How About That

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Well, I didn’t get any comments but did get a few emails. They say my post was fine so my confidence is higher now.
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My new reader has a word mode in addition to a character mode for use as I type. It waits for a space or punctuation and reads the word back to me. With a hotkey I can also have it read the last sentence. Pretty handy.

Nothing holding me back now.

I’m going to publish a partial story – just put it out there for comments or critiques. Not sure I like it but for the most part I don’t like anything I write.

It’s the next post labeled draft.

Draft One - The Old Man of Monroe Street

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He wondered why most people avoided him.
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He tried to always be cheerful and to trade greetings with his fellow citizens whenever he saw them.

But he guessed the sight of an old man, even though he was not quite sixty yet, walking, more like stumbling, along the sidewalks wearing dark sunglasses and constantly looking around might make people wonder.

He always carried a thick piece of dowel rod about four feet long. He carried it for several reasons.

First, he used it as a blind stick to find curbs or jutting concrete slabs to prevent accidents and to climb stairs since neither of his legs liked stairs.

Second, it helped steady his unusual gait. His hips were flaky and his leg muscles were not dependable. Many times one or the other would give out for a second and throw him to one side or the other. He used the dowel rod as a cane.

Third, the dowel rod protected him. It was hard oak and better then a baseball bat to scare off the would be muggers. Three times would be robbers had been introduced to his dowel rod.

Once he was sure he broke the robber’s wrist holding the knife.

Another time the young kid heard the rod whipping through the air at his body and he ran away cussing.

The youngster stood just out of reach waving his gun telling the old man how he was going to hurt him.

A witness said the old man just laughed and watched the kid try to run from the police his cell phone had summoned.

A taser gun found its mark and it was said the old man made fun of the kid and taunted him resulting in at least one other jolt from the taser.

The news of the incidents traveled around the neighborhood and he didn’t have any problems until early one morning when during a walk around the block a middle aged man on drugs tried to rob him.

The man delivering the morning papers witnessed the robbery. The drug user pretended to have a gun in his pocket. The old man pretended he was playing golf or baseball or break the piñata and scored a direct hit to the druggie’s privates.

When his assailant hit the ground the old man laid his dowel rod across the idiot’s throat at an angle, held one end in his hand and put his foot on the dowel rod effectively trapping the would be robber.

In court the judge asked how long the old man had held him down and the witness giggled saying he took his foot off every minute or so to kick, like he had a cramp.

When the idiot drug user got on the stand he told the judge that someone was choking him and when that pressure ended someone kicked him in the privates taking his breath away again.

The judge had to hide his laugh and then asked the idiot if he was now admitting he was at the scene. After another ten minutes and a conference with his appointed attorney he pleaded guilty and the judge sentenced him to ten years.

The old man got a warning too but it was not on the record. The judge told him where to get a really nice cane for cheap and how the handle made a nice tool to ‘hook’ a robbers private area.

He warned the old man if he tried to bring his dowel rod back into the court house he might end up in jail.

The next time the old man needed assistance it came from an unexpected source. But first some more about the old man’s life.

The old man had suffered several heart attacks, the insertion of a stent into a blocked main artery, rotator cuff surgery that put him out of commission for six months and finally open heart surgery that he could never quite recover from. All this in a five year period.

He also had exercised induced asthma, chronic bronchitis and COPD. IF he got too hot his lungs tried to shutdown. Many times he had passed out from lack of oxygen when he overheated.

It was agreed his three pack a day habit for several years had caused his breathing problems but a year after kicking the habit he still had major problems that he had not had before heart surgery.

His hardened arteries, heart problems and high cholesterol were called hereditary but the old man blamed them on his poor diet and the tobacco.

He also blamed the Type II diabetes on his life style but one doctor thought he had been diabetic for several years saying it explained his nerve damage – the doctor thought his condition had just been missed by other doctors.

The old man accepted this as part of life. But the one thing, the only thing that scared him became a reality a year after they cracked his chest.

He started losing his sight. His left eye had been troublesome for many years. At first his doctor could not explain it but he finally decided that the old man’s shingles were causing the problem.

Whenever he had an extensive outbreak of shingles, the sight in his left eye would darken to almost complete blindness and he had an intense disabling pain behind his left eye.

His right eye kept him functional and he had acclimated to his one-eyed condition. But a year after open heart surgery his right eye would change from day to day. He could not focus on anything some days and others he could read a license plate from a block away.

