Saturday, October 30, 2004
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
The Times They Are A'Changin'
I grew up a city boy, but I was aware of an ethic that said a boy needed to learn to ride, shoot straight, and tell the truth in order to be a "man." Being a "man" meant more than having a hairy scrotum and a deep voice. It meant being willing and able to protect one's family, to protect (or at least not take advantage of) weaker persons, and to act in an honorable fashion. It did NOT mean committing violence for real or imagined slights. A man (old meaning) cannot be "dissed." A man (old meaning) can be insulted or harmed, whereupon he is expected to take an appropriate action in response.
I've lived long enough now to see that whole ideal fall by the wayside. One of the ways it has most obviously fallen by the wayside is in our attitude towards firearms. There was NEVER a requirement that a man hunt, or enjoy the use of firearms, or use them regularly. And we musn't forget that Annie Oakley was not the only woman who enjoyed owning and using guns. There WAS an understanding that those who did enjoy those pursuits could engage in them responsibly, and without interference from those who disagreed. And there was most certainly "a time when skill with a rifle was the most gentlemanly of all pursuits."
Now, there is an attitude in large segments of the population that gun lovers are gun nuts, that firearms only have legitimacy if they are used in sport, and that legitimacy will last only until an ongoing campaign of lies and ridicule can remove its legitimacy. Once, Alvin York, Audie Murphy, and Carlos Hathcock were revered names. Once, the Minuteman was the very symbol of patriotism. But now?
I hope this nonsense can be reversed because I believe the country will suffer in the long term both politically and socially if the firearms haters have their way. But I also recognize that times change. What seems written in cultural stone at one time becomes quaint history at another. Consider a recent example. Fifty years ago an unmarried pregnant woman either found an illegal abortion or hid away until her baby was born and given up for adoption if the father could not be convinced to marry her. Now, unmarried women are planning for pregnancy, and the number of births out of wedlock is approaching the number that are "legitimate." Does anyone care? Some, but they are hard to find. So, social change may leave the day of the American Rifleman in the dust. The country will be the poorer for the change.
I grew up a city boy, but I was aware of an ethic that said a boy needed to learn to ride, shoot straight, and tell the truth in order to be a "man." Being a "man" meant more than having a hairy scrotum and a deep voice. It meant being willing and able to protect one's family, to protect (or at least not take advantage of) weaker persons, and to act in an honorable fashion. It did NOT mean committing violence for real or imagined slights. A man (old meaning) cannot be "dissed." A man (old meaning) can be insulted or harmed, whereupon he is expected to take an appropriate action in response.
I've lived long enough now to see that whole ideal fall by the wayside. One of the ways it has most obviously fallen by the wayside is in our attitude towards firearms. There was NEVER a requirement that a man hunt, or enjoy the use of firearms, or use them regularly. And we musn't forget that Annie Oakley was not the only woman who enjoyed owning and using guns. There WAS an understanding that those who did enjoy those pursuits could engage in them responsibly, and without interference from those who disagreed. And there was most certainly "a time when skill with a rifle was the most gentlemanly of all pursuits."
Now, there is an attitude in large segments of the population that gun lovers are gun nuts, that firearms only have legitimacy if they are used in sport, and that legitimacy will last only until an ongoing campaign of lies and ridicule can remove its legitimacy. Once, Alvin York, Audie Murphy, and Carlos Hathcock were revered names. Once, the Minuteman was the very symbol of patriotism. But now?
I hope this nonsense can be reversed because I believe the country will suffer in the long term both politically and socially if the firearms haters have their way. But I also recognize that times change. What seems written in cultural stone at one time becomes quaint history at another. Consider a recent example. Fifty years ago an unmarried pregnant woman either found an illegal abortion or hid away until her baby was born and given up for adoption if the father could not be convinced to marry her. Now, unmarried women are planning for pregnancy, and the number of births out of wedlock is approaching the number that are "legitimate." Does anyone care? Some, but they are hard to find. So, social change may leave the day of the American Rifleman in the dust. The country will be the poorer for the change.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Monday Morning Musings
I had dinner last night with Daniella, John and Greg. As might be expected when the people at the table are meeting for the first time, the conversation was civil and general and largely focused on common interests- Daniella and John's wedding, for one, and blogging and bloggers, for another. Daniella and John were clear that their wedding trip was proving to be a fun vacation for them both, as they check out bed and breakfast places from San Diego to Calistoga. I'll let Daniella tell wedding stories when she comes back but let's talk about bloggers and their interactions.
Daniella reads Greg's blog (Geese Aplenty). I was a guest blogger for Greg and through that Daniella learned about me and saw samples of my writing. Consequently, she asked me to guest blog while she was away on her honeymoon. Hearing that she was coming to California, I suggested (or did she suggest?) that we get together for drinks or dinner. So people who would never in pre-blog days even have known about each other's existence came together for a short evening of good food and good company.
