The world population now is over 7 billion people. That's a lot of people. Probably more than is optimal. We work very hard on not thinning out the population. We are frantically looking for cures and often finding them for diseases that used to kill a lot of us off. In America and Europe we like to stop other people from having wars. (We're exceptionally bad at this, but it doesn't prevent us from trying.) We also try to find ways to make everyday life safer to the point of silliness. I bought a paper shredder last year and there was a graphic on the machine indicating that you shouldn't shred the baby. We're supposed to wear helmets when we ride our bikes or roller skate. We aren't supposed to tease bears. We are supposed to eat healthy food, keep our immunizations up to date, and not pick fights. None the less, the only solution anyone can seem to come up with to manage the population is for people to quit having so many children. Maybe the solution is to give more five year olds cigarettes for their birthday. Or lower the driving age to 13... you're old enough to read Torah in shul, so here are the car keys.
Various demographers predict dates for when we will reach 8 billion. I'm not worried. There will be a plague or some extra wars or massive earth quakes and tidal waves or something to thin us out one of these days. The best we can hope for is that our individual tribes continue on in some way. I'm optimistic that mine will.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Hooray for the Olympics!
What I like most about the Olympics is watching people doing absolutely amazing things with their bodies and then saying, "I can do that." I can't, but it doesn't stop me from saying that. I like to watch free running and Chinese martial arts movies for the same reason. Hockey... not so much.
The truth is that old age has set in with a vengeance. I tell myself that if I hadn't gotten fibromyalgia that things would be different, but I wonder. I do like to take walks down to the beach, so I'm not totally sedentary. Well, actually, I don't get as many chances to be sedentary as I might like. Even though Momo does most of the heavy work of lifting papa, I am still up plenty running around getting him things, cooking for him, doing a ton of laundry etc. Tonight we have family coming in from out of town, so Momo gave me a real day off yesterday. Mostly I slept. But the kids will arrive tonight and tomorrow we'll go to the beach to see the Dragon Races.
The truth is that old age has set in with a vengeance. I tell myself that if I hadn't gotten fibromyalgia that things would be different, but I wonder. I do like to take walks down to the beach, so I'm not totally sedentary. Well, actually, I don't get as many chances to be sedentary as I might like. Even though Momo does most of the heavy work of lifting papa, I am still up plenty running around getting him things, cooking for him, doing a ton of laundry etc. Tonight we have family coming in from out of town, so Momo gave me a real day off yesterday. Mostly I slept. But the kids will arrive tonight and tomorrow we'll go to the beach to see the Dragon Races.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
What Are We Supposed to Do?
I am old enough that I remember when computers first came into modern American life. At the beginning, video games were really lame, even though we thought they were cool. Okay... there really was only one video game called "Pong" and we thought it was really cool. The geeks told us that one day there would be a computer in every household. As I recall, most of us wondered why.
Stores moved from little stickers that had a price on them to bar codes. Often the bar code did not include a price that a mere human could read. As stores switched systems there were often glitches that made customers have to wait before they could buy whatever it was they were buying. The clerks all said the same thing: "This will make it much more convenient for shoppers in the future." Really it wouldn't ever help the shopper. It just made inventory easier so the stores could hire fewer people.
I was in Salt Lake one day after they had just installed self service scanners in Albertson's grocery store. I told the clerks (who all happened to be Bosnian immigrants) that they should fight the move. One of them explained that it would make their jobs easier because customers could check out on their own. That isn't how it works. The jobs don't become easier, they just go away.
The geeks still say that computers do the mundane things so we have free time to be creative. Really? I don't know of anyone who works for a computer company that only works 40 hours a week. When I was working in software, I had a couch in my office for nights when I couldn't make it home to my family. Free time for whom?
Here are a list of modern workers who now have plenty of free time: secretaries, typing pool workers, store clerks, sign painters, printers, postal workers, newspaper journalists... I think you get the idea. So we've freed up a lot of time for these people and now they can go out and be creative. We've simultaneously destroyed the arts programs in public schools, so they are going to have to figure it out on their own. Theoretically they could use the web for this but it seems it's mostly used for stuff like this kitten video. (I have to admit that I didn't watch it all the way through.)
Stores moved from little stickers that had a price on them to bar codes. Often the bar code did not include a price that a mere human could read. As stores switched systems there were often glitches that made customers have to wait before they could buy whatever it was they were buying. The clerks all said the same thing: "This will make it much more convenient for shoppers in the future." Really it wouldn't ever help the shopper. It just made inventory easier so the stores could hire fewer people.