His doctor suggested it was his diabetes. The old man remembered when he first started his diabetes medicine and made changes his diet. He had to get two different prescriptions for glasses in as many months as his body chemistry changed.

When the doctor finally changed his daily regimen to insulin, first slow acting then adding quick acting his vision became even more undependable.

It finally got to the point that he was no longer able to drive. After several months of depending upon his daughter for bi-weekly grocery shopping and the bus system for getting to other appointments he got on the wrong bus at the transfer point and ended up a few blocks from home. He could read the street signs but he did not recognize the street names or know exactly where he was at. Cell phone calls to his daughter and son did not help.

He finally came across another person on the sidewalk that was able to point him in the right direction.

He started taking daily walks around the block to hone his ability to recognize his surroundings and try to prevent getting lost again.

Winter was coming. As long as he rode the right buses he would be dropped off right across the street from his cheap upstairs apartment but sometimes his destinations were a few blocks from the bus stop. He had to be able to maneuver without getting lost.

His walks were an escape of sorts from the prison his apartment had become. And he hoped that he would be able to make his body function better with exercise and possibly relieve some of his health issues.

For several months he had only left his apartment when his daughter took him for groceries – some times she did the grocery shopping when he was unable to do it himself. Then it would be a month that he did not leave his apartment.

Usually he could be found in front of his computer – one monitor running the screen magnifier to help him ‘see’ the other screen where he read some websites and wrote stories.

He also had a screen reader program that would ‘read’ whatever he copied into it and another program that spoke what he typed letter by letter or word by word.

He had yet to find an email program that his magnifier or screen readers worked with so his communication was limited.

He had started a couple of blogs to record his stories and memories but he was still limited in his communications. He did not want his relatives to know how helpless he could be at times.

And when his joints started to ache from sitting in one place too long or the pain behind his eye or on his left side became unbearable, he would crawl into bed for short naps. He had not slept more then four hours in a row since his heart surgery.

His left leg would start to ache without warning. Extreme pain that felt like his leg was on fire. His entire left side, numb since his heart surgery, would start to wake up from being numb and drive him crazy until finally returning to its numb state.

When he touched his left side it would feel like he was touching someone else. He did not feel his own fingers.

He had to be careful as he did not feel heat or cold or someone or something touching him on the left side.

But he had adapted to his new limitations and was able to function for the most point.

Luckily he had a knack for remembering things. Like which buttons on the remotes turned on the TV and changed channels. He normally did not have the TV on since he could not see it but he did ‘listen’ to the audio portion through his surround sound.

He had found a website listing the TV schedules and was able to ‘listen’ to his favorite shows. His biggest problem was knowing what day of the week it was and some times even what time it was.

He found a computer program that spoke the time every half hour or on demand. But for some reason the program kept disappearing from the lower left of his screen.

Until he could find it again he sometimes only knew the time by listening to the radio and waiting for the news.

Then he found a gadget that ran under Google desktop that was a life saver. It was an analog clock that could cover the entire screen. Using the magnifier he could ‘see’ the time. It also listed the date and day of week.

But the best part was being able to call it up with a hotkey and dismiss it with the same.

He also discovered Google reader and no longer needed to visit the websites – the reader ‘found’ the stories for him.

Then he found books indexed under Google that another old program from Microsoft could read to him. He was content but still missed communication with people.

This caused him to withdraw but he found he actually liked it. He had always hated to depend upon anyone for anything. Sometimes he would go for the two weeks between grocery runs and not say a word – even to himself.

This also suggests that no one called on the phone. That would be a good observation. He only called when absolutely necessary again not wanting to bother anyone.

It might seem odd that he had no friends but that was not always the case. In fact he was the reason none of his friends contacted him.

When he met his second wife he moved about a hundred miles away. He brought his new girlfriend, one of only three his friends had met in fifteen years, back to meet his friends and they all seem to like her.

But whenever he tried to invite people over for a weekend or to meet them at the middle point between the two towns for dinner he never got a positive response.

He concluded that these were not real friends. Only one tried to contact him the first Christmas he was gone but that person used a cell phone number that he had quit using several months prior. The old mad did not get the message until early spring and a return call ended up at a disconnected number.