Greg has previously visited with bloggers from other states, and he told me about one blogger marrying someone from another country after meeting in person. In New York, Daniella tells me, some of the bloggers get together regularly. To a person like myself, who was already past 40 when the first personal computers became available, this is fascinating stuff.
Blogging, Daniella tells me, is essentially narcissistic. I don't think that's true. I'm not writing for public consumption to feed my ego or to admire myself. I'm writing because what I have to say is more important than anything anyone else has to say. (see below) Blogging, Daniella and Greg tell me, is also best when it's personal. They are not great fans of the exhortatory political blog, as my earlier postings on this site were. It's more interesting when people talk about themselves, or tell war stories. Because privacy concerns prevent me from telling current tales, I will have to tell you an old story from a life well-spent.
As an intern, in my first year of practical post-graduation training after medical school, I was on duty for the General Surgery service one evening. At the hospital where I trained, newly arriving patients were briefly examined by an admitting room physician and then sent to the appropriate treatment site - the fracture clinic, or the ears, nose and throat clinic, or to the appropriate admitting ward if the admitting room doctor thought admission was required. Patients whose condition was considered critical were transferred from admitting to the appropriate service on a stretcher ( aka "gurney") with a red blanket thrown over them, and every one from janitors to chiefs of departments, knew that the
"red blanket" meant emergency. That evening, the elevator doors opened and an orderly wheeled out a gurney with a red blanket. On it was a heavyset young woman in no apparent distress. Her admitting room record however said she's been shot five times. As I was next on the rotation to receive a new patient, I hurried with her into an examining room and with the nurse's assistance we removed her dress to look at her. From between her breasts down to just below her belly button were five small holes, with very slight bloody oozing coming from them. Listening with a stethoscope to her lungs and abdomen, however, I could not detect any evidence of internal injury, and she described no symptoms except mild pain where the bullets had struck. Closer examination of the bullet wounds showed a bullet about a half inch below the surface of the skin at each entry wound, with the bullet lodged in the fat. All the ammunition had been old and defective and hadn't penetrated below her substantial fatty layer. I removed the bullets, applied antibiotic ointment and a band-aid to each wound, and sent her home. The other interns were quite jealous because I had gotten credit for an admission and went to the bottom of the rotation, and had done very little work.
I may have to get my own blog. As I said last night, I think I'll call it "GRUNTLD: a Memoir of a Life Well-Spent"
(see below refers you here. That was a joke! Now stop muttering about egomania)
I don't have the ability to turn off the "Posted by Daniella" tag. This post is, in fact, by Matt Howard, aka Papa Goose
I had dinner last night with Daniella, John and Greg. As might be expected when the people at the table are meeting for the first time, the conversation was civil and general and largely focused on common interests- Daniella and John's wedding, for one, and blogging and bloggers, for another. Daniella and John were clear that their wedding trip was proving to be a fun vacation for them both, as they check out bed and breakfast places from San Diego to Calistoga. I'll let Daniella tell wedding stories when she comes back but let's talk about bloggers and their interactions.
Daniella reads Greg's blog (Geese Aplenty). I was a guest blogger for Greg and through that Daniella learned about me and saw samples of my writing. Consequently, she asked me to guest blog while she was away on her honeymoon. Hearing that she was coming to California, I suggested (or did she suggest?) that we get together for drinks or dinner. So people who would never in pre-blog days even have known about each other's existence came together for a short evening of good food and good company.
Greg has previously visited with bloggers from other states, and he told me about one blogger marrying someone from another country after meeting in person. In New York, Daniella tells me, some of the bloggers get together regularly. To a person like myself, who was already past 40 when the first personal computers became available, this is fascinating stuff.
Blogging, Daniella tells me, is essentially narcissistic. I don't think that's true. I'm not writing for public consumption to feed my ego or to admire myself. I'm writing because what I have to say is more important than anything anyone else has to say. (see below) Blogging, Daniella and Greg tell me, is also best when it's personal. They are not great fans of the exhortatory political blog, as my earlier postings on this site were. It's more interesting when people talk about themselves, or tell war stories. Because privacy concerns prevent me from telling current tales, I will have to tell you an old story from a life well-spent.
