A brief analysis of baseball, history, movies, society, dreams, ambitions, women, music, culture, environment and anything else I can jam into my little piece of Idaho...
A little Latin for ya: An nescis, mi fili, quantilla sapientia mundus regatur? - Don't you know then, my son, how little wisdom rules the world?
The Politics of Dancing song (below) takes me back to the Big 80's when Reaganomics ruled, Wall Street had a 5-year cocaine and credit-inspired boom and Less Than Zero was considered a pretty cool take on addiction, unless you were Robert Downey Jr. (Bret Easton Ellis wrote the Less Than Zero book, and also, American Psycho and Rules of Attraction.)
The Rules of Politics, if there were such a creature lurking somewhere off the shores of Kennebunkport, might be to trash everything your opponent ever voted for. Chastised his acquisition of wealth, power and clout at all human costs. Put a spin on their take so violent that a world class figure skater or gymnast could not fathom the rotations involved. Maybe most important, never tell anyone how you really intend to solve any problem, because, someone, somewhere is going to be hurt by your plan. (You can never please everyone all the time. Or even some of the time. So it might as well be none of the time, in my opinion.)
The Politics of Dancing: Not as hard as the Politics of Politics
But as we all have come to know well, no matter how hard you think this time will be different and groundbreaking, there is always doubt. (Like, for example, the Cubs winning a World Series.) We want to change the world from the ground up. The grass roots are the places where things can really get done, if, and only if, we could part ways with the concepts drilled into us by the society at large.
Some of which are never seen as harmful or undermining, like religion, but often truly are too dogmatic and confrontational individually to be espoused as the framework or bedrock on which we could change the real big picture.
The Politics of Changing America is a art I can rarely see working. There are too many factions. Too many old, tired and worn out reasons for behaviors and circumstances. Too many people with hands in the pockets of poor folk. Too many blind eyes staring into the abyss of what is a faltering America. Too many excuses. Too many deadly sins.
Land of Confusion: Too many people making too many problems
But it has to be apart of us to fix something. I had the misfortune of screwing up my life in ways most who read anything I have written can't even truly understand where I am at until they read between the lines.
America is also likely heading for a catastrophe the likes of which hasn't been seen in 80 years. I see it. People are selling off cars, personal items and anything else they can in NW Indiana. 50% of the mortgages in America are in 2 failing entities: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Banks are tight.Too tight.Afraid of the next shoe that will drop. It is coming...I feel it. (But why listen to me?)
My personal maliase intercepts this politics of dancing around the issues. Not exploring solutions, just lying to you, to me and anyone else with a brain and time to research. This has been in the making for nearly 30 years...much like my own predicament.
Anyways, if you politick enough, you might believe it is "all ok" and the world is "not confused or lost," just dancing while a little bit tipsy. God bless ignorance and bliss.
I will be putting a picture up soon of my mother's oldest cat, who had a heart attack yesterday. She had a cardiac event/stroke on Thursday, causing her to act very different and glassy eyed staring at things. But the the lasting memory of Skidz was her hiding under the covers so that you could always have a leg warmer at night.
My mother took her in shortly after I went off to school. I guess Skidz kept her company since I was no longer around during the school year. Though never a super-friendly cat, she did mellow as she got older. The last few years I spent more time around her and that added to my remembrance of her.
Yesterday, my mother was a wreck. Really, I think all the recent troubles went into that outpouring of emotion for Skidz. The fact the day was nearly ruined by the fact the "new $500 car" I got was unable to be registered due to a title signature. So, last night I drove it illegally (with mom shotgun) to do the paper route.
Skidz's passing just means my mother has one more loss and one more reason to feel things are stacked against her (and us.) Really, the recent car dilemmas might be at the hands of a mischevious mechanic that has taken advantage of (or sought to sucker her.) A series of misfortunate choices just don't add up. (And things I just got wind of.) So it goes...
Skidz, I know you're better off, not because Mom didn't care or love or do everything to make your life right, but because the time had come and whatever extra existence their might be, you'll be a sight better there than here.
Terence Trent Darby - Wishing Well I listened to this at Purdue, summer of 1988, while still in high school. My HS roommate was Alfredo Portales from Texas. I wonder what happened to Alfredo...
Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance. "I once got busy in a Burger King Bathroom." Is there anything more crude (and dirty, literally) than that particular situation.
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Life by the Drop. For a friend I used to hang with for nearly a decade. Stevie for Steve. Stevie passed in August 1990. Steve's been gone since December 2000.
Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story.Well, Don't it???
Kiss & Garth Brooks - Hard Luck Woman.(Live) Yes it is cool to see country doing rock. I bought the CD with numerous artists doing KISS. Tributes can be cool.
Dave Matthews Band - What Would You Say? (Live at PinkPop 2007)I'd say my favorite band of the 1990's...
Ray Charles - Georgia on My Mind. (Live) A little, slow dance music to go with the group. Thanks!
I will try to produce more relevant posts in the future. I realize I get too far afield from my main interests, but, it is more interesting to write (and learn while doing it) about a wide array of things.
I choose to be a bit different than the attention-seeking types that have infested the blog world. They have their place. They make their claims to popularity and make a few coins while they are at it. Hey, if I could really turn this into a mint, printing Yuans at a fever pitch, I would. But then I would have to move to the People's Republic. (Not in this lifetime - maybe my next one.)
So whatever you see, or hear, here, it is likely a hodge-podge of thoughts, feelings and concerns. Hey, I can focus on the Chicago Cubs all I like. Or Bush's idiocy. There's plenty of material on both. We got financial markets in a rollcoaster ride - all those SIVs, CDOs, NINJAs are coming back on them hard. A Balance of Payment situation - thanks to all those imports and Nixon and his suspension of a Gold Standard. We got oil and refineries running in weird ways - like 25 cent price jumps in one day!
Darfur gets another year of inadequate defense - because you know, the U.S. doesn't want to take part in any real stoppage of injustice. Middle East...like the Wild, Wild West.
Personally, I'll be 36 in 4 days. And so much the poorer for it. I'm suppose to grow into happiness as I get older, while females get less satisfaction from their old age. Well, I've always been a bit on the margins of anything...
If I could solve anything in my own life, the world would beckon. I could fix a local government or two. Maybe get people to stop putting up with democrats and republicans (notice I didn't capitalize them.) Vote some real people with real ideas.
But, I guess Obama has his work cut out for him, assuming that latent racism of America doesn't kick in. And believe me, I don't think being President will be a fun ride between 2009-2013.
