The Calm after the Storm

The Calm after the Storm ©

By Michael Casey

Well the pain monster seems to have disappeared for the day, and I finally got enough sleep so I’m up and happy. I got my yearly calendar from the Columbans, that’s the Missionary society, not El Chapo’s friends, so that made my day and got me thinking of Christmas for the first time. So as I listen to Celine Dion’s Courage I’ll talk to you. Well what can I say, we Face Timed my big daughter at University yesterday so we got a look at her student accommodation and the new coat we sent to her. One looked better than the other, you can decide which.

My big daughter looks forward to MEAT when she gets home for the holidays, as her housemates are Veggies, I couldn’t live like that, if I don’t get meat at least once a day I feel faint. Maybe that’s why I’m so chunky, 252 pounds or 18 stones, as much as a Heavy Weight Boxer, though they tend to be at least 4 inches taller. Though as you know my strong legs  saved me as they took veins from them to go into my heart, the 5 year anniversary is coming up. It was 3^rd Jan 2015 I went in and 13^th Jan 2015 I had the unplanned operation, thanks again to Birmingham’s City Hospital and our Queen Elizabeth hospital. That’s why Still Alive 2015 was my book title that year.

Our cat Totoro continues to have the high life, she is the whitest and fluffiest cat in the world. I think she drinks Comfort and not milk, as you can see from the photos, she is just so super white, maybe we should rent her out for commercials. I’ve also been playing with Fonts, and layout on my sites, I hope it does not annoy you too much. What do you expect a Writer to play with? That’s disgusting, you always mock me, I’m here to amuse you, not to be mocked nor belittled. What do you mean I should belittle my stomach, you are all so very insensitive, I’m sure you’ll all vote for the insensitive party at the Election. Read chapter 9 of The Butcher The Baker and The Undertaker, M.P. Married to a Person, Married to a People and you’ll get my take on elections from 30 years ago. But back to fonts, you like your words to look nice, easy to read, easy on the eye, not too fancy you cannot read what it says, just right, like Goldilocks’ porridge, and I don’t mean Boris or Trump, you know Goldilocks and the 3 Bears, that one.

I was just interrupted by “the cleaner” so my brain has been wiped, what was I going to say. Yes Fonts, I can remember reading Dirk Borgarde’s books and he was an excellent writer by the way, anyway I can remember where he was talking about Fonts. Some writers want small fonts, so the book feels like a diary, personally I like to see clearly, one reason for small fonts is to save pages and thus keep the price down. But I like to be able to see what I’m reading. On some websites too I HATE faint small sized font. It’s almost a fetish, let me see what I’m reading.

I’ve just remembered maybe 20 years ago I applied for a job and I mentioned I was a writer, and the snide nasty ignorant “lady” replied with  a rejection letter all in “fancy font”  I bet she thought she was so clever, like sacking somebody just before Christmas, that kind of clever. Yes by the way as Laura once said, “he can bite as well”, and hello to Laura, she really was a nice lady, we worked on the Font desk, I mean Front desk together.

So a Font, can give added weight or meaning to something. You don’t write “I LOVE YOU AND WANT YOU TO TAKE ME TO BED” in

BOLD , not unless you are very bold. You scribble a note on the back of a bus ticket and palm it to the one you love. Though if the object of your affections has bad eyesight, then maybe BOLD may be appropriate, or even cue cards. So for every occasion there is a font, or a greetings card, that’s why girls like fancy cards, and stationary, Clintons was the card shop here in England by the way, maybe it was a dry cleaners in USA, that I do not know maybe you need to palm me a note.

Now I think I’ve covered the basics, but do watch out for carpet burns this office Christmas party season, so whether you are Bold or not, just take precautions, otherwise the next note you receive will be on official paper. Child maintenance or a Birth Certificate with your names on. Yes 40 years ago people were doing everything you guys are planning, or hoping. Just be safe and don’t have it away in a manger.