As an intern, in my first year of practical post-graduation training after medical school, I was on duty for the General Surgery service one evening. At the hospital where I trained, newly arriving patients were briefly examined by an admitting room physician and then sent to the appropriate treatment site - the fracture clinic, or the ears, nose and throat clinic, or to the appropriate admitting ward if the admitting room doctor thought admission was required. Patients whose condition was considered critical were transferred from admitting to the appropriate service on a stretcher ( aka "gurney") with a red blanket thrown over them, and every one from janitors to chiefs of departments, knew that the
"red blanket" meant emergency. That evening, the elevator doors opened and an orderly wheeled out a gurney with a red blanket. On it was a heavyset young woman in no apparent distress. Her admitting room record however said she's been shot five times. As I was next on the rotation to receive a new patient, I hurried with her into an examining room and with the nurse's assistance we removed her dress to look at her. From between her breasts down to just below her belly button were five small holes, with very slight bloody oozing coming from them. Listening with a stethoscope to her lungs and abdomen, however, I could not detect any evidence of internal injury, and she described no symptoms except mild pain where the bullets had struck. Closer examination of the bullet wounds showed a bullet about a half inch below the surface of the skin at each entry wound, with the bullet lodged in the fat. All the ammunition had been old and defective and hadn't penetrated below her substantial fatty layer. I removed the bullets, applied antibiotic ointment and a band-aid to each wound, and sent her home. The other interns were quite jealous because I had gotten credit for an admission and went to the bottom of the rotation, and had done very little work.
I may have to get my own blog. As I said last night, I think I'll call it "GRUNTLD: a Memoir of a Life Well-Spent"
(see below refers you here. That was a joke! Now stop muttering about egomania)
I don't have the ability to turn off the "Posted by Daniella" tag. This post is, in fact, by Matt Howard, aka Papa Goose
Friday, October 22, 2004
What's Up, Doc?
Daniella's posts are usually so cheery and casual that my heavy handed approach since being given the opportunity to guest blog are probably wearing down her many readers. So, I decided to be cheery and casual. Except I'm not that kind of person. Uh oh,
Speaking of which, the answer is "Oops!" The question is, "What is the last thing a person undergoing surgery wants to hear from his/her surgeon?" When I was a young doctor starting out in private practice I performed surgery at a hospital where the O.R. nurse in charge was a sweet lady named Dorothy Bowen. She had a policy of fining any surgeon who said "oops" 25 cents. I think we all paid when she fined us, thinking it a good joke. It only took a few years for her to collect enough money to buy a refrigerator for the nurses' lounge where they could store their lunches and snacks.
An article I saw recently said that many Americans are traveling to India for necessary surgery now, as well as the cosmetic surgery people have been going to India for during the past several years. Surgery can be performed there at a fraction of the cost of surgery here. Cities like Bangalore and Chennai have well-trained and competent physicians and safe facilities. Think of the frequent flyer miles you can rack up going back and forth for pre- and post-surgical visits!
I'm having dinner with Daniella and John, and Greg of Geese Aplenty, on Sunday. What shall I ask her?
I do not have the ability to temporarily turn off the "Posted by Daniella" tag. This was posted by Matt Howard, aka "Papa Goose"
Daniella's posts are usually so cheery and casual that my heavy handed approach since being given the opportunity to guest blog are probably wearing down her many readers. So, I decided to be cheery and casual. Except I'm not that kind of person. Uh oh,
Speaking of which, the answer is "Oops!" The question is, "What is the last thing a person undergoing surgery wants to hear from his/her surgeon?" When I was a young doctor starting out in private practice I performed surgery at a hospital where the O.R. nurse in charge was a sweet lady named Dorothy Bowen. She had a policy of fining any surgeon who said "oops" 25 cents. I think we all paid when she fined us, thinking it a good joke. It only took a few years for her to collect enough money to buy a refrigerator for the nurses' lounge where they could store their lunches and snacks.
An article I saw recently said that many Americans are traveling to India for necessary surgery now, as well as the cosmetic surgery people have been going to India for during the past several years. Surgery can be performed there at a fraction of the cost of surgery here. Cities like Bangalore and Chennai have well-trained and competent physicians and safe facilities. Think of the frequent flyer miles you can rack up going back and forth for pre- and post-surgical visits!
I'm having dinner with Daniella and John, and Greg of Geese Aplenty, on Sunday. What shall I ask her?
I do not have the ability to temporarily turn off the "Posted by Daniella" tag. This was posted by Matt Howard, aka "Papa Goose"
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Through the Looking Glass
If you've read the Alice in Wonderland books, you know that the world on the other side of the mirror runs by different rules. I was reminded of the world-on-the-other-side-of-the-looking-glass by a story in today's headlines that the government claims to have found a billion dollars a year in benefits for disabled people being paid to people who are not disabled. I have no doubt that they found a lot of crooks getting benefits they didn't deserve. After all, in a program that processes 2 1/2 million new claims a year, some mistakes are going to be made. Nothing human is perfect. If the decision makers are 99.9% correct, there will still be 2,500 mistakes a year. In ten years, there will be 25,000 people receiving benefits incorrectly. At an average payment of $9, 600 per year, the over payment is $240 million dollars annually. Who believes they are as good as 99.9% correct?
What concerns me is the other kind of fraud, the fraud the government commits against the claimants. As a lawyer representing people making claims for benefits, I have found government fraud far more common than claimant fraud. For example, a person claiming back pain was sent by the government for an independent examination by a neurologist. The neurologist came into the exam room, took a rusty safety pin out of his pocket, poked the claimant in the leg that was reported involved, and walked out. He later submitted a muti-page report outlining all the examinations that were supposedly done. Or how about the orthopedic examiner who reported that arterial pulses and nerve reflexes were normal in both feet. He hadn't even removed the claimant's shoes. How do we know that the claimant was telling the truth when she said the shoes were not removed? Because the examiner did not include in his report that half of one of the claimant's feet was missing. (amputated in childhood.) No, I think if we knew the whole truth, we'd find there's a lot more fraud on the government side.
Those are just a couple of examples. I can tell you dozens. Well, you say, you should write a book. Well, I say, I am.
I do not have the ability to turn off temporarily the "Posted by Daniella" tag. This post is by Matt Howard, aka "Papa Goose."
If you've read the Alice in Wonderland books, you know that the world on the other side of the mirror runs by different rules. I was reminded of the world-on-the-other-side-of-the-looking-glass by a story in today's headlines that the government claims to have found a billion dollars a year in benefits for disabled people being paid to people who are not disabled. I have no doubt that they found a lot of crooks getting benefits they didn't deserve. After all, in a program that processes 2 1/2 million new claims a year, some mistakes are going to be made. Nothing human is perfect. If the decision makers are 99.9% correct, there will still be 2,500 mistakes a year. In ten years, there will be 25,000 people receiving benefits incorrectly. At an average payment of $9, 600 per year, the over payment is $240 million dollars annually. Who believes they are as good as 99.9% correct?
What concerns me is the other kind of fraud, the fraud the government commits against the claimants. As a lawyer representing people making claims for benefits, I have found government fraud far more common than claimant fraud. For example, a person claiming back pain was sent by the government for an independent examination by a neurologist. The neurologist came into the exam room, took a rusty safety pin out of his pocket, poked the claimant in the leg that was reported involved, and walked out. He later submitted a muti-page report outlining all the examinations that were supposedly done. Or how about the orthopedic examiner who reported that arterial pulses and nerve reflexes were normal in both feet. He hadn't even removed the claimant's shoes. How do we know that the claimant was telling the truth when she said the shoes were not removed? Because the examiner did not include in his report that half of one of the claimant's feet was missing. (amputated in childhood.) No, I think if we knew the whole truth, we'd find there's a lot more fraud on the government side.
Those are just a couple of examples. I can tell you dozens. Well, you say, you should write a book. Well, I say, I am.
I do not have the ability to turn off temporarily the "Posted by Daniella" tag. This post is by Matt Howard, aka "Papa Goose."
Monday, October 18, 2004
Mr. Kerry, what are you talking about?
I’ve been voting in Presidential elections for 40 years, and I think this is the hardest of them all. From my libertarian point of view, a choice between Kerry and Bush is no choice at all. But I recognize that one of them is going to be elected President.
I started to lean away from Kerry yesterday when I saw on TV that he said at a campaign stop that he would never privatize Social Security, and would never reduce benefits. The respected Alan Greenspan, and essentially every other economist who has ever spoken about the subject, says that the combination of an aging population and a reduced ratio of workers to retirees will result in inability to pay benefits at some time in the near future.
Taking that as true, let’s analyze Kerry’s statement.
He could be lying. He wouldn’t be the first. Remember Bush 41 announcing “Read my lips. No new taxes” (or words to that effect), and then signing a tax increase bill. Perhaps he plans to reduce benefits or raise retirement age to 70 (a back-door way of reducing benefits), but doesn’t want to alienate potential voters before the election. Perhaps he plans to increase the amount of tax paid on Social Security benefits, which was another back-door reduction in benefits when it was introduced
He could be cowardly. Every president until now has refused to deal with the problem, except for Ronald Reagan, who agreed to and sponsored the increase in retirement age to 67 years that was passed in 1983. Kerry could just be planning to continue ignoring it, figuring whoever has the bad luck to be president in 2016 can have all the fun.
He could be stupid. Perhaps he really believes nothing needs to be done.
He could be devious. Considering his call for a national health plan, he may be counting on an increased mortality among the elderly resulting from poor health care to reduce the demand for pension dollars. Well, that’s probably not realistic. I don’t expect him to send the elderly to extermination camps either, so he’s probably not being that devious. It could be he recognizes that the only economically sound way to make Social Security work for the next hundred years is to combine a reduction in benefits (raise the age of retirement to 70 years) AND partially privatize by diverting a mandatory percentage of payroll tax into private investments while providing a floor of protection for the lowest earners. But deviously, he plans to announce this after election but call it reorganization, rather than privatization.
