Pinocchio

Yesterday morning I found this

...If you’re lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it."
— John Irving in A Prayer for Owen Meany

And this

And popped them into a blog template intending to muse and comment. But you know how things go: other issues presented and I ran out of time. Places to go and things to do....

Sheesz!! Sure was nice to find those little pieces of inspiration on the computer screen when I got back home. It was one of those days when, bless their hearts, people were behaving badly. Even though I know better, the temptation was there to get hung up in their behavior and my reaction to their behavior and, I confess, I succumbed.

Between the bank teller who was more intent on teaching me a lesson than providing good customer service and the streetcar driver who sold me a transfer but couldn't answer a question about the terms and conditions of its use and R________ running around like a nut in class, refusing to take her seat and trying to have a serious conversation with Mr. H________ who kept assuring me "I'm listening" while not looking at me, rearranging furniture, talking to his teaching assistant, cleaning up the band room and NOT listening to me

I was in a pretty bad mood when I started my walk down Louisiana Avenue back home; but the streets were strewn with beads and flowers from the weekend's St. Patty's Day parades. More materials for my Gateway to Second Chances installation! Harvesting forgotten beads improved my mood enough to plant the idea of taking myself out to dinner at Cafe Atchafalaya.

We'll call the bead harvesting plus the slogans plus the ingredients below my "Remedy for a Bad Day":

1 Manhattan on the rocks(request Maker's Mark)

1 over-sized copy of The Adventures of Pinocchio (illustrations by Roberto Innocenti)

1 plate Louisiana oysters, fried



Maybe I should start a list, a remedy/recipe book...

If you haven't read the original Pinocchio, I recommend it. The illustrations are great. I can see why Disney based his animated feature on the story and perhaps that was the original intent of the book when it was translated and published in the 40's but it's pretty scary stuff. Just right, however, for a grownup coming down from a crappy day.