Blog number 316 **** 17 July 2009
We have, in the bathroom, a scale that measures weight not by using springs or balances or any other obvious weight measuring device. Instead it uses what appears to me to be the electrical resistance between the heels of the feet and the balls of the feet. Can you believe that?
I don't understand.
Friday, July 17, 2009
NOW THAT WAS A BAD MOVIE!
Blog number 315 **** 17 July 2009
We went to see the movie, "My Sister's Keeper" today. It had, in order to hold our interest, lots and lots of flashbacks accompanied by photos, photos, photos of the family making funny faces and having fun, fun, fun. Ever watch a family's vacation photos for an hour? A family you never met? Like that.
I kept thinking, "Damn! So die already! Reminded me of that Academy Award winning movie, "The English Patient." I kept praying for death all through that one too. Another match between the two movies is that we walked out on both of them.
We went to see the movie, "My Sister's Keeper" today. It had, in order to hold our interest, lots and lots of flashbacks accompanied by photos, photos, photos of the family making funny faces and having fun, fun, fun. Ever watch a family's vacation photos for an hour? A family you never met? Like that.
I kept thinking, "Damn! So die already! Reminded me of that Academy Award winning movie, "The English Patient." I kept praying for death all through that one too. Another match between the two movies is that we walked out on both of them.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
NOW THAT WAS A GOOD DAY!
Blog number 314 **** 11 July 2009
We went to Fry's for groceries yesterday. I drink espressos while mi espousa shops. I carry only two dollar bills and fifty cent pieces and the bills are folded up in my change purse, so when I go to pay, I take them all out (just the bills, not the fifty cent pieces) and peel off the number of bills I need. When I peeled off three yesterday, one of the two girls standing there said, "Where do you get all those two dollar bills?""
I buy them," I told her. "I only pay a dollar each for them."
Still holding the bills, she looked at me in amazement and I could see the gears grinding away in her head. I grinned and waved my hand in front of her, saying, "No, no."
She laughed and said she had plans already forming about buying a lot of two dollar bills and making a fortune. She continued, "I'm so gullible."
I said, "You know, they took 'gullible' out of the dictionary, don't you?" She kind of nodded, like she'd heard it before, but the other girl said, "Really? Why'd they do that?"
Hah! Fun day.
We went to Fry's for groceries yesterday. I drink espressos while mi espousa shops. I carry only two dollar bills and fifty cent pieces and the bills are folded up in my change purse, so when I go to pay, I take them all out (just the bills, not the fifty cent pieces) and peel off the number of bills I need. When I peeled off three yesterday, one of the two girls standing there said, "Where do you get all those two dollar bills?""
I buy them," I told her. "I only pay a dollar each for them."
Still holding the bills, she looked at me in amazement and I could see the gears grinding away in her head. I grinned and waved my hand in front of her, saying, "No, no."
She laughed and said she had plans already forming about buying a lot of two dollar bills and making a fortune. She continued, "I'm so gullible."
I said, "You know, they took 'gullible' out of the dictionary, don't you?" She kind of nodded, like she'd heard it before, but the other girl said, "Really? Why'd they do that?"
Hah! Fun day.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
WEIRD WAR STORIES
Blog number 313 **** 07 July 2009
I'm reading a book called, "Vicksburg 1863" - a story about the siege of Vicksburg Mississippi during the American Civil War.
The Federals have Vicksburg surrounded, but the Rebels have been able to prevent them from entering the city. The Federals tunnel under the Rebel's trenches and breastworks, fill the tunnels with barrels of black powder and then set off the barrels, blowing up the breastworks.
The Rebels start a tunnel on their side, hoping to blow up the Federals tunnel before the Federals can set it off. The Federals blow up their tunnel before the rebels can set theirs off, killing six men. Because of this, the Rebels started using slaves for tunneling, with one white overseer.
One slave had been working deep underground when the tunnel was set off. The blast sailed him clear over into the Federal line. When asked how high he thought he had been blown, he replied, "Dunno, massa, but I t'ink about t'ree miles."
A contingent of Iowa soldiers set the man up in a tent and charged fifty cents for people to take a look at him.
On another page, there is a description of a man about to eat from a spoon who has the spoon shot out from his hand. He said, "That was cool." - one hundred years before it was cool to say cool.
I'm reading a book called, "Vicksburg 1863" - a story about the siege of Vicksburg Mississippi during the American Civil War.
