My wife reserved at the library what she thought was Jimmy Carter's book, Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis. When she went to pick it up, the library had arranged the audio book version, read by the former president himself. I was delighted to learn that there is heavy demand for the book, so she had only a week to listen to it, which she has been doing for the last few days as she has been driving. I had not listened to any of it until today, when we finally drove to the office together for the first time in I don't know how long. I knew already that I agreed with much of Carter's assessment of the current administration's insanity, but listening to the book on the way to the office today reinforced my appreciation for Carter's point of view.
I was stunned at some of what I heard him read...he recounted a littany of missteps, horrific bunglings, wrong-headed policy decisions, fanatic, utterly lunatic actions of the Bush administration. I am sure I have never heard a former president so completely and thoroughly condemn the actions of a sitting president. Carter is a politician who tends to sooth ruffled feathers and generally behave in a more forgiving manner than I believe appropriate...but he pulls no punches with Bush. His book is, I believe, his call to Americans to wake up, understand what is going on, and act before it is too late to reclaim the country from the fascists surrounding Bush. I admire him for his willingness to say some very harsh things about Bush and the Bush administration and for his willingness to say that U.S. policy under the Bush administration is tantamount to imperialism and nuclear bullying. Bush has so completely fucked up the foreign policies of this country that I do not believe anyone without the charisma of John Kennedy could successfully change course.
As I said, I only heard just a bit...from Chapters 11-13. My wife says the first sections of the book are equally riveting and have powerful messages. I wish there were a way to get the majority of Americans to read, or listen to, the book. That would give me a bit of hope. I think I've commented here before about Carter and my disregard for his presidency and my disregard for his religious fervor...but I am rethinking my positions. Despite the fact that he strongly professes his religious beliefs and his commitment to the "Prince of Peace" in the book, he also acknowledges that the fundamentalism in religion today is horrific and harmful. I like that in a Christian.
Tonight, George Bush is to give the State of the Union address. I want to listen, just to be sure not to miss something as important as his assertion that he has assumed the monarchy of the country, but I am concerned about my blood pressure if I listened to that lying, conniving, scum-sucking-son-of-a-bitch utter a word tonight, at least early in the evening. I'll listen to the play-by-play later tonight. My wife and I received our first Netflix fix tonight....3 movies...and we're going to watch what will probably be a mind-numbing, but entertaining, Flightplan. Blockbuster's decision to move to a less convenient location for us was enough to make us give Netflix a try.
After the movie, I will try to sleep and will hope to have a dream, later to become reality, involving the trial, impeachment, and imprisonment of George Bush and his entire administration. Not that I want the Democrats to take control...at least not until they find a leader who is articulate and can develop a strong message of social justice, international cooperation, and religious tolerance...among a score of other things.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Monday, January 30, 2006
Sudoku
My wife has become enthralled with sudoku. In case you're not acquainted with sodoku, it's a puzzle game in which a 9x9 grouping of squares (like a crossword puzzle, without the blacked out boxes) is littered with a few numbers as "clues." The object of the game is to fill in all the remaining squares with numbers, so that each row and column has each number between one and nine used only once. I have not tried it; it seems to me to be something that could consume the mind...one could stay awake for days and days, trying to solve the puzzle.
This sort of puzzle game has particular appeal to certain personalities, I think. People who are exceptionally high on certain aptitudes seem to like the game. My wife has exceptional abilities to focus her problem-solving skills on the task at hand, keeping all other stimuli at bay. I, on the other hand, am afraid of such puzzles...if I am not instantly good at them, I get annoyed with them and their creators...and I begin to question my intelligence.
If I ever try my hand at sudoku, I will write about my experiences...and my mood during the process.
This sort of puzzle game has particular appeal to certain personalities, I think. People who are exceptionally high on certain aptitudes seem to like the game. My wife has exceptional abilities to focus her problem-solving skills on the task at hand, keeping all other stimuli at bay. I, on the other hand, am afraid of such puzzles...if I am not instantly good at them, I get annoyed with them and their creators...and I begin to question my intelligence.
If I ever try my hand at sudoku, I will write about my experiences...and my mood during the process.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Semi-lazy Saturday--Stream of Consciousness
Finally, after weeks of promising we would, my wife and I went to the resurrected Ethiopian restaurant not far from our home. I say resurrected because a restaurant by the same name (Queen of Sheba) and owned by the same couple closed a few years ago...we learned that unhappy fact when we drove to downtown Dallas to have an Ethiopian dinner, only to find the place shuttered. But it's back, and just as good as it ever was. There's something about eating a meal with no utensils that appeals to me. The restaurant is brightly lit, large, has a very 'upscale' appearance, and the waitstaff are very friendly and speak impeccable English. We decided Queen of Sheba is the best place for us to take some friends to whom we introduced Ethiopian food some time ago at a very different Ethiopian restaurant. The other place, where the food is very good, has a distinctly different ambience; it is dark, the people seem uncomfortable with Anglos and with the English language, and the clientele is, for the most part, distinctly non-mainstream. I rather like that atmosphere, but it does make some people uncomfortable. Queen of Sheba is endeavoring to make an Ethiopian restaurant that is inviting to mainstream , white, middle America. Our friends, we think, would be more comfortable there. That's odd, since they are Italian, Israeli, and Canadian, and have traveled quite extensively including places I have never been, such as Asia.
After dinner, we stopped by a Blockbuster video store near our house, where a sign was posted to inform customers that the store is "moving" in early February to two "new" locations: the addresses given were those of two existing stores. Blockbuster is not doing a particularly good job of hiding its financial woes. We rented a movie (Must Love Dogs), which was not as bad as I expected; I found myself enjoying it despite my inclination (and my intent) to consider it maudlin swill.
Our evening capped a day of moderate levels of work around the house, lunch at Top Cat, and dashing in and out of the car to do errands of various kinds. Our dining room now looks like a dining room...the table can actually be used as a place for meals. It took hours to vacuum gypsum dust from every exposed and not-so-exposed surface in the room. I moved all my books to my study, which is one of the next places to tackle in terms of organization. Eventually, it will be a guest bedroom (complete with four-poster bed, when we confirm that our queen-size bed will fit and when we buy a new king-size bed for our master bedroom) and study for me.
Top Cat is a fast-food-style place that serves fried catfish, fried oysters, gumbo, other fried seafood, Cajun dishes, and has a mostly black clientele due, at least in part, to its location. I've not been there before, but my wife once stopped in on her way back to the office from a doctor visit and bought fried oysters, which were excellent. When we went yesterday, we split an oyster po-boy (tasty, but served on Texas toast instead of a hard roll, making it messy) and each ordered a bowl of gumbo. Instead of the side of fries that came with the po-boy, we asked the server to give us a small serving of cole slaw (for my wife) and a small order of red beans and rice for me, to which he readily agreed. The red beans and rice were among the best I've ever had. We agreed we should have ordered a cup, instead of a bowl, of gumbo; a bowl was too much. We agreed, too, that the gumbo was bland and not worth ordering again. I would recommend the place in favor of any chain seafood restaurant...mostly because I have an unreasonable bias against chain restaurants, based not in real quality of food, but in my expectation of food quality.
