Things I Love: Studly’s Laugh

“Groundhog Day” is one of Studly’s favorite movies. On Tuesday evening as we watched Bill Murray’s character relive February 2nd over and over again, Studly kept up his running commentary during the film and laughed his wildly contagious laugh.

His laugh is one of the many things I love about him. When Studly finds something funny one might as well surrender to the hilarity and just move out of charm’s way.

And what does he find funny? His special weakness is sophomoric humor: “Animal House,” “Dumb and Dumber,” “Me, Myself, and Irene,” and the above mentioned “Groundhog Day.” He recently discovered “Tosh.0” on television and laughs himself silly every time he watches an episode.

I pretend to be above such nonsense, but when Studly starts laughing he breaks down all of my resolve. Maybe that’s part of loving someone–embracing all of their silliness as if it’s one’s own–while still remaining relatively sane.

When Studly Laughs

When Studly laughs
His whole body
Succumbs to waves of
Hilarity that begin in his eyes,
Travel to his cheeks, and
Explode from his generous
Mouth.

His arms cross his shaking
Chest, apparently attempting
To absorb the energy he
Expends when he is genuinely
Amused by a joke, or a pratfall,
Or gloriously, sometimes by
Me!

Nothing beats making Studly laugh.

Peace, People!

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On Hold

Five minutes have passed
From secretary’s request,
“May I place you on hold?”
Before I can respond, the
Fatal click is sounded. My
Ears are now bombarded
With exhortations to stay
On course. My call will be
Answered in a manner so
Timely, so polite that any
Inconvenience should be
Promptly forgiven, voices
Say interspersed with the
Absolute worst Muzak in
History. Now ten minutes
Of my life have been spent
Holding this device to my
Ear. At least the view out
My window provides calm.

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Still

2015/01/img_2465.jpg photo by Kelly Cavitt Dupler

One of my friends took this picture of a little piece of snowy heaven from her ranch in New Mexico and posted it on her Facebook page last week. Isn’t it lovely? I wanted to work it into my Love Month theme.

Still Haiku 1

Breath calmed by snow’s depths
Frozen, a moment in time
Hush love, and be still

Still Haiku 2

White ‘scape nothing moves
Frozen still in this moment
Softly a branch bends

Love and Other Stuff

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Poems of love
Well crafted
Or not, can
Do only so
Much to
Sway a
Lover.

Loving,
Though,
Done well
Softly sighs
Arrowing into
The very heart
Of the intended.

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Peace and Love, People!
(Photos were found on Pinterest)

Love Month

Once the Big Game is over today I plan to begin celebrating the Love Month in my life and in my blog. Now that doesn’t mean my writing will get all mushy and icky; although, it could have elements of both mush and ick. Instead, I plan on taking a look at love in its many forms.

If any of my readers would like to contribute I’d enjoy reading and sharing your thoughts on love, loving, and being loved giving you full credit, of course. I hope you’ll share! Be sure to give a link to your blog if you have one so folks can pay you a visit.

Now, how about a LOVE fest to kick this off?

Longing
Obsessively,
Voraciously
Evolving

Or two:

Lost
Over
Vast
Emptiness

Why not one more?

Listless
Ominous
Vestigial
Esthetic

Oh, who am I kidding?

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From Pinterest.

Candy Crush Withdrawal

Twelve step programs
Always say, first one must
Admit one has a problem.
I have a problem.

Bidding adieu to the
Crush Sisters:
Candy and Soda
Piece of cake.

Too many hours spent
Bringing fruit all the
Way to the bottom
Or eliminating bombs.

Chocolate and bears.
Candy of all colors.
Deceptively innocent
Addictive as hell.

Then, the tremors
Began. My fingers
Beat staccato trying
To find bears.

Today I searched in
Vain for the icons
Deleted two days past.
Lord, give me strength.

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Mall Thinking

People watching at the
Mall:

Elderly woman cajoles
Her husband.
Then commands.
She worries he’s done
Too much today.
Their hands touch
Briefly. He hates
Feeling old as she
Fetches Starbucks.

Thirty-somethings,
Husband and wife
Carry plump
Pillows between them.
She looks at him
With love and
Something akin to
Annoyance.
He is oblivious.

Young adults sit giggling
Heads together
Job applications stacked
Neatly between them.
Pens scratch earnestly
Between witty asides.
Don’t make me laugh!
You made me forget
My address!

Mother and pink clad
Toddler enjoy
Conversation in a
Language I cannot
Understand. Their
Eyes smile. Little
Girl dances impatiently
Eager to join others
At play.

I wonder is anyone
Watching me?

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When the Waitress Gets it Wrong

Today I clearly heard
Myself order a
Grilled shrimp salad
Dressing on the side,
Unsweetened iced tea
With lemon.

Imagine my surprise
When tea arrived
Sweet as a toddler’s kiss.
After a sip I sent it back
Receiving a chastened
Tea in return.

My salad arrived, a
Wide expanse of
Iceberg lettuce ringed with
Red onions and simulated
Cheeses, white and yellow,
And fried chicken.

Excuse me, miss,
I ordered grilled shrimp.
No, she said, eyes rolling
I wrote down fried chicken
See. Indeed she had,
But I’m inclined to believe me.

While taking my order
She’d outrageously
Flirted with two men
Seated at the next table,
Hoping I suppose for
Big tips.

I ate the salad anyway,
And didn’t make a fuss,
But when she came to refill
My tea, I said, with a twinkle,
Remember, dear, I asked for
Unsweet.

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Smack Dab in the Middle

First place rules
Last place sucks
Somewhere in the
Middle is the norm.
I’ve certainly found
Myself there
More than once.
I can count on one hand
The times the blue ribbon
Has been placed in my care.
Yet seldom have I come in at
The pack’s end. The
Absolute centerpoint has
Entertained me more than a
Few times over these
Many years.
How should I feel then?
Content? Restless?
Unfulfilled?
Human.

And then there is Steelers Wheel’s take on this:

Stuck in the Middle With You

Well I don’t know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain’t right,
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs,
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you.

Yes I’m stuck in the middle with you,
And I’m wondering what it is I should do,
It’s so hard to keep this smile from my face,
Losing control, yeah, I’m all over the place,
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

Well you started out with nothing,
And you’re proud that you’re a self made man,
And your friends, they all come crawlin,
Slap you on the back and say,
Please…. Please…..

Trying to make some sense of it all,
But I can see that it makes no sense at all,
Is it cool to go to sleep on the floor,
‘Cause I don’t think that I can take anymore
Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

Well you started out with nothing,
And you’re proud that you’re a self made man,
And your friends, they all come crawlin,
Slap you on the back and say,
Please…. Please…..

Well I don’t know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain’t right,
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs,
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you,
Yes I’m stuck in the middle with you,
Stuck in the middle with you.

I never realIzed they were Scottish!

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Losing Weight

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Weigh in scheduled for
11:30 a.m.
Jenny Craig awaits.
Still in bed at 9:05 trying to
Decide if I will weigh less
By doing nothing productive
Before my appointment, or
If I should arise and run
Frantically around exercising
Enough to make up for the
Non-exercise I did all week.
Questions arise:
Which non-activity
Burns more calories?
Not riding a stationary bike or
Not walking for two miles?
Opting for option #2 I slip back
Beneath the covers and
Dream of key lime pound cake.

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Peace, People!