I was in Salt Lake one day after they had just installed self service scanners in Albertson's grocery store. I told the clerks (who all happened to be Bosnian immigrants) that they should fight the move. One of them explained that it would make their jobs easier because customers could check out on their own. That isn't how it works. The jobs don't become easier, they just go away.
The geeks still say that computers do the mundane things so we have free time to be creative. Really? I don't know of anyone who works for a computer company that only works 40 hours a week. When I was working in software, I had a couch in my office for nights when I couldn't make it home to my family. Free time for whom?
Here are a list of modern workers who now have plenty of free time: secretaries, typing pool workers, store clerks, sign painters, printers, postal workers, newspaper journalists... I think you get the idea. So we've freed up a lot of time for these people and now they can go out and be creative. We've simultaneously destroyed the arts programs in public schools, so they are going to have to figure it out on their own. Theoretically they could use the web for this but it seems it's mostly used for stuff like this kitten video. (I have to admit that I didn't watch it all the way through.)
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Diplomacy and Brothers
As I'm writing this, my brother is headed for Afghanistan. He isn't in the military, he's in the diplomatic corps. It seems very odd to me that he ended up being a cookie pusher (he prefers that name to "dip"). I can remember countless road trips in our childhood fighting with him and our younger brother in the back seat of the family station wagon. You absolutely were not allowed to cross over his imaginary line. Also you couldn't touch him. Also, no singing. He would have made a rule about breathing if he had thought he could get away with it. So see kids... there is no end to what you can be in life or where you can go. He grew up to be very polite, so he gets to go to Afghanistan. He's been before and he actually liked it. Go figure.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Not Very Empty Nests
My son graciously has agreed to live here to help me take care of my dad. If he wasn't here, I wouldn't be able to do it. I have fibromyalgia, which makes it very painful to do things like lift my father. Anyway, Momo is a strong young man and he very patiently helps us. So do his many friends who come by the house.
There's a lot to be said in the press about adult children moving back home. The articles assume that it is a terrible thing. It depends on the people I suppose. The ninja who lives here is about Momo's age and he moved in. It's lonely living alone. That and it becomes harder to find fresh baked goods in the kitchen the more that the house population decreases.
So yes, my adult son still lives at home. He and someone else's adult son still live here. I will be lucky in my life if there is always someone who wants to live with me. I would be very lonely on my own.
Then I started thinking about it and of my five siblings, three have adult children. Those three all have adult children living at home. Older than my son by a long shot. I guess I can get over feeling defensive.
There's a lot to be said in the press about adult children moving back home. The articles assume that it is a terrible thing. It depends on the people I suppose. The ninja who lives here is about Momo's age and he moved in. It's lonely living alone. That and it becomes harder to find fresh baked goods in the kitchen the more that the house population decreases.
So yes, my adult son still lives at home. He and someone else's adult son still live here. I will be lucky in my life if there is always someone who wants to live with me. I would be very lonely on my own.
Then I started thinking about it and of my five siblings, three have adult children. Those three all have adult children living at home. Older than my son by a long shot. I guess I can get over feeling defensive.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Abandoned or Escaped
Today as I was running errands, I came across a toothless old man standing outside of a drugstore. He wasn't asking anyone for anything. He was just kind of forlornly standing there. I greeted him as I went in, but when I came out I stopped and asked him if he needed something to eat. It turns out that he did. He was standing by an electrical outlet charging his cell phone. He told me that his family had dropped him off three days ago and they had forgotten to come back to get him, so as soon as he got his phone charged he would call and remind them. In the meantime, I walked over to the grocery store and got him a sandwich and a Coke. He was very gracious in his thanks. I gave him a little bit of pocket money and then left.
As I was driving away I tried to imagine the circumstances under which you would abandon your old father or grandfather. It is a tough economy and, as I can tell you from personal experience, it is difficult taking care of someone who is elderly. I can definitely imagine cases where someone has an old person that they can no longer care for. What do you do with them? Is there a drop off place for old people like the ones for newborn babies? Or do you just have to decide very early to abandon them?
When I got home and was telling my son this sad story, he pointed out that the VA Hospital is very near that drugstore. I asked him if he thought the old man had escaped. He just shrugged his shoulders. If he was abandoned or escaped, it's still a sad story.
