Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Anniversary 4

I am in the middle of a major project and a terrifyingly close deadline, but I absolutely must remind you - today is a Big Day.

Today.  What a Great Day!

Four years since I first heard those dreadful words:  'You will never see George Clooney Naked'.

And of course you know the other thing that was something like 'la la la cancer la la '

It's really quite amazing to think about what I have endured over the last four years.  Narrative arc?  I don't think so.  More like a graph mapping the fortunes of the Australian Dollar.

Talk about up and down!

Needless to say, much has happened since my last communique:

Ben got his licence; he turned 18; he had his first real girlfriend (briefly).    I am absolutely certain the boy will come good.  

Harry has been going gangbusters with his music.  He and his music partner, Rarbie, have toured far and wide this year, and by about April, the lads had a Gold Frequent Flyer Card.  At present, we are all agog as there are rumours a big dude in the States may be interested in the lads.

Al got his golf handicap down to 8.   He busted his bum building a little home for us down in Redland Bay.  He dealt with his own little health scares.   Then he went overseas for a couple of months for a well-earned break. 

My sister Nicky found a tumour in her spine.  It proved to be nothing serious and within a few days after the operation, she was pretty much kicking up her heels.

My sister Fiona is well into her PhD.  In between the gazillion things she usually does, she's also organising a Foreign Film Festival for Kids.  There's no stopping that girl.  

And what about George Clooney, eh?  What a turncoat.  Marrying that floozy.

Meanwhile there is me.

This year I travelled to the  Philippines - alone.

I got a short-term contract with a new College starting up in my town and five months whizzed by.  What an adventure, meeting some incredible people and learning something new.

And I, too was accepted into a phD program.  I'm pursuing a topic in the field of influence and social media.  I saw it as an opportunity not just to progress my knowledge but, more importantly, to justify the huge endless hours I seem to spend on Facebook.   Pretty smart huh?

In between, my life  has been not unlike a dodgy currency (that, or a neat shot on a well-played golf hole) - up and down.  Yes,  some pretty down downs (kind of like a Coles prices) - and some pretty up UPs (I mean, I did win $360 at Keno - for a non-gambler a one-off and soooooooo exciting).

But all in all, the 'life take' report card, today on this special anniversary is probably a B.

This suggests there is "room for improvement".  But guess what?  Isn't there always?

B?  Pfft.  It's a heck of a lot better than a D. (And we will know what that letter could stand for when the real subject here is la la la la la).