The experience at Top Cat was interesting, totally apart from the food. The guy at the cash register was a young man, probably in his early twenties, with black hair that fell well below his shoulders and a mustache and goatee, both of which were rather long, too. When I first saw him, I thought he looked Hispanic; there was no trace of a Mexican accent when he spoke. He seemed to be a genuinely friendly guy. I pulled out my credit card to pay and he swiped the card and said something to the effect that "It may take a minute; I think this is the original card reader and the telephone wiring is the original wiring in this store." I waited for a few moments and he apologized for the wait, again, seeming to be truly sorry that I was having to wait. When the machine gave a signal that it lost the connection, he again apologized; I said it was not a problem, and that I'd just pay cash. He apologized yet again. Every time, I believed he was really sorry I had the experience. In a large chain restaurant, I think the person behind the counter would have been trained to offer requisite words of apology, but they would have been too staged, too practiced, to have made an impact. In this little place, I suspect the people are not trained in customer service, at least not much, because unlike the big chains, the time and money for training simply are not available. It's in these sorts of places that I think I see the way people really are, untouched by corporate policies that dictate the specific words to use in the encounter with a customer.
Yesterday's mail brought theatre tickets. My wife bought season tickets to a nearby theatre where we've been before and have always enjoyed; the quality of the actors, the staff, and the selection of plays, etc. have been good. We want to get out more and my wife is particularly fond of the theatre, so we got season tickets, which were really inexpensive. Our first experience with our new season tickets will be Friday night, when we go to see Urinetown, the Musical. Since food is always near the top of mind for both of us, my wife reminded me that going to the theatre will give us the perfect opportunity to visit the sushi place just up the street, where we can enjoy what they call their Volcano Roll.
Anyone who frequents this blog is probably family...or someone who stumbled across it and decided to monitor the pychoses of the Geezer. Well, there's a reason for the odd mixture of 'day in the life' comments, political diatribes, poetry, fiction, soul-searching, etc. I do intend to write and publish something 'serious' some day, and I am using this blog as a means of recording my thoughts, my state of mind, and my perceptions about the world, etc. I expect I will be able to pull bits and pieces of what I have written into the 'serious' stuff later. Some of what I have written will serve as canvass for the stories I hope to paint. At least I hope so.
If you read my post yesterday, you will have noted that I mentioned a book by David Dorado Romo published by Cinco Puntos Press. I sent an email to Cinco Punto Press, expressing an interest in communicating with Romo to inquire about his research methods; I got a fairly quick response, essentially telling me to buy the book if I wanted to learn how he did his research, as the book is extensively footnoted. That's good to know, but I really wanted to have a conversation with Romo. I may try again.
During my house-cleaning exercises yesterday, I uncovered a number of books I have bought but have yet to read (or, at least, read completely). Despite the fact that my new glasses did not deliver to me astonishingly clear reading vision, it's adequate now to enable me to read books if I sit under a good light. So, I'm planning to spend a little time every day reading books, instead of being glued to news and the like. I need to focus some attention on how other people write and to compare my style (in my 'serious' stuff) with successful writers.
I read an item in the Santiago Times that disturbs me. The article reported on three terrorist bombs in the Santiago, Chile area, none of which resulted in any significant damage or injury. It seems the bombers included literature, in the latest bombing, condemning newly-elected president Michelle Bachalet and saying the perpetrators would engage in increasingly violent acts. The bomber(s) expressed disdain for the fact that Bachalet apparently has a good relationship with business.
After dinner, we stopped by a Blockbuster video store near our house, where a sign was posted to inform customers that the store is "moving" in early February to two "new" locations: the addresses given were those of two existing stores. Blockbuster is not doing a particularly good job of hiding its financial woes. We rented a movie (Must Love Dogs), which was not as bad as I expected; I found myself enjoying it despite my inclination (and my intent) to consider it maudlin swill.
Our evening capped a day of moderate levels of work around the house, lunch at Top Cat, and dashing in and out of the car to do errands of various kinds. Our dining room now looks like a dining room...the table can actually be used as a place for meals. It took hours to vacuum gypsum dust from every exposed and not-so-exposed surface in the room. I moved all my books to my study, which is one of the next places to tackle in terms of organization. Eventually, it will be a guest bedroom (complete with four-poster bed, when we confirm that our queen-size bed will fit and when we buy a new king-size bed for our master bedroom) and study for me.
Top Cat is a fast-food-style place that serves fried catfish, fried oysters, gumbo, other fried seafood, Cajun dishes, and has a mostly black clientele due, at least in part, to its location. I've not been there before, but my wife once stopped in on her way back to the office from a doctor visit and bought fried oysters, which were excellent. When we went yesterday, we split an oyster po-boy (tasty, but served on Texas toast instead of a hard roll, making it messy) and each ordered a bowl of gumbo. Instead of the side of fries that came with the po-boy, we asked the server to give us a small serving of cole slaw (for my wife) and a small order of red beans and rice for me, to which he readily agreed. The red beans and rice were among the best I've ever had. We agreed we should have ordered a cup, instead of a bowl, of gumbo; a bowl was too much. We agreed, too, that the gumbo was bland and not worth ordering again. I would recommend the place in favor of any chain seafood restaurant...mostly because I have an unreasonable bias against chain restaurants, based not in real quality of food, but in my expectation of food quality.
The experience at Top Cat was interesting, totally apart from the food. The guy at the cash register was a young man, probably in his early twenties, with black hair that fell well below his shoulders and a mustache and goatee, both of which were rather long, too. When I first saw him, I thought he looked Hispanic; there was no trace of a Mexican accent when he spoke. He seemed to be a genuinely friendly guy. I pulled out my credit card to pay and he swiped the card and said something to the effect that "It may take a minute; I think this is the original card reader and the telephone wiring is the original wiring in this store." I waited for a few moments and he apologized for the wait, again, seeming to be truly sorry that I was having to wait. When the machine gave a signal that it lost the connection, he again apologized; I said it was not a problem, and that I'd just pay cash. He apologized yet again. Every time, I believed he was really sorry I had the experience. In a large chain restaurant, I think the person behind the counter would have been trained to offer requisite words of apology, but they would have been too staged, too practiced, to have made an impact. In this little place, I suspect the people are not trained in customer service, at least not much, because unlike the big chains, the time and money for training simply are not available. It's in these sorts of places that I think I see the way people really are, untouched by corporate policies that dictate the specific words to use in the encounter with a customer.
Yesterday's mail brought theatre tickets. My wife bought season tickets to a nearby theatre where we've been before and have always enjoyed; the quality of the actors, the staff, and the selection of plays, etc. have been good. We want to get out more and my wife is particularly fond of the theatre, so we got season tickets, which were really inexpensive. Our first experience with our new season tickets will be Friday night, when we go to see Urinetown, the Musical. Since food is always near the top of mind for both of us, my wife reminded me that going to the theatre will give us the perfect opportunity to visit the sushi place just up the street, where we can enjoy what they call their Volcano Roll.
Anyone who frequents this blog is probably family...or someone who stumbled across it and decided to monitor the pychoses of the Geezer. Well, there's a reason for the odd mixture of 'day in the life' comments, political diatribes, poetry, fiction, soul-searching, etc. I do intend to write and publish something 'serious' some day, and I am using this blog as a means of recording my thoughts, my state of mind, and my perceptions about the world, etc. I expect I will be able to pull bits and pieces of what I have written into the 'serious' stuff later. Some of what I have written will serve as canvass for the stories I hope to paint. At least I hope so.
If you read my post yesterday, you will have noted that I mentioned a book by David Dorado Romo published by Cinco Puntos Press. I sent an email to Cinco Punto Press, expressing an interest in communicating with Romo to inquire about his research methods; I got a fairly quick response, essentially telling me to buy the book if I wanted to learn how he did his research, as the book is extensively footnoted. That's good to know, but I really wanted to have a conversation with Romo. I may try again.