The Federals have Vicksburg surrounded, but the Rebels have been able to prevent them from entering the city. The Federals tunnel under the Rebel's trenches and breastworks, fill the tunnels with barrels of black powder and then set off the barrels, blowing up the breastworks.
The Rebels start a tunnel on their side, hoping to blow up the Federals tunnel before the Federals can set it off. The Federals blow up their tunnel before the rebels can set theirs off, killing six men. Because of this, the Rebels started using slaves for tunneling, with one white overseer.
One slave had been working deep underground when the tunnel was set off. The blast sailed him clear over into the Federal line. When asked how high he thought he had been blown, he replied, "Dunno, massa, but I t'ink about t'ree miles."
A contingent of Iowa soldiers set the man up in a tent and charged fifty cents for people to take a look at him.
On another page, there is a description of a man about to eat from a spoon who has the spoon shot out from his hand. He said, "That was cool." - one hundred years before it was cool to say cool.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
IT'S BEEN A NICE DAY
Blog number 312 **** 01 July 2009
Back in the early seventies I worked in an office in the Air Force with a secretary. She was taking a literature course in Junior College. She let me read a short story in one of her books about a married Japanese couple that had to commit seppuku - Hari Kari to the uninitiated. The story was mostly a detailed account of what constitutes seppuku.
That story has remained in the back of my mind ever since.
Two days ago I finished reading a book called, "Rogue Messiahs" by Colin Wilson. It's an interesting book about people like Jim Jones and Alister Crowley, et al. Mentioned in the list of rogue messiahs was one Mishima Yukio, and mentioned in his list of stories and novels that he had written, was "Patriotism," which was that same story I had read lo those many years ago. It was like running unexpectedly into an old friend.
Then today, reading an autobiography by Robert Klein called, "The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue," I find that Mr. Klein had directed a one-act play called, "Crawling Arnold" - a play in which I had a large part when I took Drama in Junior College. THAT was an even closer "old friend." I haven't been in all that many plays. One in seventh grade, one as a Senior in High School, and then Crawling Arnold. Three.
*************************************
Tonight we went to Mimi's for dinner. One of our favorite waitresses was just getting off work and Teresa stopped to talk to her. I, standing behind Teresa, heard this sweet voice to my right. I looked and a brunette about four years old was actively engaged with her family. I reached over and put my hand on top of her head. She didn't respond, but her mother told her, "That man said hi to you."
The little girl turned around, looked at me with pleasure and said hi. Then she scrambled to get out of the booth, hurried to me, grabbed me around the legs and gave me a big hug. What a surprise, after so many babies being afraid of me. I never expected that. Teresa saw this and said hi to the girl, so she ran to Teresa and gave her a big hug. She then proceeded to tell us who were her sisters, her brother, her Daddy and her Mother.
Sweet, sweet, child.
Back in the early seventies I worked in an office in the Air Force with a secretary. She was taking a literature course in Junior College. She let me read a short story in one of her books about a married Japanese couple that had to commit seppuku - Hari Kari to the uninitiated. The story was mostly a detailed account of what constitutes seppuku.
That story has remained in the back of my mind ever since.
Two days ago I finished reading a book called, "Rogue Messiahs" by Colin Wilson. It's an interesting book about people like Jim Jones and Alister Crowley, et al. Mentioned in the list of rogue messiahs was one Mishima Yukio, and mentioned in his list of stories and novels that he had written, was "Patriotism," which was that same story I had read lo those many years ago. It was like running unexpectedly into an old friend.
Then today, reading an autobiography by Robert Klein called, "The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue," I find that Mr. Klein had directed a one-act play called, "Crawling Arnold" - a play in which I had a large part when I took Drama in Junior College. THAT was an even closer "old friend." I haven't been in all that many plays. One in seventh grade, one as a Senior in High School, and then Crawling Arnold. Three.
*************************************
Tonight we went to Mimi's for dinner. One of our favorite waitresses was just getting off work and Teresa stopped to talk to her. I, standing behind Teresa, heard this sweet voice to my right. I looked and a brunette about four years old was actively engaged with her family. I reached over and put my hand on top of her head. She didn't respond, but her mother told her, "That man said hi to you."
The little girl turned around, looked at me with pleasure and said hi. Then she scrambled to get out of the booth, hurried to me, grabbed me around the legs and gave me a big hug. What a surprise, after so many babies being afraid of me. I never expected that. Teresa saw this and said hi to the girl, so she ran to Teresa and gave her a big hug. She then proceeded to tell us who were her sisters, her brother, her Daddy and her Mother.
