta have shoes; when I was younger there were gum chewing girls in Oxfords, penny loafers or patent leather Mary Jane’s; bluster boys with tasseled slip-on’s, Buster Browns, Chuck Taylors or heavy leather Florsheims with cleats nailed on the heels to make arrogant sparks on the concrete outside the pool hall as they slouched by. Nurses in white polished sensible shoes, risky teenage girls in high heels; Moms in mules around the house; father’s go-to work shoes, my go-to school shoes (hand me downs) and our Easter Sunday new ‘go-to church’ shoes. I remember taking shoes to the cobbler for heels and soles (Cat’s Paw brand); my mother’s high heels for ‘lifts’; the smell of the glue and the pounding of nails into leather. There was a time when you could tell an American abroad on vacation by their shoes (running shoes) and now when you see someone wearing Nike slip-ons in public, you know that they’re garnering ‘Street Cred’. Older guys with Velcro shoes mean that they cannot bend over; scruffy youngsters in hundred dollar Birkenstocks, CT’s are still a hit and Shoes for Crews de rigueur for restaurant workers. Sensible shoes on blue collar workers and durable boots on construction guys. Did I forget Doc Martins? Introduce me to someone and I will invariably and quite naturally look to see what they wear on their feet. As Forest Gump says “you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes--- where they’re goin’, where they’ve been”. I was attracted once to a woman because of her thigh high black boots (and admittedly, her reputation of what she did in them). Shoes carry a stigma of class; the rich kids have fancy shoes and the poor kids go without. 1916 movie; a girl trades her virginity for a pair. And on and on and on.

Here I will reveal that I am a shoe whore. I am aware of my footwear wherever I am; fuzzy slippers in the house and a closet that has talking shoe personalities: my high tops want to go for a stroll; my huaraches want to go to the beach; my Topsiders want to go to sea; my Capezios want to tango and my Tony Lamas are ready to line dance. I have tan work boots and Kung Foo slip ons; Birkenstocks, Vans, two-tone Zydeco dancers and shined Cole Hann’s that are ready for an interview. In my past I have unashamedly housed a variety of twenty plus pairs, again, unashamedly, and there’s more that beckon me.

        I learned to ‘spit shine’ shoes in the Navy and I keep black, brown and neutral cans of Kiwi polish with a rag and brushes; also a bottle of that liquid stuff in case of an emergency. Pumps, flats, courts or thongs, everybody needs shoes; ever worn Tom McCanns or Keds? Ever fantasized about finding a Princess with a glass slipper (or being one)? Do you know the story of the Red Shoes? Puss in Boots? Wizard of OZ? Maxwell Smart?

        I wonder why you never see what shoes someone is wearing in their casket (that’s weird, I know); but, there’s an old gospel song that ends with “when I get to Heaven, gonna put on my shoes, gonna walk all over God’s Heaven” that’s not a bad visual for me, I’ll just have to specify in my will which shoes I’ll wear on that final journey.

         

       

 

Udaipur or Woke (Imagine That)

 

Po Boy Views

By

Phil LaMancusa

Woke

Or

Imagine That

            The difference between then and now; the difference between the haves and the had nots of yesterday and today; the repurposing of the real and of real estate. The entirety of the mad dash clash of past, present, future and the ones who move up and the ones that fall down. “They are the same people only further from home, on a freeway fifty lanes wide on a concrete continent spaced with bland billboards illustrating imbecile illusions of happiness” (Ferlinghetti).

            I’ve changed over the years of my lives, escaping from the projects and parents, side stepping prospects of prisons and poisons pursuing a profession and being always on the cusp of the finer positive points of prosperity; relying on personal progress for peace/a piece of my mind that is being continually blown by me the hungry gatherer constantly overtaken by the successful hunters.

            Folks my age, our experiences lost in the space of time and the lessons and larks that lead us from relative comfort to an eventual downsizing ‘retirement home’ abandonment with one foot in assisted living and the other avoiding the slippery slope of a six foot hole all the while hoping that the next one to go is not another one that we love or worse, us ourselves. You didn’t know me when I was a younger man and I won’t know you as an old person. So it goes.

