tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.comments2023-04-16T05:46:47.885-07:00Dorien Grey and MeDorien Greyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02368404433503621343noreply@blogger.comBlogger1113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-79327319908808935082015-11-02T08:24:10.144-08:002015-11-02T08:24:10.144-08:00Dear Dorien-san,
I am, in fact, spending most of ...Dear Dorien-san,<br /><br />I am, in fact, spending most of my time gathering acorns - enough to go live in Norway where my Norwegian grandpa lives in. But...alas, here in Japan, we do not get to save much since we have to pay quite a lot of taxes and an incredible amount of money for all sorts of bills, etc.<br /><br />But I promise I will take your advice and try to take some time to sit in the sun and enjoy myself from time to time. And...then when I had a chance, I would just grab it and...see how it goes from there ! :)<br /><br />Dorien-san, I know that ( like my dad ) you probably do not believe in heaven and hell, but please allow me to wish just this one time that you will be up there in heaven, reunited with your family and your beloved Norm-san.<br /><br />Your friend from Japan,<br /><br />Chie MinatoAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01692030974922743629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-36123328521153237472015-10-29T14:26:32.468-07:002015-10-29T14:26:32.468-07:00You know, I find it overwhelmingly kind of you fir...You know, I find it overwhelmingly kind of you first to have accepted Norm's gift, and then to have used it to see places in Europe. Wherever he is now, he's definitely smiling upon us. <br />Opportunities are true gifts, and gifts lead to true opportunities. And it puzzles me the fact that people rarely see it this way...PuzzleTMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14160254887777560569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-29217004108591539832015-10-29T07:48:17.006-07:002015-10-29T07:48:17.006-07:00I can't help but wonder after reading this if ...I can't help but wonder after reading this if Norm's dream was for you to take those trips. Sometimes the dreams we have are the fulfillment of others.<br /><br />Just a thought.Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-80796467942030832922015-10-26T13:34:07.955-07:002015-10-26T13:34:07.955-07:00Well, of course I went out afterwards, Puzz! My da...Well, of course I went out afterwards, Puzz! My dad was a pretty sharp cookie!Dorien Greyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02368404433503621343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-44909039495249811402015-10-26T12:51:35.354-07:002015-10-26T12:51:35.354-07:00Father's wisdom: "Hell, he's already ...Father's wisdom: "Hell, he's already married!"<br />I wonder if you still chose to go out after hearing this acknowledgment/calling from you father...<br />PuzzleTMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14160254887777560569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-31670491830199871402015-10-26T06:03:19.191-07:002015-10-26T06:03:19.191-07:00I came across my grade school year books a couple ...I came across my grade school year books a couple of months ago and started looking through them. Whereas one time I thought I would remember each and every person's name with clarity, that time has long passed. I should have written their names above or below their pictures.Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-35298089369417791472015-10-22T07:29:06.771-07:002015-10-22T07:29:06.771-07:00Loved this one, D. I love the fact that even if yo...Loved this one, D. I love the fact that even if your parents didn't understand it, especially at that time, they still loved you and treated your friends/partners with respect. That's a rarity for back then. My parents would have been the same way had I told them earlier than I did or had a boyfriend earlier than I did.Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-67422174565589358242015-10-19T05:56:48.578-07:002015-10-19T05:56:48.578-07:00Ralph still makes fun of me because I'm quite ...Ralph still makes fun of me because I'm quite content to use an old MP3 player to listen to music on instead of an Ipod or whatever they have out now. "But you can have hundreds of songs on a newer model!" Why do I need hundreds of songs? I just need the ones I'm going to listen to right now. He also is HUGE into tablets and every new electric gizmo out there. "You could write your books on these!" Do they have keyboards? "No." Then, no. I won't be writing my books on any of those. I want my laptop.<br /><br />I also don't put excessive apps on my phone. There are two I use; the first is a flashlight app so I can use my phone as a flashlight if the need arises, and the second identifies songs that are being played around me. I've found this useful when I hear something I like. But because of my take on these items, I'm already considered a relic. At least I'm in good company.Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-81806913475680280142015-10-15T07:07:47.965-07:002015-10-15T07:07:47.965-07:00I stopped off somewhere to eat last night and brou...I stopped off somewhere to eat last night and brought my laptop with me so I could get some work done. There was a father and son who walked in during that time. The son had to be around 8 and I remember looking up at the young kid and thinking "That's who I see myself as inside. That's who I still am." My body disagrees, but my mind tells me to ignore what the body insists is reality.Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-22857160403016890932015-10-12T16:20:40.009-07:002015-10-12T16:20:40.009-07:00Ever the optimist, I.
