Personal Musings category archive
Stray Thought, Still Rising Again Dept. 0
It occurred to me yesterday that so many persons who are white like me are hostile to any remembrance of Juneteenth because it emphasizes what precisely was the cause that was lost in what has mythologized as the Lost Cause.
To put it another way, celebrating, or even recognizing, Juneteenth calls out the lie that the Civil War was about anything other than chattel slavery.
Those Who Ignore History . . . . 0
A people that refuses to face its past is condemned not learn from its history.
Image via Yellowdoggranny.
Driving to Distractions 0
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gene Collier is not enamored of all the tech in his new car. A snippet:
Well too late, my intrepid researcher.
(snip)
Frankly, I’d love to act as if the vehicle doesn’t have any of this stuff, but the vehicle continues to flaunt it. My ever-changing instrument cluster is consistently flashing unsolicited messages such as “Keep both hands on the wheel,” and “Lead car has departed,” comments that seem about a step removed from “Don’t pick your nose.”
Thank heavens, my new(er) car is free of most of the nagware. The most annoying thing is that, when the fuel gets low, it displays a message reading “[mumble] miles to empty,” as if I am incapable of seeing the fuel gauge right in front of me. I have to punch the okay button on the steering wheel to make it go away, but at least it goes away until the next time I start the car.
Other than that, though, it pretty much lets me drive it; it doesn’t try to drive me.
“Fake Left, Run Right” 0
I used to enjoy watching football, both pro and college.
What turned me off was the corruption.
I get so much more useful stuff done on weekends any more.
Aside:
I never had enjoyed basketball or hockey on the television, though I used to enjoy them in person when I lived conveniently close to an arena. I find them too fast-moving to fit inside the screen. I still enjoy baseball, but the games are getting so looooooooonnnnnnggggg.
Stray Thought 0
As my old professor, Dr. Shade, used to say, “History is irony.”
To wit, the persons trying hardest to destroy the American ideal wear American flags* and boast loudest about how patriotic they are.
_________________
*A violation of the Flag Code, by the way.
Leaks (Updated) 0
No, not news leaks. Water leaks.
If you do not have a leak detector, get one.
I have an inexpensive one, powered by a nine-volt battery (indeed, I just put in a new battery yesterday, as I do every spring and fall), that sounds an alarm when it detects water. It sits in the drain pan under my hot water heater and HVAC system, which in this place is in the attic. (Don’t get me started on how stupid it is to put this equipment in the attic for Pete’s sake. The only reason I can think of for doing that is so the developer could advertise [mumble] more square feet of living space. But it was a done deal when I moved here.)
Several years ago, that little leak detector sounded an alert, which led me to learn that my water heater tank was leaking and the heater needed replaced (I replaced it with a tankless water heater that works very nicely thank you very much). Tonight it sounded again, and I discovered moisture that means I will be calling the plumber to check things out tomorrow.
It was $15.00 well spent for me and would be for you too.
Addendum:
The plumber could find no leaks. He diagnosed the issue as condensation because of increased humidity.
I was happy to pay for the service call. It was a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Stray Question 0
Donald Trump took an oath to “. . . preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
How’s he doing so far?
Stray Thought, War and Mongers of War Dept. 0
A bayonet is not a scalpel.
On the battlefield, there is no such thing as a “surgical strike,” despite what the mongers of war would have you believe.
Stray Thought 0
Daylight savings time is a con and a scam which disrupts our lives twice a year and accomplishes little else.
The Climates They Are a-Changing 0
It’s March 6 and I had to turn on the AC to remove humidity from the house.
But climate change is a myth.
Also, pigs, wings.
In One Ear . . . . 0
Boy, it sure sounded like the D. J. on my local classical music station just said, “That was soulless William Bennett on the flute.”
The Climates They Are a-Changing 0
The dinosaurs did not know that the meteor was headed their way.
We see the meteor and choose to do (almost) nothing.
Stray Thought, COVID Corner Dept. 0
“Inconvenience” and “hardship” are not synonyms.
Stray Question 0
Why do we venerate actors who play parts created by others in made-up stories above those who do real things in the real world?
Stray Thought 0
If HUAC were still a thing, it would be compelled to investigate today’s Republican Party.
Stray Thought, Devolution Dept. 0
I suspect that future historians, should scholarship survive the impending floods and famines made inevitable by our societal paralysis in the face of accelerating climate change, will conclude that one of the tipping points in the self-destruction of our society came when persons stopped thinking of themselves as fellow participants in the polity and starting thinking of themselves as brands battling for “likes” and “followers.”
I am not sanguine.
Stray Thought 0
It is notable that about the only bit of speculation in the speculative movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, that has come close to fruition is HAL, the malevolent computer.