No, when the crisis comes, the Kerry solution would probably be increased taxes. Social Security and Medicare payroll tax is already 15.3% of your paycheck, half taken directly from you and half paid by your employer. I am not enough of an actuary or economist to be able to calculate the tax rate needed to solve the problem, but I think it would be close to 25%. Think about it – if you make $30,000 per year, you would pay an extra $1,500 in taxes, and your employer would pay the same.
So, take your choice. Lying or cowardly or stupid or promoter of increased taxation, that’s John Kerry
I do not have access to temporarily disable the “Posted by Daniella” tag. This post is by Matt Howard, aka Papa Goose
I’ve been voting in Presidential elections for 40 years, and I think this is the hardest of them all. From my libertarian point of view, a choice between Kerry and Bush is no choice at all. But I recognize that one of them is going to be elected President.
I started to lean away from Kerry yesterday when I saw on TV that he said at a campaign stop that he would never privatize Social Security, and would never reduce benefits. The respected Alan Greenspan, and essentially every other economist who has ever spoken about the subject, says that the combination of an aging population and a reduced ratio of workers to retirees will result in inability to pay benefits at some time in the near future.
Taking that as true, let’s analyze Kerry’s statement.
He could be lying. He wouldn’t be the first. Remember Bush 41 announcing “Read my lips. No new taxes” (or words to that effect), and then signing a tax increase bill. Perhaps he plans to reduce benefits or raise retirement age to 70 (a back-door way of reducing benefits), but doesn’t want to alienate potential voters before the election. Perhaps he plans to increase the amount of tax paid on Social Security benefits, which was another back-door reduction in benefits when it was introduced
He could be cowardly. Every president until now has refused to deal with the problem, except for Ronald Reagan, who agreed to and sponsored the increase in retirement age to 67 years that was passed in 1983. Kerry could just be planning to continue ignoring it, figuring whoever has the bad luck to be president in 2016 can have all the fun.
He could be stupid. Perhaps he really believes nothing needs to be done.
He could be devious. Considering his call for a national health plan, he may be counting on an increased mortality among the elderly resulting from poor health care to reduce the demand for pension dollars. Well, that’s probably not realistic. I don’t expect him to send the elderly to extermination camps either, so he’s probably not being that devious. It could be he recognizes that the only economically sound way to make Social Security work for the next hundred years is to combine a reduction in benefits (raise the age of retirement to 70 years) AND partially privatize by diverting a mandatory percentage of payroll tax into private investments while providing a floor of protection for the lowest earners. But deviously, he plans to announce this after election but call it reorganization, rather than privatization.
No, when the crisis comes, the Kerry solution would probably be increased taxes. Social Security and Medicare payroll tax is already 15.3% of your paycheck, half taken directly from you and half paid by your employer. I am not enough of an actuary or economist to be able to calculate the tax rate needed to solve the problem, but I think it would be close to 25%. Think about it – if you make $30,000 per year, you would pay an extra $1,500 in taxes, and your employer would pay the same.
So, take your choice. Lying or cowardly or stupid or promoter of increased taxation, that’s John Kerry
I do not have access to temporarily disable the “Posted by Daniella” tag. This post is by Matt Howard, aka Papa Goose
Friday, October 15, 2004
Dooced?
Geese Aplenty http://www.greghoward.net/weblog.php links today to Heather's website http://dooce.com/about.html, where she has coined a new word, "dooced," meaning losing one's job consequent to publishing blogs about work. Well, I did not lose my job, and the published material was not a blog, but I do understand how she feels. Where I work, I get many referrals from other people in the company. An unfortunately large number of those people are not competent. I said to myself, knowing that I am my own best audience, "They are not stupid. They are ignorant. If shown the light, they would improve their performance." To help them see the light, I started publishing weekly "best practices tips" on the company intranet. I did this with the approval of my chief. I learned something important. Some people have small egoes. Some people take any suggestion that they might learn something new, or learn a better way to do something, as a personal insult. These people raised such a stink that I was at risk of losing promotion, though probably not my job.
So I'm going to coin another new word. The meaning is: risking employment by yielding to the temptation to try improving another person's job performance by correcting his/her mistakes. The word is: "sedooced."
Disclaimer: Disabling the "Posted by Daniella" tag is not available to me. This was posted by Matt Howard, aka, Papa Goose.
