Fifty years ago

 

Annoying letters

Why do letters you have to deal with come late on Friday afternoon, preferably before a Monday holiday, leaving you with the whole weekend to stew about them? I got a deeply mysterious letter from the IRS, declaring that I did not file a return for 2010. Or something. Of course I did, and got a refund from the State of Delaware, if memory serves. I used TurboTax, the service so beloved by unindicted co-conspirator Tim Geithner. Anyway, it is not clear what the letter means; either they owe me money or I owe them some. Or not. Also, they need a new cartridge in their(the IRS)printer. The letter is hard to read. Now I'm starting to worry. There is a streak of incompetence running through my family which makes its way straight into my brain. I am okay in normal circumstances; I misplace theater tickets, get lost easily, and don't recognize anyone I know. I find it a real challenge to change the cartridge on my printer, and as for checking the oil--don't ask! Add a death in the family, Mr Charm's illness, Medicare, lawyers, and sore feet, and I am reduced to a blithering idiot. So--what's this all about? Well, it's sort of an apology for letting down my faithful readers, who are probably sick of all the dreck I am posting, and deserve better. I'll try to cheer up, really I will, and I hope I shall recover my wits.

Red light madness

Red light madness I got a red light camera ticket and I was hopping mad.  So I did a bit of research on Google, and now I'm really mad.  It turns out that this "service" is not local.  The company which administers the program writes the ordinance which is passed by a local political body, a minimum number of "violations" are guaranteed to this company, the company --not a local police department or elected officials--sets the lights and camera up, and the cameras are timed to increase the probability of catching motorists.  How about this nugget:

Nestor, the company we have outsourced our red light law enforcement to has collected ~ $4.7 million in 3 years. That money we will never see again, and we just shipped it right out of Delaware’s economy and into a private firm. Previously, when you got a ticket, it at least went to the State. It could then be used for police salaries or highway repair. But not in this case.

Apparently Nestor does not do as good a job in ordering their own affairs; they are going bankrupt. In my own case, the photograph shown on the citation is incorrect, in that it does not show the green left turn arrow which I and several other cars are obeying. The tone of the letter itself is nasty and intimidating, clearly designed to threaten those who don't knuckle under and pay at once. Shame on you, Delaware! Is this the way to treat citizens?

It's never too late...

for divorce.

At the movies

I just saw the movie, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."  I won't reveal the plot, because I don't want to ruin it for those who enjoy graphic depictions of rape and torture.  But I do have some observations.

The movie takes place in Sweden.  You can tell this because the entire cast speaks fluent English with a Swedish accent.  This is understandable, because if they spoke Swedish we wouldn't understand them unless there were subtitles.  This is not the kind of movie suitable for subtitles.

It is always snowing in Sweden and looks awfully cold, but no-one buttons up their coats.

Clearly tall thin people are better than short fat people.  They are good, honest, and virtuous.  Overweight people have rotten, even criminal,  characters.  Guys with potbellies are particularly obnoxious.

Out in the country, only one car is allowed on the highway at one time.  If you want to go somewhere and there is already a car on the road, you have to ride a motorcycle.

If you have a Jewish given name, like, say "Miriam," you are Jewish.  No exceptions.

My first car

Iowahawk posted a picture of himself in a little red wagon. Well, this is my first car. It was red, too.  Neeneer, neener, neener.

Joy!

oh-oh.

Years ago, President Carter sought wisdom from his teen-age daughter, Amy, and mentioned this in a half-baked speech.. Shortly thereafter he was relieved of his job and sent home to deal with his peanuts.  I thought we were through with that sort of thing.  I don't recall President Clinton seeking advice from Chelsea, or Bush II consulting the twins about foreign policy.

But the current incumbent quotes the insights of his teen-aged daughter, Malia, so teen wisdom is back.  He uses Malia's remarks as a jumping off point for some meaningless, banal  psycho-babble about change.

Can we send him back to Chicago?  Please?  Real soon?

The end of the world?

The end of the world?  Why would anyone give any credence to anything said by the Mayans?  They were a disgusting group of people if there ever was one, practicing human sacrifice and probably poor dental hygiene as well.  Why do you think the Spanish were able to conquer them?  The other tribes cooperated with the Spaniards, probably having gotten good and fed up with the Mayans sacrificing their members.