            Million dollar condos and high priced essentials; shaving with a brush and a bar of soap while my taxes line the pockets of manic mansplainers telling me how good they have made life for me and mine; property values continue to become fatter and my pockets leaner; my spirit contentiously swimming against the undertow of historic mendacity concerning the salvation of my eternal soul, as if the promise of heaven will fill the bellies of hungry children while the rich donate to rebuild cathedrals dedicated to a carpenter’s son who died for their sins. The picture of the ragged man sitting on his milk crate at the intersection; his sign reading “Anything Helps, God Bless”.

            The rent for one month of an apartment two blocks from where I grew up would have paid our living expenses for almost five years and that would have been for a family of six. Where does the time go and where does that kind of money come from?

            The great recession of 2018 is coming to bite us in the behind as the bubble is busting while our credit cards get maxed out trying to rob Peter to pay Paul and finding out that Peter has been financially kicked to the curb; even the low spark of high heeled boys cannot escape the percentage we’re paying while we’re living beyond all our means because the man in the suit has just bought himself a golf course with the profits he’s made on our fears and our dreams. The sound in the distance is not a dog barking but the laughter of Anubis taking our coins for our ride with Charon.

            It matters not because we’re witnessing islands of plastic debris as mega companies use solar power to make frakking less expensive. They rape and we must pull up our pants and stumble on being the last generation to walk freely on this planet; the impotence of our good intentions paving the road to hell.

            I have a neighbor who walks to the bus stop once a week to go to Walmart; he rests on the stoop next door to us and happily explains how he’s looking forward to celebrating his ninety-fifth birthday. May we all be so fortunate; from our mouths to God’s ears; walking to the bus ride to Walmart amid the chaos confusion and detritus of a collapsed planet; walking to the bus ride to Walmart.

 

Writer's picks 5/21

 

Phil’s Picks

Best First Date Place

        So you want to know if they’re the one that you want to know; here’s the real test. Pull-A-Part 4401 Peters Rd. Harvey, La. 504-243-6660 Call it a salvage or a junk yard, I call it wonderful; you know you can always use some spare parts for your ride. They have vehicles laid out like a cemetery (one by one); they’re computerized for easy finding of your prey. Bring tools and patience and that new friend; believe me, if they pass this test, they’re worth holding on to. Worth the price of admission ($2.00) and you’ll get your picture taken.

Best Vegetarian Lunch Date

        Want to really score big on the vegetarian dating scene? Take them to Burger King  2727 Canal Street 504-681-9367 drive thru for a couple of Impossible (veggie) Whoppers and some shakes, go sit in the parking lot at Goodwill, 3400 Tulane Avenue 504-482-1046 eat your delicious lunch while chatting about this and that and then go do some light shopping ( you’ll always find something!). I guarantee this outing will bring a smile to any veggie’s face and if not, let them fade like denim from your life. Reward them with a PBR at Pal’s 949 N. Rendon 504-488-7257

Everyone Knows But You Best Local Meal

        Kebab 2313 St. Claude St. 504-383-4328 From ketchup to kebabs all made in house, fresh baked bread daily for sandwiches, hummus, couscous, pickles, beets and nine house made sauces (including the infamous Skhug, Coco-habenero and Harrisa), craft beers, cocktails in coconuts, Portobello po-boys with Spanish garlic sauce, falafel and friendly service. Eating in house, pick up, bicycle and Uber-eats delivery service. Tall towers of rotating pork and chicken turning slowly on spits and specials on weekends. A neighborhood place with high standards and local roots. Mention them to friends and they’ll say “Oh, I know that place, I love it”.

Claiborne overpassass

 

Po Boy views

By

Phil LaMancusa

Claiborne Confusion

Or

Junction Misfunction

        Okay, I’m no personage of importance, knowledge or authority; in fact, the older I get, the less that people want my opinion or wisdom of experience. I also only know the basics of history, but I do possess degrees in sensitivity and logic from the School of Hard Knocks. So be it. Here goes and I’ll say this in bold:

“DO NOT TEAR DOWN THE CLAIBORNE OVERPASS!!!”

        The back story of that two and a half mile carbuncle is that over fifty years ago big government was giving away butt loads of money to cities to promote roads and bridge construction and New Orleans wanted their share of the booty. At that time a plan for a highway connection for our interstate had its proposal resurrected, in fact, there were two plans; one plan had an overpass hugging the river, going through the historic French Quarter, the other would dissect the historic Treme neighborhood. This was way before we had our first black mayor (Ernest ‘Dutch’ Morial 1978-1986).