During my house-cleaning exercises yesterday, I uncovered a number of books I have bought but have yet to read (or, at least, read completely). Despite the fact that my new glasses did not deliver to me astonishingly clear reading vision, it's adequate now to enable me to read books if I sit under a good light. So, I'm planning to spend a little time every day reading books, instead of being glued to news and the like. I need to focus some attention on how other people write and to compare my style (in my 'serious' stuff) with successful writers.
I read an item in the Santiago Times that disturbs me. The article reported on three terrorist bombs in the Santiago, Chile area, none of which resulted in any significant damage or injury. It seems the bombers included literature, in the latest bombing, condemning newly-elected president Michelle Bachalet and saying the perpetrators would engage in increasingly violent acts. The bomber(s) expressed disdain for the fact that Bachalet apparently has a good relationship with business.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
The Game is Not Worth the Candle
I read the phrase, "the game is not worth the candle," in an excerpt from a book entitled Ringside Seat to a Revolution, An Underground Cultural History of El Paso and Juarez: 1893-1923 by David Dorado Romo; it was published in 2005 by Cinco Puntos Press. (This is from a chapter of the book as presented on a Weekend Edition piece called The Bath Riots: Indignity Along the Mexican Border...I've not heard the story, just read about it online. I mention the book because I want to remember it and perhaps get a copy to read, since it deals with a topic I find compelling. But back to the phrase...
The phrase was uttered by Dr. B. J. Lloyd, the public health service official stationed in El Paso in 1917 (or thereabouts). Here is the context of his comment: "Typhus fever is not now and probably never will be, a serious menace to our civilian population in the United States. We probably have typhus fever in many of our large cities now. I am opposed to the idea (of quarantine camps for Mexicans entering the U.S.) for the reason that the game is not worth the candle."
I felt fairly certain I understood what the phrase meant, but I investigated a bit and, sure enough, I was right. Basically, it means that the undertaking is not worth the effort. According to Answers.com, "This expression, which began as a translation of a term used by the French essayist Michel de Montaigne in 1580, alludes to gambling by candlelight, which involved the expense of illumination. If the winnings were not sufficient, they did not warrant the expense. Used figuratively, it was a proverb within a century." I do not understand the final sentence, "Used figuratively, it was a proverb within a century." What does that mean? I did find an assertion that the original French phrase was "Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle." I speak not a whit of French, so I'm only relating what I read.
My newly-acquired knowledge of a phrase that has been around for hundreds of years strikes a cord in my mind. I wonder whether my game is worth the candle...that is, is our business worth the time and trouble and money my wife and I pour into it? I don't know...but I'm certainly questioning it. Of course, I have questionned this before, but now I have a phrase that so eloquently asks the question! Is the game worth the candle? I like that. It is so concise and gets to the heart of things. Eventually, I'll come to a definitive answer.
The phrase was uttered by Dr. B. J. Lloyd, the public health service official stationed in El Paso in 1917 (or thereabouts). Here is the context of his comment: "Typhus fever is not now and probably never will be, a serious menace to our civilian population in the United States. We probably have typhus fever in many of our large cities now. I am opposed to the idea (of quarantine camps for Mexicans entering the U.S.) for the reason that the game is not worth the candle."
I felt fairly certain I understood what the phrase meant, but I investigated a bit and, sure enough, I was right. Basically, it means that the undertaking is not worth the effort. According to Answers.com, "This expression, which began as a translation of a term used by the French essayist Michel de Montaigne in 1580, alludes to gambling by candlelight, which involved the expense of illumination. If the winnings were not sufficient, they did not warrant the expense. Used figuratively, it was a proverb within a century." I do not understand the final sentence, "Used figuratively, it was a proverb within a century." What does that mean? I did find an assertion that the original French phrase was "Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle." I speak not a whit of French, so I'm only relating what I read.
My newly-acquired knowledge of a phrase that has been around for hundreds of years strikes a cord in my mind. I wonder whether my game is worth the candle...that is, is our business worth the time and trouble and money my wife and I pour into it? I don't know...but I'm certainly questioning it. Of course, I have questionned this before, but now I have a phrase that so eloquently asks the question! Is the game worth the candle? I like that. It is so concise and gets to the heart of things. Eventually, I'll come to a definitive answer.
Rain
Finally, it's raining. The weather has been godawful dry for months, making conditions ideal for grass fires along highways, in pastures, and in empty fields. Dry winters are dangerous winters in north Texas, where vast expanses of grasslands have lost their moisture as they have gone dormant and which can, with drought, become highly flammable. Quite a few houses and barns have burned throughout the area. It's very common to see black, scortched spots along the roadside, some half a mile long or more, where someone probably discarded a cigarette from their car window, resulting in a fire. The roadside fires result in fire departments being called out to quench the blazes, which stretches the departments thin when fire rescue is needed somewhere else. Back to my point, though. It's raining.
The rain is soft and steady, exactly what we need to replenish the moisture in the soil. As welcome as the rain is, the weather makes uninviting any trek outside the house. The temperature is on the lower side of cool and, coupled with the high humidity, venturing outdoors is uncomfortable. I wear eye glasses, so even a quick dash to the mailbox or running from the car to the front door of the dry cleaners results in beads of water collecting on my glasses, distorting my vision. Because of the special coatings on my glasses, I can't use just any cloth to wipe the water off of them...I have to use an extremely soft piece of cotton to avoid scraping the very, very costly coating. Would that I had perfect vision without glasses!
Birds do not stop chirping when it rains, at least not when the rain is gentle. I hear them now. I wonder what messages they are sending? It could be "this fucking rain is making my life a living nightmare," but probably not, since birds probably do not comprehend their world in the same way we comprehend ours...but maybe they do.
I do have one objection to light, gentle rain: it will not wash away the masses of leaves in the gutter in front of my house. A strong, flood-potential rain would please me by leaving my sidewalk and street pristine, washing the leaves away into the storm drains, where the accumulated detritis from the thousands and thousands of homes and businesses in the city is dumped into the waterways, spoiling wildlife habitat and creating noxious eyesores. There are pros and cons to everything.
It's almost 9:00 am (I did sleep in, until 8:00 am today) and it's time to awaken my wife, who told me she wanted to sleep in until 9:00 am. Then, I'll just see what we'll do...clean house, kick back, or confront the rain.
The rain is soft and steady, exactly what we need to replenish the moisture in the soil. As welcome as the rain is, the weather makes uninviting any trek outside the house. The temperature is on the lower side of cool and, coupled with the high humidity, venturing outdoors is uncomfortable. I wear eye glasses, so even a quick dash to the mailbox or running from the car to the front door of the dry cleaners results in beads of water collecting on my glasses, distorting my vision. Because of the special coatings on my glasses, I can't use just any cloth to wipe the water off of them...I have to use an extremely soft piece of cotton to avoid scraping the very, very costly coating. Would that I had perfect vision without glasses!
Birds do not stop chirping when it rains, at least not when the rain is gentle. I hear them now. I wonder what messages they are sending? It could be "this fucking rain is making my life a living nightmare," but probably not, since birds probably do not comprehend their world in the same way we comprehend ours...but maybe they do.
I do have one objection to light, gentle rain: it will not wash away the masses of leaves in the gutter in front of my house. A strong, flood-potential rain would please me by leaving my sidewalk and street pristine, washing the leaves away into the storm drains, where the accumulated detritis from the thousands and thousands of homes and businesses in the city is dumped into the waterways, spoiling wildlife habitat and creating noxious eyesores. There are pros and cons to everything.
It's almost 9:00 am (I did sleep in, until 8:00 am today) and it's time to awaken my wife, who told me she wanted to sleep in until 9:00 am. Then, I'll just see what we'll do...clean house, kick back, or confront the rain.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Hell of a Week!
