Shhh, don't tell anyone in my apartment complex, but I'm using an unknown someone's open wireless network. The signal is very low, but it works. Very low speed is infinitely faster than no speed at all, which is my normal state when in the apartment.
First significant rainfall of the month and it all comes at once. Gale force winds, flash flood rains, and dramatic lightning displays in the dark sky have been Houston's Halloween trick-or-treat. Poor kids. But then lots of children wouldn't have been going out to trick-or-treat anyway, as the idea of walking one's neighborhood with a parent or other trusted adult(s) and interacting with strangers is unacceptably risky. And apparently cavorting with make believe ghosts and vampires and witches puts one on the path to selling one's soul to the devil. I'm not sure Halloween-style witches say anything whatsoever about Jesus, but maybe I've been foolishly unobservant.
Samuel Alito Jr. seems like an intelligent man, polite, well mannered. I understand and respect that he is quite conservative; this is not a problem for me as a point of fact. I also understand and respect that conservatives feel the letter of the Constitution must be adhered to and nothing more (that there is, in essence, no spirit to be found in the Constitution, a point to which I heartily disagree, but I accept others feel that way). Deciding that a strict interpretation of the Constitution means a husband must be notified of a wife's abortion doesn't make sense to me at all though. I'm not sure how it isn't exactly what he argues against--judicial activism. Can someone explain this to me? For more on the Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey case alluded to above, check out a conservative view, a liberal view, a summary and actual words of the case.
October 31, 2005
October 28, 2005
Power
As much as I enjoy discussing power relations and inequities, this notice has to do with the electrical variety of power. (By the way, consider the similarities and differences between interpersonal/social power and electrical power.) Apparently--and this is secondhand information, but my source is fairly reliable--power has been restored to our house in Beaumont. That's right, it's been one month since Rita passed through town.
Head-scratching Priorities alert: Alas, it's too late for the Def Leppard/Cheap Trick concert originally scheduled for tomorrow night at the local arena. TWO fabulous events were coming to Beaumont and had to be cancelled due to Rita: this concert and Vince Vaughn's traveling comedy show. Up to now all there's been to see in town were Cher and Hillary Duff (separately). Now that interesting events are scheduled, a hurricane takes them all out. Bad luck for me; really bad luck for the local events people who need the business badly.
Head-scratching Priorities alert: Alas, it's too late for the Def Leppard/Cheap Trick concert originally scheduled for tomorrow night at the local arena. TWO fabulous events were coming to Beaumont and had to be cancelled due to Rita: this concert and Vince Vaughn's traveling comedy show. Up to now all there's been to see in town were Cher and Hillary Duff (separately). Now that interesting events are scheduled, a hurricane takes them all out. Bad luck for me; really bad luck for the local events people who need the business badly.
October 21, 2005
Simplicity
How many efforts failed to reach their intended conclusion because they became or were originally conceived in a way that was overly complex? Have you heard of "Keep It Simple, Stupid"? How about "the devil is in the details"? Simplify your life, minimize the details and reap the rewards. Life is naturally complex. Is there any benefit to artifically making things more complex? What is it you really want to do? What is it that prevents you from doing it? I'm becoming obsessed with priorities.
Okay, I've got the solution to a lot of problems. It's sort of obvious I know, but still people don't give it its due. Prevention. Think about how much could change if we focused on prevention rather than treatment of problems. Physical health obviously comes to mind and has been the focus of many prevention campaigns, but what about mental health? Personal relationships, parenting, even personal finance could all benefit from preventive attention.
Yet again, the "problem" comes from defining values. What if your simple prevention measures conflict with mine? How about this: work on your own self. Simplify your own actions, focus on your personal priorities. A simple solution.
Okay, I've got the solution to a lot of problems. It's sort of obvious I know, but still people don't give it its due. Prevention. Think about how much could change if we focused on prevention rather than treatment of problems. Physical health obviously comes to mind and has been the focus of many prevention campaigns, but what about mental health? Personal relationships, parenting, even personal finance could all benefit from preventive attention.
Yet again, the "problem" comes from defining values. What if your simple prevention measures conflict with mine? How about this: work on your own self. Simplify your own actions, focus on your personal priorities. A simple solution.
October 15, 2005
Delusions
A woman at work is preparing to run a marathon. She's exercising herself into immobility in anticipation of running herself into immobility (funny, that). Two hours of spin class, another hour of running, followed one day later by a 20k run. This doesn't sound fun to me. I have no desire to run a marathon. I've heard about runner's high and all that, but it just doesn't appeal to me. Is it possible that I am too high on life? That I avoid new exhilarations because I'm so content with the day-to-day ones?
I told myself that I could run a marathon if I wanted to. That I am not incapable of such a feat. Then I thought about other things I opt not to do yet feel perfectly capable of doing should the urge strike me. The only thing I could not think myself capable of is killing another person or charasmatic creature. [DIGRESSION BEGINS: The fact that I differentiate creatures is problematic. I'd rather not kill any of them. In fact I've developed a bit of a walking phobia recently; I look for ants and bugs and attempt to avoid stepping on any. I recognized this fairly quickly as a problem. The problem, really, is that I became conscious of all the little life forms I trod upon daily and I developed compassion for them. What am I to do, live in a bubble? I have reconciled this recently by recognizing the insects, walking consciously so as to avoid mass murder and thanking all of nature for its wonder. Kind of like the meat I consume. Okay, I have totally digressed. DIGRESSION ENDS]
The point was, am I deluding myself into believing that I can run a marathon? If I have never attempted it, how can I know? And if I attempted it then stopped short, would that confirm that I can't? Or would it simply be further evidence that I had not YET done it? Is any of it really a question of capability?