Geese Aplenty http://www.greghoward.net/weblog.php links today to Heather's website http://dooce.com/about.html, where she has coined a new word, "dooced," meaning losing one's job consequent to publishing blogs about work. Well, I did not lose my job, and the published material was not a blog, but I do understand how she feels. Where I work, I get many referrals from other people in the company. An unfortunately large number of those people are not competent. I said to myself, knowing that I am my own best audience, "They are not stupid. They are ignorant. If shown the light, they would improve their performance." To help them see the light, I started publishing weekly "best practices tips" on the company intranet. I did this with the approval of my chief. I learned something important. Some people have small egoes. Some people take any suggestion that they might learn something new, or learn a better way to do something, as a personal insult. These people raised such a stink that I was at risk of losing promotion, though probably not my job.
So I'm going to coin another new word. The meaning is: risking employment by yielding to the temptation to try improving another person's job performance by correcting his/her mistakes. The word is: "sedooced."
Disclaimer: Disabling the "Posted by Daniella" tag is not available to me. This was posted by Matt Howard, aka, Papa Goose.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Republicans are Red, Demos are Blue
If you vote for either, shame, shame on you
Where did this "party color" thing come from? Is this like the Crips thing? I don't remember ever hearing of a color associated with a U.S. political party until the 2000 election when the networks colored states going for Bush in red, those going for Gore in blue, on the maps they broadcast. Why did they choose those colors, which have already become part of political routine? Were they refraining from giving red to the Demos because red is associated with the Soviet Union, with communists, with the Paris Commune, with the Spithead mutiny? Or was it purely chance they gave the color red to the Republicans?
So we have Red for the Republicans, Blue for the Democrats, Green for the Greens, White for the clouds they levitate to for the Natural party or whatever they call themselves these days. Maybe pink for the American Independent Party.
Vote Libertarian: no color - just common sense.
If you vote for either, shame, shame on you
Where did this "party color" thing come from? Is this like the Crips thing? I don't remember ever hearing of a color associated with a U.S. political party until the 2000 election when the networks colored states going for Bush in red, those going for Gore in blue, on the maps they broadcast. Why did they choose those colors, which have already become part of political routine? Were they refraining from giving red to the Demos because red is associated with the Soviet Union, with communists, with the Paris Commune, with the Spithead mutiny? Or was it purely chance they gave the color red to the Republicans?
So we have Red for the Republicans, Blue for the Democrats, Green for the Greens, White for the clouds they levitate to for the Natural party or whatever they call themselves these days. Maybe pink for the American Independent Party.
Vote Libertarian: no color - just common sense.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Give Everybody a Hug
The death of Christopher Reeve is bringing out the usual post-mortem tributes. One of the people quoted interviewed him sometime after his injury and asked what he missed most. He responded that he most missed hugging his children, which he knew he would never do again, and he suggested to the interviewer that she never miss an opportunity to hug her children.
This is not a new suggestion, of course. We often hear people speak regretfully of their inability to express their love for lost parents, spouses, and friends. Death closes off the opportunity.
So, taking this opportunity - - - You know who you are and I love you.
Daniella's software does not permit me to temporarily disable the "Posted by Daniell" label. This was posted by Matt Howard, aka Papa Goose.
The death of Christopher Reeve is bringing out the usual post-mortem tributes. One of the people quoted interviewed him sometime after his injury and asked what he missed most. He responded that he most missed hugging his children, which he knew he would never do again, and he suggested to the interviewer that she never miss an opportunity to hug her children.
This is not a new suggestion, of course. We often hear people speak regretfully of their inability to express their love for lost parents, spouses, and friends. Death closes off the opportunity.
So, taking this opportunity - - - You know who you are and I love you.
Daniella's software does not permit me to temporarily disable the "Posted by Daniell" label. This was posted by Matt Howard, aka Papa Goose.
Monday, October 11, 2004
Aren't Weddings Wonderful?
Daniella is off on what we sincerely hope will NOT be a misadventure, and here I am. We are moving from the "misadventures" of a single working woman to the blatherings of a (still) working almost senior citizen. Any one who suffers from culture shock as a result is invited to have two beers and a sit-down. It's interesting how many weddings suffer from little misadventures. For example, my own. My fiancee and I decided we would honeymoon by taking a driving trip up the West Coast. (We were married in Los Angeles) My car was a motor scooter, so we were going to use hers. The night before the wedding, driving to her cousin's house, she noted a red light on her dash and being a young woman alone at night she decided to take the chance that the light meant nothing serious and proceeded to her destination. Of course, driving without oil pressure trashes the engine, so we found ourselves without wheels 24 hours before we were supposed to leave. Greg's mom still gets defensive about that if it's brought up, even though her response was quite reasonable in the circumstances. That's the kind of problem I mean. It is so common.
Weddings represent the triumph of optimism over reality. Even though we all know how many marriages end in divorce, and even though we all know how many married couples end up tied together by economics while they lead "lives of quiet desperation," we all hope for the happy ending, and weddings continue. (Not as frequently as they used to, however. Current statistics show hundreds of thousands of households where the partners are not married) My wife has lots of cousins, and several of her cousins have had children, and so recently we've been going to lots of family weddings. I love them. They are so joyous and full of hope. Even the homely brides are beautiful for a day and the ugly grooms are manly and competent. I love them.
