Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Finding Things

Some days you lose things so fast it seems they're running away. Yesterday was our day to find the things that didn't run fast or far enough.

First was the Wii Sports disc, missing for a week. I don't know if one of the cats knocked it off of the entertainment center or if it slipped unnoticed when Lisa decluttered around the TV, but it ended up under the side table where we have the Wii and a turntable. The bottom shelf of the table practically rests on the floor, close enough that we couldn't see under it. Lisa happened to see the disc when she shifted the table to clean around it. Now, we can have that bowling tournament.

Next, I checked the office printer/fax, and I found the fax confirmation that simply hadn't printed out before I left work on Monday. I guess I should've waited a little longer.

And lastly, my checkbook gave up on our game of hide-and-seek. I found it in the bottom of my backpack. I'm glad to postpone ordering more checks.

In every case, this quote applies: Persistence is like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you get tired. You quit when the gorilla gets tired.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Today's Outbreak of Common Sense

Leadership requires freedom to take responsibility. Over the years the accretion of programs and entitlements has disconnected our leaders from this indispensable ingredient of all human accomplishment. No official, not even the president, has authority to make needed choices. Responsibility has been suffocated by law. The destruction of responsibility is a progressive disease, dragging the rest of society down with it. Ask any teacher or doctor. They're immersed in law all day long, preventing them from using their common sense to do what they believe is right. The only solution is to dredge the Potomac. Washington must start over, area by area, and simplify law so that officials have a chance of applying it sensibly to meet current needs. Individual responsibility should be the litmus test for all laws and programs.

- Philip K. Howard

Sunday, February 14, 2010

And Now For Something Different...

Just to prove the Babble On epigram, here's Rock Sugar!



Via Whatever.

Why Do I Do That?

Is there anything you do that, every time you do it, you find yourself at least mentally pausing and asking yourself, "Why do I do that?"

For my part, when I leave the room she's in for a task or short errand, I tell Lisa, "Be right back", or "Be back in a minute." I'm pretty sure she knows I'll return shortly, but I nearly always say it.

Opening Ceremonies

We watched the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Games on Friday night, and thanks to The Experiment, we saw them on the local NBC station in HD. How gorgeous! And it was truly appropriate that it was snowing in Greensboro as the Games opened.

Lisa has Native American ancestry, and she was thrilled with the First Country participation in the cultural portion of the ceremonies. We've attended a couple of pow-wows conducted by the Guilford Native American Association, and that helped me recognize several of the styles of dance.

The lighting effects were fantastic -- how did they pull off the orcas swimming in the open sea and spouting as they surfaced to breathe?!

I was still awake when the Olympic flag was carried into the stadium, but as the image and sound on the TV stuttered -- thanks be to my government for a great TV picture and erratic signal! -- I zoned out and missed the snafu where the fourth arm of the cauldron wouldn't rise from the floor. The replays show that the four torch bearers kept their dignity and did their country proud. However, can anyone explain to me, when the Olympic flame in the outdoor cauldron was lit, why didn't the woman who could only stand by as the other three lit the indoor flame get the honor?

The Experiment

Lisa and I have been living in our apartment ever since we got married. In fact, I've lived in the same apartment building, in three different apartments as my circumstances have changed over the years, for nine years now. Before that, I lived in two other apartment complexes for a bit over four years, after my first wife and I split. And Lisa lived in her apartment in Virginia for fourteen years before we got married.

Apartment living certainly beats not having a home, but it's time for a new goal. We're going to put our savings program in high gear, so we can put together a down payment for a house.

We've already taken the first step. As of last Tuesday, we no longer have cable television. Because we bundled our television and high-speed Internet, I didn't realize just how much we were paying, mainly to watch reruns of our favorite network series. Now, we have an extra $60 a month to put in savings.

The good thing is, since the DTV transition last year, a lot of local broadcasts are in high definition. The bad thing is, digital transmissions are a lot more susceptible interruption. Between unusually high winds and more snow storms than any winter in this area I can remember, we've been watching a lot of start-and-stop TV.

There's always Hulu, which is adding more "old" TV programming all the time.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Saints 31, Colts 17

With apologies to The Who (great halftime show, by the way): Meet the new boss, not the same as the old boss.

This Peyton Manning fan feels no regret at the way the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV.