Over Afternoon Tea

Tea is not only a drink but a ritual over which people have been relaxing, talking, and catching up on each other's lives for centuries. This blog is intended to serve as a virtual cup of tea, helping me keep in touch with friends and family in my physical absence.

Minority

So here's my weird thought for the week: something like 50-75% (I can't remember the exact statistic) of all pregnancies are quietly miscarried very early on, before the mother is even aware she's pregnant--so early that the miscarriage is simply mistaken for menstruation. Entirely aside from pro-life vs. pro-choice issues, I find this a troubling thought. Add to this consideration abortions, miscarriages that are known about, and still-births, and you have the startling conclusion that a sizable majority of humanity is not simply dead (we have always known that the dead are more than the living--it's not simply because they're older that the Romans called them the majores) but has never seen what one poet termed 'the shores of light.' Most of our race has never known life as we know it, never seen light, tasted air, or drawn that first breath for a pitiful, outraged squall.

We're a minority, guys. How weird is that?

It doesn't matter if they know more than you do...

Nevermind the fact that Kasia speaks English as fluently as her native Polish, has been working for my boss for 3 years (which is 3 years minus 1 week longer than I've been working for him) and can basically write a patent for him. She knows that STET written in red ink on the page he's edited means to ignore the changes he's written, but when she and Debbie start wondering what it stands for I can't help musing.
"Might be a subjunctive," I point out, "from the Latin sto-stare...I'd have to look it up to be sure..."
So they both know how to do my job and I don't. They still stare.

"I've been blogging for two hours," my husband said as I walked in the door from work. "I think I'm almost done."

Late-Night Conversation

"Sorry," I said, abruptly ceasing the flow of my discourse to my half-asleep husband, "I forgot you needed to get to sleep. I'll be quiet now. Goodnight. I love you."
A few minutes of silence ensued, and then:
"Mmm-hmm."
I rolled over and looked at him in the dimness. "Honey, I stopped talking."
"That's good. Goodnight. Love you," he murmured.
Amused, I rolled back over. Sleepy protestations ensued as I lifted my head from his chest but subsided as I settled back against him.
Another few moments of silence, then:
"That's very funny."
I'd been lost in thought and half-sleep. I was completely confused. "What's very funny?"
"Whatever you just said. Goodnight. I'm going to sleep now."
"That's good, dear. You go to sleep."
That time, he did.

Beautiful Quotes

Every now and then some really great quotes come out around here, but I always forget to put them down. So I'm starting a running list, which I'll update. Most will be from my husband, as is this initial one. ;-)

"Out, out, damned thought!" - Anthony to himself when thinking about Dr. Holmes and Dr. Stephens dating.

"It's a biggity!" - Anthony trying to explain why a certain luxury is not allowed during Lent--but unable to remember the word 'luxury.'

More to come soon, I promise.

P.S. I got a job. Yeah!

I Love Agiasmo

The Orthodox Blessing of the Waters service is great. I mean, when else do you get a bunch of grown-ups standing around in one room while a monk in voluminous black robes walks around singing and splashing everybody? The kids wrinkle up their faces, and the adults smile. It's one of those things that makes you lighten up. Life is often wonderful, and always absurd.