In the news we read about the aging population of America. Pretty soon we'll have more seniors than we can shake a stick at. What are we going to do with them? Who is going to take care of them all? What kind of quality of life will they have in their final years? It's a little frightening to think about.
As I was driving away I tried to imagine the circumstances under which you would abandon your old father or grandfather. It is a tough economy and, as I can tell you from personal experience, it is difficult taking care of someone who is elderly. I can definitely imagine cases where someone has an old person that they can no longer care for. What do you do with them? Is there a drop off place for old people like the ones for newborn babies? Or do you just have to decide very early to abandon them?
When I got home and was telling my son this sad story, he pointed out that the VA Hospital is very near that drugstore. I asked him if he thought the old man had escaped. He just shrugged his shoulders. If he was abandoned or escaped, it's still a sad story.
In the news we read about the aging population of America. Pretty soon we'll have more seniors than we can shake a stick at. What are we going to do with them? Who is going to take care of them all? What kind of quality of life will they have in their final years? It's a little frightening to think about.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Facelifts
I have a friend who makes no bones about the fact that "she's had some work done." She is a cutie, and often when we are out in public, men much younger than she, hit on her. She's happily married, but it brightens up her day to have men tell her how attractive she is.
Originally I thought this was kind of weird. It seemed like it led her into kind of a weird conversational imbalance. But today I was thinking about it and now I'm not so sure.
When we first moved to Long Beach, my mother was in her early 80's. Where ever she had ever lived, my mother had always attracted interesting friends. She was smart and funny and had had adventures all over the world. But because she was old and frail when she moved here, people tended to disregard her. It would make me feel bad for her when people would speak around her to address their comments to me. She was still the same person inside, but people became very condescending.
So now my friend is getting older (she will be 60 on her next birthday) and people still respond to her as if she was 40. In a way I think that's weird, but perhaps when she's 80 people will still take her seriously. It will be curious to see how old people are treated as the baby boomer generation becomes old.
As for me, I'll just follow in my mom's footsteps and look how old I am. If people get too out of line, I'll do what she used to do and threaten to hit them with my walking stick. Whippersnappers.
Originally I thought this was kind of weird. It seemed like it led her into kind of a weird conversational imbalance. But today I was thinking about it and now I'm not so sure.
When we first moved to Long Beach, my mother was in her early 80's. Where ever she had ever lived, my mother had always attracted interesting friends. She was smart and funny and had had adventures all over the world. But because she was old and frail when she moved here, people tended to disregard her. It would make me feel bad for her when people would speak around her to address their comments to me. She was still the same person inside, but people became very condescending.
So now my friend is getting older (she will be 60 on her next birthday) and people still respond to her as if she was 40. In a way I think that's weird, but perhaps when she's 80 people will still take her seriously. It will be curious to see how old people are treated as the baby boomer generation becomes old.
As for me, I'll just follow in my mom's footsteps and look how old I am. If people get too out of line, I'll do what she used to do and threaten to hit them with my walking stick. Whippersnappers.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Boat Porn
My son, who is a grown man, hates buying shoes. I have no idea what it is about shoe shopping that he loathes so much, he will wear his shoes to taters. Lately I've noticed that he's been wearing Andrew's shoes. So today I insisted that he go with me to get him a pair of shoes. The first store we went to didn't have any styles he liked, so he suggested that we just go to a sporting goods store. Of course, when we got to the sporting goods store we looked at kayaks, camp stoves, paintball guns, etc. first. I asked him if it had just been a trick to say he'd get shoes at a sports shop. He confessed that it might've been a little bit of a trick. Nonetheless, we finally did find him shoes.
The sporting good store is right next to a bookstore, so after the shoes we went in to buy a celebratory magazine. Kind of like when he was a little kid and he'd get a prize if he wasn't too big of a pain in the neck during shopping expeditions. This is the magazine he got:
The only other time we bought this magazine was when the lottery was up to half a billion dollars and I bought him a lottery ticket and this magazine so he could think about what he'd do with the money. He didn't win. However, the magazine was a huge success at our house. The young men who frequent our house spent hours pouring over it. I have never seen a magazine get so much use. After several weeks the magazine disappeared. Zach searched high and low for it and finally decided that someone must have taken it home. It was a sad day.
Despite not having come with a lottery ticket, today's purchase was an equal success. The ninja has confiscated it for the duration of the afternoon.