        In 1965-6 we made a deal with the devil; while the African Americans of the Treme neighborhood were focusing on civil rights, the white “historic preservationalists” surreptitiously argued against ruining the Quarter with construction which would take up to three years. In fact, I’m told that at one time both plans were floated to occur but one had to be decided on and guess which one did? The residents of the Treme had no idea of their screwing until the first bulldozers appeared to plow down the hundred year old oaks that lined the street. While the French Quarter remained sacrosanct the Treme was eviscerated, cut in two like a grill cheese sandwich. Needless to say the Quarter flourished while Claiborne Avenue in all its history, commerce and traditions faded like denim.

        Now big government is giving away more money and we have contractors and construction companies salivating at the thought of getting some of that booty. Well I say:

TURN IT INTO GREEN SPACE!

        Why not? Think of how long, how much of a mess and how much environmental impact tearing that monster down will have on that area; look at the examples of the Napoleon and Louisiana Avenue digs that took years. Look how it took about a year and a half for us to get one body from the Hard Rock site and then more months to tear THAT sucker down. Look at the conditions of our existing streets and tell me if that money couldn’t be spent better on your block.

        Now, think of how bike paths, greenery, walkways, mini-theaters, playgrounds, music venues, food kiosks (above AND below) and access for Indians and second lines to really parade could impact that panoramic structure; think of the greenery that it would encourage. For every dismissal of this idea there is a positive rebuttal and the nay saying falls flat when answered with

“WHY NOT?”

        Hard to get to? No, we have overpasses that challenge bike riders as much (consider the access to Crescent Park, the bridge climbs on Wisner and/or Broad St.). Hasn’t been done? New York City’s High Line is an example and Google cites eighteen urban projects like that: Chicago, Atlanta Toronto, Rotterdam and damn Paris even! Is the space too wide? How about some tennis courts, exercise fields or children learning agriculture projects?

        I was in San Francisco when the highway running along the waterfront was torn down; it took years and destroyed businesses and housing and I foresee that it will do the same here. I predict a failure of marketable real estate only to be replaced by a repurposing that will put the final nail into the coffin of America’s first African American community. What do you suppose will happen to Circle Foods or the Mother In Law Lounge or other businesses and housing for the Black community that have weathered the gas fumes and noise? And where are you gonna put all that damn debris? Landfill it?

        Once again, I’m no expert on these types of things; however, don’t you think that instead of putting our people to work destroying and hauling two and a half miles of construction detritus to the dump that we employ them as gardeners and builders of an elevated green space to be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike? Community groups would love a chance to put a thumb print on this newer, saner, alternative to the chaos and noise of demolition; wouldn’t you?

        So, what can we do? How can we work this? How about this: call 311 and/or City Hall and tell the Mayor that you are for the Claiborne Green Space plan and then get (at least) two more people to do the same. Tell these two (or more) people to each get two more people to call and tell two more people etc. etc. With this geometrical sequence in two weeks we would have 32,768 callers and that might get some attention and all we have to do is each get two people to call. I mean, if this isn’t an infrastructure project then what is and why not?

        And if we don’t, we abet a graveyard instead of a playground. Think about it. Talk about it. Share and expand.

       

         

 

       

 

 

Swamp Ass June 2021

 

Po Boy views

By

Phil LaMancusa

June Bug

Or

Steam Tea

        Surprise, it’s June, named for the Roman goddess Juno, the goddess of marriage and the wife of the big guy Jupiter. And at this point the year is either half empty or half full depending how you look at it, and in New Orleans it’s the start of a long hot summer. Crock Pot hot; sidewalk egg frying, wet blanket, steam room, Swamp Ass Hot.

        Now, you readers that were lured here from northern climes may still have the biorhythms of a race of bipeds that have been conditioned to four distinct and separate seasons; not so here.

        Autumn is like a drunk on a park bench that wakes up only to doze again; winter, like a guerilla, forays in to strike when we least expect; zephyrlike Spring makes cameo appearances in April and May while the Dire Wolf of Summer, after butt dialing us in those months appears, for true, in June to nestle its 600 pounds of sin into our otherwise fun loving auras. Besides that, our seasons are shrimp, crawfish, gumbo and football.

