Personal Musings category archive
Stray Thought, Long Time Out Dept. 0
You know the Sports Department at my local rag is getting desperate from the lack of sports news when they run the results of the Canadian Football League draft on the sports page where they would normally have box scores.
I can’t find it on their website, but I saw it with my own eyes.
Anniversary 0
Despite Disney’s attempts to turn today into “Star Wars Day” (whatever the heck that means, this is what deserves to be memorialized today.
Stray Thought 0
It is quite clear that the very very rich, ensconced in their multiple houses, ginormous yachts, and do-nothing sinecures, have no clue about what life is like for the rest of us.
Kludge 0
Someone not at all techy asked me to define “kludge” today in connection with a conversation about a kludge.
The best I could come up with was this: “It’s like prose by Dickens. You know there’s meaning in there somewhere, but you have to work very hard to find it.”
Aside:
I tried to read The Pickwick Papers multiple times and never got past chapter five.
Stray Thought, One Tool in the Toolkit Dept. 0
It occurred to me last night that Donald Trump and his dupes, symps, and fellow travelers have not realized that you can’t bully a virus.
And the Farce Renews 0
Once again, we have sprung forward in docile and sheep-like service to an unproven and likely baseless notion.
Suffering from Consumption 0
I just took a legitimate on-line survey from a legitimate on-line survey outfit in which “watching the news” was referred to as “consuming content.”
You don’t “consume” news, for Pete’s sake. You watch it or read it or listen to it or perhaps even witness it first-hand.
You “consume” peanut butter (or sardines or chocolates or what have you).
We are a society of stupid.
Stray Thought, Textual Interpretation Dept. 0
Judging from the activity of my telly fones, the “Do Not Call List” is thoroughly castrated, so I reckon that my wish for a “Do Not Text List” is a lost cause. But, honest to Betsy, I’m sick of unsigned texts from unknown phones asking me to support/contribute to/vote for this or that pol/cause/campaign.
If they signed their names, I might feel more charitabl–On second thought, no.
Obnoxious and intrusive is obnoxious and intrusive, signed or unsigned.
Devolution 0
We have gone from the President who “could not tell a lie” to the President who cannot tell the truth.
“Those Who Forget History . . . .” 0
I suspect that I am not the only person to fear that the leaders (Johnson:EU::Trump:NATO) of certain English-speaking countries that fought World War II have chosen to forget lessons learned from that struggle.
PETA PITA 0
Sometimes I can sort of maybe understand where PETA is coming from a perhaps a tiny little bit, then they come out with something like this.
Stray Thought 0
In the great majority of cases, a so-called “moderate Republican” is one who must wrestle with his or her conscience before doing the wrong thing.
A Day in the Life 0
(Scene: Dentist’s office, as I requested a reminder card for my next appointment.)
Me: I forgot my phone, so I had to do something not many persons do any more.
Receptionist: Take notes?
Me: No. Think.
Brand Gestures 0
The notion that “branding” is ipso facto the answer to everything (or, for that matter, anything) is unutterably stupid.
Demasculation 0
It is amusing, in a dark and sinister manner, to watch all those responsible gun owners panic at the prospect of any restrictions on their portable phalli.
Stray Thought 0
The volume of unread email I have to delete has certainly decreased since the election.
Stray Thought 0
There’s nothing like outsmarting a plumbing problem to brighten a Harry Homeowner’s day.
Stray Thought, Wasted Electrons Dept. 0
The amount of junk email I receive has decreased since November 5.
But now I’m getting texts from spammers wanting to sell me Trump Junk.
Looking Stuff Up Is Important 0
I’m currently listening to The Mystery of 31 New Inn by R. Austin Freeman, who is distinguished as the first mystery novelist to employ forensic science in his novels.
All the Librivox audio books are read by volunteers. In this particular reading, reference is made to Trichinopoly cigars (those of you who have read The Canon may recall references to them).
The volunteer who reads this chapter refers to them as try-KEEN-o-poh-ly cigars.
Words fail me.
(Otherwise, the reader does an excellent job.)
Stray Thought 0
Every time I go to the polls, one of the poll workers offers me an “I voted” sticker.
This is perversely reversed.
The persons who do not vote should wear stickers.