The sporting good store is right next to a bookstore, so after the shoes we went in to buy a celebratory magazine. Kind of like when he was a little kid and he'd get a prize if he wasn't too big of a pain in the neck during shopping expeditions. This is the magazine he got:
The only other time we bought this magazine was when the lottery was up to half a billion dollars and I bought him a lottery ticket and this magazine so he could think about what he'd do with the money. He didn't win. However, the magazine was a huge success at our house. The young men who frequent our house spent hours pouring over it. I have never seen a magazine get so much use. After several weeks the magazine disappeared. Zach searched high and low for it and finally decided that someone must have taken it home. It was a sad day.
Despite not having come with a lottery ticket, today's purchase was an equal success. The ninja has confiscated it for the duration of the afternoon.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Shock Troops
At breakfast this morning my son and I were talking about this week's Torah portion, which is the double portion of Matot/Massei (Numbers 30:3-36:13). This is the portion in which the tribes of Ruben and Gad decide that they really don't need to go to the promised land after all. They've been doing a pretty good job of raiding and they think that their cattle would do just fine on the side of the Jordan that they were already on. This does not go over well with Moses. Actually, it makes him really really mad. For 40 years they've been trying to attain this singular goal as a singular people and when they are almost there, these guys try to back out. Moses totally thinks they are wimping out, that they don't want to fight the last battle (to displace the people who are living there, so they can "inherit" the promised land).
The tribes of Ruben and Gad start backpedaling as fast as they can. No, no, no, no.... you totally misunderstand... we'll send in our best fighters as shock troops in the promised land and when you guys are all set, we'll cross back over to this side of the river and peacefully live out our days with our families and our booty. This is agreeable to Moses and it's what they end up doing.
"Really?" my son asks, "Jewish shock troops"?
"Really?" I responded. "Think of your friends Aryeh and Nate. They could easily be shock troops." Which is true. Not all Jews fight like Woody Allen. Somewhere along the line we lost our tough guy image.
.
The tribes of Ruben and Gad start backpedaling as fast as they can. No, no, no, no.... you totally misunderstand... we'll send in our best fighters as shock troops in the promised land and when you guys are all set, we'll cross back over to this side of the river and peacefully live out our days with our families and our booty. This is agreeable to Moses and it's what they end up doing.
"Really?" my son asks, "Jewish shock troops"?
"Really?" I responded. "Think of your friends Aryeh and Nate. They could easily be shock troops." Which is true. Not all Jews fight like Woody Allen. Somewhere along the line we lost our tough guy image.
.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Cookie of the Day: Mango Getaway Bars
Auntie Carla is our guest baker for Mango Getaway Bars. Of course she would make these because Hamad was lobbying heavily for them. He tried to get Megan to make them, but she couldn't find macadamia nuts. [Which doesn't mean the boys have given up on Megan and her nesting phase that manifests itself in her baked goods, and because strippers never come to visit Auntie Carla.]
The mango bars were very popular, although I liked them better after the flavor had a chance in intensify over night. When they first came out of the oven, Carla and I didn't feel like the mango flavor came through very well but they improved as they sat. The boys loved them right away.
The mango bars were very popular, although I liked them better after the flavor had a chance in intensify over night. When they first came out of the oven, Carla and I didn't feel like the mango flavor came through very well but they improved as they sat. The boys loved them right away.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Chalk Vandalism and the New Imperial Age
The 99%'ers were back in action in LA this last weekend. It's hard to report their diabolical new tactic. They are using chalk to write their messages on the street. Don't worry though, the LAPD is willing and able to protect us from this threat. They were unafraid as they lept into the fray and started arresting the brazen chalkers. Apparently writing things in chalk on the street is not protected under free speech. Writing things on the street in chalk is now considered vandalism. Yes, chalk on the street is the new vandalism.
In the wild west that my house is, we often write stuff on the front sidewalk with chalk. Sometimes it's a guest artist's version of a cow, sometimes I write messages to Zach, sometimes the boys use it to keep score while they are playing cards, sometimes we just draw some flowers. Even in this wild and free chalk-a-delic zone, things occasionally go wrong. I had to scold Zach and make him take the hose and wash off a naughty picture he had drawn once. But see, that's the thing with chalk... it takes three seconds to wash it off. I'm about to make a statement but I'm not sure if it's true...but here it is: I don't think people should be arrested for things that can be fixed, as good as new, in three seconds.
Now I could go on and on and tell you what we thought constituted vandalism back in the day, but why give you ideas?