Just because people lived primitive lives a long time ago and are now extinct does not give them a Get Out of Jail Free card. Some indigenous tribes were pretty rotten in their day.  Good riddance to them and all their works.

A sad loss

I just finished reading Grant's Final Victory, about President Grant's last year of life.  It was truly a heroic year.  Having been swindled out of just about everything he owned by men he had trusted, Grant determined to  write and publish his memoirs so that Julia, his wife, would have enough money to live on.  Grant had esophageal cancer and knew he had not much time.

Grant's illness was extremely painful.  In the end he could no longer speak.  But day after painful day, he worked on his memoirs.  When he had finished them, using his last ounce of strength, he died.

I'm having trouble...

with Blogger, and am really mad at myself for being such a knucklehead about computers that I don't know how to fix it.  I'm using the new version of Blogger, because the old one is actually worse.  I can't link!

Went to see the lawyer today, and he gave me a ton of instructions that will keep me busy for days.  How did I ever have time to work?

I had to replace the sink disposer for the second time.  This is its last chance!  If this one breaks....

Is it possible to take a leave of absence from your life?

Another fine business opportunity

Hi We are register company in Sieria Leone and we deal in different kind of Diamond and we are looking for a long term partner that is willing to buy.If you are interested get back to us with your details as to enable me email you our manifest.

Your Faithfully,

Williams Terry.

 Love those diamonds!

Happy holiday!

One of the decorated tees at Longwood Gardens

snow baby

The joys of 21st century medicine

One of the most frustrating things in modern life is coping with the nuts and bolts of medical practice. The average practice around these parts consists of 35 revolving doctors, a nurse practitioner, and 50 ancillary persons, none of whom can talk to you just then but want you to leave a voice mail message. Just getting an appointment leaves you disgruntled. You don't get regruntled when the day of your long anticipated appointment comes. I read somewhere that the word ancillary derives from the Latin word Ancilla, meaning handmaiden. This is either true or too good to check. On an average office visit, you deal with at least 3 of these handmaidens before the head honcho performs his brief walk-in part, and 3 more before you leave. The doctor couldn't pick out your face in a line-up. Cursory is the word that applies. Clearly they have other patients who are much, much sicker than you and are no doubt busily bleeding to death in another room.

Gas cap of Doom

The other Night at about 6:30,the dashboard of my car issued an ominous warning: Loose. Gas. Cap. I parked the car and examined the gas cap;it looked okay to me, but what do I know? I got back in the car and Again saw the warning: LOOSE, GAS! CAP! So I took it to Sheridan Nissan, even though I knew the service department was closed, in the hope that someone who was hanging around there would know how to fix it. The service manager happened to be there. There was nothing wrong with the gas cap. It was tight. He unscrewed it and tightened it again. I started The car: LOOSE! GAS! CAP! he told me to come back tomorrow and they would fix it.i drove home with the message flashing at me: LOOSE GAS CAP!!!!!. The next day the message went away, permanently.

Helping a struggling business

The state of Delaware wants to give amazon.com a helping hand in building a fulfillment center in Middletown, de. This takes the form of $7.5 million in taxpayer funds. The exact amount is not known at this time, but it involves a$3.47 million grant from the Delaware strategic fund, plus up to $4 million in grant money from the new jobs infrastructure fFund. This would provide the state with 849 jobs! What could be wrong with this? Let's help our infant industries!

Here again

It is only through stubbornness that I force myself to write this.  It is hard to overcome the habit of NOT posting here which has become my default position.  I have excuses, of course.  A lot of legal hocus pocus has been going on; strictly speaking, it is not my personal business, so I won't expand on it.  Then the computer broke down--a good excuse and one I have taken maximum advantage of.

