Word pieces

The purpose of writing is to take ideas and observations and make them into words, sentences, and paragraphs which can then be shared. Writing for me, these days, has lots of pieces and parts on the table while, at the same time, revealing gaps in the sentences and paragraphs, as though I was writing through a torn curtain.

This past weekend, Sears had an advertising flyer that included special price for t-shirts. One, though, had me puzzled. "Will play for mushrooms" seems a bit too psychedelic for a multimillion dollar retail clothing business. Apparently, however, the phrase now refers to some goings-on a Super Mario Bros. video game. I became uncool regarding music in the mid-80s; I know so because a the 14-year-old son of a friend told me so. We last played video games in the Pac-man/Space Invaders, leaving a quarter-century to soak myself in unsolicited.

Ever since he moved from Pennsylvania to South Florida, columnist Dave Barry has claimed, with some reason, that Florida drivers are only slightly better drivers than are manatees. While Massachusetts drivers yield to no one, the Sunshine State is making a run at the title of Grand Wazoo of Bad Drivers. It is a collaboration between individuals and government to crank up the looniness. This month, for example, the AAA newsletter includes a section on the, um, adventures of driving in Florida. One person, a transplant from Rhode Island, observed a car crash at a particular intersection and called the local city office to request a stop sign for the intersection. They don't stop anyway, said that city official, so why waste the money?

Lots of folks have recommended exercise as a way to raise my spirits and energy levels. Marley and I walk most days, sometimes for a hour in the nearby woods, sometimes for 20 minutes to the corner pharmacy. The trip through the woods is best for the both of us - it's a longer trip for me and a chance for him to run freely.

Another recommendation, borne out in my own experience, is finding things that bring laughter.We cana always rely on Massachusetts politicians for a short bit of silliness. See Christy Mihos's The Big Dig, Explained.