My biggest fear about this new found crackdown is that the drug lords in Mexico are going to read the LA Times and realize what a bunch of wussies we are and invade California. Mostly just the coastal areas... I don't think they really have any reason to take over Bakersfield, for example. They could come in and hang a couple of dead bodies from freeway overpasses and we'd take our chalk inside forever.
Young Vandal at Work
In the wild west that my house is, we often write stuff on the front sidewalk with chalk. Sometimes it's a guest artist's version of a cow, sometimes I write messages to Zach, sometimes the boys use it to keep score while they are playing cards, sometimes we just draw some flowers. Even in this wild and free chalk-a-delic zone, things occasionally go wrong. I had to scold Zach and make him take the hose and wash off a naughty picture he had drawn once. But see, that's the thing with chalk... it takes three seconds to wash it off. I'm about to make a statement but I'm not sure if it's true...but here it is: I don't think people should be arrested for things that can be fixed, as good as new, in three seconds.
Now I could go on and on and tell you what we thought constituted vandalism back in the day, but why give you ideas?
My biggest fear about this new found crackdown is that the drug lords in Mexico are going to read the LA Times and realize what a bunch of wussies we are and invade California. Mostly just the coastal areas... I don't think they really have any reason to take over Bakersfield, for example. They could come in and hang a couple of dead bodies from freeway overpasses and we'd take our chalk inside forever.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Arts and Crafts
My sister is here for a week to boss dad around. My bossing wasn't doing any good, so we called in the big guns. My sister is a big fan of arts and craft shows. She does a lot of crafts herself, so she likes to go to get ideas.
On Friday, my friend Dawn and I took my sister to San Pedro to check out the newest thing in craft shows. It's a big warehouse (number 10) that is filled with booths for arts and crafts. What does that mean? Arts and crafts? Frankly, some of the stuff looked like good projects for little kids. One woman was selling little cans with holes punched in them as votive candle holders. Not even interesting cans, you know, whatever she had left over from dinner. One woman had spent 30 years collecting interesting little pieces. After her husband retired he built her a craft room and she began gluing this 30 year collection to pieces of acrylic and giving the piece a name was selling them for a couple of hundred dollars each. In looking around, I felt like she had taken some really interesting stuff and decreased it's value by gluing it with some other stuff. What do I know? There was a lot of jewelry. There were some fun felt hats that were very fancy. So some of the stuff was interesting, and some of it made you think: what were they thinking?
I did buy a couple of cup cakes for the guys at home and Dawn bought some flavored salt. I have to admit that the highlight for me was the food trucks outside where we had lunch.
Well, I'm off for the day to go to the art and craft fair down by the marina. If you expect someone to do your bossing for you, you have to pay your dues.
On Friday, my friend Dawn and I took my sister to San Pedro to check out the newest thing in craft shows. It's a big warehouse (number 10) that is filled with booths for arts and crafts. What does that mean? Arts and crafts? Frankly, some of the stuff looked like good projects for little kids. One woman was selling little cans with holes punched in them as votive candle holders. Not even interesting cans, you know, whatever she had left over from dinner. One woman had spent 30 years collecting interesting little pieces. After her husband retired he built her a craft room and she began gluing this 30 year collection to pieces of acrylic and giving the piece a name was selling them for a couple of hundred dollars each. In looking around, I felt like she had taken some really interesting stuff and decreased it's value by gluing it with some other stuff. What do I know? There was a lot of jewelry. There were some fun felt hats that were very fancy. So some of the stuff was interesting, and some of it made you think: what were they thinking?
I did buy a couple of cup cakes for the guys at home and Dawn bought some flavored salt. I have to admit that the highlight for me was the food trucks outside where we had lunch.
Well, I'm off for the day to go to the art and craft fair down by the marina. If you expect someone to do your bossing for you, you have to pay your dues.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Super Heroes
If I was going to be a super hero, I think I would have to contact a designer to help me with the costume. You need something memorable, but you don't really want to end up looking like Lady Gaga. A mask would be good, because you don't want to have to do a lot of makeup or prep work when duty calls. There should definitely be a cape involved... but maybe something in a nice velvet... there's no point in being too utilitarian. Black is slimming, but it does seem a bit overdone in the super hero world...maybe a dusty rose and gray combo would be good. No heels. Twisting my ankle on the way to save the world seems like a bad thing. Even though tights and body suits seem to be the rule, I think it would be better if it was something easy to get in and out of.
I think my super power would be the ability to make people happy. Even if it was just for a minute.
