Help
Sign In
culture
February 2009 
Character Quotient
Posted on Feb 10th, 2008
by 
kcidybom
kcidybom
Grace and Dolph = my neighbor
A few minutes ago I was on my back porch doing back porch stuff and overheard the woman next door: "Get out of the way! God damn it, MOVE!" A few grunts and scraping sounds then screaming: "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!
You don't have to be big to take care of yourself, and this woman is huge in many ways, kind of Grace Jones and Dolph Lundgren added together - she jokes that she's moving to Alaska because she needs a really large state - so I wasn't worried about her physical safety, but I thought maybe this was a domestic disturbance and wondered if I should call the police. I walked to the palisade fence that marks off her yard and looked through a crack.
She was pushing a large cardboard box with things like 'this end up' and 'Whirlpool' printed on it. I didn't know if she was talking to the box or to its contents, but I think she has conversations like this all the time. I met the boyfriend one time - an equally large and not very wordy fellow, one who squints at the world through shattered eyes. I'd probably be talking to boxes too, if I were her.
I went to her and helped push the box to its new location. At some point she issued a satisfied "Good" and stopped pushing. I'm not sure why she wanted to move the box - the place we pushed it to didn't seem any better suited to anything than the original, but I wasn't going to argue. She shook my hand - almost smooshed it actually, said "thanks," and left me to walk back to my own yard. I think I'll keep an eye out to see if there are other objects she talks to. Who knows, maybe I'll join in on the conversation.
My neighbor definitely has a high CQ.
Access: Public
that was funny. thank you. I like the shattered eyes description. I had to think on that one for awhile.
k, what's cq? you always stump me at some point in your blog. :-)
ok, nevermind – character quotient. I'm just a little behind sometimes. :-)
nice post.
Glad you liked it Jenni. I intended to write “shuttered” when I posted this, but a typo led to what I got. I liked the mistake more than the intended word and left it.
Yeah Dawn. She's prolly got a good IQ too, but she's off the chart on CQ.
the typo works. it is great.
prolly. good word. and aren't typos the best sometimes? i think they must be freudian. :-)
I suggest that you plant odd objects in her yard and take pictures through the cracks in the fence.
and then post the pics here please!
Yeah - typos are so funny, and prolly freudian to boot. Who was it that said she had to “drink water and mate?” B.B. or Catherine, when she was really talking about tea? Yeah, likely story.
Prolly is a word I borrowed from Jeannie. It's a Jeannieism through and through.
I was thinking of a pink plastic flamingo, a ceramic deer, and a little black forest gnome made out of grey concrete. I would be interesting to see who got the most conversation.
Love you gais.
And yes - pics will be posted……
gais?
I don't know who coined it, but since gaia is 'guy-a' then gais is 'guys' in the non-gender specific sense….;-)
got it. thought it might be a typo on gals but I am not sure we are all gals here.
Oh, I first picked up “gais” from ~Matthew (spelled with a tilde, of course) and I think it's brilliant.
Albert, go with the concrete gnome first, it seems the most challenging.
albert – tea, mate – that was me. yep. but it's ma tay spelled mate with a accent of some sort, which I just don't/can't/won't figure out how to do on my keyboard.
I'm looking forward to those pics. :-)
Ha! It was you? Here ya go –> Maté or maté. Jes copy 'n paste. Hehehe
How did you do it? I've been splained this more than once, but maybe this time will do it.. :-)
Dawn, I totally read that as “mate” the first time, as in yes, a perfectly reasonable sequence of events, drink water and mate, of course.
And then realized it was tea we were talking about, which was equally fine, but different…
There are times when writing is just so much funnier than talking, you know?
Dawn - I was totally lazy. I just googled “tea mate” and came up with a site using the accent - then just copied and pasted it in. You can also select a font or code page that supports accent & grave marks, umulauts etc., or remap your keyboard - but that's work.
I'm gonna go drink some water and mate, then maybe some lunch…;-)
Maybe it was “Him” in the box,the boyfriend. Any strange smells yet?
Don't know yet - but I'm a sniffin' just in case.
Whoa! I jumped into this a little late, didn't it? Loved the story and the “shattered eyes” (Type-o, or not) is a powerful image. Eyes are the windows to the soul …
The box also holds great potential as symbol too. Large, heavy, “this end up” and “Whirlpool” written on it. The box is a projection of the woman herself. “this end up” - a need for predictability, stability - but, like all of us, she is pointed in the “right” direction - albeit with some serious detours along the way. “Whirlpool” represents thoughts and feelings - cleansing hurt and dirt. Aren't many of us like this woman? Swearing at and hauling around huge cartons of “stuff.”
(symbolism is the muse's passion - she leaves it here and there like Easter eggs … ;-)
Very effective piece, Albert.
Oh Catherine, beautiful comment. Sometimes I get it, sometimes I'm clueless. I didn't even see the possible symbols in my own words. It's like when I have a dream I can't figure out and then somebody says “It might mean…” and I say “Oh yeah.” I'm impressed. Thank you so much. Albert
Catherine, I stand in awe of your prowess as muse and symbol reader. I have much, much to learn. bowing deeply! :-D
I love this place. :-)
Good to know that she has a kind neighbor to help her with her heavy load.
I liked the “shattered” word, too. Through your open eyes, kcid - we could see into his soul. Very nifty.
I thought you might be refering to yerbe mate. which is a tea i drink.
I don't know if I'm kind Karen. Sometimes I think I'm just ravenous for experience. ;-)
Hmm. Well, at least you're willing to have the experience!
Nope, sorry, you're definitely kind.
Luckily for you, it's possible to be both kind and ravenous…
You have all given me a new blog topic…coming soon to a Gaia near you. Hey - you're all women! Where have all the young men gone, long time passing?