Author Archives: Alice
Suzie’s House 420 : How Did You End Up Here, Ethan?
“How did I get where I am?” Ethan looked up and down the grassy strip separating the WalMart parking lot from the main thoroughfare. He eyed the old bum next to him. “Do you really want to know?”
Best Laid Plans of Mice and Me
I’m back! I made a bunch of promises I couldn’t keep. I’m very sorry. First, I promised to keep visiting and commenting on your blogs. I did visit, but I was blocked from commenting over and over. More about that in a minute. Second I promised to have a new Suzie’s House posted every Wednesday. Although I did have them written ahead, I ran into some technical glitches. If I’d had a bit more time I could have overcome the […]
Crank Call
The cards came out all wrong. No matter which way Glen loaded them into the ENIAC, they came out jumbled. No wonder the program wouldn’t run. But how to fix it? Glen called Betty and explained. “That’s easy. First, go to room three. Walk behind the panel on the right all the way to the back. Open the lower cupboard. Then turn the crank a quarter turn to the left.” It worked like a charm. Next time he saw her, […]
13 Pictures of Indonesia
You probably noticed I’ve been traveling again. I went for a quick tour of Java, Bali, and Flores/Komodo. In other words, I went to Indonesia. Here are some pictures I took while there. 1.
Suzie’s House 419 : Ethan Spanging
“So how long have you been spanging?” A grizzled old man with stains on his jeans and shirt that Ethan didn’t want to think about. “Spu… spu…. what?” Ethan didn’t know what to do with his eye. He glanced at the old man, then at the WalMart sign next to them, then at the stream of cars taking the turn out of the WalMart parking lot. “Spanging. You know – asking for spare change. SpareChange. Spange. How long you been […]
Welcome on 9-6-15
Well, I’m heading off globe trotting again. I’m very, very lucky to have someone in my life who is willing to foot the bill for these trips. Thanks, Mom! This time I’m off to Bali and Java. I’ve had my typhoid shot and filled my malaria prescription. Now lets hope all the physical therapy I’ve been doing will pay off when it’s time to climb into a rickshaw. While I’m away, I’ll be posting Suzie’s House regularly because I got […]
Suzie’s House 418 : Talent
Justin drifted out of the living room where most of his aunts and some cousins and his mother were planning a baby shower. He passed the den where most of his uncles sat in front of the TV watching a football game in re-runs and acting like they’d never seen it before. Someone in the kitchen started tapping out a rhythm with a spoon on a bottle. Justin just naturally drifted that direction. Sure enough Cousin Joe had a beer […]
AFK
It’s official. I’m not here now. Since I’m writing this ahead of time, I can’t really tell you where I am. According to the itinerary, I should be in Jakarta. Unless I’m reading it wrong. Seems to me there should be a crossing of the dateline in there somewhere. I could probably figure it out, but then I could be wrong because of the volcanoes. Apparently they’ve been erupting lately. It’s not exactly an uncommon occurrence for them as the […]
Suzie’s House 417 : Same Old Tedious Breakfast
Kate was sitting in the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in front of her when the text message came from Alisha. ‘You are still in that band?’ “Well, duh,” Kate muttered. You’d think her friend would have been more impressed by the fact she had a boyfriend, or that the flowers were a wedding bouquet. It wasn’t like Alisha hadn’t already heard about the band.
Straps Are Totally Cool
Seriously. Get a load of this sucker. A little inch and a half width strap held down what felt like a ton of scaffolding. I was more worried about the whole dang truck flipping over on the curves than the straps coming loose. I’ve seen these puppies around before. I even inherited one from some passing hippie, but never knew how they worked. I mean, I could tell there was a ratcheting thing going on and it isn’t hard to […]
Windy
“What a great building. Is there a spiritual reason for the six sides?” Jane stumped through the meeting hall with her foldable cane clacking along at high speeds for a retiree. “No. There are six sides because…” The tour guide half-ran, half-walked, trying to head her off so the rest of the group could catch up. “I’ll bet it was a political thing. Right? Someone rich and powerful chose the design?” Jane spun around, looking straight up at the ceiling […]
Kid Quotes
1. The Girl: I’m allergic to sewing. I break out in stress. 2. The Girl (Walks up with cat): Organic purr machine. 3. The Girl: Literary works are such downers. Unless it’s Shakespeare. Then it’s satirical and horrifying. 4. The Girl: Mainstream culture is only mainstream because it’s convenient for a lot of people.
Suzie’s House 416 : Bouquet II
When Kate woke up, the first thing she saw was the bouquet Justin had given her. It sat on her dresser in a cheap, metallic vase that looked like it was supposed to be polished silver but was probably aluminum. Not exactly the optimal thing for a wedding bouquet, but better than the glass of water she’d started with.
Signs
If you squint at the picture above you can see a brown sign to the left of the fire danger sign that has an arrow pointing to the right. It’s supposed to be a trail head marker. But it’s pointing at a wall.