I had the computer set up perfectly; my laptop was jury rigged to connect to my gigantic monitor, speakers, and a mouse.  I haven't reassembled the monster yet; just using the laptop as, of all things, a laptop.  Anyway, there was Thanksgiving.  Then the plumber was   needed.  My right foot developed a sore spot.  Then I turned my left ankle.  My iPhone stopped working.  Something got stuck in the sink disposal unit, requiring another visit from the plumber.  Then the cable television stopped working.  Then I had to take Mr Charm for cataract surgery.  Then I dropped the cordless phone   for the land line and destroyed it. Next, a flat tire.  None of these is a tragedy, they all happen to everyone, but not all at once.

Oliver Sachs says he cannot recognize faces, even of people he has known a long time.  He also gets lost.  I am so glad to learn  that someone else shares these weaknesses with me.  I lived in New Jersey for 28 years and never really found my way around.  Fortunately, I now have a GPS.  I recognize people, sort of, but can't remember who they are, exactly.  After an ahah moment, I recall who they are.  But I am hell on recognizing cars.

I remember my car, in general.  That is, I know it is white, four-door, has a sun roof and a spoiler and a rubber antenna.  I just don't know what it looks like.  So the other day I walked up to a car that looked pretty much like mine, clicked the unlock button, and it didn't light up.  I got in anyway and noted with pleasure that it was cleaner than I had remembered.  Then I looked at the dashboard and discovered that it was a Toyota.  I had gotten into the wrong car!  I quickly exited.  Why does everyone have white cars anyway?  What's up with that?

Midnight snack

When I was a little girl and my father was still living with us, he and I used to enjoy a certain snack together. Here's what it was: a sandwich consisting of a sliced fresh tomato with sugar on it between two slices of buttered white bread. It was delicious! I've been thinking a lot of my dad lately. He died in April. I thought about things we had done together. There weren't that many of them. I remembered how he had taught me to swim and to fish. I remember that he brought me home a typewriter when I was in second grade and found it hard to write cursive. Ad I remembered the midnight snack we used to share. So I got some nice white bread, buttered it, sliced a tomato and put sugar on it, and made a sandwich. It was pretty good. But not as good as it had been when I was a little girl and my father was still living with us.

News flash

From my inbox: it's not too later to sign up for the Delaware DEmentia Conference! THank God!

COmputer trouble

Either the computer or my brain is broken. Still trying to figure it out. All my bright ideas occur when the computer isn't working, and I can no longer remember what they are. One nice thing did happen, though-I sold a painting! My faithful réaders will her more from me anon, when I get Used to this iPad. If ever.

Pitcher and wallpaper

Snow scene

A modest proposal

The State of Delaware is subsidizing a fuel cell plant in a novel way:  customers of  Delmarva Power will pay an additional sum on their monthly bills--perhaps $1.00 a month--for 21 years.

Perhaps the citizens of Delaware might come up with more worthwhile projects that need to be subsidized. Wait--one taxpayer has a suggestion, from a letter to the editor of the local paper:

My terra cotta sewer line just died after 50-plus years of service. This is going to cost a large amount of money that I don't have laying around. So I came up with a solution -- a 5 cent tax on all New Castle county sewer users added to their bills. This could be a one-time tax. Then I can get back to using my sewer line and keep the economy flowing so to speak. Delmarva Power does it. Banks get bail outs. Why would anybody have a problem with this?

Perhaps, when they have finished with that, they might like to upgrade my kitchen?

Occupying the weather

My prediction:  the Occupy (name of Northern city) movement will last until the first, or maybe the second, really rotten stormy day.  When the leaves have all fallen and are being blown around by fierce winds and driving rain, all these people will go home.  Anybody want to occupy Cleveland when the wind comes roaring down from Canada?  Remember the sunshine patriot and the summer soldier.

The ones in Florida, California, and Texas will stay put for a while.

Thief

A few years ago, my elderly uncle, who lived alone and was in poor health, needed an aide to help him with daily tasks.  The family was lucky enough to get Lisa, a graduate student.  She was a wonderful caretaker, caring and compassionate; we all said that she saved Ed's life.

Ed then moved into assisted living, and when he wrote a check, the bank returned it.  He had insufficient funds.  Lisa had emptied his bank account.

But she was such a warm, caring person!

The scenario repeated itself on Long Island, where the husband of a friend of mine found that his home health aide, like Lisa a wonderful, caring person, had stolen the pain pills he relied on for relief of the pain of cancer.

