Well Jane, …

by Ray Colon on August 6, 2011 · 14 comments

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I wrote this last March, but never posted it. It turned up today and reading it made me laugh, so maybe you’ll get a laugh out of it too.

“Well Jane, it just goes to show ya.”

It’s still early in the day, too soon to tell really, but already I feel different.

I’m not in the mood to be nostalgic, contemplative, or even happy. Today is my fifty-first birthday. It’s a day that will pretty much go unnoticed.

I lift my mug and savor a sip of coffee. As I drink, I let go a sigh. The steam fogs my glasses for a moment. The coffee is strong. It’s stronger than I feel this morning. I take in a long drag from my cigarette and send a plume of smoke into the air. It’s there for me now, ready to be sucked in and drawn out again with every breath. These are two habits that I should have given up long ago.

“It’s always something.”

Life can be hard, but I have no cause to complain. My problems are neither unique nor unworkable and I know that things could be worse. Things can always be much worse. I’ve just been preoccupied lately with my worries.

“If it’s not one thing, it’s another.”

I poke my fingers through the blinds and peek out onto a cloudy day. I’ve read that the weather isn’t supposed to affect our moods, but it does. If the sun were to come out I know that I would feel much better.

The house is silent as everyone else sleeps. The only sounds that I hear are the hum of my aging computer and the click of the keyboard as I type. Oh, and the sighs.

My legs ache, my fingers feel crampy, I feel a cold coming on, and I still have the crick in my neck that I woke up with. As Roseanne Roseannadanna would say:

“I sound like a real attractive guy!”

I laughed at myself as I wrote that last line. Laughing always makes me feel better.

Happy birthday to me.

I’ll leave it to Roseanne to say the rest.

“It’s always something.”

“If it’s not one thing, it’s another.”

“Either you smoke or you have a sweat ball hanging from your nose.

____________________

Enjoy this clip of the late Gilda Radner as Roseanne Roseannadanna on Saturday Night Live, courtesy of Hulu.

Author Bio:

Ray Colon has written 136 posts on Ray's Blog.

He works with numbers for a living, but don't judge - boring accountants need love too. His blog has no niche (unless writing about things that are important to him is a niche). Some folks cringe when he gets “all political” on them, but he does it anyway when he's in that kind of mood. Sometimes, he writes something nice about someone, but you shouldn't get used to that. His first book, the one he hasn't written yet, is not available on Amazon. Subscribe to Ray's Blog via RSS  or Email.

Send Ray an Email if you have a question. He may even respond.

{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }

Lyn Murphy August 6, 2011 at 11:17 pm

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to watch the video as it cannot be streamed outside of the USA. But you’re right – sometimes laughing at yourself is the best medicine. And I like the line about the problems not being unique or unworkable. As long as we are able to maintain that attitude, I guess we will never stay down for long.

Reply

Ray Colon August 6, 2011 at 11:35 pm

Hi Lyn,

Sorry to learn of Hulu’s restriction for streaming outside of the US. This is the first time that I’ve embedded one of their videos.

I laugh at myself all of the time – especially when I do something silly. Yes, attitude matter (hey, that’s a great name for a blog!) and keeping a positive attitude helps me to smooth out the rough edges.

Ray

Reply

Alicia August 7, 2011 at 12:24 am

You ignorant slut!

(Said with all love, affection, and nostalgia, of course!)

Reply

Ray Colon August 7, 2011 at 12:29 am

Ah yes, Alicia,

That’s got to be Dan Ackroyd’s most memorable line. LOL

Ray

Reply

Wendy August 7, 2011 at 10:27 am

I love that character. …and you know I laugh at myself all the time too. I try to make a habit of cracking myself up. Keeps me sane. ;-)

Reply

Ray Colon August 7, 2011 at 10:53 am

Hi Wendy,

It does keep us sane. The other day, I was giving an overhead presentation on a laptop and I kept poking the screen while muttering, “Why isn’t this working?” Someone finally spoke up and ended my frustration by telling me that I wasn’t on my iPad, so I had to use the mouse. Instead of being embarrassed, we all had a good laugh at my expense.

My daughters give me a “What’s wrong with him?” look when I’m cracking myself up. That just makes me laugh more.

Ray

Reply

Tristan August 7, 2011 at 11:34 am

Happy belated birthday, Ray! Maybe you feel like your birthdays go unnoticed because you don’t publish your birthday posts for several months!

Laughing really is the best medicine and when you can laugh at yourself . . . well, that’s even better. I’m glad you don’t take yourself too seriously.

Reply

Ray Colon August 7, 2011 at 12:55 pm

Thanks Tristan,

What? You think that timing is the issue? That’s preposterous! The birthday post was only five months late. :)

Actually, it would have been uploaded around the time that I wrote about the earthquake in Japan and a couple of other serious topics, so it seemed silly to me to upload a birthday post. Then, I forgot about it.

Don’t worry, if I took myself too seriously, I’d likely be the only one.

Ray

Reply

Val August 7, 2011 at 11:35 am

I couldn’t watch it either as I’m in the UK, but I went to look for it on youtube and saw this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7gLJr03vNQ which presumably is part or all of it? I don’t know the show, we don’t have it here. But I know the feeling having given up smoking twice (the last time for good.)

Happy very belated birthday, Ray! Stay happy! :)

Reply

Ray Colon August 7, 2011 at 1:01 pm

Hi Val,

Yes, you found the right one. Your linked clip is a segment of the video that I posted.

Congratulations on the smocking cessation. That’s terrific. It’s great that you were able to do it in just two attempts, as many smokers have a string of false starts before they quit – if they ever do.

Thanks for the belated birthday wish, and I will stay happy.

Ray

Reply

Jim Fierce August 8, 2011 at 12:09 pm

Hi Ray,

Just wanted to thank you for commenting on my blog and I am returning the favor. Happy Belated B-day and I hope all is well with you today months later. I love that you reminded us of Gilda Radner another person who left us way too soon.

Have a great day,

Jim F

Reply

Ray Colon August 8, 2011 at 12:46 pm

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the birthday wish. All is well here.

Yes, Gilda was a funny and talented lady who many of us miss. At least we have the videos to look back upon.

Ray

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SurprisedMom August 8, 2011 at 10:03 pm

Thanks for the clip, Ray. It helps when I can laugh at myself and Gilda Radner helped me do that. I believe I saw the live version when it came out. (Yes, I’m that old.) I loved watching her and that whole crew on SNL. Happy Belated Birthday as well. I hope your day was a good one after all.

Reply

Ray Colon August 9, 2011 at 5:35 am

Hi SurprisedMom,

I may have seen the live show too. Oh my.

Thanks for the birthday wish. If I recall, the day was just fine.

Keep laughing!

Ray

Reply

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