So, here's a toast to Daniella and John, whose wedding I will not be attending, and to John and Natalie, to Brian and Kari, to Liz and Bill, to Geoff and Deborah, and to all the others whose weddings I've been privileged to attend. And an additional toast to Max and Alex and Cam, who are tangible results of three of those weddings.
During the remainder of my stint as guest blogger, expect a lot of libertarian politics, and a little humor. For humor, visit Geese Aplenty.
Matt
Daniella is off on what we sincerely hope will NOT be a misadventure, and here I am. We are moving from the "misadventures" of a single working woman to the blatherings of a (still) working almost senior citizen. Any one who suffers from culture shock as a result is invited to have two beers and a sit-down. It's interesting how many weddings suffer from little misadventures. For example, my own. My fiancee and I decided we would honeymoon by taking a driving trip up the West Coast. (We were married in Los Angeles) My car was a motor scooter, so we were going to use hers. The night before the wedding, driving to her cousin's house, she noted a red light on her dash and being a young woman alone at night she decided to take the chance that the light meant nothing serious and proceeded to her destination. Of course, driving without oil pressure trashes the engine, so we found ourselves without wheels 24 hours before we were supposed to leave. Greg's mom still gets defensive about that if it's brought up, even though her response was quite reasonable in the circumstances. That's the kind of problem I mean. It is so common.
Weddings represent the triumph of optimism over reality. Even though we all know how many marriages end in divorce, and even though we all know how many married couples end up tied together by economics while they lead "lives of quiet desperation," we all hope for the happy ending, and weddings continue. (Not as frequently as they used to, however. Current statistics show hundreds of thousands of households where the partners are not married) My wife has lots of cousins, and several of her cousins have had children, and so recently we've been going to lots of family weddings. I love them. They are so joyous and full of hope. Even the homely brides are beautiful for a day and the ugly grooms are manly and competent. I love them.
So, here's a toast to Daniella and John, whose wedding I will not be attending, and to John and Natalie, to Brian and Kari, to Liz and Bill, to Geoff and Deborah, and to all the others whose weddings I've been privileged to attend. And an additional toast to Max and Alex and Cam, who are tangible results of three of those weddings.
During the remainder of my stint as guest blogger, expect a lot of libertarian politics, and a little humor. For humor, visit Geese Aplenty.
Matt
Friday, October 08, 2004
Bu-deet, bu-deet, That's all folks!
Don't you love it when the last two items on your To-do list at the office are:
1. set out of office message on voice mail; and
2. get the hell outta Dodge?
This is the last time I'll be typing at you as a single woman. I am so excited, happy and nervous. This really is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. I am marrying the man of my dreams and starting my life with him. I am going to stand up in front of all my family and my friends and say that THIS IS THE MAN I LOVE.
And, that, my friends, is really what it's all about. The past few months have been a blur and it's all leading up to that moment. The moment that I will look into his eyes and say "I do." And it's only eight days away.
While I'm gone, you will be lucky enough to get blogging by Matt Howard, aka Papa Goose. Papa Goose is the father of Greg of Geese Aplenty and I was mesmerized by his writing and his viewpoints when he guest-blogged for Greg. So, I asked him to bring his brilliant skills to my little corner of the internet. I hope you will enjoy him as much as I have.
I will be back (all shiny and new and a Mrs!) on November 1st.
Take it away, Matt!
Don't you love it when the last two items on your To-do list at the office are:
1. set out of office message on voice mail; and
2. get the hell outta Dodge?
This is the last time I'll be typing at you as a single woman. I am so excited, happy and nervous. This really is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. I am marrying the man of my dreams and starting my life with him. I am going to stand up in front of all my family and my friends and say that THIS IS THE MAN I LOVE.
And, that, my friends, is really what it's all about. The past few months have been a blur and it's all leading up to that moment. The moment that I will look into his eyes and say "I do." And it's only eight days away.
While I'm gone, you will be lucky enough to get blogging by Matt Howard, aka Papa Goose. Papa Goose is the father of Greg of Geese Aplenty and I was mesmerized by his writing and his viewpoints when he guest-blogged for Greg. So, I asked him to bring his brilliant skills to my little corner of the internet. I hope you will enjoy him as much as I have.
I will be back (all shiny and new and a Mrs!) on November 1st.
Take it away, Matt!
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Wow! They really like me!
I am a very lucky woman. I really like my work environment. My department is full of very nice people with whom I have great relationships. A couple of days ago, I got a meeting notice from my VP for a team meeting on Wednesday at 4:30 PM. It was strange as we had just had a team meeting on Monday, plus my whole department was on the invite list...
