28 February 02024 (Happy birthday!): Speaking Of Not Getting
Stuff, Or, $0.02 on Yesterday
I have a very difficult time believing that most of the
"Uncommitted" voters from yesterday's Michigan Democratic
Presidential primary honestly believe that their interests will be
better served if Donald Trump is returned to the Presidency this
November.
That may be giving them too much credit, since the ability of people
to vote aginst their own interests is astounding sometimes.
(That said, we've probably all done that from time to time.)
While I respect their point of view, I think that their means are
rather on the shortsighted side.
I read something today about some of these resistors* demanding
"peace in the Middle East" as a condition for voting for Joe Biden
this fall.
Like that's even a remote possibility.
Jon Stewart had it right about that region: "Too many people have
too many claims on not enough land. Jesus, Mohammed, and Moses
all went to the same high school."
M-->
*--While my software does not flag "resister" as an
error, and "resistor" is more commonly used as a name for a piece
of electronics hardware, I think that sentence reads better with
the "o" form of the word.
2 February 02024*: On The Current Political Climate
You know the one.
A lot of commentary, reasoned and otherwise, from the citizenry
regarding the potential of a rematch of 02020 this November in the
Presidential election seems to include ranting about being
dissatisfied with both choices.
I'm not sure I've heard that so often expressed in past leap
years. Certainly not with the passion--bordering on anger at
not getting something they seem to feel entitled to--coming from
some quarters.
Leaving aside the threat to democracy posed by one side, I cannot
help but think of Bill Maher's pronouncement from some time in the
last century that he's never entered a Presidential election
thinking "I don't know which one to vote for; I like them both so
much."
That probably describes every election for most voters since...I
don't know. Maybe Eisenhower vs. Stevenson? Certainly
nothing since then. (Ford vs. Carter may have been a case of
two relatively inoffensive [by the standards of the Bicentennial
year] major-party candidates, but I don't think "like them both so
much" really applied.) When liking 2 isn't happening,
expecting to like 1 seems like a lot to ask of the universe
(which, of course, cares not the slightest about all of this).
My instinct when I read about someone issuing this complaint is
something along the lines of "Run for office yourself, then."
Not "Run for President"--we have some evidence suggesting that
inexperienced folks really shouldn't start at, or even near, the
top--but put some actual personal stake into the process.
It's easy to lament your choices when you're not willing to get in
there and do something,
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*--I've been writing this in my head for the
better part of a month now. It's time to write it up and
move on. My absentee ballot for the primary election
arrived this week, which may have been the final nudge I needed.
19 January 02024 (Or 9): Another Sad Day For Comedy
We have lost another icon (maybe two). Peter
Schickele, a talented musician in his own right but destined
to be remembered more for his work on the works of P.D.Q. Bach,
has died at 88. (P.D.Q. himself only made it to -65 or so,
living as he did from 01807 to 01742.)
Schickele won a Grammy under his own name for best Classical
Crossover Album, and won 4 Best Comedy Recording* Grammy Awards
for P.D.Q.'s works. These were entirely deserved in a way
that that particular award hasn't always been.
Here's one of those Grammy winners: WTWP Classical
Talkity-Talk Radio. I am especially a fan of this one
because it's set at a radio station.
One track that's fun on multiple levels is #15, the "Safe"
Sextet. The idea of a classical piece written for piccolo,
English horn, bass clarinet, contrabassoon, harp, and celesta** is
inspired lunacy. If you don't want to wait for it to come
around, you can jump to it here.
RIP, Professor.
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*--For my money, the most important Grammy Award.
**--These were chosen because they are 6 of the
"forgotten" instruments of the orchestra. I find it
interesting that 4 of the 6 are woodwinds. Surely there
are some forgotten brass instruments out there.
10 January 02024: For The Record, I Did
Enjoy That Last Year Of My 50s
Take that, anonymous well-wisher from 02022.
The fact of the matter is that my 50s were, all in all, a pretty
good decade, which is one reason to be less than excited about
birthday #LX. All in all, I'd prefer not to leave that
behind.
Of course, that's not an option, and so we move forward in time
at the constant rate of 1 day per day.
I'll be back with more age-appropriate ranting in a day or two.
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