December 3, 2009
Random Mutterings
Having some kind of head cold nastiness for the better part of a week has left me more befuddled than usual and less able to focus thanks to various apothecary concoctions. Here's what I've been muttering about....
Apparently, Gen. Treasurer Frank Caprio is going to campaign as a right-of-center progressive.
Tiger Woods has garnered a reputation for being in the 99 9/10th percentile when it comes to mental toughness and discipline. It looks like that only extends to his golf game.
Latino leaders calling for a census boycott are only going to end up short-changing themselves and their people. Some think that's a good thing.
Seeing it through in Afghanistan means more troops, according to the experts (Generals). President Obama did the right thing in following their advice, if not exactly. But it is obvious that his heart isn't in it and that ennui is dangerous if translated down the chain of command.
Seeing sleeping cadets/midshipmen at a mid-evening speech by a politician is totally unsurprising to anyone who attended such an institution. Long days full of physical and mental strain cause the body to shutdown when it can. It's only a surprise that more weren't snoozing. The fault lay with the media for focusing on the slumbering in an attempt to convey...what, exactly? That cadets don't respect the CinC? Or that he's boring them? Not sure why they did it, but it was wrong.
Looks like the Patriots are in a rebuilding year. That used to mean a losing season or two; now it's just an early bow-out of the playoffs. I'll take it.
I like visiting other branches of the family for Thanksgiving. But I miss the leftovers.
When did regular exercise start meaning a constant battle against wear and tear injuries? Plantar fasciitis sucks.
It seems hard for a member of the Gen X vanguard like myself to find good music by new artists.
And when did the music of the '80s become oldies?
I think the last two items are related.
Thank God for Nyquil.
Finally, my science-degreed sister (medical technology) had the best Climategate-inspired line of the season: "I could totally prove the existence of Santa Claus, but I seemed to have lost the raw data, so you're just going to have to trust me."
Random Thoughts:the White House party crashers are just "undocumented guests".
The ethnic pimps who comprise the Ministers'Alliance are just keeping their "own"people down.
Any nitwit knows that the census Bureau can't share specific personal info with ANYONE by law.They can only share statistical results.
Obama's supposed rules of engagement,if true,are insane-pratically a guaranteed method to lose a war that probably can't be "won"in any event.
Best if we leave and strike when and where we need to with Predators or similar methods.A conventional force can't subdue that "country"which is more of a region populated by warlord enclaves.
The Russians never controlled more than Kabul and its environs.And they had unlimited forces(practically)and no rules of engagement.
"undocumented guests"
LOVE IT !!!
Posted by: tcc3 at December 3, 2009 7:24 PMAhem. Marc: By way of correcting your spelling. (WARNING: language advisory)
Posted by: Justin Katz at December 3, 2009 8:57 PM"I could totally prove the existence of Santa Claus, but I seemed to have lost the raw data, so you're just going to have to trust me."
Thaaat's excellent.
Posted by: Monique at December 4, 2009 6:47 AM"Seeing sleeping cadets/midshipmen at a mid-evening speech by a politician is totally unsurprising to anyone who attended such an institution. Long days full of physical and mental strain cause the body to shutdown when it can. It's only a surprise that more weren't snoozing."
Good point. Plus I heard that they had to arrive at the hall - presumably for security reasons - four hours ahead of the speech. That would make anyone bored and sleepy, even without the long, hard day.
Posted by: Monique at December 4, 2009 6:54 AM Very true. A few years after I graduated, then-President Bush 41 gave the commencement address at my alma mater. It required all the grads to be in the stadium by 7 a.m. for the 10:30 a.m. ceremony.
What a buzzkill that must've been. I wouldn't have been crazy about that, even for a president I voted for.
BTW: I know what it's like to try to find decent new bands this decade. This fortysomething has found a couple worthwhile over the past few years: Arcade Fire, Interpol and the Raveonettes.
Posted by: rhody at December 5, 2009 9:05 PMBTW: I know what it's like to try to find decent new bands this decade. This fortysomething has found a couple worthwhile over the past few years: Arcade Fire, Interpol and the Raveonettes.
Posted by: rhody at December 5, 2009 9:06 PM