Ooooh, I thought, they're finally going to announce the reorg.
Well, I was wrong.
Yesterday's big "meeting" was to announce...
...a big cake and presents for my wedding! The whole department was there, including two Senior VPs. They got me a big wedding cake that said "Congratulations, Daniella and John!"
I work with some very nice people.
I am a very lucky woman. I really like my work environment. My department is full of very nice people with whom I have great relationships. A couple of days ago, I got a meeting notice from my VP for a team meeting on Wednesday at 4:30 PM. It was strange as we had just had a team meeting on Monday, plus my whole department was on the invite list...
Ooooh, I thought, they're finally going to announce the reorg.
Well, I was wrong.
Yesterday's big "meeting" was to announce...
...a big cake and presents for my wedding! The whole department was there, including two Senior VPs. They got me a big wedding cake that said "Congratulations, Daniella and John!"
I work with some very nice people.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Darth Cheney and the Little Smiley Boy from Tattooine
I'm not going to blog about the debate, 'cause you all know how I feel (as if the title didn't tell you!) and I'm not going to change anyone's mind anyway. If you're still undecided, well... I just don't understand that.
That being said, Darth Cheney is such a smug prick, I can't stand it.
And Edwards can't even stick to the rules and not refer to Kerry? Really, John... pull it together, man. Your thousand watt smile can't always save you.
I'm, of course, voting for Kerry/Edwards, but I just wish we could get a do-over.
I'm not going to blog about the debate, 'cause you all know how I feel (as if the title didn't tell you!) and I'm not going to change anyone's mind anyway. If you're still undecided, well... I just don't understand that.
That being said, Darth Cheney is such a smug prick, I can't stand it.
And Edwards can't even stick to the rules and not refer to Kerry? Really, John... pull it together, man. Your thousand watt smile can't always save you.
I'm, of course, voting for Kerry/Edwards, but I just wish we could get a do-over.
Monday, October 04, 2004
...And the bride looked radiant pimply?
What the hell is happening with my skin???? I never break out. I'm 31 goddamn years old!
I'm all red and blotchy and I look like a teenager.
Somebody DO SOMETHING.
I demand my skin go back to normal IMMEDIATELY!
What the hell is happening with my skin???? I never break out. I'm 31 goddamn years old!
I'm all red and blotchy and I look like a teenager.
Somebody DO SOMETHING.
I demand my skin go back to normal IMMEDIATELY!
Friday, October 01, 2004
Stuff to Blog About
I have so much to tell you. But so little time within which to do so. I feel like my posts of late haven't had too much heart, but it's just because I have been really busy and really overwhelmed with emotion.
My wedding is two weeks from tomorrow. I leave in a week. I am facing a huge step in my life and I am excited, nervous, happy, scared, and a whole bunch of other emotions all jumbled up into one quivering mass of Daniella.
There have been a lot of developments in the non-wedding world lately too.
All signs point to the fact that my faux-motion of a few months ago is finally being made into a promotion. Keep your fingers crossed, I hope to know something soon.
In even better news, the health issues that I have been dealing with for about the last six months or so (no, I haven't blogged about them) have finally been diagnosed. It is something imminently curable and I am already on the road to recovery. Hopefully, all my symptoms will be completely gone by the wedding (though if I didn't tell you, you wouldn't have been able to tell that I have been sick). This is great news, and I can't wait until I am living pain free again.
Things are good. Things are strange.
If my blogging hasn't been up to standards, please bear with me as the Wedded Bliss edition of Daniella's Misadventures will debut on November 1st and I promise I will once again have time for you, my internetreaders friends.
I have so much to tell you. But so little time within which to do so. I feel like my posts of late haven't had too much heart, but it's just because I have been really busy and really overwhelmed with emotion.
My wedding is two weeks from tomorrow. I leave in a week. I am facing a huge step in my life and I am excited, nervous, happy, scared, and a whole bunch of other emotions all jumbled up into one quivering mass of Daniella.
There have been a lot of developments in the non-wedding world lately too.
All signs point to the fact that my faux-motion of a few months ago is finally being made into a promotion. Keep your fingers crossed, I hope to know something soon.
In even better news, the health issues that I have been dealing with for about the last six months or so (no, I haven't blogged about them) have finally been diagnosed. It is something imminently curable and I am already on the road to recovery. Hopefully, all my symptoms will be completely gone by the wedding (though if I didn't tell you, you wouldn't have been able to tell that I have been sick). This is great news, and I can't wait until I am living pain free again.
Things are good. Things are strange.
If my blogging hasn't been up to standards, please bear with me as the Wedded Bliss edition of Daniella's Misadventures will debut on November 1st and I promise I will once again have time for you, my internet