Something similar happened to me.  An aide I hired to help Mr Charm, whom he liked a lot,  was competent and took good care of him.  I wonder how she cared for the gold jewelry and pain pills she stole from me.

It really hurts when someone you like and trust betrays your trust. 

Collecting

I started collecting just after I moved to Delaware. I had a shortage of drinking glasses, so I went to a nearby Good Will store and bought a dozen. I saw a couple of soup bowls I could use, and bought them too. Soon I started collecting things that were of no earthly use to me because I liked the look of them. I now have collections of teacups, pink depression glass, Carnival glass, small figurines, souvenir plates, and music boxes. Objects to appear in my paintings. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention books, which I actually read. Sometimes. Every shelf in the house is full.

Just as there seemed to be no reason to start collecting things, there seems to be no reason to stop, except lack of space, but that's a compelling one. Some of my stuff has taken up residence in the garage, including my grandmother's samovar.

I finally got the brilliant idea of photographing potential subjects for my art work instead of buying them and bringing them home. The pitcher above is something I resisted buying.

So I am the eccentric woman furtively photographing objects on the shelves at a Good Will store near you. Now you know.

Inventions useful and useless

I have been assigned the task of picking out a hearing aid for Mr Charm, courtesy of his doctor.  I've been researching these gizmos, asking people with hearing aids what kind they like best, and nobody has a good word for any of them.  My late father owned several of them and left them all in the drawer.  Apparently the technology is unsatisfactory and they are disliked by users and non-users alike.  Only cable providers are more unpopular.

So I got to thinking about gadgets--which are satisfactory, and which need more work?

Here's my list.  You might have one of your own.

Great inventions:  Flat screen tvs, dishwashers, air conditioning. microwaves, eyeglasses, and above all iPhones all do what they are expected to do and then some. 

Need more work:  garbage disposals, digital thermostats, electric cooktops, hearing aids, Bluetooth devices, and above all, pantyhose.

Fallling off?

I started wondering why I was not getting as many comments as I used to. Maybe I was a better writer a few years ago? So I went through my early work (up to a point) and can report that I haven't gotten any worse--or any better--over the past 5-6 years. My material may have gotten worse, since I ran out of amusing family anecdotes quite a while ago. Will try to think up some more, or maybe I can make some up. I usually write what I feel like writing. I try to check the grammar and spelling, but I am not going to polish my work. Dr Johnson said a man who does not write for money is a fool. I don't mind being a fool, again up to a point, but I refuse to be--what's the inoffensive way to say idiotic?

My daughter's pre-school class

 

She was second from right in the first row.

My grandson likes to draw planes

 

Cars that last

One of the cars cited in this article was the Geo Prizm. However, I know of at least one of these that no longer exists. I was driving it at the time it became extinct. I was preceding across an intersection at about seven miles per hour when I was struck on the driver's side of the hood by a Lexus which was not going very fast but was way bigger than my car. There was a hideous noise and I was spun 180 degrees, to the other side of the street while smoke poured out of the hood, then busily disintegrating and falling in pieces all over the road. I was magically unhurt, but the car! Its mechanical parts had to be swept up with a broom and into a giant dustpan. It was thus I learned that, yes, a car can be too small to be safe to drive. If that car had hit the door on the driver's side, just a few inches from the spot it did hit, I would never have needed another car. Now I drive a four-door Nissan Sentra, thank you for inquiring.