He had returned to town a few times and even stopped by the old watering holes but he never ran into any of his old ‘friends’, not even the same bartenders. The old man was surprised – he had only been gone for two years but everyone seemed to have moved on.

At his current position in life he had very few occasions to meet people let alone any contact time to make friends.

He had settled into his private singularly populated world and made the best of it.

His next door neighbor had two cats and a beagle. He had made friends with the animals and had a few talks with the neighbor lady but she was busy with work and raising two girls and the animals.

On his walks he had met several people walking their dogs and had made friends with the dogs and at least exchanged pleasantries with the humans.

He even tracked time because there was one lady that if she saw him leaving she would just happen to be waiting for him as he turned the last corner. He did not like her – she was a gossip and busy body and lonely because her own personality sucked.

He knew she could not ‘meet’ him if it was after 1 PM because her mother would have retuned from therapy and needing all her attention.

Other times he simply walked a block farther and came home the way he went effectively getting to his steps before she saw him.

But otherwise he just roamed the streets. The bus route that went past his house simply made a circle to the end if the near west side then returned to the transfer point.

A bus route one block north took him to the west mall and streets with business he could use.

Two blocks north was a route that covered the entire western side of the city after dark.

And three blocks south was a route that would take him to the southern part of town if he needed to.

His objective was to become familiar with all these bus routes so that he would hopefully still have some mobility if/when he lost his vision completely.

He could still see large objects and could tell the difference between a man or woman, teen or child and animals even though he might not be able to see enough detail to identify them.

Along his many routes were many fenced front yards and what he laughingly referred to as guard dogs although most would run and hide if he acted aggressive.

Almost all of them would let him pet them after a few visits. But there were three dogs at a corner house with a fenced yard that simply did not like him.

They would bark continuously until he left their fence. He stopped and talked to them every time and after several months they would bark until he started to talk.

Then they would sit and listen but their tails were not wagging and when he continued his walk the barking started again.

Their owner had come out a few times and said no one had ever made friends with them. He didn’t know why but in a way he was glad. His home was one of the few that had not been broken into.

The neighborhood homes had been converted to multiple apartments and undesirables had taken up residence.

The neighbor watch officer had taught them how to spot drug activity and it had not taken long for most of the drug sales to stop but the users were still there and did not care what they took as long as they got their next fix.

Several neighbors had come home to empty porches and patios but no one had spied the thieves.

So the neighborhood was not as safe as it looked but keeping track of your surroundings, owning a dog and carrying a big stick seemed to keep most people safe.

During his walks he also ran into the same people working out is their yards or taking their own walks. He learned where many people lived and occasionally he would see them needing assistance with heavy bags or moving something. He always helped when possible

Many offered money as a tip for helping but he always turned them down. On the days he became disorientated just the sound of their voice told him where he was at.

Sunset From Yesterday Two

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I really like the blue in the upper left of this one.
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Why I’m Not Writing

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Sorry friends, fellow bloggers and readers who lurk but keep coming back for more.
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I have been having one hell of a time with my eyes. Recently I only get about thirty minutes a day of partial sight and sometimes not even that.

The things I MUST do take more then thirty minutes so some things have to suffer.

Like writing stories – actually the writing is easy, it is the editing that is difficult - and making my computer behave. I kept losing my screen reader. It disappeared and I was not sure if it I was the cause or if the program has a bug when I use my word processor.

Today I found another reader that actually has a voice that is not irritating as Microsoft Sam.

In fact it has a female voice – I always liked it when a female talked to me – especially if she whispered – and this one can.

This will be my first attempt to post without physically seeing it in a very large size. I’ve ‘heard’ it three times but how many times have I thought I heard something.

If it is totally screwed up, please leave a comment.

I’ve been losing my sight for about three years now and I have used that time to practice when I complete lose it.

Let’s see how well I am doing – pun intended.

Sunset From Yesterday

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Here's the sunset from yesterday. The colors kept changing as I snapped frames - this one I liked the best.
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Personality Test Mentioned at Sweetney's Blog

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Took a personality test tonight after reading a post at Sweetney's Blog

The test at http://www.kisa.ca/personality did not take long. The results follow...
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Test Results

Your personality type is ISTP.

Introverted (I) 71% Extraverted (E) 29%
Sensing (S) 64% Intuitive (N) 36%
Thinking (T) 55% Feeling (F) 45%
Perceiving (P) 55% Judging (J) 45%

Guess I better go read the rest of the stuff to see how fucked screwed up I am.

