“No more typing.”
I finished, and Emailed, a 28-page paper to my professor this afternoon. My semester as a student is now formally completed.
So I’m taking a day or two to enjoy that feeling, do just work things and then … start studying again.
Monday
29
Nov 10
The scarcity of things
It is Monday, and I have a case of blahs, with a chaser of nothings. I’m feeling better, but not quite my spry self. Tomorrow I’ll be just fine.
So today is slow. Tomorrow’s class has been prepared. I’m considering this paper I must finish in the next week. Things are coming along smartly. Or so I’m telling myself. If I turn around counter-clockwise I get the opposite effect. It is that time of the semester.
I have this: President Obama, you might have heard, wants to freeze the salaries of federal employees for two years. This proposal has pleased Republicans, since it is one of their thinner ideas. The following is a list of the people who are upset by the president’s suggestion: People who are serious about budget problems.
The Economic Policy Institute calls it “chump change.”
Ed Morrissey estimates the total is around five billion dollars in savings over two years, or roughly 0.3% of the $1.3 trillion deficit from a single year in Obama’s budget. This symbolic piece of symbolism is the thinnest of tokens.
Of course the plan has also upset the federal workers who have so skillfully listened to their own rhetoric that they think they get paid less than their private sector counterparts.
Now imagine if they’d been asked to make a real sacrifice.
On this day in 1942 rationing of coffee began. (Odd coincidence of absolutely no significance, no?)
Rationing was announced a month early. Panic began. Hoarding took place. Prices soared. A lucrative black market grew around the beloved bean. Sugar and milk were also rationed.
After eight months the agony was over. The coffee ration ended in July of 1943. Sugar was still carefully measured until 1947.
Now imagine if Obama had walked out to say “We’re cutting back federal employee’s coffee intake by 35 percent because of health care costs, manpower hours and because Yes We Can!”
How do you think that would go over?
(Told you I had nothing.)
22
Nov 10
Things I learned today
You don’t know of pain until you see a parent who knows they can’t comfort their child.
You don’t know strength – a true strength borne of love – until you see them do it anyway.
More tomorrow, friends.
15
Nov 10
Giorno intero di pioggia
Woke up to rain. Considered taking a nap during the rain. I’m probably going to fall asleep to rain. All day weather like this is rare for our part of the world, but we could certainly use it. And normally at this time of year a rain system like this might be pushed through on the shoulders of some seriously colder weather, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here.
Winter is not sharpening up the knives just yet, this is the historic and cultural part of the confrontation where the players hop around, throw back their shoulders, puff out their chests and serve notice. The real cold is coming, but there’s going to be another opportunity for a sane patch of warmth to break up this little tussle. Like all people who find themselves in a fight (or a metaphor) in which they don’t want to participate, we’ll cling to that warmth with gusto.
It has already been snowing in Minnesota. But, then, this time last year we had already nice dose of flurries in the Deep South. It’s a mystery.
So I’m back to feeling behind on everything. I’m down to the point of having a mental To Do list rather than a written one, this begins when the list is sufficiently decreased, but in some respects that might even be worse. Now perception is absolutely my reality. One paper to go for the term, three newspapers left in the semester, a small handful of classes left to teach, Thanksgiving, holidays, New Year’s, not forgetting to breathe, etc.
It isn’t that much, really. Or so I keep telling myself. I deliberately left off the Christmas shopping. Who needs real pressure like that?
8
Nov 10
Delicious
Ever wonder where this came from?
Turns out that line is from Bob Riley, Alabama’s governor.
A spokesman for Riley said he assumed the exchange would wind up in the presidential memoir. It seems Bush never let Riley forget it.
“Throughout the rest of his presidency, President Bush in speaking with Governor Riley would often remind the governor of that conversation they had about Michael Brown,” said spokesman Jeff Emerson.
Riley has long argued that FEMA’s response in Alabama was adequate.
But since hurricanes are big, magnificent things that bring destruction across many states, and apparently Louisiana didn’t figure into the presidential briefing or the statement he made before the press … we’ll just call that an oversight. I’m sure more of them will be revealed in George Bush’s book, which will no doubt lead to hagiography and criticism.
I’ll just wait until the Huffington Post review comes out to see if it’s true that Bush has a weather machine floating off the coast of Africa or whether he purposefully destroyed the levees. I’m guessing that isn’t in the book.
In real life we gave a tour of campus to The Yankee’s parents:
They had Toomer’s lemonade, and pronounced it delicious. While it was cold Saturday it was beautiful yesterday and will be beautiful for the rest of their visit.
We had an early Thanksgiving dinner with them last night, and we all pronounced it delicious. My mother-in-law made the turkey, and she cooked a great bird. My family is full of terrific cooks, but it wasn’t until The Yankee made one four or five years ago that I knew a turkey could be juicy.
Our realtor came over. That’s service. Three months in and he’s still stopping by. This time for the food. He brought dessert.
And though it is still a few weeks before the actual Thanksgiving, I could live on that cake alone between now and then.