Spending other people's money

Nothing is easier than spending other people's money. My first demonstration of the wisdom of this old saw occurred in 1976. You may recall that this was the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence--or was it the Constitution--anyway, one of those things. This important event had happened 200 years previously (or according to Ezra Klein, it was 100 years ago. But let's not quibble. It was a long time ago, and none of us were old enough to remember it). Anyway, the library I was managing then was encouraged to apply for funds from the Florida Bicentennial Committee, which we were to raise money to match. We did it, I forget how--maybe it was a bake sale, now illegal in several states because of the trans-fat issue. We raised our share and got the matching funds. Good so far. Then, as 1976 was winding to a close, we were informed that we had two weeks to spend the money, as someone in Washington or Tallahassee wanted to close the books on the Bicentennial. The board members, the mayor and I met in an emergency meeting because we had no idea what to do with the money. We finally came up with a plan. We would furnish a Bicentennial Room in the new library which was to be built shortly. In a lightning swift second meeting, we selected the furnishings of the room down to the color of the drapes and the frame on the picture of George Washington to be put on the wall. It was a piddling sum, but spending it was effortless; none of the group had to look at our personal finances to come up with the money. We could have spend 10 times that, 100 times that, if necessary. My next fun experience was in New Jersey. A bunch of us librarians were drafted to approve proposals for county arts projects. There was a finite sum, and we were to divide it among the candidates. We gave some money to several singing groups and to a group who wanted to paint a mural on a former but now derelict bowling alley in West Milford, NJ. It was fun, and I got an inkling of how much God must have enjoyed making the world and all the people and animals in it.

Depending on the government

I started to question the longtime stability of the Medicare system when I received my Medicare card. The Social Security system, in its wisdom, issued a card printed on cheap cardboard that looked like it might last 6 months. Why couldn't they at least laminate it? The card has begun to fray significantly around the edges, especially because I have to pull it out of my wallet from time to time. Is this a reflection of how long I would have to use it? Would I expire before the card fell apart? My father lived to be 99--did his Medicare card last?

Obama's virtues

Fraters Libertas: Faint Praise

I tried to link to Peggy Noonan's actual column, but it's behind a paywall. She enumerates Obama's virtues: he has a nice family, isn't mean, etc.

Other virtues of our president: He doesn't spit on the floor, eats with a knife and fork, is kind to puppies.

Talk about low expectations!

I'm going crazy

Too much is going on. Yes, folks, I am truly losing it. First Google turned on me, and I finally wrestled it to the ground. The new interface isn't too hot, but I think I've got it down. For now. Wells Fargo continues to puzzle me. I put my mortgage on automatic pay then paid it manually. Twice. Aside from having made three mortgage payments--and two car payments--I went to have fasting blood work and forgot the prescription. Now I have to do it again. I hate leaving my house with no coffee! But what's really bugging me is the medical establishment. First, I have seen three foot specialists and none of them has helped me. The fact that I have pain when walking doesn't seem to concern them at all. But I'm working my way up to the worst of it all. I brought Mr Charm to a surgeon to discuss his having a procedure I read about on the Internet. It is a relatively new procedure, but has been successfully performed for a couple of years. There are learned articles about it in medical journals. If successfully performed, it would improve Mr Charm's quality of life and allow him to live at home, with me, instead of in a nursing home. The doctor's response was like a barbed arrow tinged with a slow-acting poison. He acted as though I were asking him to perform something illegal, although I don't know what modern surgery would consider out of bounds, considering that doctors routinely perform sex-change surgery. The more I thought about it, the more upset I became. He treated me like a criminal. This is still festering in my mind.

Minnesota writers

I just finished reading "North of Hope" by Jon Hassler. Wonderful! I'm going to read and re-read all of his books. What is it about Minnesota that makes fiction writers so good? Another of my favorites is "Morte d'Urban" by J F Powers. A friend of mine believes that people who live in nice climates--Florida, California--spend too much of their time outdoors and don't develop their brains. Maybe. But I spent eight years living in Upstate New York and didn't develop my brain worth a damn.

Me at 18

 

Blogger still doesn't behave. Frustrating.

I'm back!

Blogger has changed ...something, and I can now post my sage observations again. So come back! both of my readers.

Good for BC!

Canadians reject a tax.

A perfect day, with road work

What a beautiful day!  It's bright and sunny and just warm enough.  .There's a little breeze that seems to come from all directions at once, stirring the   trees.  Birds singing.  Even a butterfly showing off.

And of course, four different road work projects at four different places. Every unemployed person in Delaware seems to be out, holding a sign that says either "STOP" or "SLOW."

More Google freakiness

Trying to post on this blog. Complained to google, but they couldn't get a screenshot.

Important announcement

 

Since this site is non-operational, I am switching my mordant insights to miriamspaintings.blogspot.com

See you there.