DEver the optimist, I.<br /><br />DDorien Greyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02368404433503621343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-47159997471718895662015-10-12T15:49:10.055-07:002015-10-12T15:49:10.055-07:00Let's see if hope still exists after the next ...Let's see if hope still exists after the next election.Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-58795684741833179012015-10-08T07:06:00.709-07:002015-10-08T07:06:00.709-07:00Why do I get the feeling if there's an afterli...Why do I get the feeling if there's an afterlife that you'll come back as an internet gremlin and haunt each and every internet spammer? Now I'm hoping there IS an afterlife. Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-12287959774637364692015-10-05T06:30:13.479-07:002015-10-05T06:30:13.479-07:00I never wanted to delve into writing short stories...I never wanted to delve into writing short stories because I felt they restricted where I generally wanted to take a story, which took time. However, I found that the more I wrote, the more I actually enjoyed them because I only had to accomplish one thing with each story, versus multiple things. It could be a slice of someone's life. My thought now, though, is that each story, short/novella/novel, is as long as it needs to be. Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-70405484077036830212015-10-01T07:23:13.794-07:002015-10-01T07:23:13.794-07:00This was a lovely post, D. =) Friendships are huge...This was a lovely post, D. =) Friendships are hugely important, especially good, long-lasting ones. Ralph started off as a friend and we got to be very good friends during the first 3 1/2 years. It was only after that time when we came out to each other did we begin the relationship it's turned into. I'm grateful for the time we spent as friends and without all the sexual tension that often comes with that.Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-72625141290434784642015-09-28T06:37:22.507-07:002015-09-28T06:37:22.507-07:00Regarding politics, I think there has always been ...Regarding politics, I think there has always been a general lack of common sense that's come from both parties. There are times one looks far more batshit crazy than the other, then it switches. We just happen to be in a time when Republican leadership can't get it together. What do we have to look forward to? Another switch at some point when it's the Democrats who go over the edge.<br /><br />But just imagine if we ever have a Tea Party president! Ugh.Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-25182129955636514122015-09-24T13:38:25.058-07:002015-09-24T13:38:25.058-07:00It may not be you. I don't get a great many of...It may not be you. I don't get a great many of the things you mention. Maybe people want to play unorganized sports. People certainly belong to unorganized religion lately. We should bring the "un" back into the world, like 7-Up...the uncola. Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-81788474314803800662015-09-21T10:52:22.586-07:002015-09-21T10:52:22.586-07:00I don't believe I'd be as strong a writer ...I don't believe I'd be as strong a writer as I am--and I'm not convinced I'm a strong writer at all--if not for the people who I've cyber-met from far, far away. The stories they tell add a richness to knowledge that I otherwise wouldn't have, at least not without hearing it from their mouths. The characters I write about come from them, so without them, they would have life breathed into them too close to my own.<br /><br />I love the fact technology has allowed us to branch out and meet the folks we have. I also count myself extremely fortunate to have met some of these people in person.Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-30764258712867194912015-09-20T18:20:21.789-07:002015-09-20T18:20:21.789-07:00I was having a conversation with a friend and fell...I was having a conversation with a friend and fellow author, and I was conveying my displeasure at a recent picture that had been taken of me. It's simply now I envision myself under any circumstances. She looked at me and said "I wish I had a camera that took pictures of how I think I look versus the reality. Wouldn't that be something?"<br /><br />If we had one of those, we could easily become one of the characters in our books.Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-13219521822126964752015-09-20T05:58:43.710-07:002015-09-20T05:58:43.710-07:00Very interesting and valid points, Puzz...thanks f...Very interesting and valid points, Puzz...thanks for taking the time to share them!Dorien Greyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02368404433503621343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-51770268031319862692015-09-20T02:37:52.159-07:002015-09-20T02:37:52.159-07:00"logic is the mind's salvation, just as h... "logic is the mind's salvation, just as hope is the soul's" <br />I was reading this statement and part of my mind was willing to accept it as consistent truth, but the other part raised a warning flag and challenged my fact oriented engineering thinking: "it doesn't feel quite right".<br />For Logic is nothing but a tool. It helps keeping oneself in control, composed, poised and confident, but one could use this tool to do good or evil upon their choosing. <br />On one hand it made me smile, maybe that's the reason I like so much solving puzzles, but on the other hand Logic would have had me killed several times in my life. I believe it was Hope that kept me alive, and knowing that my actions were honest and feeling that I was doing the right thing, it pushed me to do things that didn't seem achievable at the time... Hope and desire to have good things happening to me and to people around me.<br /><br />Individual's effort to develop values keeps a mind balanced and positive. A consistent investment in developing individuals' values through the educational systems could help mankind improve its mental health.<br /><br />Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.PuzzleTMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14160254887777560569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-64012190821359168712015-09-14T08:59:25.674-07:002015-09-14T08:59:25.674-07:00Yep, pretty much.
DYep, pretty much.<br /><br />DDorien Greyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02368404433503621343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-3609493925579072912015-09-14T08:47:10.675-07:002015-09-14T08:47:10.675-07:00I try to have a healthy ego, but I don't. What...I try to have a healthy ego, but I don't. What I find I do is just sincerely hope that whatever I write will click with a reader who suggests it to someone else. Maybe that's why doing promo feels so painful. It's difficult to put the focus on the work instead of the person. You feel the same way about promo, I believe.Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-57670704719495741252015-09-10T06:00:56.294-07:002015-09-10T06:00:56.294-07:00I was into the Star Wars/Buck Rogers/Battlestar Ga...I was into the Star Wars/Buck Rogers/Battlestar Galactica action figures with all the spaceships I could get my hands on. This was, of course, when I was in my early years. We had many, many battles, and at the end of the day, the hero never went back to his room with the lady action figures. He went back with the other cute male action figure. Just one. No menages going on in my imagination. Fortunately, nobody ever caught on because the dialogue went on in my head.Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-39419538952064354522015-09-09T08:04:33.056-07:002015-09-09T08:04:33.056-07:00Uh-huh.
DUh-huh.<br /><br />DDorien Greyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02368404433503621343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38849125.post-38890564515540160932015-09-09T08:01:55.272-07:002015-09-09T08:01:55.272-07:00You should perhaps try the Chinese method of payin...You should perhaps try the Chinese method of paying attention. Instead of realizing you've forgotten what you're supposed to do, simply state you don't want to do it and therefore have not. The hubby seems to believe it's highly logical thinking on his part to attempt to get away with that.Kristoffer Gairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862202554700556478noreply@blogger.com