Sweet, sweet, child.
YOU NEVER KNOW, REALLY
Blog number 311 **** 01 July 2009
I can't help but think that there is an untold story to Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme shenanigans. He always looks so like a kind old man - in newspaper pictures and on the telly, and it has been my experience that people's innards show in their faces. Nixon looked like a slimy person, George W. looks slow of mind, Barney Franks looks like a "to hell with you if you don't like it" person, Hitler looked nuts, Goering looked self-satisfied.
Madoff never, to my knowledge, ever showed that hubris that is so common to those who rule by deceit. He was the only Ponzi schemer that, instead of being caught, confessed before anyone knew what was going on.
I wonder if his relationship with his wife had anything to do with it - that it started by him acceding to a wish or two of hers and just grew. I have trouble believing that he started out thinking, "I'm going to cheat a lot of my friends out of a lot of money." Not with that face, he didn't.
I can't help but think that there is an untold story to Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme shenanigans. He always looks so like a kind old man - in newspaper pictures and on the telly, and it has been my experience that people's innards show in their faces. Nixon looked like a slimy person, George W. looks slow of mind, Barney Franks looks like a "to hell with you if you don't like it" person, Hitler looked nuts, Goering looked self-satisfied.
Madoff never, to my knowledge, ever showed that hubris that is so common to those who rule by deceit. He was the only Ponzi schemer that, instead of being caught, confessed before anyone knew what was going on.
I wonder if his relationship with his wife had anything to do with it - that it started by him acceding to a wish or two of hers and just grew. I have trouble believing that he started out thinking, "I'm going to cheat a lot of my friends out of a lot of money." Not with that face, he didn't.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
MAUS
Blog number 310 **** 20 June 2009
So I'm reading this comix called, "Maus." It's a biography about a man's father who describes what it was like in the concentration camps in Germany during the Good War.
One of the stories tells of this old man who, at every appel (a counting of prisoners) would loudly complain, "I don't belong here with these Polacks and Yids, I am a German like you. I have medals from the Kaiser. My SON is a German soldier."
He eventually disappeared. The man telling the story couldn't remember exactly, but he was either sent to the gas chambers or a guard pushed him down and jumped on his neck.
Now what struck me was not so much that his guy was being treated unfairly and nobody would listen to him, but that he was thinking only of how badly HE was being treated. He had no concern at all of the thousands of other human beings there with him that were being treated as he was.
And more, I don't believe that that man was all that different from the great majority of humans that populate this Earth. We have not yet matured enough as a species for that type of behavior not to be the norm. Seems a shame, but there it is. Nothing anyone can do about it.
Me and mine, not you and yours.
I woke up this morning thinking about the above and it struck me that if the guy was really a Jew and was just trying to get better treatment or even get relased, then that would seem an honorable thing to do. Like trying to get out of a body of water instead of drowning. It was him complaining that he wasn't like these other "guys" and thus didn't deserve the same treatment as they did that struck me as maybe in a pre-karmic way, "deserved."
I wonder what I would have done in similar circumstances.
Bad Mojo any way you look at it. Bad times. Bad people. Yuk.
So I'm reading this comix called, "Maus." It's a biography about a man's father who describes what it was like in the concentration camps in Germany during the Good War.
One of the stories tells of this old man who, at every appel (a counting of prisoners) would loudly complain, "I don't belong here with these Polacks and Yids, I am a German like you. I have medals from the Kaiser. My SON is a German soldier."
He eventually disappeared. The man telling the story couldn't remember exactly, but he was either sent to the gas chambers or a guard pushed him down and jumped on his neck.
Now what struck me was not so much that his guy was being treated unfairly and nobody would listen to him, but that he was thinking only of how badly HE was being treated. He had no concern at all of the thousands of other human beings there with him that were being treated as he was.
And more, I don't believe that that man was all that different from the great majority of humans that populate this Earth. We have not yet matured enough as a species for that type of behavior not to be the norm. Seems a shame, but there it is. Nothing anyone can do about it.
Me and mine, not you and yours.
I woke up this morning thinking about the above and it struck me that if the guy was really a Jew and was just trying to get better treatment or even get relased, then that would seem an honorable thing to do. Like trying to get out of a body of water instead of drowning. It was him complaining that he wasn't like these other "guys" and thus didn't deserve the same treatment as they did that struck me as maybe in a pre-karmic way, "deserved."
I wonder what I would have done in similar circumstances.
Bad Mojo any way you look at it. Bad times. Bad people. Yuk.
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