I want to sell my paintings on e-Bay

 

But I don't know whether anyone would be interested. I truly have too many paintings now and would like to lighten the load. I also need the money. I'd have to figure out how to do it.

Meanwhile, blogger is completely corrupted and I can't clean it up. Oy vey!

The only way I can get blogger to work is through Picasa

 

So this is not about two tots at a museum, although they are cute, aren't they?

No, this is about a hotel room, specifically the $3,000 hotel room where DSK spent an interesting visit. Investigators found semen from four (4) different guys in this room. Eeuw! (I can't link, but the story is on smoking gun. Check it out.)

The cleaning lady/rape victim ought to be fired for dereliction of duty if she's the person who normally cleans the room.

If this is what you get in a $3,000 hotel room, what do you get in a $120 Holiday Inn room? Bedbugs? Lice? It doesn't bear thinking about.

This is a test

 

I can't get Blogger to post anything. Or to work, generally.

One of my favorites

 

This hangs at the foot of my stairs.

How to tell a rioter from a protester

Here's how.

Clothing display--Good Will Store

 

I thought this was colorful.

Has anyone else noticed that Matt Damon has a face like a pie plate?

Just asking.

His face is perfectly round. You could bake a pizza on it. Not that you'd want to, but you could.

BBC biased against Israel?

surely not?

The advantages of being an atheist

I've never understood why atheists continue to write long and vehement books about their beliefs or lack of same. The existence of God cannot be proved, or disproved, and no book can add anything to the discussion. Why can't atheists just relax?

There are positives to being an atheist. They have more time than church/mosque/synagogue attenders, seeing that they don't have to go to church/mosque/synagogue and don't have to feel guilty about it if they sleep late on Friday/Saturday/Sunday morning. They don't have to fast on Yom Kippur or Ramadan, give something up for Lent, or send out those boring Christmas letters. They need not suffer from Jewish/Catholic/ Muslim guilt. They don't have to obey the 10 commandments; they don't even have to know what they are.

Instead of taking advantage of the extra time, they file lawsuits against prayers at public meetings, protest Christmas decorations, and write those dreary books.

Evaluating pain

More accurate than the usual 1-10.

George Orwell was right

When the four volume set of Orwell's essays was published some time in the 70s, I bought it and read them all. His work is easy to read and interesting, so it wasn't hard to do.

One essay in particular caught my attention. Orwell objected to a law --recently passed at the time of writing--which would force gun owners to register their weapons. Orwell thought this was a first step to disarming the public and depriving them of the freedom to bear arms. Of course, being a liberal, I disagreed with him vehemently and thought he was an old fussbudget. Having come to my senses in the interval, I am amazed at his prescience.

Look at the situation in England--hoodlums looting and burning property while decent citizens can do nothing but stand back and watch helplessly.

Two lemons and three limes...

 

plus bottle of olive oil and bowl, looking for a good home.

Has anyone tried the Kindle app on the iPad?

I'm thinking of getting an iPad, with a Kindle application, but I've heard there might be problems with the app. There has been some grumbling about incompatible formats and other stuff I can't quite understand. But I know if there's a problem, I will have it in spades and not be able to do anything with it. I say this as one who is still shaking my head about how to replace the batteries in the remote for the Wii. I'll have to read the manual, the thought of which gives me real brain pain.

So--should I get a Kindle, for $150 and change, or break down and get an iPad ($500 and counting)?

Please, my reticent, not to say taciturn, readers, let me know what I should do. And how do I replace the batteries in the Wii remote, currently in two pieces? I'm pretty sure it isn't supposed to be like that.

Buy a painting, dammit!

Go to my painting website and look around, and select one!

Best offer wins!

Hot news

The heat is back. My lawn has committed suicide. Trees are shriveling up and dying. My rose bushes, which bloomed beautifully in May and obstinately declined to flower in June, have a few tentative blooms. I guess they never got the memo that June is the month of roses.

All I want to do for the rest of my life is find a swimming pool somewhere and stand in it up to my neck, or maybe over my head from time to time.

Meanwhile, there are people in the nursing home wearing sweaters, jackets and, in one case, a wool hat, covered in blankets and sitting outdoors.

