MacArthur Park

As I was walking to work, late as usual, I passed an apartment complex, and out of a pavilion in the yard where there was a fitness center, emerged my old girlfriend holding two fuzzy balls.  I took one of them from her and continued.. When I arrived at the office, my co-worker Keith was humming a tune that sounded familiar but I was unable to name it, and only remembered that it was some schlocky ballad.

"How can you sing such trash?" I asked,"I bet you also listened to Rod McKuen!"

He  replied, "You ought to visit me, I'll play you some good music".

Another co-worker joined us. What was her name?

Just then my old girlfriend came in and remembered the title of the song Keith was humming, "MacArthur Park".

I handed Keith the fuzzy ball saying, "This is from MacArthur Park, my old girlfriend gave it to me, I loved her when we were young and she didn't want me, and I still love her when  we're old, and she still doesn't want me."

We walked away and my old girlfriend asked," Why didn't you introduce us?"

"Because I momentarily forgot Keith's name and didn't know that woman's name. I happens to me all the time."

"Don't worry," she said, "It happens to me too."

I then remembered that she had been in a horrible automobile accident, her face was smashed and surgeons transplanted her Donald Duck's face.  But I still loved her.

Literary Dreams

A colleague working at a remote office has requested that we provide him with photographs of the inner workings of the letter 'Y'.   He is convinced that there are wires inside the letter.  It was news to me and I consulted my co-workers as well as the boss.   I learned that there isn't anything inside letter 'Y', but that several letters of the alphabet do indeed contain things. For example, one of the letters, I don't recall which at the moment, contains garlic.   This morning I composed a polite letter to our remote colleague explaining the situation.

Argentinian Threads

I have been watching on Netflix an Argentinian soap opera-mystery  and last night after seeing episode 5, I noticed the uncommon complexity and depth of the plot.  There are two principal characters and about six main characters and as many regular supporting characters.  The two principal characters each pursue their projects one of which converges in this episode, while at the same time we follow the plot threads of the remaining six main characters who are in one way or another related to one of the principal characters. You'd think that following the plot and subplots would be annoying and confusing but the series flows smoothly and engagingly.

I compare this to a Scandinavian mystery series I saw recently where there are half as many characters and the story could not be more confusing (as noted by several viewers in  the series' reviews.)  This is because much happens offscreen and is described by the onscreen characters referring to the absent characters  whose names are confusing enough to the viewer.