I have now arrived at the conclusion that it matters not one iota what one can or can't do. I feel much better.
Next maybe I'll share my thoughts on actions speaking louder than words. You might be surprised by my views.
I told myself that I could run a marathon if I wanted to. That I am not incapable of such a feat. Then I thought about other things I opt not to do yet feel perfectly capable of doing should the urge strike me. The only thing I could not think myself capable of is killing another person or charasmatic creature. [DIGRESSION BEGINS: The fact that I differentiate creatures is problematic. I'd rather not kill any of them. In fact I've developed a bit of a walking phobia recently; I look for ants and bugs and attempt to avoid stepping on any. I recognized this fairly quickly as a problem. The problem, really, is that I became conscious of all the little life forms I trod upon daily and I developed compassion for them. What am I to do, live in a bubble? I have reconciled this recently by recognizing the insects, walking consciously so as to avoid mass murder and thanking all of nature for its wonder. Kind of like the meat I consume. Okay, I have totally digressed. DIGRESSION ENDS]
The point was, am I deluding myself into believing that I can run a marathon? If I have never attempted it, how can I know? And if I attempted it then stopped short, would that confirm that I can't? Or would it simply be further evidence that I had not YET done it? Is any of it really a question of capability?
I have now arrived at the conclusion that it matters not one iota what one can or can't do. I feel much better.
Next maybe I'll share my thoughts on actions speaking louder than words. You might be surprised by my views.
October 13, 2005
Taxes
Scanning the FM dial this morning I came across a pundit blasting some Bush-assigned effort to figure out ways to simplify tax code and energize the economy. Their solution, he said, was to propose taxing the rich. This solution was unacceptable to the pundit (whose political allegiances I never did discern). He was quite pointed in declaring the committee had failed in all of its missions. I wasn't quite clear on why he objected to taxing the rich as a proposed solution.
Anyway, it all reminded me of the movie Dave. I loved how the impostor president got his accountant friend to go over the budget and find extraneous expenses to eliminate. All it took was some favorite deli sandwiches and an all-nighter or two. Then, poof, the budget mess was figured out. Why can't we do that in real life?
Is the budget so convoluted that it is beyond deciphering by experts, or is it so filled with noxious junk that really analyzing it would open the government en masse to ridicule and undermine our entire way of life, or maybe it's all just too idealistic to contemplate. Why is taxing the rich so awful? Okay, I can imagine some problems with such an un-nuanced proposal. But I still fail to see why idealism is so awful.
Anyway, it all reminded me of the movie Dave. I loved how the impostor president got his accountant friend to go over the budget and find extraneous expenses to eliminate. All it took was some favorite deli sandwiches and an all-nighter or two. Then, poof, the budget mess was figured out. Why can't we do that in real life?
Is the budget so convoluted that it is beyond deciphering by experts, or is it so filled with noxious junk that really analyzing it would open the government en masse to ridicule and undermine our entire way of life, or maybe it's all just too idealistic to contemplate. Why is taxing the rich so awful? Okay, I can imagine some problems with such an un-nuanced proposal. But I still fail to see why idealism is so awful.
October 06, 2005
Cold
I'm looking forward to a temperature change here in Southeast Texas, preferably a cooldown. I'm looking forward to news about when power might be restored to our house in Beaumont. Chances are, by the time power is restored, air conditioning will no longer be necessary. In the meantime I seem to have come down with a cold. I took old cold medication with the hopes that it would a) not kill me and b) work to some extent. I'd have to take non-expired medication and measure effects to be certain, but I think this old stuff is not up to snuff. I like to think that I am a good sick person. I take care of myself, don't complain, and maintain some cheeriness. Actually, I am rather intrigued by congested states--the foggy head, explosive sneezes, and endless desires for a nap; on the flip side, I don't like the coughing or the tickle in the back of the throat. I hope David doesn't get sick. I believe men tend to be bigger wimps when it comes to illness and discomfort than women. I consider myself a non-sexist person but I believe the genders are socialized differently. That's how I justify making steretypical statements related to gender at any rate.
See how I moved from temperature to gender? Blame it on bad cold medicine.
See how I moved from temperature to gender? Blame it on bad cold medicine.
October 02, 2005
Serenity - the movie
We saw a movie this weekend, Serenity, based on the short-lived Fox television series Firefly (a sci-fi western). I would post a movie review, but that computer is under wraps and under-powered (non-powered, actually). My mini review: If you're looking for lighthearted space adventure with a western feel, then you will enjoy Serenity. It won't shock you or move you to tears or activism of any kind, but it's got amusing characters and dialogue. It's harmlessly fun sci fi entertainment that happens to have a rabid fanbase.
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