At the end of this work week, I feel like I've been dragged through the streets and horse-whipped. It's probably because of the travel I've done and the fact that I have worked the last two weekends with virtually no breaks...no time off, just work. I used to be able to work months at a time, with only the extremely rare day or half-day off on the weekends. That was when I had the drive and the passion to work--no longer!
I have amazing amounts of work I have yet to do here at the office, but I've decided to stop. My wife is here and she is readying herself to leave, so I will have to go shortly. I will be happy to go shortly. Well, I think I'll leave now. More to come this evening or this weekend...maybe something interesting.
I have amazing amounts of work I have yet to do here at the office, but I've decided to stop. My wife is here and she is readying herself to leave, so I will have to go shortly. I will be happy to go shortly. Well, I think I'll leave now. More to come this evening or this weekend...maybe something interesting.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Michelle Bachalet Interview
I mentioned watching Michelle Bachalet...last night, tonight, I don't recall which...and I subsequently came across a link to a transcript of the interview, along with a link to the video of the interview that can be played online. Click on this link to see the relevangt page.
Odds & Ends
These last few nights I have been unable to sleep through the night. I awaken at 2:00 or 3:00 am; it takes a long time to drift back to sleep, if indeed I ever really get to sleep. This weekend, I shall endeavor to sleep in a bit and maybe go to bed early. I hate to do both, since I feel that I'm missing out on something while I sleep, but I do need to get some rest. So, instead of the weekend frenzy of cleaning house, I may indulge myself in laziness.
I have to spend quite alot of time on a client for which I have a staff member who is to be responsible for serving the client...but the staff member appears overwhelmed. I may have to dive in to manage the client before long, which would be something I'd really rather not do. That is particularly true now that I am trying aggressively to get another client or two.
Where has the month gone? I cannot believe we are in the 3rd week of January. Time seems to be passing by at warp speed.
I'm not at all imaginative or creative tonight...so I'll end this failed attempt to write and try again another time.
I have to spend quite alot of time on a client for which I have a staff member who is to be responsible for serving the client...but the staff member appears overwhelmed. I may have to dive in to manage the client before long, which would be something I'd really rather not do. That is particularly true now that I am trying aggressively to get another client or two.
Where has the month gone? I cannot believe we are in the 3rd week of January. Time seems to be passing by at warp speed.
I'm not at all imaginative or creative tonight...so I'll end this failed attempt to write and try again another time.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
More on Michelle...and a Political Diatribe
I watched and listened to an interview with Michelle Bachalet (the President-elect of Chile) on PBS this evening. I don't know why it did not occur to me that she speaks English; I knew she had lived in Washington, DC for awhile as a child before Pinochet killed her father and tortured her and her mother.
Anyway, I was impressed with her ideas and attitudes; if only she were the one governing our country. She is, of course, a politician but she is not the slick, slimy, untrustworthy politician commonly found in the halls of power in the U.S. She was careful to avoid landmines of political philosophies, but she clearly articulated her own personal philosophy; she believes in individual rights, in social and societal responsibility, and in respecting and honoring diversity. So utterly, completely, and thoroughly at odds with the current U.S. administration.
The U.S. media is painting a picture of clouds on the horizon as it talks about a growing left-leaning political culture with Evo Morales in Bolivia, Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, and now Michelle Bachalet in Chile. I think our media should explore exactly what it is they are harping about. "Left-leaning" is viewed as dangerous, zealous, and at-odds with our culture. Horseshit! "Left-leaning" is simply a media and right-wing code-word for a political point of view that puts corporate greed, fanatic super-patriotism, and outright imperialism on the defensive.
The odds-on favorite to win the Mexican presidency this summer is another "left-leaning" politician (in this case, I do have my concerns...but for other reasons) who will, if elected, give Washington yet more reason for paranoia and, I shudder to even think it, military posturing.
I've been exploring, albeit only half-heartedly because my wife is far more concerned with financial stability than I, selling out...getting rid of the house, selling the business, selling much of the excess crap we have accumulated, and moving to a country like Mexico or Chile that I find far more appealing than the U.S. My very, very poor Spanish and my wife's complete absence of any knowledge of the language give me pause, but I'm growing increasingly disgusted with the U.S. I have come to understand that the U.S. and its position as a superpower will...not may, will...become increasingly irrelevant, probably in short order. I have come to understand that China, Latin America, and probably (for the relatively short term) the Middle East will rise above the U.S. in terms of power and ability to demand our traditionally middle-class lifestyle.
OK, enough prosletizing (bad spelling, I'm guessing). It's after 7:15 and time for dinner.
Oh, my thanks to a writer, known well to me, for his comments on this blog about his experiences with a Guadalajara taxi driver...completely different from mine with the bottom-feeder cabbie who stole my camera!
Anyway, I was impressed with her ideas and attitudes; if only she were the one governing our country. She is, of course, a politician but she is not the slick, slimy, untrustworthy politician commonly found in the halls of power in the U.S. She was careful to avoid landmines of political philosophies, but she clearly articulated her own personal philosophy; she believes in individual rights, in social and societal responsibility, and in respecting and honoring diversity. So utterly, completely, and thoroughly at odds with the current U.S. administration.
The U.S. media is painting a picture of clouds on the horizon as it talks about a growing left-leaning political culture with Evo Morales in Bolivia, Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, and now Michelle Bachalet in Chile. I think our media should explore exactly what it is they are harping about. "Left-leaning" is viewed as dangerous, zealous, and at-odds with our culture. Horseshit! "Left-leaning" is simply a media and right-wing code-word for a political point of view that puts corporate greed, fanatic super-patriotism, and outright imperialism on the defensive.
The odds-on favorite to win the Mexican presidency this summer is another "left-leaning" politician (in this case, I do have my concerns...but for other reasons) who will, if elected, give Washington yet more reason for paranoia and, I shudder to even think it, military posturing.
I've been exploring, albeit only half-heartedly because my wife is far more concerned with financial stability than I, selling out...getting rid of the house, selling the business, selling much of the excess crap we have accumulated, and moving to a country like Mexico or Chile that I find far more appealing than the U.S. My very, very poor Spanish and my wife's complete absence of any knowledge of the language give me pause, but I'm growing increasingly disgusted with the U.S. I have come to understand that the U.S. and its position as a superpower will...not may, will...become increasingly irrelevant, probably in short order. I have come to understand that China, Latin America, and probably (for the relatively short term) the Middle East will rise above the U.S. in terms of power and ability to demand our traditionally middle-class lifestyle.
OK, enough prosletizing (bad spelling, I'm guessing). It's after 7:15 and time for dinner.
Oh, my thanks to a writer, known well to me, for his comments on this blog about his experiences with a Guadalajara taxi driver...completely different from mine with the bottom-feeder cabbie who stole my camera!
Monday, January 23, 2006
Worse for the Wear
I'm back from Long Beach, CA, having manned an exhibit booth at a trade show. It was my second trade show in a week. It's very, very hard on the feet and knees, having to stand all day. Last week's trip to New York and the trudging around in search of my computer and camera did my feet no good. I don't recall whether I mentioned before that I sprained my ankle a week ago Saturday, on the 14th. Trudging about on a bum ankle did it no good and apparently had an impact on my other foot and both knees (says the doctor) because of the shift in how I held myself and my weight to protect the ankle. My left ankle swelled to enormous size while I was in Long Beach and my 3 middle toes turned very dark red, almost black. This worried me, so I asked my wife to arrange for a doctor's appointment upon my return, which she did. A brief visit with the doctor and an X-ray revealed nothing broken...he suspects the swelling of both feet and the swollen knees will disappear within a week. If not, he invited me to return to get blood work to rule out systemic problems.