Sunset2009Jan

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Took this out a window - didn't even open the window.

This was the ending to a beautiful January day.

My Favorite Acting Stage: The Bar Chapter Six

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Read Chapter Five

Here’s what really happened.
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When we got in the backroom she whispered I was going to be really embarrassed but it was necessary.

After a few moments she asked loudly what the hell was wrong. Did she not do it right? Why did I not respond?

At the same time she was pulling my zipper down. I was not sure what to think.

I tried to think of the most embarrassing moment of my life and decided it was probably now.

She told me later my face was bright red and the act of pulling my zipper up as I walked back out to the bar was perfect.

The couple and the bartender were calling me bad names. They were not happy.

I followed Jane out the front door. She was almost a half block ahead. When she heard me behind her she ducked into a doorway. When I saw her she was laughing hard and holding herself like she had to pee.

She threw her arms around me and said that was perfect but we were not quite done. She slapped her hands together and went running across the street right in front of a car.

I came out holding the side of my face and yelling for her to be careful. She went down the street next to her warehouse and once we were out of site she opened a door with a key and we disappeared just as we heard someone yell.

She ran for another door and I followed listening to her laugh. She disappeared behind the door and I followed just in time to see her go through another door.

As soon as I pushed it opened I saw her bent over with pants down and I backed out. But first I told her I liked her butt. She just laughed.

Within seconds she came out and said that we could leave town now. I started to ask why but she placed a finger over my lips and said later.

She went to her bedroom and grabbed a bag. Together we walked to my rental car and she hunkered down in the seat and asked that I park somewhere people would not be able to see her.

I parked in the underground garage right across from the elevators and cleaned out my room and paid my bill.

When I got back to the car she was napping and did not fully awake until I entered the airport.

I got her a ticket and she started asking questions about home and the company I worked for. I had not yet completely explained everything but I was not worried.

She was very surprised when the flight lasted only forty-five minutes, our bags were waiting for us and my van was waiting for me at the curb thanks to the valet.

When we pulled into my garage five minutes later and I told her I was home she laughed and said it was too easy.

We entered through the garage and two young college girls were wiping down all the appliances in the kitchen.

I introduced Jane to my housekeepers and they made faces behind her back. I think it was the first time they had ever seen me with a woman in my house.

I nudged Jane and whispered she should give them shit. She turned and asked if something was hanging out?

The housekeepers were embarrassed but Jane kept at it quizzing them like they were teenagers caught acting stupid. She asked me why I kept them if they treated people so rudely.

After two or three minutes of verbal abuse she walked toward them and leaned in as if sharing a secret. But her voice was fairly loud when she asked if the rumors were true – was he hung like a whale?

Both my housekeepers broke into smiles realizing they had been had and whispered they heard it was really hard to find and did not last long.

They all laughed and Jane asked for directions to the guest room. The housekeepers kept straight faces and offered to make up the bed but Jane said she could manage and started up the stairs.

At the top she turned and asked if I was coming. I smiled and followed her up the stairs.

When we got to the guest room she thought she had the wrong room. I told her it was all hers. She was surprised the connecting bathroom was almost as big as her entire city apartment and was equally surprised about the Jacuzzi tub.

She found the sheets and when I offered to help she laughed and said she had to remember how to do it. It didn’t take her long.

She asked when she would have an interview. I told her whenever she was ready.

She asked what she should wear – should she show some skin? Lots of leg? Cleavage? I said all of the above and left her to change.

She met me in the computer room looking like a lady of the night. I told her it was perfect. I did not mention I was surprised at her breast size and the amount of cleavage - she had kept them well hid the past week. When I opened the van door for her she smiled and told me to avert my eyes. I laughed.

We drove to my offices and I parked in a visitor spot. I could tell she was getting nervous. I told her to relax as we walked into the building.

I sat her in the visitor waiting area telling her I was going to announce her at the security desk and some one would get her for the interview. I had to check in at my office.

I walked away assuring her everything would be fine but little did she know I had called and set her up.

Every person in my company came out to talk to her. All of them acted as if they could not remember her name for more then a few seconds and she was called many different names. All of them leered at her, even the women.

I let her sit for about twenty minutes then had another employee come in the front door dressed very conservatively and saying loudly at the security desk she had an appointment for a teaching position.