I think my super power would be the ability to make people happy. Even if it was just for a minute.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Getting Some Ink Done
I was out in the garage doing laundry this morning when I heard a little girl calling, "Tattoos/Who wants tattoos?/Tattoos for sale." So I quit what I was doing to go investigate. Carefully hidden behind a parked car, I found "Anika and Ivy Tattoos", a makeshift tattoo parlor right across the street. On closer inspection I discovered that I could get a pirate tattoo for only 50 cents. This is what I chose:
Anika threw in the rose for free. (I think it was too hard to cut around with the little kid's scissors she was using.)
I admit I went because I remembered when Hamad was little and wanted to open a margarita stand in the front yard. After grandma explained liquor laws, he decided to open a natural history museum instead. He worked very hard putting his best specimens in an attractive display. Even though admission was only 50 cents, he didn't get any customers. Being Hamad, that didn't really bother him, he was absorbed by the work.
So when six year olds in my very own neighborhood, open a tattoo parlor, it's time for me to bite the bullet and get some ink done. Shiver Me Timbers!
Anika threw in the rose for free. (I think it was too hard to cut around with the little kid's scissors she was using.)
I admit I went because I remembered when Hamad was little and wanted to open a margarita stand in the front yard. After grandma explained liquor laws, he decided to open a natural history museum instead. He worked very hard putting his best specimens in an attractive display. Even though admission was only 50 cents, he didn't get any customers. Being Hamad, that didn't really bother him, he was absorbed by the work.
So when six year olds in my very own neighborhood, open a tattoo parlor, it's time for me to bite the bullet and get some ink done. Shiver Me Timbers!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
The Future
The other day my nephew Petey brought his little family by for a visit. During the conversation he looked at his baby and said, "When he's an adult the technology will be so far advanced that all of this will look primitive to him." I didn't say it out loud, but I thought, "probably not".
My mother once told me that in anticipation of the rapidly evolving world she lived in, she passed on a really good sheet sale. She figured that in a few more years bed sizes would've changed, so what was the point of stocking up on sheets? In her lifetime her family had gone from coal oil lamps to electricity, from outhouses to indoor plumbing, from horse and buggy to cars and trucks. Don't even get me started about what they did for fun before video games. (And believe me, my mom knew how to have fun.) But the point is that we are naturally kind of bad at predicting the future.
The other day my son was getting some compliments on a shirt he was wearing. We found it in the stuff mom saved. It was a shirt that dad used to wear to cocktail parties in Hawaii in the 1960's. Mom's theory was that there wasn't really that much you could do to clothes, so sooner or later, stuff would come back into fashion. Watching what people wear these days just confirms that. And I sound just like mom used to when I point it out. It's funny because young people don't really get it. It's just one of those things that old people say. And it's also funny because mom would think it was funny that I finally got it.
My mother once told me that in anticipation of the rapidly evolving world she lived in, she passed on a really good sheet sale. She figured that in a few more years bed sizes would've changed, so what was the point of stocking up on sheets? In her lifetime her family had gone from coal oil lamps to electricity, from outhouses to indoor plumbing, from horse and buggy to cars and trucks. Don't even get me started about what they did for fun before video games. (And believe me, my mom knew how to have fun.) But the point is that we are naturally kind of bad at predicting the future.
The other day my son was getting some compliments on a shirt he was wearing. We found it in the stuff mom saved. It was a shirt that dad used to wear to cocktail parties in Hawaii in the 1960's. Mom's theory was that there wasn't really that much you could do to clothes, so sooner or later, stuff would come back into fashion. Watching what people wear these days just confirms that. And I sound just like mom used to when I point it out. It's funny because young people don't really get it. It's just one of those things that old people say. And it's also funny because mom would think it was funny that I finally got it.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Global Village
We like to think of how connected we are now with the internet. The world... at our fingertips. But I wonder how globally linked we'd feel if we were illiterate, or didn't have a computer. I suppose life for many people on the planet has more to do with the way their families always lived than with my life, for example. Imagine that instead of being here, in Long Beach, that I am a pirate in Somalia, or a fisherman in Vietnam. Or what if I was a little kid working a carpet loom in Pakistan? I wonder what my impression of living in a global community would be.
Personally, I don't feel all that globally connected. I could be more proactive and seek out other cultures on the internet, but I don't. And I don't think most other people spend the time to try to figure out people from different cultures or backgrounds. It may be easier than at any other time in history to connect with people who are far away, but it doesn't seem like very many people do.
