Bootstraps

bootstrap |ˈboōtˌstrap| noun 1 a loop at the back of a boot, used to pull it on. • [usu. as adj. ] the technique of starting with existing resources to create something more complex and effective : her willingness to work night and day in a tiny basement office was evidence of her trademark bootstrap.

"The origin of this descriptive phrase isn't known. It refers of course to boots and their straps (laces) and to the imagined feat of a lifting oneself off the ground by pulling on one's bootstraps. This impossible task is supposed to exemplify the achievement in getting out of a difficult situation by one's own efforts.

It was known by the early 20th century. James Joyce alluded to it in Ulysses, 1922:

'There were others who had forced their way to the top from the lowest rung by the aid of their bootstraps.'"

We'll ignore, for now, the meaning of inputting simple code into a computer in order to get it to self-load more complex code. I doubt if anyone does that anymore anyway.

So, starting with existing resources, eh? What if all your effing resources are already used up?? Huh?? What THEN?

Simmer down, there.

So many things are unravelling simultaneously, we are deep into the land of Not Funny. As I reviewed them in my mind, they all at first seemed (1) financial in nature (rugby dues, bankruptcy guy payment, phone turned off, insurances seriously screwed up [homeowners' cancelled, auto cancelled despite being paid through next December and all in the hands of someone named Alvarez...], other forms of Stuff due immediately if not sooner) but upon reflection, there are so many, many more.

There's the (2) house, which is in worse shape than the one that Dr Phil spent an hour tsk-tsking over.

There's (3) my body, gaining fat cells and losing brain cells like nobody's business.

Speaking of (4) business, I don't have much these days. That's typical for this time of year, certainly - everyone is sick of his garden and not about to put more money into upkeep. It'll pick up again in a couple weeks, and I do have a major job pending. Still, at the moment, thins are a little dicey.

(5) Family members, too...my mother, my husband, my daughter, all have their health challenges.

I have to stop hiding from this. One can only take so many baths (especially when one has (6) impressive amounts of poison ivy plaguing one's person), and even I can't sleep continuously - although I'd like to try. "Just keep sleeping...sleeping...sleeping."

And always lurking around the corner, the old demon (7) Black Dog. Winston Churchill used to build things out of bricks when things got bad for him. Maybe I ought to try that...maybe stone,though.

And let's not forget (8) the bees that live behind the chimney. How could I forget, with that constant infernal buzzing sound?!? Slowly I turn...

So I guess what I need here is a plan. A plan to use existing resources to make something more effective (please, not more complex.)

That's what I'll be working on in the next few days, up here on the Hill.