The bastard cabbie returned my computer, but not my camera. He now claims he never saw the camera and that he did not say anything about a camera when I spoke to him last week. My guess is that he figures that computer theft is a felony due to the value, but a digital camera isn't and that I probably won't pursue him. He's wrong on the latter point. I'm going to go back to the New York police department about him and will invite the NYC Taxi Licensing Commission to revoke his license; he broke their rules, there is no question about it. I'm not going to devote a great deal of time to this bastard, just enough to try to teach him a lesson. And when I return to NYC in October for another meeting, I'm going to do my best to pay him a visit.
I am not in the mood to work this week, but I must. The weekend will be devoted to cleaning the house and getting the dust out of the carpet.
I hope to be in the mood to write more this week...not this mundane stuff, but something interesting and thought-provoking.
One of my sisters has returned from what she describes as a wonderful trip to Egypt and I assume that my brother who has been vacationing in Mexico is back home by now, or nearly so.
I'm beat. I think a stiff drink will be just the ticket. It's after 6:00 pm, so it's OK now...and then, I watch '24' on television, my favorite series. After that, I may sit under a powerful light so I can read one of several books I have been collecting--waiting on new glasses, time, and a high-powered lamp to enable my decrepit eyes to see.
The bastard cabbie returned my computer, but not my camera. He now claims he never saw the camera and that he did not say anything about a camera when I spoke to him last week. My guess is that he figures that computer theft is a felony due to the value, but a digital camera isn't and that I probably won't pursue him. He's wrong on the latter point. I'm going to go back to the New York police department about him and will invite the NYC Taxi Licensing Commission to revoke his license; he broke their rules, there is no question about it. I'm not going to devote a great deal of time to this bastard, just enough to try to teach him a lesson. And when I return to NYC in October for another meeting, I'm going to do my best to pay him a visit.
I am not in the mood to work this week, but I must. The weekend will be devoted to cleaning the house and getting the dust out of the carpet.
I hope to be in the mood to write more this week...not this mundane stuff, but something interesting and thought-provoking.
One of my sisters has returned from what she describes as a wonderful trip to Egypt and I assume that my brother who has been vacationing in Mexico is back home by now, or nearly so.
I'm beat. I think a stiff drink will be just the ticket. It's after 6:00 pm, so it's OK now...and then, I watch '24' on television, my favorite series. After that, I may sit under a powerful light so I can read one of several books I have been collecting--waiting on new glasses, time, and a high-powered lamp to enable my decrepit eyes to see.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Interruption...and Again
There has been an interruption in my blogging and will be another.
I went to New York City early Sunday [January 15] morning (the same day Michelle Bachalet was elected president of Chile, I am pleased to say). When I arrived, I went straight to the Jacob Javits Convention Center to put up an exhibit booth, after which my colleague and I grabbed a cab for the very short ride to our hotel. Unfortunately, I was in a rush to get out of the taxi and managed to leave my computer and digital camera in the back seat. I realized what I had done before I had even opened the door to the hotel, but by then the taxi had sped away. For the next two days, I searched and searched...called Taxi Licensing Commission, visited with several cops, called the police precinct where lost items are supposed to be delivered by cabbies, etc., etc., etc.
Fortunately, the receipt for the cab included the medallion number for the cab, but the Taxi Licensing Commission was closed Sunday & Monday (Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday) and on Monday I spent hours trying to get hold of the driver. The police precinct reported that no notebook computers had been turned in.
Last night, I left a message for the cabbie...after getting bad phone numbers for him. I asked him to call me in my hotel. No return call when I awoke at 4:30 am, so I called and left a threatening message, saying I knew who he was, I had filed a police report, and I was going to do everything in my power to find him. He called back just as I was boarding my flight back to Dallas. I asked him to send my computer and camera back to me via Fed-Ex and told him I would call him later in the day with my Fed-Ex number. I did that, but then he started in on me, saying he did not believe the computer was mine. This conversation lasted quite a long time, and I was proud of myself for keeping my cool and not threatening to kill him and his family. Finally, he agreed to send it back to. He called later to say it was on its way. I only hope it really is. I wanted to get the tracking number, but his English was so poor that I could not understand much of what he said and vice versa.
I won't know whether it was returned until tomorrow afternoon, when I call back to the office from Long Beach, CA, where I am going for another trade show.
I won't have access to a computer, so will not be writing...but will be keeping my brief notes so that, if anything interesting happens, I can write about them with some degree of accuracy.
Finally, tonight, I must say of my trip from LaGuardia airport to the convention center on Sunday...it was frightening. I truly loathe cabbies who work hard to get me to wet my pants by playing aggressive, high-speed, high-stakes games of "Chicken" with large tanker trucks full of gasoline. I must say, too, that the New York City Police Department has some civilian employees in the Mid-South station who should be euthanized for the good of society. I must say, finally, that the New York Taxi Licensing Commission is tied with the Mid-South police precinct for having the most obnoxious, unintelligent, knuckle-dragging morons as customer service staff personnel.
More to come when I have access to a computer...now, it's time to wash clothes and repack.
I went to New York City early Sunday [January 15] morning (the same day Michelle Bachalet was elected president of Chile, I am pleased to say). When I arrived, I went straight to the Jacob Javits Convention Center to put up an exhibit booth, after which my colleague and I grabbed a cab for the very short ride to our hotel. Unfortunately, I was in a rush to get out of the taxi and managed to leave my computer and digital camera in the back seat. I realized what I had done before I had even opened the door to the hotel, but by then the taxi had sped away. For the next two days, I searched and searched...called Taxi Licensing Commission, visited with several cops, called the police precinct where lost items are supposed to be delivered by cabbies, etc., etc., etc.
Fortunately, the receipt for the cab included the medallion number for the cab, but the Taxi Licensing Commission was closed Sunday & Monday (Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday) and on Monday I spent hours trying to get hold of the driver. The police precinct reported that no notebook computers had been turned in.
Last night, I left a message for the cabbie...after getting bad phone numbers for him. I asked him to call me in my hotel. No return call when I awoke at 4:30 am, so I called and left a threatening message, saying I knew who he was, I had filed a police report, and I was going to do everything in my power to find him. He called back just as I was boarding my flight back to Dallas. I asked him to send my computer and camera back to me via Fed-Ex and told him I would call him later in the day with my Fed-Ex number. I did that, but then he started in on me, saying he did not believe the computer was mine. This conversation lasted quite a long time, and I was proud of myself for keeping my cool and not threatening to kill him and his family. Finally, he agreed to send it back to. He called later to say it was on its way. I only hope it really is. I wanted to get the tracking number, but his English was so poor that I could not understand much of what he said and vice versa.
I won't know whether it was returned until tomorrow afternoon, when I call back to the office from Long Beach, CA, where I am going for another trade show.
I won't have access to a computer, so will not be writing...but will be keeping my brief notes so that, if anything interesting happens, I can write about them with some degree of accuracy.
Finally, tonight, I must say of my trip from LaGuardia airport to the convention center on Sunday...it was frightening. I truly loathe cabbies who work hard to get me to wet my pants by playing aggressive, high-speed, high-stakes games of "Chicken" with large tanker trucks full of gasoline. I must say, too, that the New York City Police Department has some civilian employees in the Mid-South station who should be euthanized for the good of society. I must say, finally, that the New York Taxi Licensing Commission is tied with the Mid-South police precinct for having the most obnoxious, unintelligent, knuckle-dragging morons as customer service staff personnel.
More to come when I have access to a computer...now, it's time to wash clothes and repack.
