Winter. Time for contemplation when even sunny days get cold far too early. Contemplation leads to many thoughts. This week, in addition to rolling around in a tangle of questions generated by the first draft of a new story, I am also contemplating two eternal topics: Love and Travel.
Though in this instance Travel has more to do with issues of aging. . .more on that later.
Thank heaven for small, if temporary, favors!
I hope the love part isn’t mushy stuff.
It actually has more to do with scientific research and testing, 9.
This does not inspire confidence.
Come on, Lily, it’s just a lab experiment. Involving cards.
Are you back on the Solitaire thing again?
Exactly! In the past six days I have played 50 hands of Klondike Solitaire (the kind with seven piles of cards and alternating suit colors). For 20 hands I used playing cards; 30 were digital games from the online Advent calendar thingy.
Experiment: Playing Solitaire in my digital Paris apartment!
The results are in:
5 wins (“Lucky at Cards”) and 45 losses (“Lucky at Love”).
Explain, again, the logic of these classifications?
According to my online friend AI Overview:
“Lucky at cards, unlucky in love” is a European proverb dating back to at least the 18th century, suggesting that fortune is balanced—success in gambling implies failure in romance. The phrase likely originated from the French “Malheureux en amour, heureux au jeu” (Unhappy in love, happy in game), widely recognized by the mid-19th century.”
Reading this, I think something was lost in the translation? The original phrase sounds more like if you’re not succeeding in love you indulge in game, which could mean sport, which could mean- -let’s check in with AI Overview again:
“‘Sport’ historically functioned as a euphemism for disport, meaning diversion, amusement, or taking a break from work. It was used to describe any enjoyable pastime or relaxation. Additionally, in older contexts, it was a playful reference to romance or lovemaking, and sometimes referred to a gambler or loafer.” (Editor: underlines are mine)
Okay, now I’m really confused!
The only thing your research indicates to me is that you lose a lot of card games.
So it appears. Back to the drawing board on that one. . .
Fortunately, I have another experiment in progress! It will likely be completed by the time I post this blog.
The one about travel?
And being old?
I did not say being old, 9, I said issues of aging. In your case, that could mean how do things change for you when you turn 10?
Like, I’d have to change my name?
Smarty pants. . .
People of a certain age, listen up. The older we get, the more surprises our bodies have in store for us. Sometimes they are good surprises, like improved bone density (yay!). Sometimes, not to put too fine a point on it, the surprises concern matters of digestion. This processes can take on a mind of its own. I know how my body behaves when I get up at 5 AM, but what will it do if my day starts at 3 AM?
3 AM? Have you lost your mind?
It’s not some random thing, Lily, it has to do with a business meeting I need to attend, in person, in the near future. Travel is involved, starting with a flight that departs at 5:53 AM. I will leave home for the airport well before then, and I’m pretty sure I’ll need about 90 minutes to cover all the usual morning stuff- -shower, feed Hoosegow, coffee, and the digestion thing.
I don’t really get what that is?
It’s the thing that happens to you the first few days when we’re on a family boat trip, 9, but kind of in reverse.
What- -No, don’t talk about that, it’s too embarrassing!
A scatological blog. Why am I not surprised?
Like I said, it’s an experiment. I will feel much more confident about this trip (which involves heading back home on the red eye flight at midnight) if I have a sense of how this particular process works, and how much time to plan for in the morning.
Friday morning* I will get up at 3 AM, do the morning routine, and head to the airport at or before 4:30 to see what life is like at check in time. Also, how I cope with it all in the early AM. Simple. Precautionary. Research.
You are so weird!
Perhaps so, but I’ll be a lot weirder if I lose sleep over this for the next several days.
Because sometimes, you just need to know.
Experiment: Success! Walla Walla airport approximately 4:45 AM, Friday.
*My weekly blog is written on Thursday