        In June, the heat and humidity are amplified by the street stupidity as if folks here have not realized that again any clothing is too much clothing, you should avoid getting drunk by daylight and if you’re not using hot sauce for anything else, you use it to cool yourself down. That’s right, it’s time for tee shirts and shorts, stick to one (maybe two) beers with that barbecued shrimp poboy and smother everything you eat in Crystal Hot Sauce; ergo, the weather will bow down to you. Dig your capsicum high and don’t forget your SPF 50 sunscreen. You really want cool (?) go to a movie.

        I’ve spent many summers street level in the French Quarter; June is when people start wishing to go back to May, better yet February or maybe December. June is when brains start melting, psyches explode and peoples’ hair catches fire; June is when the reality of summer sets in. June is when Louisiana’s Mother Nature says “tant pis pour toi, Chere, summer’s returned, I’ve turned up the thermostat and I’m coming for you with my unique heat and humidity can of Whup Ass (ready or not); relax and flow into it or draw the shades and live in that space under the air conditioner in your bedroom with cool condensation dripping on your heated brow. You complained about it being cold last winter? Suck it up, Chuck, it’s only gonna get hotter!”

        June is when ghosts come out because it’s too warm to stay inside wherever they’ve put you when you die; Madame Delphine Lalaurie comes strolling up Royal Street with her daughters; Tite Poulette is meeting her lover Kristian Koppig on Dumaine Street; Bill Faulkner is having a game of chess with Lyle Saxton in Jackson Square and the infamous Raspberry Mahogany is back chain smoking his Camel straights. The lovers, the muggers, and thieves are out as well as additional clandestine revelers immuned with absinthe and other liquid spirits enjoying the relative coolness of the after dark. Vampires hum ancient mesmerizing melodies luring you in for a nibble, as do all manner of insects that inhabit our tropic clime: mosquitoes buzzing, cicadas singing and those gigantic roaches that we call Palmetto Bugs that can take wing and fly into your face, sometimes stinging, going clickity clacking around the walls and ceiling fans. Welcome to New Orleans with stinging caterpillars, spiders and all manner of nocturnal, sometimes marsupial in nature, critters; summer is not for the faint of heart. And the breeze whispers “Stella!”

        June is when the specter of storms past herald storms in your near future and smart money starts thinking about tempest preparedness; it’s our simultaneous eyes in the rear view and on the road ahead weather outlook. We tune in regularly to watch our favorite climate forecasters, judging their level of excitement when a blower in the gulf looks like it’s gonna eat our lunch. It’s a real Russian roulette of doom and gloom and each spaghetti model will always include a direct hit. Good luck, this goes on until November, don’t let it affect your blood pressure. Check your battery supplies, eat what’s in your freezer and get the car tuned and gassed.

        June is also when we take stock of water to immerse ourselves in; whether it’s a weekend getaway to the gulf, across the lake or sussing who will give us ‘pool privileges’. The city provides free swimming pools and the hip get to enjoy moments of aquaculture gratis. Smart money always knows someone that can sneak them into a hotel for a couple of hours poolside (women are great at this) and you’ll learn sooner than later that you’d better be on your best behavior or you’ll be back on the street with the rest of the melting masses.

        So this June when you turn on the cold water tap and get Luke warm, ask yourself: “who is this Luke person anyway? Was he moderately warm, tepid? Lacking convictions, half hearted? This faucet says cold; what am I to believe? Who can I believe, who can I trust? Oh hell, I’m going back to the bathroom and lie naked on the cool tile floor!”

        Also in June, and at all times, never purchase a tomato that’s been refrigerated; also, drink cucumber juice, stay hydrated and have some Viet Cajun crawfish which is like other boils only this one is drenched in butter with fresh ginger and garlic. I don’t know what else to tell you, June’s here and today is the first day of the rest of your long sunshiny summer; be brave, start looking forward to a healthy Jazz Fest and plan on attending every day, even if you have to quit your job. Happy coming up solstice y’all!

Covid Purgatory

 

Po Boy Views

By

Phil LaMancusa

Covid Purgastory

Or

Suspended Animation

        Am I mistaken or did I just lose a year (plus) of my life? It seems so; a year. Gone. What happened....? What happened was/is a worldwide epidemic that is innocently enough called a ‘pandemic’ (it’s less tragic sounding on the mind, I think) that threw a monkey wrench wet blanket buzz buster of a life style reality change at me and then kicked me to the curb and under a bus and I still am not allowed to hug any of my friends for commiseration, compassion and/or consolation!