She was shown in almost immediately. Jane waited a few more minutes and the same woman came back out with a suit. She thanked the suit several times for the job and walked out the door.

Jane went up to the security desk and asked if she had been forgotten. The guard asked why she was here and he told her he thought the woman that just left got that job. Jane sat back down looking totally dejected.

A few minutes late I sent “Mother” to get her. Mother is exactly that. About sixty-five and runs my HR department - she mothers everyone. She ruthlessly quizzed Jane about stuff she should have never been asked.

Jane told me later she could see the joy in Mother’s eyes but she was not sure where the joy was coming from.

Mother led her to my office where I was sitting in one of two guest chairs. Jane told me she was really glad to see me. She detailed what she had heard and seen.

About this time the girl that had pretended to be hired and the guy escorting her came into the office. Mother came back in and motioned for me to get up so I moved behind the desk.

Then the guard came in and gave his wife, the new hire, a big kiss and hug and then Mother welcomed Jane to the company and introduced Ted, the guy, as her equal and introduced the President and owner of the company – me.

Jane called me several names - the guard shut my door as we all laughed.

Mother and I discussed Jane’s pay, duties and office assignment. She had Jane fill out W-4s and when she checked them she commented we had someone else living on Airport Road.

After a few moments Mother turned bright pink when she realized the address was mine. Jane leaned over whispering she was in the guest room but working towards the master bedroom.

We could hear Mother laughing all the way back to her office.

Ted showed her the training section and introduced everyone. Ted confided the section had been overworked for several months and were sure glad for the help.

Jane mentioned she thought she was only doing the weekend installations. One of the other girls told her if that was true she would make sure Jane got anything she wanted up to and including her husband. Jane asked for the keys to the master bedroom.

I gathered back up to meet all the others. She was surprised I had so few employees but after talking with a few of them she understood I didn’t need any other employees – the ones I had worked hard and were well paid .

Her training coworkers had invited her out for drinks after work so I left her to fend for herself.

At home the housekeepers had just finished. They told me they bought flowers and candy for the guest room. They had also laid out steaks for supper and made sure the grill was clean.

And Jane wondered why I kept them – they had served many a party for me – I would miss them when they went off to a real college.

Jane showed up right after work hours and changed into jeans. Said she didn’t want to show the whole world her bikini wax.

She was back an hour later and not very happy. Her anger scared me and I don’t scare easily.

TMI Tuesday #169 - Back to TMI Basics

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TMI Tuesday #169 - Back to TMI Basics



1. On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with your sex life?
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On the days I get it 10 - days I don't it's a zero. I have very few zero days,very few.

2. If someone shoves you up against a wall while kissing you, your reaction is?

Shoving is allowed as long as I can be aggressive too-like spanking her, holding her down and talking real dirty. Oh wait, she likes that anytime....

3. What is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done or said to you?

Yes, I'll marry you-morning wakeup bj,she was very romantic...


4. Where is the most unusual place you have ever had sex?

So many places-balcony of a jazz club while the band played-open house bathroom while the realtor waited for us-hospital after rotator cuff surgery-am I a pervert or what?

5. How do you liked to be kissed?

With almost any part of her body...

Bonus (as in optional):Most embarrassing sexual moment?

Could not wait so stopped at a lake under a bridge to get it on; didn't see the boat with the fishermen until they applauded...

Damn, I need a cigarette...or...

How To Write Faster

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I read a post about writing faster and decdied to try it.
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Just sit and type using caps to make notes to yourself WIPE OFF DESKTOP but to simplywrite and not worery about anything but your thoughts.

Since I already can type very quickly and know whenr I have hit a wrong key I susallt goback (CHECK TO MAKE SURE BURNERS ARE OFF) and fix it right away but this way I am not re-reading anytihgn nor checking fro typos – I;m just making sure I am typein the correct key every so often.

It is reallt weird to type with my eyes closed but it is kinda of fun. In reality I do not have to close my eyes – unless I DID SPYWARE SCAN FINISH kick the font point up to around thirty I can read the test anyway.

My typing assistant is going buts –it usually says each letter I trype but if I am typing too fast it reverts to saying each word – and even then it hesitate when I misspell something.

Guess I should turn it off beucuasye it is a distraction.

OK, no more words from the computer. I kuust hope my fingers are on the right key otherwise my typing might look l ike rgus (See if you can figure out that last word).

