Interesting NY Times Op-Ed piece

The other day in the NY Times there was an interesting article concerning an piece of Roman history. It seems they had the equivalent of a major terrorist attack, in pirates attacking and burning Ostia, decimating the consular war fleet, and kidnapping two senators. The outcome of the attack was that power was granted to a single person, Pompey the Great, without checks and balances. This became the historical precedent which allowed it to happen again with Caesar, and most everyone knows what happened after that.

TSA Eminent Domain Proposal

After reading this article I had this idea, whether it is brilliant or not I am sure is a matter of opinion. Here goes, before leaving for the airport, aside from your baggy of goodies, prepare an addressed envelope (no stamp) which can hold the personal care products, and a form for TSA to sign itemizing the contents of the baggy, and that if they do not arrive at the address indicated within the normal span of time for the USPS to deliver mail, then you, the victim, can deduct said costs from your taxes. The TSA is a government agency, and the government, if one takes the laws of eminent domain as an example, is required to fairly compensate citizens for property "taken" for the public good. What better compensation than reducing the amount of taxes a citizen is required to pay by the amount the which the confiscated goods cost(pro-rated for amount used of course), if the government chooses not to return them to you. The government should assume the cost of postage because the government is denying you the right to deliver the goods to the assigned address yourself, with funds already spent.

Of course, this entire proposal is likely not legal (but I would guess there is no law specifically prohibiting it either), but it would make an interesting act of civil disobedience.

Life gets in the way of updates

All here in the Emerald City, though it is suffering deforestation, this weekend has been grand, at least in this neck of the woods (Ballard/Fremont). The Fremont Oktoberfest happened, and I had beer. I also saw an interesting use for the spare chainsaw laying about the garage. It seems some enterprising people decided to combine power tools and pumpkin carving. Great fun, though I can say I just barely missed getting pumpkin seeded yesterday, and none made it to my beer either, though it landed within six inches or so.

More happened, but I am not in a typing mood. Since I loathed the idea of yet another day with no updates, I took action.

The pictures really are...

visual cues that I have come by and updated. (I was going to say added something witty and enlightening, but thought better of it.)

Today though, no picture even with the update. It isn't that I don't have a picture, but that I am just going to exercise the option of not including one, though I do like their effect visually. Oddly, today I came home and napped, napped from 4:30-8:00 pm, which perhaps is more than a nap, but by sleeping so long, it gave me the perfect opportunity to skip dinner, and go straight to dessert--which was just a bit of ice cream, vanilla, and the thought of adding some dark chocolate M&M's crossed my mind, but then continued crossing the room as it came time for me to sit down and eat, deciding to stay peripheral until I finished eating, then calling attention to itself by showing its purple package on the countertop.

Hence, between work, sleep, and dessert, I haven't had time for any of the deep reflective thinking that has become my trademark here. Saying that, it is time for bed.

Borges & Bush

From Borges' "This Craft of Verse":

Here I remember another book that struck me: I remember Melville's Moby Dick. I am not sure if I believe in Captain Ahab, I am not sure if I believe in his feud with the white whale; I can hardly tell the characters apart. Yet I believe in the story--that is, I believe in it as in a kind of parable (though I don't exactly know what it is a parable of--perhaps a parable of the struggle against evil, of the wrong way of fighting evil). (page 109)

I read Moby Dick quite a few years ago, but I see Borges' point, and I happen to agree with it. Too bad our own Captain Ahab probably doesn't, though he is managing the destruction of everything around him. The quote is not political, but since I don't tend to read literary criticism, it stuck me as pertinent to a current situation, whether it is a common view among readers or not, I do not know.

It is always pleasurable to have someone give you another way of viewing something, to take and do with as you like. Generally when asked, I advise people to read the book, but unless they have a great interest in the working of nineteenth century whaling ships to skim the technical chapters, though those too, I am sure, appeal to some with an interest in cetaceans or the various manners of coiling rope.

A decent shopping day

Yesterday, while I woke up late because I spent far too much time drinking an excellent Wend Fest Seasonal from Pacific Maritime (sort of like an Oktoberfest), I did manage to get out and run at least one of my planned errands to a Half-Price Books, where I managed to get a single volume Blake, "The Complete Illuminated Books" and while it isn't so splendid as the reprint volumes focused on the individual works, it does a marvelous job of bringing back the visual to Blake that is missed when only the words are present. Definitely with him, the visual is as important as the written. Also, I found some Ted Hughes and a volume of Camus in hardcover which I didn't have, so I considered it a successful shopping venture. The fact that I found some flannel sheets at a different store, meaning I will be comfy and toasty in bed this winter, added to the days joys.

This morning has been coffee and reading and doing a bit here and there around the apartment, though I haven't been near as diligent about it as I should have been, at least some stuff is getting done. I tried calling a few people to catch up, but no one was home, or answering their phone, which is much the same thing.