        The rumor of our collective disruption began January 2020 and the hammer came down in March: “wear a mask, practice social distancing, avoid large gatherings, and wash your hands; rinse and repeat”. Folks are catching it and dying; this shyte is hella serious!

        Mardi Gras 2020 was the last hurrah before the curtains started to close in like a fade to black B movie scene. No Jazz Fest (we had already purchased tickets for ALL the days). No French Quarter Fest or any of the other ‘Fests’ that happen around our area (crawfish, strawberry, boudin, Satchmo etc) that I may or may not have attended given my ability to freely choose. Any travel plans that we might have had hatching in our fun and fantasy musings got smothered at birth as the rest of the country, and the world, closed for business and pleasure; I admit that that only made my wanderlust more acute.

        In the summer our local city’s free swimming pools began taking only on line reservations for attendance; the Stallings pool (Olympic size, outdoor venue) was limited to eight people at a time, down from an all welcome affair; the Treme Center down to six. Museums, galleries, theaters, aquarium, Zoo and any other alternative activities shut down like a café with a rodent infestation. Restaurants were closing (some permanently), reopening and shutting down again in an endless covid19 threat level tango. All around people shopping like we’re under attack; there were shortages of paper products, hand sanitizer, disinfectants and food products such as baking flour and yeast.

        Our lives became upended as the unemployment rate skyrocketed; the gravy train rolled in and we caught a ride at six large a week which we did our best to give away, our stimulus check went to a Latino church, we gave freely and even got mostly out of debt ourselves, we got the car fixed.

        Debbie assures me that my shopping has not abated but I don’t concur; I haven’t been to any places that pose a health risk which, until very recently, have been corner markets, convenience stores (for lottery tickets) and any place where people who don’t take precautions as they shop; you see, a lot of folks around here did not take the plague (that’s what it is) seriously and it was suspect that we could venture anywhere with safety and security because of these ignoramuses that could very well be walking virus spreaders.

        The weather didn’t help either. We had heat, street flooding, power outages, hurricanes, and this winter we had freezing cold. We had a political landscape that mirrored our weather: ups and downs and downs and downs and with it my optimism and my faith dove for the covers and hid. We hunkered down as much as humanly possible while still trying to carry on in some type of normalcy; shopping became for the most part, a weekly affair, buying in quantity meals ahead and stocking up on essentials (critter food) just as the rest of the city did.

        We watched the news incessantly. We watched the numbers go up. We lost a friend and a few acquaintances to the disease. We got tested as often as possible. We have morning coffee with the New York Times (delivered). Happy hour became potato chips and a cold beer in bed. We bake bread, cookies, prepare meals and muse of things lost. Even our staff meetings for Where Y’at are on Zoom now.

We’re damn near aliens to our friends and families, socially distanced, you might say. I catch up with my family through electronics (cell phone, social media); my grandkids are getting bigger and are getting virtual educations.

        We ask each other “What do you miss most?” “Where would you go eat?” “What trip would you take?” “Who would you hug?” Pick the first three that come to mind; GO!

        I finally scored a job, Debbie is still looking, it’s not been easy; sure the government is still willing to kick in, but we enjoy gainful employment, the interaction, the productivity, the work. I work with a dozen masked people; the other day I realized that I don’t know what any of them look like, I wouldn’t recognize them on the street (unless they were masked).

        New Orleans is a tactile city; we hug, bump, kiss, hustle and show affection to each other and to people we just have met. We dance together and close. I’m wrapped in a social cocoon, unable to touch or be touched; luckily I have a house full of critters and a woman who loves me dearly. But, it still feels like I lost a year (plus) of my life and still no one knows when our lives, as we knew them, will return or if this really is the new reality.

        We collectively imagine our future to look like our past but I’m not sure that that’s ever going to be possible. They talk about herd immunity. They talk of political harmony. They talk of environmental and social safety and nurturing. They talk as if this is the first year of the rest of our lives; they talk of shaking off the past and bravely pulling up our big boy pants after taking it in the shorts. They talk and talk and talk about striding boldly where no one has gone before. Me? I just don’t know.

My Unslung Pass codes

 

Po Boy views

By

Phil LaMancusa

Spectrophobia

Or

Accessible Codes

A friend of mine made fashionable cloth facial coverings for the plague and was selling them on line; mentioning them on FaceBook, she said that they were available on line but if we were in the neighborhood we could pick them up less expensively. Cool, I thought, and tried messengering her back about info on where to pick them up. Picking up my cell I received the instructions: “Please sign into your FaceBook account, user name and password” Me: “Hell, I don’t know; I’ll do this later”.