My house is beautifully air-conditioned and is going to stay that way. I plan, for the remaining years of my life, to be an energy hog and consume as much electricity, gas, coal, and bandwidth as possible. I will be enabled to do this by the sacrifice of all you good citizens who are installing solar panels and ceiling insulation, leaving more for me to squander. Thank you, good citizens!

Re-evaluating Caligula's horse

The crazy Roman emperor Caligula famously nominated his horse to the Senate. This puts him one up on the American people, who elected only the back half of a horse to the presidency.

Bloggers in trouble

Things are rough for a lot of conservative bloggers.

I've been in tough spots myself, trying to live with a graduate student, a baby, and a toddler, but the difference was that Mr Charm was always able to get some kind of poorly paying job doing something--working as a dispatcher at night in a blood bank, for instance. He also had a fallback--a brother who could get him work as a longshoreman. This was hard, dirty work, but he did it at night and attended classes and did his research during the day.

These jobs are not available to young and not-so-young people nowadays. People are living on the edge of a cliff and hanging by their thumbs.

Now that I've got your attention: Da tech guy, and the other McCain and others mentioned by instapundit could use a little something.

These links are not easy in blogger!

And if anyone wants to buy one of my paintings cheap...

Al Anatsui exhibit at the Clark Institute

 

 

 

 

 

Made from found materials--they are really quite lovely.

Hay figures, Pissaro's people, Clark Museum, Williamstown MA

 

 

 

 

Wells Fargo alert

Wells Fargo continues to take their newest acquisition, Wachovia, to the bottom.

Starting August 8, 2011, you can access your converted Wachovia accounts and Wachovia Online BillPay through online and mobile banking at Wells Fargo. You’ll also be able to view your Wells Fargo Advisors brokerage account balances, portfolio, activity, and more.

Please note: At Wells Fargo, your bill pay payments will be processed differently from Wachovia Online BillPay.

At Wells Fargo, funds to pay your bills will be withdrawn from your account up to 5 business days earlier than they were at Wachovia.
Please verify you will have sufficient funds in your funding account to ensure your converting bill pay payments are processed successfully.
To learn about important differences in the way Wells Fargo Bill Pay works, visit wellsfargo.com/welcomebillpay.

Wachovia sinks lower every day it is owned by Wells Fargo.

The teller informed me the last time I visited the bank that I needed to make an appointment with them to discuss my account. I told them I was fine with my account and didn't have time to listen to a sales pitch.

An epidemic of As

Have American college students gotten smarter?

Forty per cent of college grades are A.

I've noticed the same phenomenon concerning elementary and high school students. How many drivers had bumper stickers saying "My son/daughter is an honor student as (your school's name here) school" back in the day?

None. It was hard to get an A, which incidentally stood for excellent.

Are our children getting smarter? Has our educational system improved to the point where everyone is fulfilling his or her potential to the max? Can we rest confident that America's future is in the hands of these budding geniuses?

Or is there a new definition of honor student--someone who attends school most of the time, gives the teachers no lip and doesn't burn the building down?

Family obligations

Mother was totally devoted to her family of origin. It was one for all and all for one, though this was never expressed in so many words. Words were for fighting with each other; you could never guess how close they were if you listened to them argue.

My father experienced this solidarity up close and personal. He would get ready to go to work in his car only to discover that mother had loaned the car--at that time their only vehicle--to one of her brothers, whose car was in the shop. Mother decided not to inform him of this before the fact, reasoning--correctly, as it turned out--that he would strenuously object.

Mother could not understand the fuss. After all, Moe was a doctor, and obviously needed the car more than he did.

Small gardens at small houses

 

My drive to the rehab where Mr Charm is immured leads me past many modest houses, older houses on small plots, usually including a porch where residents would sit on a warm evening before everyone had air conditioning.

The houses are modest, but well kept, and many have small gardens which have lovingly been planted and tended. These are a balm to a troubled spirit; they make me feel a little better. Just a little, but that helps me get through the day.

Thank you, gardeners.

A walkable neighborhood

Goodbye, Longwood Gardens

Memo: To Longwood Gardens

From: Miriam Xxxxx

07/09/11

I got my renewal notice from Longwood Gardens today. Sorry, I am not going to renew.