Friday, January 13, 2006
Travelin' Man
Now that the new floors and paint are almost finished (the contractor says 3 more hours tomorrow to do fix-up and clean-up...but I think it will be more), the place is looking better. But it will take literally days of cleaning to get the house back to a truly livable condition, including a keyboard that does not accost me with everytouch.
But maybe my favorite wife will take care of all of that while I am away. Tomorrow, I spend time in the office trying to finish last minute stuff and then, early on Sunday, I'm off to New York City for a trade show. I'll miss the season openers (2 shows, night after night) of 24, the show to which I have grown addicted, and hope my wife will tape it for me. I will be in New York, dealing with being an exhibitor at a trade show. The show is Monday and Tuesday, then I return to Dallas on Wednesday mid-day, just in time to shower and shave and pack for a trip to Long Beach. I leave Thursday for Long Beach and I return the following Monday morning. Nightmare!
I used to enjoy travel. Now, I only enjoy it on my own time, on my own dime. The Long Beach trip is my own dime, since it is for an association we own, but it's not really for us. I just have to do it.
Back to the floor. It looks great, despite the dust. My wife is not happy with her selection of grout color, saying it is too red. I like it. The tile is reddish brown and the grout sets it off. I'll like it, by God, whether she does or not!
My wayfaring brother from Falba is still in Mexico. He has wandered around the Pacific Coast and is, I think, now headed back toward Guadalajara and Ajijic, with plans to bus back to Falba soon. I envy him being able to kick around Mexico for awhile; I was not meant to work but, instead, to wander and write and comment on wine.
Gotta go watch NPR and check on the availability of clean socks.
But maybe my favorite wife will take care of all of that while I am away. Tomorrow, I spend time in the office trying to finish last minute stuff and then, early on Sunday, I'm off to New York City for a trade show. I'll miss the season openers (2 shows, night after night) of 24, the show to which I have grown addicted, and hope my wife will tape it for me. I will be in New York, dealing with being an exhibitor at a trade show. The show is Monday and Tuesday, then I return to Dallas on Wednesday mid-day, just in time to shower and shave and pack for a trip to Long Beach. I leave Thursday for Long Beach and I return the following Monday morning. Nightmare!
I used to enjoy travel. Now, I only enjoy it on my own time, on my own dime. The Long Beach trip is my own dime, since it is for an association we own, but it's not really for us. I just have to do it.
Back to the floor. It looks great, despite the dust. My wife is not happy with her selection of grout color, saying it is too red. I like it. The tile is reddish brown and the grout sets it off. I'll like it, by God, whether she does or not!
My wayfaring brother from Falba is still in Mexico. He has wandered around the Pacific Coast and is, I think, now headed back toward Guadalajara and Ajijic, with plans to bus back to Falba soon. I envy him being able to kick around Mexico for awhile; I was not meant to work but, instead, to wander and write and comment on wine.
Gotta go watch NPR and check on the availability of clean socks.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Forcible Blogging
I'm forcing myself to write something in my blog...but it's hard. Miserable dust is making my keyboard an evil thing to touch and I'm sneezing with abandon, thanks to the dust from the sanding, floor replacement, etc. If nothing else, my blog will remind me later what I was experiencing so I can rewrite and redescribe in some way to make it more real, more interesting, and more bearable.
Tonight, my wife and I went out to eat Brazilian food...perhaps it wasn't the finest Brazilian restaurant, or perhaps it just happens to be a cuisine of which we are not particularly fond. It was tolerable, but hard to know what we were eating. The waitress spoke only broken English, but was probably fluent in Portugese. She could not describe what the very few dishes on the menu were, nor was there any explanation on the menu. People were nice, but not awfully helpful. We did learn that they have dinner buffets on Friday and Saturday nights and buffet lunches during the week; apparently, the choices are far greater when the buffet is being served. I need to learn a bit about Brazilian food before I return, so I will know what I am about to order or about to eat.
Fingers are rebelling...more tomorrow, perhaps.
Tonight, my wife and I went out to eat Brazilian food...perhaps it wasn't the finest Brazilian restaurant, or perhaps it just happens to be a cuisine of which we are not particularly fond. It was tolerable, but hard to know what we were eating. The waitress spoke only broken English, but was probably fluent in Portugese. She could not describe what the very few dishes on the menu were, nor was there any explanation on the menu. People were nice, but not awfully helpful. We did learn that they have dinner buffets on Friday and Saturday nights and buffet lunches during the week; apparently, the choices are far greater when the buffet is being served. I need to learn a bit about Brazilian food before I return, so I will know what I am about to order or about to eat.
Fingers are rebelling...more tomorrow, perhaps.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
My First Webinar
Today is my first official, open-to-all-interested-persons webinar. It's for a client, but I'm seeing quite a lot I could use for my business and our own for-profit association, as well. It involves a speaker (in this case, the client association president) using a PowerPoint presentation for talking points. It's easy to see how webinars can replace some in-person meetings. I have to get ready to go to the office...maybe I'll write more later about how it went. We have about 45 people signed up to participate, so it should be a good test of how it works.
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It's late in the afternoon now. The webinar went well, except for the fact that we did not notify participants of the password they would need in order to participate...making it a bit of a harried first few minutes of taking many phone calls, sending frantic emails, etc. But it went pretty well after that. I now see MUCH potential for using webinars for member education, PR, and a host of other such things. But for PR, etc., it will be necessary to act quickly, because everyone and their dogs will be doing it very soon and webinar offers will soon be like email spam. Too bad, because they really do have so much potential. If only the bottom-feeding scum would not take advantage of a good thing.
On a completely different subject, the tile in my hosue continues to get closer to completion. There's still much to do, but I can now envision how it will look and I think it will look very nice. My wife has to pick out the grout color tonight and then we will call the installer to let him know what grout to use...and tomorrow he says the grout will be put down on the walkway between the garage and the breakfast area. He says it will be completed, entirely, by Friday. I have my doubts, but hope he is right.
My fingers still despise typing on this miserably dusty keyboard, so enough for now.
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It's late in the afternoon now. The webinar went well, except for the fact that we did not notify participants of the password they would need in order to participate...making it a bit of a harried first few minutes of taking many phone calls, sending frantic emails, etc. But it went pretty well after that. I now see MUCH potential for using webinars for member education, PR, and a host of other such things. But for PR, etc., it will be necessary to act quickly, because everyone and their dogs will be doing it very soon and webinar offers will soon be like email spam. Too bad, because they really do have so much potential. If only the bottom-feeding scum would not take advantage of a good thing.
On a completely different subject, the tile in my hosue continues to get closer to completion. There's still much to do, but I can now envision how it will look and I think it will look very nice. My wife has to pick out the grout color tonight and then we will call the installer to let him know what grout to use...and tomorrow he says the grout will be put down on the walkway between the garage and the breakfast area. He says it will be completed, entirely, by Friday. I have my doubts, but hope he is right.
My fingers still despise typing on this miserably dusty keyboard, so enough for now.
Monday, January 9, 2006
A Powerful Message that's Very Informative
I listened today to another "This I Believe" piece on NPR. You have to understand that I am suspicious of this stuff. I think there are some nut-case Christians who want to control my mind and they may have control over the producers. But I heard something today that is utterly irrelevant to religion, but also utterly condemnatory of my lifestyle. It's a stark and reasonable attack on my 'sit back and comment' lifestyle. It was written by Jody Williams, who is the founding coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. It may even change me. It frightens me; it makes me realize that my words are meaningless; only through action can I matter:
How much of this can I live my life by? I do want to try.