Later I couldn’t remember where I saw the darn info on the FaceBook so I looked on Intsagram; didn’t find it there so I went to her Intsagram page to send her a message. I received similar admonitions precluding the preceding of my proceeding: “Sorry. That message is not sent. Please sign into Intsagram using your … username and password”.

Please enter your special pin number if you want to use your Debit card, pay a bill on line, get technical support for your computer, get a bank balance over the phone or log onto your web address. “Please punch in your Social Security number and pass code” Can’t remember your user name or password? “Reset by clicking here. Enter the email and phone number associated with this account and we’ll send you a one-time passcode of six numbers, enter them below to reset your password. Your new password should be 8-16 characters, at least one upper case and one or more symbols i.e: !#$%&*”.

Periodically, a seemingly innocent message is sent to my phone advising me to open an attachment sent by a ‘friend’ (“I think I saw you in this tell me what you think! Click here to open attachment”) open it and I’m hacked! I need to change all my passwords. Where do I start?

I have three bank accounts (savings, checking and credit card), I have two debit card numbers to remember; I have three email addresses, I have FaceBook, Intsagram, Paypal, Ebay, different websites that I purchase things from (yes, even that one). I have my cell phone password, a keypad front door, username and password to file for unemployment, contact my healthcare provider, open my laptop, check with my auto insurance company and check the status on my covid19 testings.

I log on to stream shows, I use three different remote control thingies for three different screens, I identify myself by license, passport, voter registration, I need to show my ID when I buy beer at Winn Dixie and enter and leave Cosco.

I punch a keypad at Walgreens, Petco, CVS, AutoZone and I’ve got to punch in my zip code when I buy gas. I never wanted this. Then there’s the keys.

I have two keys for my car, one each for front door, back door, side yard, back yard and I have the neighbor’s in case they lose theirs; instead of leading a simple life, I’m a frickkin’ hostage!

I foresee a possible future where I have a microchip imprinted in my left palm, a barcode tattooed on my right wrist, an MP3 implanted behind my right ear and my cell phone attached to my medulla oblongata; implanted behind my left breast nipple is an ALEXA-like device connected to my ocular lenses.

I’ll buy beer with the wave of my wrist and pump gas with abandon; ALEXA will make and break my appointments and direct my deposits and automatically withdraw my expenses all to the soundtrack of my life pumping into my cerebral cortex. The guesswork will be taken out of an exercise routine, I’ll learn to speak Italian and play the piano. Life will simply be a matter of whatever I wish, I’ll be free to evolve spiritually; “ALEXA, book a yoga class for me with my guru and a reservation for a vegan late lunch, block out some time for a nap and have a bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2015 delivered. Oh, and remind me that the dog’s been promised a long walk this afternoon. Thank you.” Naturally ALEXA will answer “No problem Boss” ( Master, Biatch, Honey or whatever I might be calling myself that day).

I’ll get up in the morning and coffee will be made, the paper delivered and the thermostat set on a lovely seventy-eight degrees; the laundry service will have come and gone and I’ll be free to take my sketch pad to the park (with pup in tow) and capture nature as it’s intended, pausing just long enough to apply some sun block to my solar paneled bald head. If I’m approached by a friend ALEXA will remind me of their name and where I know them from. I’ll invite them for tea, we’ll wear tiaras. Oh, I will sing the body electronic.

The only challenge is that that would be too perfect. You see, objectively speaking, for every stress that I‘ve created there is a compensation and each compensation comes with a responsibility to accept or not. Some stress I create, others just come with the turf; that’s the beauty of it, that’s the gift of the Magi, the Christmas miracle. Life is what you make it or make of it. Within you, without you.

I have a friend that when confronted by another’s less than perfect condition (weakness) usually counters with cutting sarcasm, I’m sure if he reads this, he’ll make fun of my complaints and my complaining. It’s okay, I know his heart, we both listen to Tim Buckley. I’ll think of him when I edit, do a word count, go to my editor’s website, write a brief note, attach the article and push the ‘send’ button.

I’ll stop counting the ways I dwell on paying attention to annoying minor insignificant details in my life and focus on counting the blessings that I have with the people around me that have my user name and pass code: it’s simply: “Where y’at Phil!”