Greenville via Blackville and other bizarre tales of misdirected energy

Think of this post as housekeeping.

Or at least I will, because it's random and that's the sort of housekeeper I am.

Got It.

I am glad to report that my mother finally received her Mother's Day gift, which I previously told you she did not get in time for Mother's Day.

TG had mailed the package for me because I was out of town the week leading up to Mother's Day, visiting with our daughter Erica.

Unfortunately he failed to retain the receipt for the transaction, making it impossible for us to track the package's whereabouts.

But as I made sure he knew, I did not blame him for the post office's failure to deliver the goods.

All we could do was wait it out and patience -- as it sometimes (but not always) does -- eventually paid off.

Yesterday my mother called to say she was holding her present, which had finally shown up on her doorstep.

It had been thirteen days since TG mailed it.

And hey! Do you know whose fault that was?

Wait for it. Remember that patience thing.

Mine. It was my fault.

Apparently in my weakened condition -- I was very sick when I wrapped that gift, signed that card, and addressed that box; be careful of tenacious bronchitis cooties which may linger on these materials, Mom -- I put an eight in my mother's ZIP code where there should have been a six.

I know my mother's address by heart. I just ... just ... just .... made a mistake.

TG was quick to point out out in my defense that it would have been nice if the postal "worker" could have noticed that the ZIP code in the address did not match the city.

I think that would have been far too much to ask, although I would not mind suggesting that they embrace color coding.

Because as a result of the error, Mom's present went from Columbia (the Midlands) to Blackville (the Lowcountry), where it languished for several days before being sent where it belonged: Greenville (the Upstate).

I do not believe it ever left South Carolina but merely did a grand tour. Sort of like crayon-box hopscotch.

At any rate, all is well that ends well and Mom now has her gift and she's coming to have lunch with us on Memorial Day, and I'll bet you a nickel her person will be redolent of Je Reviens.

Order once again prevails. At least for the present time.

Give It.

You may -- or may not; I realize it could go either way -- remember that last year on Memorial Day, Erica, Audrey, TG, and I got up early and went to Fort Jackson National Cemetery for a somber patriotic ceremony.

While there TG and I made the acquaintance of Brigadier General Bryan T. Roberts, distinguished Iraq war veteran and much-decorated hero, who had recently taken command of Fort Jackson.

He was there lending an impressive military higher-up flavor to the proceedings, but he could not have been a nicer guy.

I spoke with him briefly and he posed for a picture with me, and I remember he complimented my camera.

"That's quite a nice camera," were his exact words. 

"Oh thank you sir," was my exact response.

TG, perusing the local news last night, reminded me of our meeting Brig. Gen. Roberts because it appears some bad decisions have come back to haunt our hero.

I hope you will forgive me for indulging in gossip, but he was involved in a recent altercation with a lady not his wife, with which unidentified female he is suspected of being unfaithful to said wife.

And then after the dustup they were "making up" and -- according to news reports -- he bit his mistress's lip, causing her to seek medical attention.

It's a black mark on his record and no mistake. I wonder if she needed stitches.

Either way Brig. Gen. Roberts has been relieved of his command and Fort Jackson is looking for someone new to put at the helm. 

I hope this isn't a career ender for Bryan T. Roberts but most of all, I hope it's not a marriage ender.

Why do so many successful, intelligent alpha males willingly self-destruct?

I'm just throwing that out there half rhetorically and half facetiously so if you've got a treatise ready on the subject -- based on personal experience, of course -- do lie down until the impulse to deliver a lecture subsides.

Forget It.

Photo courtesy Karolyn GrimesLast night I received an invitation from someone very special.

I have talked about her before.

She is Karolyn Grimes, otherwise known as Zuzu Bailey.

Yes; that Zuzu: the poppet who played opposite James Stewart and Donna Reed in It's A Wonderful Life in 1946, when she was six years old.

She also played Debby Brougham opposite Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven in The Bishop's Wife the following year.