Surely Bush hasn't forgotten...

The Alien and Sedition Act. I know this because it is the legislative equivalent of what he is doing now, only now we have secret courts, too. Secret courts so secret they needed to be kept from those who put Bush into office in the first place. The only reason Bush, Cheney, et al. Keep complaining about how civil liberties are endangering us is because they are afraid someone will use some civil liberties and send them all to jail, then Bush can go down as the first president in the twenty-first century to be impeached, and perhaps the first president ever to go to jail, but I doubt anyone would let it get that far.

I ask, why isn't the clamor louder, but then remember most Americans seem to have happily traded their freedoms for a bit of false security. When the Homeland Security Secretary states that the resources are not available to defend every possible target against every possible threat, then all Homeland Security does is satisfy the need people have of something being done, whether or not this is true is irrelevant--that is why I say Americans have traded their freedoms for false security.

Why do we keep moving in this direction? Not everyone agrees it is the way to go, but the majority still think secret spying is o.k! How soon before the U.S. government begins behaving like the Chinese government, blocking undesirable information on the web, hoping the populace doesn't notice the omission, or arresting 'bloggers who disagree and say so for the world to see?

Today I read that the military (Secretary of the Air Force, or whatever the big wig of the USAF is called) suggested using non-lethal weapons on U.S. citizens to ensure that there were no bugs that would cause them to be lethal. He is a bit late in his suggestion, but I think he was hoping to move beyond the Tazer.

Some day I will come up with exciting titles...

but today is not that day.

I am tired right now, having actually made it to the gym for a bit of cardio, though I haven't done weights for a few weeks, and that is something I need to get back into as well, but it doesn't seem to be happening now.

Today's highlight at work had to be a Boeing presentation on the 747 LCF . This plane is big. It is designed to hold fuselage sections of the new 787 Dreamliner. Considering how quickly Boeing was able to do the mod, it is very impressive, and it sounds as if some of their suppliers are a bit surprised that it is finished as well. Of course with all of Airbus' blather about their new double decker production delay, everyone surely thought the same for Boeing.

Monday...

Today was Monday, as it says in the headline. Monday seems just that, never quite like a Tuesday, as that is tomorrow, and only on special occasions does my work week start on a Tuesday. Monday also really isn't quite like Sunday, though I am sure if I looked hard enough I could locate a house of worship having Christian services, but most of these prefer Sunday. Sun = God for too long to escape that tradition now.

I worked today, and I posted some letters (again), but I will forego including the picture of that action again. Yesterday's walking about left me a bit red as everyone at work asked if I got some sun over the weekend. I didn't really score with a god, but I did manage to enjoy the sunny Sunday.

Yesterday & Today

Yesterday, after writing a quick letter to Dave, I mailed it. This photo is me mailing it. Yesterday I also bought an "Action Sampler" camera which I spent some time using yesterday, but spent a lot of time using today. I went through three rolls of film in less than two days with no monuments in sight, which for me is a pretty incredible use of resources. I can go get the rest later today, so I can see how those pictures turned out. Overall it was a pretty cool day. Absolutely gorgeous outside, and me with nothing to do (but laundry and housework with I assiduously ignored) except enjoy it.

Just the morning...

I wonder if I use ellipses too often? Not that it really matters, since their use seems dictated as much by personal style as by hard and fast rules.

The week has been that, and it is over now. Yesterday I received my 90 day review, which went well, though it was accompanied with no wage increase--not really a big deal, but it would have been nice. Actually, yesterday after work consisted of eating leftover pizza from the night before and I climbed into bed for a nap at 6:15 and at 9 p.m. woke up, putzed about the house a bit, decided I wasn't doing anything, then climbed back into bed. Not a terribly inspirational day, but the sleep was nice.

Since I don't have a digital camera, I can't put a picture up (and I am not going searching the web for it), but I found some "fruity cocktail" themed candles on clearance at Fred Meyer, so I picked up a couple, because I liked the lime sticking out of the top.

This morning I am back at my Jiffy mix mischief making Raspberry Muffins with added blueberries. It will be a tasty breakfast.

The day after Tuesday

There is something fun about going through old photos, though I am no doubt going about things the hard way since I decided to cut up my long negatives from my years in Europe and put them in little plastic sheets so I have the luxury of being able to scan the negatives at will into the computer. I am finding some fun images, and I am sure in time I will post more of them, but I don't know yet if I will register a flickr account.

The week has been much like any other week, excepting that work started on Tuesday. It is nice that it hasn't been a nightmare, and I have to hope there are no problems tomorrow, since I am meeting someone after work for a beer (and I may even eat if the menu looks appetizing) at the Jolly Roger Pub (and Maritime Pacific Brewery).

