Thread: Harriet wakes

I remember Harriet..or don't I? She must live it out, so I'll find out :roll:

Well, Lantana, you aren't kidding about the snow! We had over 27 inches of the stuff in a 24-hour period starting Monday, which is quite a lot even for New England. But I have a very sunny living room with lots of geraniums and cyclamens in bloom, and was celebrating the birth of a new member of my extended family (his name is Diego), so I actually was feeling very happy and blessed.
Lantana and Lothar, what a blast from the past it felt like to think about Harriet again! That seems like so long ago, but actually when I looked at the date it was just a little over two months. That was my very first post on the forum; little did I know I would settle in, post a picture, make some friends here, draw some flak elsewhere, etc.! Lothar, my friend, what a long way we have come, don't you think :D ?
It just so happens that I do have another episode in the life of Harriet up my sleeve! When Bert was sick (or when we all thought he was... he got well suspiciously fast!!) I was really worried and wanted to do something to cheer him up, so I wrote more of the Harriet story and sent it to him by private message. I am not sure if it would have gone differently if I were writing it under different circumstances, but it has been written; so be it! I will post it below, but first, since you brought up the subject of duct tape, Lantana, you will have to endure a word or two on the subject. I predict we will soon hear of an insider trading scandal involving duct tape stock, with people close to the Homeland Security office having invested heavily just prior to the recent Orange Alert. I am grateful for the whole issue having added some levity and absurdity to an otherwise grim subject. I personally think duct tape is wonderful; I remember recent news of it being employed as material for prom outfits, http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/index1.html
as a cure for warts, and much, much more! So I am confident that the people who are buying it in fear right now will find many useful and creative purposes for it later.
Now, in case anyone is still reading this, this is what I wrote Bert last month about Harriet:

"Harriet didn't take Ketut back to her bungalow that night after all. She probably would have, but she had too much to drink and hurled the evening's babi gulung, the mid-day's nasi goreng, and all the Bintang. She caught a glimpse of herself in the bathroom mirror, with her face as white as linen and her hair disheveled, and then she felt really gross and disgusted with herself, even though Ketut seemed to think it was all hilariously funny. She wanted to smack him one, and wanted only to be left alone for the rest of the night. The next day Harriet arranged to do some sightseeing with the best guide on the island, Budi. You may think that I am falling into a well-worn cliche here, but in fact, somebody has to be the best guide on the island, and somebody has to be the worst. This Budi really was the best--ask anyone. Ask Fred Eisenman, Jr., for example, who picked Budi's brain and published two books (Bali Sekala and Niskala) for which he acknowledged Budi's invaluable assistance but, unaccountably, did not include him as co-author. But I digress. It was this very Budi who showed Harriet many interesting sites around the island, and steered her to the full-moon ceremony at the temple near Ubud which is the navel of the universe. This was where she met Paul, a tall and handsome semi-retired American businessman who had been too busy mourning the defection of his wife from a long and, he thought, happy marriage to notice what a great catch he was for a woman of a certain age. In fact, Paul was 14 years older than Harriet, and so he regarded her as somewhat of a babe, which pleased her no end. Paul and Harriet enjoyed one another's company for the rest of their all-too-short time in Bali. They stayed in touch once they got back, although they lived in separate cities a great distance apart. After a few visits back and forth, they went on a trip to Madagascar. During the trip they decided to cast their lot together, and Harriet went to live with Paul in the Napa Valley of California. Neither one of them saw any point in getting married, but they stayed together and were very happy for many years.

I hope you will feel better and better every day!
Be better moth "

As Bert is fond of saying, "That's it!" Maybe it worked, because he did get better pretty quickly :lol: And Lantana, since you live in Northern California, you might run into Harriet and Paul someday, strolling hand in hand through the Chardonnay vineyard Paul owns in St. Helena :wink:

behemoth

Thank you for the bright, warm images. I wish the best to you, to your extended family and to new arrival, Diego. And thank you for the amusing and ingenious duct tape website...What now? What stars do we have to light our path? What I have learned is: Lighten up----travel light----Love

Behemoth, Please let there be "More To Come" and "To Be Continued."... I love the way you wend your way across time and space to Bali and back in your stories/song lyrics. So! I challenge you to put your considerable talents to work again....There are other possible Bali scenes that tantalize, that beg for dramatic treatment....For example, in one-of-those-other-Bali venues, there were references to the "New Age Seppo Broads" who post on this Forum. I suspect it's like Cockney rhyming slang: Seppo is apparently Australian slang for septic tank, which rhymes with Yank, which is short for Yankee. Seppo=American/Yankee. I am sure the term is affectionate. Anyway, it could be an amusing concept. I would love to see the New Age Seppo Broads immortalized in song or story in Bali.... Perhaps the story could even incorporate Duct Tape or Dental Floss (although the mind staggers at that concept and perhaps better not)....With much anticipation (and a mischievous smile), your Seppo friend, L

Thank you for all the nice things you said---you are very kind :D ! I have been trying to use my spare time more constructively in the last few weeks, and this includes devoting some time to writing. I have been having a lot of fun with it, but none of it has to do with Bali. Thus, I don't think it would be of general interest on a Bali forum, but I will e-mail you some recent lyrics. I wish I had as much control over what I write as you seem to give me credit for, but the truth is that the magic bemo/Celestial Omnibus just pulls up and drops off whoever or whatever is on board on any given day! Which brings me to your point:

Originally Posted by lantana

....There are other possible Bali scenes that tantalize, that beg for dramatic treatment....I would love to see the New Age Seppo Broads immortalized in song or story in Bali

It sounds as if you have some intriguing story ideas, so YOU, my friend, should be the one to write them!! :D Did I hear you say you can't? YES you can, and we will look forward to a whole new thread for your first story here!!
behemoth

Behemoth, I love your lyrics (thank you!). However, I suspect that a snowball's chance in hell is about what I'd have if I tried to write a Balinese story starring the New Age Seppo Broads.... I'd love to read it, though... Perhaps someone else is inspired???