I am done and now I have copied the above and will correct it:

I read a post about writing faster and decided to try it. Just sit and type using caps to make notes to yourself but simply write and not worry about anything but your thoughts.

Since I can already type very quickly and know when I have hit a wrong key I usually go back and fix it right away but this way I am not re-reading anything nor checking for typos – I’m just making sure I am typing the correct key every so often.

It is really weird to type with my eyes closed but it is kinda of fun. In reality I do not have to close my eyes – unless I kick the font point up to around thirty I can’t read the text anyway.

My typing assistant is going nuts – it usually says each letter I type but if I am typing too fast it reverts to saying each word – and even then it hesitates when I misspell something.

Guess I should turn it off because it is a distraction.

OK, no more words from the computer. I just hope my fingers are on the right key otherwise my typing might look like rgua (See if you can figure out that word).


So that was my little experiment. It was fun and only took about five minutes total – and I am nearly blind.

My opinion – I’m going to try the technique on a longer story. I do believe it might be faster and fun.

Searching For Her Voice

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I’ve been following someone on twitter for a while now. I can’t even tell you how I found her – don’t know if twitter or her blog came first.
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But she reminded me of another girl (young lady – woman – take your pick – they are all girls to me) that was also searching for her voice.

Many years ago a student was having problems finding her style or as she called it, her groove. She showed so many emotions but they all seemed fake.

She had an absolute lack of confidence but she hid it so well it took me two semesters to figure it out.

She was outspoken, could converse with anyone about anything and was always laughing. Shy, quiet were not words used to describe her.

But her eyes didn’t laugh. They were not dull just cool but not exactly cold – like I said it took me two semesters to figure it out.

She was most popular among the male students looking for whatever during breaks. Besides her looks and the fact that she could smoke two cigarettes in the time I smoked one, she was ‘fun’ to be around. But any invites for a date or an after class drink were quickly declined.

She was the only student that stayed late on more then one night of the week to use the school’s computers – most students did their work at home or work.

I eventually gave her permanent permission to use the lab any time she wanted. Some weeks her name would be the only one listed on the sign-in sheet – many times after midnight into the early morning hours. I once heard her males students comment about the lack of a sex life. I laughed with them – it was funny.

I had a rule about office hours and phone calls. Come visit or call and discuss just about anything you wanted or didn’t understand.

But I would not give out answers. They were at school to learn and if they discovered the answers themselves, future answers would come much faster and they would feel so good about doing it themselves.

She never came or called. She was one of the best students I have ever taught but something was wrong and I could not put my finger on it.

One evening after a particular stressful evening of ‘fixing’ an upgrade to the network servers I wandered through the lab on my way out of school to make sure everything was still working.

She was at her usual workstation in the back of the lab but she was crying. When she saw me she quickly recovered but I could tell she was very upset.

I plopped on the desk next to her and asked if she needed the same thing I did. She had a big question mark on her face and I told her I had a problem too and I had a quick way to solve it.

She asked how and I told her to pack her things and follow me. I walked out to the parking lot and she asked where we were going. I responded telling her to wait and see.

She followed me to the place where I meditated all of my problems.

When we got out of our cars I told her that maybe she should call her husband to let her know some weird teacher was going to buy her a drink. She laughed and mumbled something and in we went.

In we went to what I called my recreation room or spiritual room or the rubber room. Actually it was where I maintained my sanity.

The bartender, an old friend from my early twenties knew if I brought someone into my sanctuary, they must be special and he treated them accordingly.

We took my usual table and after we both lit a cigarette she asked how this helped me solve my problems. I told her it was a secret and I had not decided if I was going to share it with her.

She laughed and we talked about many different things and she finally seemed to relax. Everyone that came into the bar said hello to me and goodbye when they left.

She asked if I was a regular and I told her a permanent fixture. As the second round arrived I told her I knew of only one way to solve her problem. She asked how and I told her to start talking.

She looked at me like I was crazy. I asked if her emotions were all fucked up and she nodded. I asked if she had any idea what she was going to do and she shook her head. I told her to start talking.

She told me it was personal and I agreed but also pointed out that emotional problems were always personal.

If the problem was logical emotions were not involved – they were not part of the problem. Logic was black and white – emotions were colorful and mixed up.

About this time a young man walked up and set down. He said Hi to her then gave me a high five saying my suggestion had worked perfectly. He was three sheets to the wind but still lucid.

