June 2011
Dear Friends and Family,
It’s June! Well, at least it will be by the time you get this. Right now, it’s a gorgeous May evening and I have the front door and window open to enjoy the cool breeze and I am that sure June has many beautiful days like this in store for us here in So Cal. I have to enjoy these cool nights while I can because pretty soon I will be off to Haiti where the days are super hot and the nights are slightly less hot. I’m definitely spoiled to be from Southern California. My roommate hails from the Kansas side of Kansas City, and she reported to me the other day that a tornado had touched down blocks from her home and church. Luckily, her family and house are completely safe and it only did minimal damage where it hit. She was telling me that even though the tornadoes and the sirens that precede them are totally eerie, she is used to them and that the thought of an earthquake is totally scary to her. Obviously, I feel completely the opposite! I will take my So Cal earthquakes any day over a Kansas tornado. Those things freak me out. They weren’t messing around in The Wizard of Oz, those tornadoes are legit and not to be disrespected! I’m just glad that real tornadoes aren’t actually accompanied by the Wicked Witch and those awful Flying Monkeys. They freak me out even more than tornadoes and I already told you how I feel about those.
On another topic completely, I just wanted to take the time out to honor my computer that I have been typing these letters on for the last four and half years---yes, I did write four and a half years---can you believe that I have been sending you these things for so long? I’m surprised that I haven’t received any hate mail yet! You all are far too kind. But anyways, this will be the last letter that will be written on my dear old Compaq Presario. It wasn’t a glamorous or a pretty or a slim or a light computer. It didn’t have flashy decals or a shiny apple on it, but it was a loyal computer and traveled with me for many years and wrote many letters, emails, and papers for me. It kept my files organized and my pictures archived. You could never call it lazy. It kept my lap warm and my desk looking good. It’s been good to me, but now I have to admit, unfortunately, that my dear computer is on its death bed. I have typed it to death. The poor thing is so weak and frail—it’s akin to both a badly arthritic grandmother and a brand new baby that can’t yet support its own head. I walk around cradling it like an infant and whenever I open or close it, every bone in its little technology filled body cracks painfully in my ears. So, therefore, it is time to put it out of its misery. I will always think fondly of the Presario, who was my first computer and treated me well so many years, but now we must part ways and I just had to give it a proper goodbye. I hope it rests in peace. Now, I can’t promise that since I am getting a much better, new computer that the forthcoming newsletters will be better as well, but at least, hopefully, they won’t be worse! However, just to forewarn you all, it probably won’t be until August that you get another letter from yours truly. For you see, next month I will depart from Los Angeles to journey to Haiti for the third time. So while I am spending my last days in June on that hot, humid island that I love I will leave my duties in the very capable hands of the mother of the Lowly Office Aid. She doesn’t exactly know that she is doing this yet, but I will let her know soon.
While on the topic of Haiti, I am reminded, of course, that I need to at least mention Father’s Day. I already know what you are thinking, what do Haiti and Father’s Day have in common? Well, I’ll tell you…not much really. Their only connection is that, unfortunately, I will be there on Father’s Day and therefore very far from my father, so I will take some time now to acknowledge the wonderful “Papa Ellis” as one friend refers to him. He may be just your realtor, property manager, or friend, but I get the special privilege of being his daughter. I am proud to call him my dad and am very glad that he didn’t banish this Lowly Office Aid many years ago for filing his papers in the wrong direction (I honestly didn’t know there was a right direction at the time) and for probably many other lowly infractions. All the while working hard in his job for all his clients and residents, he’s always working hard as a dad too. So with this letter about to be done, I just want to thank my dad for always being there for me, always on my side. On that note, I send a shout out to all the dads this month. All of you are awesome! Make sure to give all of your papas some love this month!
Signing Off,
Joy Jasmine Ellis
The Lowly Office Aid
Mr. Computer says,
“My deepest sympathies go out to you on the loss of your dear laptop Mr. Presario. I’m sure he was a very dear and very hardworking guy. May your next one be just as good as he was.”
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