I believe it is possible for ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things. For me, the difference between an "ordinary" and an "extraordinary" person is not the title that person might have, but what they do to make the world a better place for us all.
I have no idea why people choose to do what they do. When I was a kid I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I did know what I didn't want to do. I didn't want to grow up, have 2.2 kids, get married, the whole white picket fence thing. And I certainly didn't think about being an activist. I didn't even really know what one was.
My older brother was born deaf. Growing up, I ended up defending him and I often think that is what started me on my path to whatever it is I am today.
When I was approached with the idea of trying to create a landmine campaign, we were just three people in a small office in Washington, DC in late 1991. I certainly had more than a few ideas about how to begin a campaign, but what if nobody cared? What if nobody responded? But I knew the only way to answer those questions was to accept the challenge.
If I have any power as an individual, it's because I work with other individuals in countries all over the world. We are ordinary people: My friend Jemma from Armenia; Paul from Canada; Kosal, a landmine survivor from Cambodia; Haboubba from Lebanon; Christian from Norway; Diana from Colombia; Margaret, another landmine survivor from Uganda; and thousands more. We've all worked together to bring about extraordinary change. The landmine campaign is not just about landmines -- it's about the power of individuals to work with governments in a different way.
I believe in both my right and my responsibility to work to create a world that doesn't glorify violence and war, but where we seek different solutions to our common problems. I believe that these days, daring to voice your opinion, daring to find out information from a variety of sources, can be an act of courage.
I know that holding such beliefs and speaking them publicly is not always easy or comfortable or popular, particularly in the post-9/11 world. But I believe that life isn't a popularity contest. I really don’t care what people say about me -- and believe me, they’ve said plenty. For me, it’s about trying to do the right thing even when nobody else is looking.
I believe that worrying about the problems plaguing our planet without taking steps to confront them is absolutely irrelevant. The only thing that changes this world is taking action.
I believe that words are easy. I believe the truth is told in the actions we take. And I believe that if enough ordinary people back up our desire for a better world with action, I believe we can, in fact, accomplish absolutely extraordinary things.
How much of this can I live my life by? I do want to try.
Identity Erasure Through Carpentry...or something like that
Typing on a computer keyboard covered with a fine coating of gypsum dust is agonizing. It's hard to describe the sensation I feel as the tips of my fingers touch the keys; every touch gathers more dust, pressing the dust deep into the ridges of my fingerprints. I look at the tips of my fingers, but see no difference, but I can feel the difference. It's as if I am working to erase my fingerprints...each time my finger strikes a key, the depth of the ridge diminishes as a hair breadth of finely powdered dust finds its way into those ridges.
I'm doing this because I'm still dealing with the dust created by sanding the walls in my house as the painter prepared them for painting. The dust is exceptionally fine and it fills every microscopic void in the house. Every step I take across carpet gives rise to tiny clouds of dust beneath me, and those clouds waft through the rooms, covering everything. I dusted, quite aggressively, just yesterday and today I walked in and saw a white coating over everthing. I am looking forward to this project ending and to seeing a clean, dust-free house again.
I'm doing this because I'm still dealing with the dust created by sanding the walls in my house as the painter prepared them for painting. The dust is exceptionally fine and it fills every microscopic void in the house. Every step I take across carpet gives rise to tiny clouds of dust beneath me, and those clouds waft through the rooms, covering everything. I dusted, quite aggressively, just yesterday and today I walked in and saw a white coating over everthing. I am looking forward to this project ending and to seeing a clean, dust-free house again.
Sunday, January 8, 2006
How I Keep Current
I do not rely on newspapers for my news anymore...at least not on hard-copy newspapers. I get information online now from a variety of sources including CNN, NPR, domestic and foreign newspapers websites, etc. It's interesting how the Internet has changed the way information is distributed, delivered, stored, and used. If I were to rely on newspapers, I would not have known this early in the day (just after 6:00 am) that a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Greece early today and was felt in Athens. It's still too early to know whether it caused any damage, but it's amazing to me that I already know about it.
I buy the local Sunday paper, but I rarely read a great deal. Instead, I log on to the New York Times and get news, read book reviews, get thoroughly doused with heartfelt opinions from its op-ed pages, and just enjoy being entertained. For simple news reporting, I tend to read the CNN website and NPR website and scan a few others. And to get a sense of what others think of us here in the U.S., I scan a few English language sites from other countries.
I am able to have custom tailored news delivered to my email account, thanks to Google news alerts. I've only set up two of them thus far and probably will be very careful in setting up more, for fear of being inundated with messages. I set up one to ensure that I am made aware of news stories dealing with one of my client associations...any time a specific phrase appears in a news story, I receive an email link to that story. Because most hard-copy news items also find their way online quickly (often before appearing in print), I usually get to read the news as quickly as anyone who subscribes to the magazine or newspaper.
I'm still not quite sure how I can do all of this without having to pay for it; I don't see how advertisers are paying the bill, but then perhaps I do not fully understand Internet advertising. It would not surprise me, though, to find that I will have to pay subscription fees, etc. to keep this sor to thing coming.
I've spent enough time sharing my thoughts this morning. Next, I'll keep after the mountains of dust in my house...but first, I have the remains of a pot of very nice and strong coffee to finish.
I buy the local Sunday paper, but I rarely read a great deal. Instead, I log on to the New York Times and get news, read book reviews, get thoroughly doused with heartfelt opinions from its op-ed pages, and just enjoy being entertained. For simple news reporting, I tend to read the CNN website and NPR website and scan a few others. And to get a sense of what others think of us here in the U.S., I scan a few English language sites from other countries.
I am able to have custom tailored news delivered to my email account, thanks to Google news alerts. I've only set up two of them thus far and probably will be very careful in setting up more, for fear of being inundated with messages. I set up one to ensure that I am made aware of news stories dealing with one of my client associations...any time a specific phrase appears in a news story, I receive an email link to that story. Because most hard-copy news items also find their way online quickly (often before appearing in print), I usually get to read the news as quickly as anyone who subscribes to the magazine or newspaper.
I'm still not quite sure how I can do all of this without having to pay for it; I don't see how advertisers are paying the bill, but then perhaps I do not fully understand Internet advertising. It would not surprise me, though, to find that I will have to pay subscription fees, etc. to keep this sor to thing coming.
I've spent enough time sharing my thoughts this morning. Next, I'll keep after the mountains of dust in my house...but first, I have the remains of a pot of very nice and strong coffee to finish.
Saturday, January 7, 2006
Learning Access and Cleaning Up the House
I have a long list of things to do around the house...clean up, fix-up, clear-away, put up, dust, etc., etc., etc. So, later today I will devote some time to those tasks. This morning, though, I will go to my office to meet with three other people on staff, along with a guy who is a Microsoft Access expert, to learn something about using Access in my business. What I know so far has been learned through trial and error, getting online help, etc. I'm tired of slogging my way through it that way and tired of being the only person in the office who is able to solve problems by using Access. So, today is the beginning of getting other people involved.
They want to know how to use Access, too, and I want them to know how to do it right. Hence the outside expert...I'm afraid I may have learned the longest, most convoluted ways of doing what I can do...I want them to learn how to do it right. And I want to know how I can do it faster, easier, simpler. Mostly, though, I want my staff to be able to do the work, instead of me. It't not that I'm lazy, just that I feel that, if I am going to pay these people, they should contribute the way I want them to. Since I've not invested much, so far, in training them to do what I want them to do, it's time I did.
So, this morning is Access training...this afternoon is clean-up, errands, fix-up...and this evening will be a time to relax. Now what I need is time and solitude to write.