He quoted something his girlfriend had said and wondered what I thought. I told him and he patted my shoulder and said, “Thanks Ole Man” and walked back to the bar.

She asked about the ole man title but a short skinny girl walked into the bar, saw me and dropped into the chair beside her and said because he looks like an old man when he is drunk and trying to walk. I protested but was ignored.

She held out her hand and my student shook it and pleasantries exchanged but no names offered.

The newcomer pointed at me and said I was also called ‘the ole man’ because I was wise and the best couples counselor in the world – she and her boyfriend had not had a fight for almost six months. I was a genius. I might have blushed a little.

My student raised her eyebrows but skinny kept talking. She mentioned that she had become displeased with her boyfriend and had said so and so. That so and so was exactly what the young guy had asked me to explain.

I told her what to do and what to expect. She hugged me and kissed me on the cheek and skipped away to the young man at the bar.

My student laughed and told me I was not being fair. I was playing both ends against the middle. I told her I always play to win.

She laughed and started talking. Two hours later she started to apologize and I told her to keep talking. She asked if I had any questions and I said it was not my turn yet.

The bartender’s girlfriend came in and together they started to shutdown the bar. My student said it looked like we would have to continue this later. I told her to keep talking, we had more time before I got kicked out.

After all the drunks were outside looking in and most of the lights turned off the bartender told us it was self-serve time and to have a good night.

She looked perplexed and I asked if she had a curfew or someplace she had to be – she shook her head and I told her I had a key – as long as we wiped off our table when we left we were fine.

Then she told me that she and her husband had separated two years earlier and she was living with her parents. She worked the midnight shift at a truck stop the next city down the Interstate on weekends to pay her expenses.

I told her to keep talking.

I could hear the birds starting to sing and knew daylight would soon arrive when she finally quieted.

We had switched to coffee a couple of hours previously but she remained relaxed. She asked again if I had any questions. I told her one.

She waited and after a pause and most of my last smoke I asked if she had ever talked to anyone else about her emotions. She shook her head. I told her problem was solved and she looked surprised then shocked and then relieved.

I told her to talk. She described how she felt and could not believe how relaxed she felt. A great burden had been lifted and then she covered her mouth and called herself a dipshit.

I laughed and wondered if she knew of any place could get a good breakfast. After we shut off the coffee pot (she cleaned it and the table) she told me to follow her.

When we got to the truck stop I asked if I could invite people to join us. Absolutely she said so I called my house and told the roommates that breakfast was on me and told them where.

About five minutes later my roommates joined us and introductions were made. The student commented on how fast they got there but none of us replied.

The roommates were in their scrubs and told the student that they very seldom let me eat out. They worked the cardio floor and would order me an appropriate breakfast.

The student was surprised when they ordered scrambled eggs, sausage links, home fries, three biscuits with gravy and a side order of French toast. They also ordered juice and decaf coffee.

The waitress asked one of the roomies what she wanted and both roomies said they would share mine.

I never said another word except goodbye. One of the roomies asked if I had treated her right – was she satisfied?

The student had a BIG question mark on her face when the same roommate commented that there was only one thing a man and woman did after leaving a bar and not checking in until five AM at breakfast.

The student had fear in her eyes when the other roommate apologized for her friend’s sick humor and we all had a good laugh.

At the end of breakfast the student had two new friends and I wanted the thirds my roommates had eaten - the food was fantastic. My roommates invited her for drinks and dancing the next night.

When the student asked how to get to our home we all pointed across the road to a wooded area. She laughed and was surprised she had never seen us here at the restaurant.

A roommate said they had better things to do in the mornings than getting out of bed plus everything we had just eaten was not usually on the menu.

The student is still a close family friend. She and her husband tried it again but he refused to talk to me so I could not help with counseling.

The student graduated with honors and a twinkle in her eye. The cool look disappeared the night we talked. She never talked to me about her problems again. But her and the roommates talk as least three times a day.

She and her new now old husband and four grown kids visited us to celebrate her sixtieth birthday. I was very surprised to learn she was older then me.

And her confidence problem – it took several more years but she finally found her ‘groove’ or voice and is the President of the IT department of a large health network.

Even today she second guesses herself but she finds it much easier to deal with it now. My only complaint – she won’t shut up when she visits.

Be careful what you wish for.