I have the most expensive membership category there is. I forget what it was called, but I do know I was given passes for several friends, as well as free admission for me and my family any time. I don't lend other people my membership card and I only come on rare occasions when I have the time. I also generally eat lunch there and purchase items in the shop. I would call my membership a win-win, but you win more than I do. Unless the restaurants and the shop are money-losing enterprises.

However, the last time I visited the gardens, people were being asked to show photo ID upon admission. It was almost like flying abroad, without the full-body search. No doubt that will come in time.

There is something disturbing about a garden visit to a quiet, peaceful place combined with showing picture ID. It destroys the mood one hopes to enjoy among the flowers and trees.

A better way to spend the stimulus money

from the comments:

A couple earlier commenters have pointed out how the US dominated the world economy after WWII. Imagine if we had spent the recent stimulus on bombing German, Japanese and Chinese factories. It would done a lot more for our relative economic position than cash for clunkers. (Of course it would also have been morally reprehensible and provoked an international backlash.

But after the war we gave them money to rebuild their factories.

An unpleasant surprise

my new car has XM Radio--but only for a limited time, I discovered in yesterday's mail. I get three months free, then it costs $12.95 a month.

How would I like to be billed--$45.00 for three months, or yadayada. This kind of math makes me nuts. Three times $12.95 is not $45.00! Trivial, I know, but how can you run a radio station and not be able to multiply 3x12.95? They should not have allowed XM and Sirius to merge.

It reminds me of my Verizon account--$99.00 a month, adding up to a total of $150; or ATT--$30.00 a month per line (I have 2), which adds up to $90 and change.

About that French guy with the girl's name...

Dominique something?

I was trying to imagine the mechanical aspect of his interaction with the hotel maid. How do you, without a weapon, force someone to commit a Lewinsky? Didn't the woman, er, have teeth?

Just asking.

And the victim! A black, single mom, unlettered, a widowed undocumented immigrant, who undoubtedly attended morning mass every day. All she needed to make her the perfect victim was a wooden leg. Too good to be true. Sadly.

Another chance for untold wealth

If only I had $389,00 lying around...

Good day,

I have been trying to reach you for sometime now, so i just want to inform
you that I have deposited your ATM MASTER CARD of $800,000,00 USD United
state dollars to the FedEx Delivery services here in England, and i
packaged the ATM MASTER CARD inside a magazine where nobody will notice
the content. Insurance and delivery charges have been paid for, but the
only fee remaining is the security safe keeping fee of $398,00 US Dollars
only, which you will be required to pay before delivery.

However, this was not paid for because of demurrage. Well, I did forward
them your delivery address, but a re-confirmation is important when
contacting them if you want to change your address. I advice you quote the
parcel and shipment code to them for onward delivery to your re-confirmed
address. The Universal ATM MASTERCARD has pin number is 1407, and the
maximum withdrawal limit per day is USD$ 9,500 (Nine Thousand, Five Hundred
United States Dollar) Only.

Please make sure you contact the shipment officer through his correct email below.
Contact the shipment office with the below information and re-confirm your present
mailing address to them:

Attention: Mr. West Newton Shipment Officer Of FedEx delivery services
London, England.
E-mail: fexexpress@post.com
Tel: +44 740 519 1732

Full name......................
Present Home address............
Country....................
Telephone...............

Below is the Deposit details:
Deposit Number: PLCC-101-PL45
Sort/Clearance Code: PLC/101-45/P50
Deposit Certificate N0.: 405576
Shipment Code: CBEL/OWN/0087
Parcel Number: EG2272-UK
Consignment Description: British Magazine
Depositor: Barrister Greg Williams

I am travelling out of town and will be back in three months time.
Note that I packaged the ATM MASTER CARD inside a magazine where nobody
will notice the content, I also told the shipment officer Mr. West Newton, that it
is ordinary British magazine I want to deliver to my friend abroad to avoid
further delay unless you delay to send their security safe keeping fee. You have to
inform them on how you are to send the security fee to them, so they can instruct
you on how to send it to them to enable them dispatch your package immediately to you.

Remain blessed and enjoy your funds.
Barr. Greg Williams.

Happy Independence Day