Personally, I don't feel all that globally connected. I could be more proactive and seek out other cultures on the internet, but I don't. And I don't think most other people spend the time to try to figure out people from different cultures or backgrounds. It may be easier than at any other time in history to connect with people who are far away, but it doesn't seem like very many people do.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
M Class Solar Flare
Yesterday there was an M-class solar flare. It messed with some radio signals in Europe, but we didn't get anything on this side of the planet.
I was disappointed that I didn't get any warning. Now, it's true, that I'm not worried about M-class flares, I am waiting for the life changing X-class (hey, wait a minute... is Wolverine involved?) flares. But really, there should be some kind of alarm system. You know, like those tidal wave horns? Do they have those here? Okay, like the tidal wave horns of my childhood in Hawaii. If there's a big one coming I need my twenty minute warning to start dispatching my team.
Is there an app for solar flare warnings?
I was disappointed that I didn't get any warning. Now, it's true, that I'm not worried about M-class flares, I am waiting for the life changing X-class (hey, wait a minute... is Wolverine involved?) flares. But really, there should be some kind of alarm system. You know, like those tidal wave horns? Do they have those here? Okay, like the tidal wave horns of my childhood in Hawaii. If there's a big one coming I need my twenty minute warning to start dispatching my team.
Is there an app for solar flare warnings?
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Independance
Now that I'm getting older, I don't think of 200 years as being terribly long ago. I can remember being a kid and dad packing us in the old station wagon to go see things like the Liberty Bell and the Capitol, and more battle grounds than you could shake a stick out. Seeing paintings of people like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin was a bit like discovering an ancient civilization. Wooden teeth and a wig? Really? Our first president had wooden teeth and wore a wig?
Part of it, I suppose, was the feeling that we were so "modern". We had sent someone to walk around on the moon, we had rock and roll and electricity. We were kind of like the Jetsons. We couldn't really relate to people who didn't even have a car to put their eight track player in. They had gruesome wars in the places where they actually lived. They might as well have been developed by some sci-fi writer.
With time you start to observe things. For example, you realize that the story lines for the Jetsons and the Flintstones were about the same.
But what did these revolutionaries leave us with? Their stated problem was that they objected to taxation without representation. There were a few kinks in their new plan. The one that jumps out at me is that women in America couldn't vote for a little more than 100 years after they had created their union.
I don't know how represented I usually feel. And that's coming from someone who likes the Obamas. The country is so large and so diverse that I don't know if there even is a good system to govern it. Fortunately, we have people who are still kicking around ideas and making modifications when needed.
Part of it, I suppose, was the feeling that we were so "modern". We had sent someone to walk around on the moon, we had rock and roll and electricity. We were kind of like the Jetsons. We couldn't really relate to people who didn't even have a car to put their eight track player in. They had gruesome wars in the places where they actually lived. They might as well have been developed by some sci-fi writer.
With time you start to observe things. For example, you realize that the story lines for the Jetsons and the Flintstones were about the same.
But what did these revolutionaries leave us with? Their stated problem was that they objected to taxation without representation. There were a few kinks in their new plan. The one that jumps out at me is that women in America couldn't vote for a little more than 100 years after they had created their union.
I don't know how represented I usually feel. And that's coming from someone who likes the Obamas. The country is so large and so diverse that I don't know if there even is a good system to govern it. Fortunately, we have people who are still kicking around ideas and making modifications when needed.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Mischief Managed
Today we had to take Papa in to get an ultrasound biopsy of the lump that is carefully hidden behind his jaw bone. When we got there, the nurse told us that only one of us could accompany him. I told Hamad to go because he can lift dad if he needed to be moved out of the wheelchair. They disappeared into the radiology department and were gone for a long time. When they finally reemerged, Hamad had a twinkle in his eye. They had made the mistake of leaving dad and Hamad alone in a room with the ultrasound machine left on. After waiting long enough to become thoroughly bored, Hamad eyed the machine and thought, "What would grandma do?" (I pointed out later that she might not be the best role model, which of course he disagreed with.) So Hamad slathered his abdomen with ultrasound jelly and had a look. When the technician walked in he demanded to know what Hamad was doing. "I'm looking at my innards," he explained, even though it was pretty obvious. He was pointedly invited to leave the ultrasound room. In case you are curious about how his insides look, he reports that they are gray and lumpy.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Songgaar and Burungaar
In the July 2012 issue of the National Geographic, there is a piece about languages that are in danger of extinction. One of the languages is Tuvan and is spoken by 235,000 Russians. The first two examples of the Tuvan language that they use are: "songgaar" which means go back / the future and "burungaar" which means go forward / the past. At first glance I thought I had misunderstood. English speakers use the idea of looking forward, into the future; or looking back at the past. But when you think about it, it makes more sense the Tuvan way. We naturally face the things we can see. We can see the past. We can document it and be reminded of it by things that we see every day. The future approaches from a place that we cannot see, so it's reasonable to think of it coming from behind.
