On any Given Non Sequitur Sunday Afternoon…

After the above title, it will not be difficult to figure out this is Sunday afternoon and, as matters stand (or sit, in my case), there is not much going on out there, other than heat. And the A/C in my car is still out of sorts…  Puts a damper on going out for a non-essential ride when it is 90 degrees and humid...

So… Where were we? On any given Sunday afternoon, many things can take place. It just depends on where one is and what the circumstances are, as in: why am I here?.  Let’s see…

As a child or, in my early years, Sunday was always the day in which I went to church in order to get my little pass-tickets, which had to be given to our religious education teacher on Monday mornings. Then, the afternoons, especially during my last two-three years, it meant going to the Sunday matinee movies. Boy!! Lunch at the Chinese restaurant with friends, followed by a full afternoon of movies, news, cartoons and, sometimes, live music. And all this, if I remember correctly, for less than 3.75 (including lunch).

I could be at services now, instead of writing this. Yes, I do go once in a while and, when I do not, it isn’t because of some ingrained anti-anything. Simply put, to me the concept of religion is an issue between yours truly and my Maker, on whom I place my entire faith and trust. I do hold conversations with Him on a daily basis and feel very comfortable with this communication. I’m afraid this same trust does not get passed on automatically to His representatives on this earth of ours, no matter what their prepared message is.  Amongst many issues I find troublesome, there is that one which is a source of disagreement with most of the preachers I have come across: I do not believe in selling faith and miracles anymore than I believe in buying those little vials of supposed holy water from the “holy river”, gleefully sold late at night by some TV preacher.

Perhaps the better Sunday afternoons spent during the last quarter century, were during our Buenos Aires time. After services, where a good number of couples from the so called “ex-pat” community met, several of us along with our children, would go down the avenue some 2 miles and enter into a country restaurant area, next to the river. Despite our personal differences, during these afternoons we actually had a good time. See, when there is trouble at home, most good times are to be had whenever there are friends around. This communal situation forces both sides to put aside issues and behave civilly. You can’t really let the world into your troubled inner lair, can you?  What would they say??   How uncouth that would be!!  And “couth” counts for much in society, does it not?

Anyway, the children would be put into the expert hands of a group of waiters and all the adults would go to a different long table, already prepared due to a quick phone call while on the way. An Argentinean parrilla (or  BBQ) is an affair for the hours and not for the queasy of stomach. Several types of beef, sausages and such are put on to the fire, expertly arranged and anticipating the times of cooking so that those which are to be “aperitifs” will be ready first, and so on. And of course, that great Argentinean red wine kept coming.

These afternoons would normally go on for at least 4-5 hours. The kids loved it because the fields were big and usually there were games played by the older ones (read: futbol); there was also a small area with seesaws and other paraphernalia which the little ones loved. As for the adults, it was an opportunity to get together with friends whom we did not have the chance to see during the week.

Saw “Avatar” last night. Yes, I am aware it has been around for a couple of years already but I never had the chance to see it. Ta Taaa…The cable service we subscribe to has a special running this week-end: free CMAX trial and, lo and behold, there it was last night. Liked it. Actually, what caught my eyes was the fantastic creativity on the tech part, in the putting together of this fantastic world where the local people trampled around. What impacted my attention is the concept of an all encompassing closed circle eco-system where the different parts live in total harmony. Saw some echoes of “Lord of The Rings” and “Dune” in a few segments. But I, and several who know much more, have always said: if you are going to pattern what you are doing after something else, choose good examples. None better in this instance and genre.

Am reading a great book by Jack Higgins, a great suspense/thriller writer, called: “Thunder Point”; great way to pass a Sunday afternoon, or any afternoon for this matter. Guess I’ll get back to it after this is posted, before committing some sort of self immolation due to total boredom.

Some issues for a Sunday afternoon. This period of time feels like a no man’s land; a night in which we really cannot go out for any length of time, since it is followed by the dreaded “Monday Morning” and, finally, it signals the end of the week-end. Harrummph!!

Happy Sunday afternoon to you!!!   Next post: a short trip back in time…

Be Well… Be Back!!!