Dave just called and rejected all of my suggestions for a poem to present in class tomorrow. I don't know, they went from Dorothy Parker to William Blake--I held off on Catullus after I was informed that translations weren't looked upon favorably for this class.

The conversation did provoke my memory of a fabulous quote from today's reading in Tocqueville: "A nation that asks nothing of government but the maintenance of order is already a slave in the depths of its heart; it is a slave of its well-being, ready for the man who will put it in chains."

I can't say the quote is very uplifting, and it isn't quite concise enough to be a sound bite. A clarion call?

The night before Tuesday...

Work resumes tomorrow, but because I really felt the need to escape the apartment, I went to the Lock & Keel on Ballard Avenue. I had only been there once before to eat and watch the world cup, so it was a new thing to do in the evening. For the short time I was there, it seemed a remarkable hive of activity for a Monday. Initially, one of the two pool tables was taken, and by the end both were. The person sitting next to me, who was a Canadian Native American and is in one of the final scenes of the movie "Geronimo," did the above drawing based on a recommendation from her friend. (One of the two was named Debbie, but as names were flying fast and furious, I won't claim knowledge as to who the name belonged to.) I still don't know how or if I relate to Wooly Mammoths, but that is what was drawn for me. It seemed almost like a psychological thing, except that everyone had already drank far too much.

Labor Day...

In many minds, Summer is over and it is time to begin getting serious again. I don't recall having the time be very light with moving, a new job, and all that seemed to be going on. The weekend has been delightfully uneventful, though I did get some stuff mailed today to my niece and nephew in North Carolina. Yesterday, I did get up early and actually had a pleasant Ikea experience since I arrived before the crowds. I now have a bit more desk space as I bought a television/media stand for my printer. (It is also holding a few shelves of shoes, making it even more useful.)

Aside from the post office, today's only other outdoor activity has been a bit of furniture browsing and a quick trip to Safeway. After intending to for weeks, I finally managed to remember to get some tissues to blow my nose on so that I can stop using toilet paper which disintegrates upon use when blown into. Inside today I have been playing with my scanner and its negative scanning function. I have even managed to come up with a photo that looks better for the manipulation (though not the photo with this 'blog--maybe tomorrow). I used the printer to print photos for the first time today, and have to remember just how expensive ink is before I get carried away. It does give me some potential for the future, especially in the postcard line.

Sort of busy Saturday

I have managed to keep myself busy, though I still haven't made myself the gin and tonic that I keep thinking about...

...(makes g & t)...

With that taken care of perhaps I can get down to the serious business of blog writing here, though withy my great deal of busy-ness I don't think I accomplished much in the way of business. I may be going back to Ikea tomorrow for a Kelim rug which I wasn't terribly sure about today, but which I think will look nice covering the oh so off white carpet in the living room. There is something about modern apartments that just screams "boring" and they are like a challenge waiting for you to try and do something to improve them--this challenge is ten-fold if you happen to be a minimalist who hates off-white. The leases with all the caveats about holes in walls, and without something on which to mount wall decorations, there is no way to hang pictures/posters/art to enliven the room. My current landlord decided that textured walls are probably the best way to keep tenants from painting over the off-white, and I have to say, I wouldn't be real keen to expend the effort to cover the off-white then have to do it all over again with whatever color I chose. Of course, textured walls also rule out wallpaper, though that wasn't really on my radar anyway, but I am just throwing out its limitations. Aside from the rug, I don't recall any other "must haves" from Ikea, and perhaps while messing about the house this evening I will discover something else I need.

After not finding the table I wanted, which would have gone nicely with the chairs I bought from some other store this morning, I did go looking at all the normal suspects and if things work they way they are headed, then I will end up with a pedestal table for my chairs. Not really what I was looking for, but I think there is some possibility in the combination.

Friday leading into...

Well, the last three day weekend of the summer has arrived and I have absolutely nothing planned. I don't know that I will end up doing anything, but I rather like the fact I don't have to, as I have been looking forward to the extra day off for a bit.

I wonder if stamp collecting or matchbook cover collecting will make a resurgence. Maybe I have missed it, or maybe it is a more recent thing, but ephemera does seem to be pushing its way back into life, but not your own personal ephemera, but rather ephemera from a different era, or else brand new, mass produced ephemera trying to pass as the odd thing here or there, until of course you notice that all of them have the same thing. I rather enjoyed scanning the ephemera of yesteryear to give me odd images for my blog, though I try not to comment about them. This wouldn't even be here if I hadn't been at Sonic Boom Records and found a sampler CD, which I did not buy, which included ephemera of sorts. Aside from ephemera of other's lives, I should probably begin including some of my own, and if I can find them all that means I can scan my stellar museum ticket collection, though I may have lost many of those over the years.