Gael Montana's Column The View from Under the Bus. (original) (raw)
Columns
Circling the Drain & Other Adventures 2-20-09 We are all blessed by the efforts we take to nurture one another and lift the spirits of those in need. It's what heaven really is...unconditional love and respect. In a world where life seems to lose it's value Comfort is endowed with countless hearts of gold.
Investing in Our Boomer Selves 5-26-08 We dodge and duck the inevitability of the ever-looming 'Golden Years' but they will prevail upon us all and, these days, the 'gold' (or lack of it) is the operative word. My husband and I listen patiently to pundits spew invaluable advice on how to manage the eventual bankruptcy of old age, but they all seem to miss our personal mark, somehow. 'Keep that chunk of money in the bank', 'put it in the market and let it 'work' for you!', �bury it in the yard�, blah, blah, blah, ad nauseum. Ok�WHAT chunk of money are they talking about?...
Goodbye, General Bill 4-17-08 Eulogy for Brigadier General Bill Bacon, Ret "I honestly believe, despite the lack of hope in this world, that a few people can change the course of history when strong, dedicated individuals work together. We could learn a lot from those fellows, now, when everyone seems angry and unhappy with everything coming down the pike.� Bill came through the rye knowing that war was not the answer, but he made us think long & hard about the question."
Mood Music and Mothballs 3-10-08 Looking back on it all from beyond the half-century mark makes for an interesting view. It appears that our lives play out to a wildly random musical sound track. Every memory in my head has a back-up tune, ranging from sitars to kazoos, classical orchestras to penny whistles...
My Heart on a Sleeve 2-3-08 "...Valentine's Day has traditionally been the scene of massive romantic disasters around here. My husband and I even waited to get hitched until two days afterwards to avoid that pesky dark cloud. If you recall, Chicago has a rather grisly connection with Valentine's Day..."
Merry, Merry Everything 12-2-07 As the shadows lengthen time itself begins to pick up speed, rushing by and sneaking away before we notice. Being in that old Chihuahuan Desert this fall evoked a sense of timelessness with its Spartan beauty and open space...
In Remembrance of Gregory James Krauter 10-17-07 When friends and neighbors pass it's natural to reflect on their lives and think of all the good times, the silly moments you shared with them. It's harder to do when the 'good times' were few and far between toward the end and there was a darkness lurking that no one could lighten...
A Stitch in Time 8-3-07 There are uncounted treasures that have vanished with the popularity of dime-a-dozen super stores and half-price outlets. Not so terribly long ago we would take our family's measure and fit them out ourselves. We�d whip up clothing and accessories on our old Singer or White...
Circling the Drain 6-30-07 We can only cheat the future in our minds. There are those who run and walk and do everything exactly right then drop like a stone on their 40th birthday from some unpronounceable malady. Meanwhile many of us smoke, drink and sit around like slugs only to live into our 80's & beyond. To make matters worse, we spend more money & energy trying to lose weight than we do putting it on. If only we hadn't been raised to consider gravy a 'beverage' all those years ago we wouldn't need to take nearly as many preventative measures...
Brave New TechnoPiphany 6-15-07 My husband and I were watching the NBA Finals this week, joyfully raising Cain and being stand-up fans for our beloved Spurs. What a nice, old-fashioned, way to spend a lovely spring evening, grateful not to have to make that hundred mile round trip to Big Tony. We were feeling terribly up-to-date when it occurred to us that nearly every commercial that wasn�t pushing new cars or beer featured some kind of hand-held unit that we couldn't identify.
On Blending and Branding 5-19-07 Before the great hush of conformity there were bright ideas flying around like blue jays and, before we became so homogenized, we still sported 'regional' accents and quaint 'colloquial' ways...