They want to know how to use Access, too, and I want them to know how to do it right. Hence the outside expert...I'm afraid I may have learned the longest, most convoluted ways of doing what I can do...I want them to learn how to do it right. And I want to know how I can do it faster, easier, simpler. Mostly, though, I want my staff to be able to do the work, instead of me. It't not that I'm lazy, just that I feel that, if I am going to pay these people, they should contribute the way I want them to. Since I've not invested much, so far, in training them to do what I want them to do, it's time I did.
So, this morning is Access training...this afternoon is clean-up, errands, fix-up...and this evening will be a time to relax. Now what I need is time and solitude to write.
Friday, January 6, 2006
I'm Not Smart Enough to Be Fair or Dumb Enough to be Happy
Today, I heard too many reports on the news about people in Texas who probably were not guilty, yet were executed by the State. It hurts me physically to think about that. It's horrible.
That's not the only thing that is on my mind today. Today, I question my own worth...today, I wonder why I can live a reasonably nice life, while people who are unquestionably better human beings than I can not. It's not just a matter of our justice system abusing people, it's about the rest of us doing it. Why do we kill people? I used to be a huge supporter of capital punishment. I'm not at all a supporter today. The fact that I would have supported the death penalty makes me ashamed. And I feel ashamed that I live in a rather nice house, without many awful attributes, but people who are at least as good as I am are living in squalor. I could change that, but I haven't. I could offer a place for them to stay, but I don't.
I do have mixed feelings. It is reasonable to believe, I think, that inviting utter strangers into one's home is not a good idea. But that attitude encourages us to keep our distance from strangers....it makes us not want to know them, to understand them.
I don't know if I have enough goodness in me to do the right thing. I don't know if I could ignore my own value, or lack thereof, enough to give others what they deserve.
I'm confused tonight. I have too much, I don't give others enough, I don't share my
largesse with people who deserve it. I want to be a good person, but I don't think I have enough strength.
My sister is going to Egypt. I want her to learn a lot and enjoy herself and come back in 2 weeks happy. My brother is going to take the bus back from Mexico, experiencing the world the way Mexican families experience travel through that country. My brother and sister in Texas are living lives of people who live almost in poverty. My brother and his wife in Mexico are living in a foreign land, not knowing that they can depend on the government to take care of them. I live in Dallas, in a place that ignores the rest of the world. It's embarrassing! I'm too fat and happy. I don't want to live a hard life, but I want to appreciate people who do...I want to always understand and recognize and acknowledge and help them. It's too easy to forget. I allow myself to forget.
Who out in the world shares my thoughts? Am I insane? Am I an utter loser, unable to accept happiness the way I should? This has been a long week. I want some respite from it.
That's not the only thing that is on my mind today. Today, I question my own worth...today, I wonder why I can live a reasonably nice life, while people who are unquestionably better human beings than I can not. It's not just a matter of our justice system abusing people, it's about the rest of us doing it. Why do we kill people? I used to be a huge supporter of capital punishment. I'm not at all a supporter today. The fact that I would have supported the death penalty makes me ashamed. And I feel ashamed that I live in a rather nice house, without many awful attributes, but people who are at least as good as I am are living in squalor. I could change that, but I haven't. I could offer a place for them to stay, but I don't.
I do have mixed feelings. It is reasonable to believe, I think, that inviting utter strangers into one's home is not a good idea. But that attitude encourages us to keep our distance from strangers....it makes us not want to know them, to understand them.
I don't know if I have enough goodness in me to do the right thing. I don't know if I could ignore my own value, or lack thereof, enough to give others what they deserve.
I'm confused tonight. I have too much, I don't give others enough, I don't share my
largesse with people who deserve it. I want to be a good person, but I don't think I have enough strength.
My sister is going to Egypt. I want her to learn a lot and enjoy herself and come back in 2 weeks happy. My brother is going to take the bus back from Mexico, experiencing the world the way Mexican families experience travel through that country. My brother and sister in Texas are living lives of people who live almost in poverty. My brother and his wife in Mexico are living in a foreign land, not knowing that they can depend on the government to take care of them. I live in Dallas, in a place that ignores the rest of the world. It's embarrassing! I'm too fat and happy. I don't want to live a hard life, but I want to appreciate people who do...I want to always understand and recognize and acknowledge and help them. It's too easy to forget. I allow myself to forget.
Who out in the world shares my thoughts? Am I insane? Am I an utter loser, unable to accept happiness the way I should? This has been a long week. I want some respite from it.
Thursday, January 5, 2006
Much Painting and Such
The painters have come back to (almost) complete the painting jobs. We now have a nice two-tone dining room, in two shades of gray, with a bright white trim. The entryway is light gray, with the same white. The guest bath is gray, too, and will eventually have nice white trim (couldn't afford the trim there to be painted).
All the tile has been removed from the kitchen and breakfast room, leaving a godawful dusty mess all over the house. Dust everywhere! Tomorrow, the work begins to float the concrete floors smooth, after which 16" tiles (dark brown, mottled, with a slate texture) will be laid at a 45 degree angle, instead of the 90 degree pattern that was there before.
I'd rather be home, working on the house, than at the office thinking about it during the say. Much more interesting...but the pay isn't adequate!
My keyboard is dusty and so is my computer screen. The keyboard feels awful on my fingers, so it's time to stop.
All the tile has been removed from the kitchen and breakfast room, leaving a godawful dusty mess all over the house. Dust everywhere! Tomorrow, the work begins to float the concrete floors smooth, after which 16" tiles (dark brown, mottled, with a slate texture) will be laid at a 45 degree angle, instead of the 90 degree pattern that was there before.
I'd rather be home, working on the house, than at the office thinking about it during the say. Much more interesting...but the pay isn't adequate!
My keyboard is dusty and so is my computer screen. The keyboard feels awful on my fingers, so it's time to stop.
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
Miners
I wrote the bit below earlier this evening. I'll write just a tiny bit more, on a different subject. The painting and repair work on our house is progressing and, I hope, coming to an end in the not-too-distant future. We cancelled some of the work due to cost...I may try to do it myself. But what's being done is an improvement. The house is godawful dusty, though...a fine layer of white dust on EVERYTHING. It will take months to clean up. Tomorrow, the guest bath will (we hope) be painted a light shade of gray. Later, we'll jazz up the trim and mirrors and such. But at least the torn sheetrock and twisted wallpaper will be history.
I'm tired. More later...in the week.
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Today, the news from West Virginia was heartbreaking...first, the miners' families were told 12 miners were alive and well, then they learned they had died. That must have been a gut-wrenching, horrible experience.
I'm thinking of the miners and their families tonight. I can't empathize, because I've never experienced such a thing, and I hope I never do. But I do feel for the families. It must be awful.
I have much more to say, but I am leaving shortly to meet my wife for dinner. I will try to write more later. I may not. The mood is not right. It may change.
I'm tired. More later...in the week.
-------------------------------------------------------
Today, the news from West Virginia was heartbreaking...first, the miners' families were told 12 miners were alive and well, then they learned they had died. That must have been a gut-wrenching, horrible experience.
I'm thinking of the miners and their families tonight. I can't empathize, because I've never experienced such a thing, and I hope I never do. But I do feel for the families. It must be awful.
I have much more to say, but I am leaving shortly to meet my wife for dinner. I will try to write more later. I may not. The mood is not right. It may change.
Tuesday, January 3, 2006
Calm
I have my little Buddha to remind me to be calm and rational. I'm reminded to savor the moment, and not to live in a dreamscape of wishes and fantasy. I'm back at work, back to something I need to understand. Why am I here, doing this job? I think, perhaps, doing this job is simply teaching me what I should avoid.