Several years ago I learned that Karolyn/Zuzu had done a radio interview in which she revealed her email address -- zuzu at zuzu dot net -- and stated that she would love to hear from fans of It's A Wonderful Life.

Naturally I wrote to Karolyn, who is spectacularly charming, and for her birthday a few years ago I sent her a Z.

It was a fancy, chunky, decorative Z, the kind you display on your desk and maybe use as a paperweight, or layer amongst other objects as a statement piece on a shelf or whatnot.

I email her every Christmas and also on her birthday, which is the fourth of July. She almost always emails me back.

The reason I am telling you all of this is that last night, Karolyn Zuzu invited me to join her LinkedIn network.

Which I did, because also several years ago and for reasons now lost to obscurity, I joined LinkedIn.

Then last night, because clearly I could not leave well enough alone after accepting Zuzu's kind invite, it seems I clicked on something that sent a similar invitation from me, to half the humans in the Western Hemisphere.

If you received one, I don't exactly apologize but I would like to say that I have never figured out how to use LinkedIn.

Perhaps it's time I did, because today my inbox has been flooded with invitations and notifications and user profiles and assorted other helps designed to make me a more effective -- but no less reluctant -- user of LinkedIn.

Which doesn't interest me a whole lot, although perhaps it should. I don't really know yet. There is not sufficient room in my random-access memory to process the subject at present.

The takeaway: If you've heard from "me" in this regard, my feelings won't be hurt if you ignore me.

I actually have twice today requested that LinkedIn unsubscribe me from the list that is making me get these emails.

So far they have ignored me. Ergo poetic justice is more than justified.

And that is all for now.

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Happy Wednesday

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Comments

[irene]

I'm sorry you were not feeling well for Mother's Day, but so glad to hear you are better, and that your Mom finally got her gift. Moms are very forgiving, you know that. I love It's a Wonderful Life. I shall have to email Zuzu. Good to be part of your housecleaning.

[Mari]

I'm not surprised that you are willing to admit it when you make a mistake. It's a character trait that isn't found in many people in this day and age. Glad your Mom got the package and I'm sure she enjoyed it!
Speaking of character traits - I'm so disappointed in Brig. Gen. Roberts. You're right. It happens far too often.
I did get an invite from you last night, which I accepted. I also have an account, but don't use it or understand it. I just accept invitations from people I know and respect... :)
I still have Karolyn's e-mail from a blog post you did and I've sent her a few happy birthday messages.

[Jan Bertolini (sallie sallie)]

and of course i accepted your linkedin invite all the while thinking, - i think we are already linked.. but let's do it again. Made me laugh out loud! You build that network girl!! Go get 'em!

[Jennifer]

@Irene ... I know Zuzu would love to hear from you. She is a "creative" just like you.

@Mari ... thanks for the compliment but I was rather embarrassed when my mom told me I'd written the wrong number. How could I have DONE that? LOLOLOL oh well. No matter now. And thanks for accepting my "invitation." Where to go from here I've no idea.

@Sallie ... oh yeah I'll get right on that. I think you're correct: we've been linked for a long time. :~)

[Donna M.]

Well, at least your momma got the goods, LOL. And it continues to amaze me how many men think with their zipper. Such a shame. I used to be in LinkedIn and quit after I retired. It is supposed to promote networking for business people, but those e-mail invitations get out of hand.

[irene]

Thanks for stopping by my Wordless Wednesday post, the Geisha is a painting I've started. It's my second of a series of four. This is the Winter Geisha, and I have already almost finished the Springtime Geisha. It's quite a challenge for me, I haven't done any faces for a great many years. Stay tuned.

[Skunkfeathers]

Haven't seen that movie in ages. Convey to Zuzu my best. I always do think of that movie for one reason, besides the Christmas element: after coming back from WWII, Col. Jimmy Stewart -- a combat bomber pilot and having been a squadron commander of the 445th -- came back from war, and what is the first thing he does? The movie "It's A Wonderful Life". Perhaps he spoke for a whole generation with one of the finest movies in history.