Ballon, ballon

Wednesday is trash night, let the rejoicing begin. Anyway, two weeks ago, and why I didn’t mention it then I don’t know, but two weeks ago I was taking out the trash. It was late so it was dark. Just after I took a can to the curb and started back up the driveway, I heard a sound behind me across the street. I turned around to see what was there, wondering if there was some animal wandering down the street. It was dark, I was curious and I didn’t want to be surprised by anything. But I was surprised, because what I saw was a large red balloon going down the street.

I watched it for a while, more than a little surprised to see a large red balloon heading down the street rather late at night. I looked around, wondering what I would see next and then said, out loud, “If there’s a small French boy around here somewhere I am going to freak.”

Then I went back inside and related the bizarre experience to my wife.

I wonder what film character I will see wandering down the street next?

What's all this then?

Yes, I have been posting a lot today. No, I do not know why.

It’s probably just nervous energy. I would not expect this to continue at this pace. I also can’t guarantee the quality of future content.

Mea culpa

I have to admit that I didn’t watch the press conference this evening, even though I did just post a couple of political/economy posts which may appear to be in response to something said. My posts aren’t in response because I didn’t see the conference – also, my first post was before it was held.

I tend not to watch Presidential press conferences. I watch campaign speeches to see all of the candidates so that I can evaluate the situation. I have rarely watched press conferences because even when the questions are not inane the answers tend towards campaign style talking. I don’t need more of that.

I do often read transcripts, but all too often I find the press conferences tedious.

Besides, I wasn’t home tonight during the press conference. So there.

Nickleby

Can we get rid of No Child Left Behind? It’s designed more to help get public education privatized than about improving education. I know that there are arguments to be made about class size and teacher salaries and performance and curricula and student performance and lengthening of the school day - which if nothing else would help parents with child care - among other things. But we need to focus on education and not just teaching students how to take specific tests.


I don’t know where that came from, it’s just something I thought of just now.

Oh, joy

Wall Street loves the latest proposal to buy up toxic debt. That alone tells me that it is a very bad idea.

Can we just buy all these mortgages at current value already, like we did in the 1930s? That actually saved lives, homes and made a profit. Then we can put these failed banks into receivership, get them back on their feet and then sell them – and make a profit on that as well.

In the end, everybody wins, because that was how we built the prosperity that was enjoyed in this country in the previous century.

The blueprint for recovery exists but no one has the will or the moral or political courage to follow it.

Those aren't criminis

As I was driving home from the store yesterday, White Rabbit by Airplane came on the radio and I got to thinking about it – it’s also been going through my head ever since but that’s another story.

For some reason my first thought was to wonder why the song has never been used in a Viagra commercial. You know, one pill makes you larger …

Remember, if you experience an erection lasting more than 4 hours, go ask Alice.


On a related note, there is a Visa commercial about going to the aquarium – you can see it here - and it shows all of the aquatic life swimming around with the Moody Blues playing in the background. My wife was wondering who had the marine-life related acid trip to come up with that one.

Anyway.


Peace. Love.

Just a thought

I am older than at least 3.5 billion people. Or to put it another way, more than half the people in the world are younger than I am.

I don’t think that means anything, nothing encouraging anyway, it was just something that occurred to me.

I want my hour back

I'm sorry, but I've never been a big fan of Daylight Saving Time. Maybe it's because I used to walk to the bus stop in pre-dawn light because of it. Maybe it's because I'm not a farmer and don't use natural light for my work - except farmers complained about it too. Maybe it's because of the specious argument that it will save energy, even though the lights are on whenever people in a city are at work no matter what time of day it is. Maybe it's because there have been times in my life when I have driven to work in the dark and driven home in the dark in the middle of the Summer so it didn't do me one damn bit of good.

Maybe I'm just a curmudgeon.

Actually, I think it's just because I can tell that it's not natural. I like daylight as much as the next person, and I know that timekeeping is an arbitrary thing, but it just doesn't feel right.

I guess that proves it, I'm a curmudgeon.

It's just that 8 months of it seems absurd.

What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on here?!

Oh holy shit. Blazing Saddles came out in 1974. That’s 35 years ago! I am so old.


Can anyone guess what movie I watched recently?