In the train that carries us through linear time, we have a back facing seat. We see things only as they happen and we can get a little better look as it gets behind us a bit. I don't know why we ever thought we were facing the future in the first place.
In the train that carries us through linear time, we have a back facing seat. We see things only as they happen and we can get a little better look as it gets behind us a bit. I don't know why we ever thought we were facing the future in the first place.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Fairy Tale Endings
A lot of little girls (and big girls for that matter) dream of fairy tale endings. The problem with fairy tale endings is that they are almost always preceded by really awful beginnings and really difficult middles.
Let's look at Cinderella (real version please... no Disnification on my watch). The story starts with the death of her beloved mother and goes downhill from there. She is degraded to the lowest position of servant and is reduced to sleeping in the ashes. I imagine that this is enforced by beatings and that she never really gets enough to eat. That's a freaking bad start.
So she goes and cries at the grave of her mother and an otherworldly spirit shows up to help her out. You probably don't think this part is so hard, but her mother is dead and now she must decide how seriously to take this spirit. There's no indication that she's had any experience with this so far. Nature plays a huge roll. She gets her dress from the hazelnut tree that she's planted by the grave of her mother and watered with her tears. I have to admit that it's more than most people get with their tears. Birds are sent to pick the lentils out of the ash, etc, etc. You have to be in a pretty strange stage of mind to think these things are okay. And all the sneaking around and running away trying not to get caught. Then being locked up when the prince is finally trying to find you. And the whole thing about your sisters cutting bits off their feet... I think this is a hard middle of the story even though you know she's turned a corner and is headed toward the happy ending.
How happy is the ending anyway? Was it worth what she went through to get there? Does she think it was worth what it took to get there? She arrived at this "happy end" with an oldness inside her. Does she feel guilty about the doves that pecked out her stepmother's eyes? Or does she feel avenged? If she feels avenged is she the queen we want? One that thinks in terms of vengeance? Is she kind to her servants or has someone just replaced her in the ashes? I think she feels guilty, even though she isn't the one who wrote her story. I think she feels weary. I think that when she looks at her handsome prince, there is a little sadness behind her eyes. The rest of the world sees the palace and the jewels and the husband and thinks, "What a lovely ending," without a thought about the journey as a whole.
Let's look at Cinderella (real version please... no Disnification on my watch). The story starts with the death of her beloved mother and goes downhill from there. She is degraded to the lowest position of servant and is reduced to sleeping in the ashes. I imagine that this is enforced by beatings and that she never really gets enough to eat. That's a freaking bad start.
So she goes and cries at the grave of her mother and an otherworldly spirit shows up to help her out. You probably don't think this part is so hard, but her mother is dead and now she must decide how seriously to take this spirit. There's no indication that she's had any experience with this so far. Nature plays a huge roll. She gets her dress from the hazelnut tree that she's planted by the grave of her mother and watered with her tears. I have to admit that it's more than most people get with their tears. Birds are sent to pick the lentils out of the ash, etc, etc. You have to be in a pretty strange stage of mind to think these things are okay. And all the sneaking around and running away trying not to get caught. Then being locked up when the prince is finally trying to find you. And the whole thing about your sisters cutting bits off their feet... I think this is a hard middle of the story even though you know she's turned a corner and is headed toward the happy ending.
How happy is the ending anyway? Was it worth what she went through to get there? Does she think it was worth what it took to get there? She arrived at this "happy end" with an oldness inside her. Does she feel guilty about the doves that pecked out her stepmother's eyes? Or does she feel avenged? If she feels avenged is she the queen we want? One that thinks in terms of vengeance? Is she kind to her servants or has someone just replaced her in the ashes? I think she feels guilty, even though she isn't the one who wrote her story. I think she feels weary. I think that when she looks at her handsome prince, there is a little sadness behind her eyes. The rest of the world sees the palace and the jewels and the husband and thinks, "What a lovely ending," without a thought about the journey as a whole.
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