Wednesday, November 07, 2007

No Foolin'

You are a

Social Liberal
(81% permissive)

and an...

Economic Conservative
(90% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Libertarian (90e/81s)




Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid
Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

A Community Effect?

It's all Breda's fault: I spent, oh, geesh, an hour and a half last night bein' domestic, clearing kitchen countertops (so that's where the pocket blowtorch got to! An' the Red Army messkits and my orange hair-ribbon and the old light fixture and...), hand washing stemware and the delicate and pretty Japanese tea set that showed up at a yard sale up the road two weeks ago, etc. etc..

I don't know just how it works. I can sit in awesome squalor watching "Trading Spaces" or almost any decorating-and-home-ec show, and never feel the least twinge; but let my Mom, a co-worker or even one of the bloggers I read regularly start speaking of domesticity and the itch to redd up* the place becomes overwhelming.

This is an example of custom (or something akin to it) being better and stronger than law or rules. I'm quite sure I've had kitchens the Board Of Health would've shut down, especially when I was younger and poorer; I have studied all manner of rules and strictures covering husekeeping and still, it's knowin' that other people who are real to me are doing the housewife thing that sets me to work.

Fortunately, if you do a just little housework, the urge goes away.
_____________________________________
* See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Pennsylvania_accent for an explanation. My dialect bears a striking resemblence to this'n. Oh, those are dulcet tones!

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

H.P. Lovecraft Was Right; or, Libertarian Do-Gooding

.....I have always believed that if you wanted to go Do Some Good with your own money, that was fine; and I have long been a fan (in much the same way that small children stare in helpless fascination at very large snakes) of the writings of the late Howard Philips Lovecraft.

To suppose those things might intersect seems wildly unlikely.

It's an unlikely sort of world. Lady and Gentleman, search 'bots of all ages, for your delectation: Williamson's Tunnels!

The nickle read of this dime novel: beneath Liverpool (yes, the one in the UK) there exists a somewhat-lost and vast -- indeed, Cyclopean -- series of tunnels, excavated in the 19th Century by men working for tobacco magnate Joseph Williamson. They've never been entirely lost but many were filled in over the years by builders dumping dirt from excavations.

A small band of Liverpudlians began digging them out some years back, with no end in sight!

The most plausible explanation for this is that Williamson, who had grown up in poverty, was keeping men employed through a very deep recession; but clearly he was fascinated by tunneling as well. It's possible he was a member of some Millennealist sect and was building a refuge, or smuggling tobacco or other goods; the man's dead and he didn't leave a lot of notes.

But whatever else it is, it's amazing stuff. Go have a look. And while looking, consider the number of men kept gainfully employed and the families fed by the eccentricities (whatever they were) of a single wealthy man.

Monday, November 05, 2007

Art!

Or, How To Break The Rules.

Big city, dark night. Low clouds. They glow! Photograph with bargain camera, crunch with bundled software: ersatz Parrish!


Anyway, I liked it. YMMV.

Retest!

Your Language Arts Grade: 100%

Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).

Are You Gooder at Grammar?
Make a Quiz


Not that I'm competitive. Na-na na naaah na!

This one seems to have a time component, too.

Any Artists?

Having a mind that moves in tangents can be fun, if you can hang on. About fell off this morning and when the smoke had cleared, there it was:

A Stunning Concept in Webcomix!

Atomic Lawyers!
The year is 2099 and an elite, tripartisan group of high-minded attorneys has got the Bomb -- rather a lot of Bombs, in fact. Armed with this irrefutable means of persuasion, they have set out to Do Good To Their Fellow Man.

Of course the entire thing is a one-trick pony, since every last case and situation they take on ends up with 'em nuking all involved. Still, it could be good clean fun getting there. Move over, Judge Bean, for social justice that glows in the dark!

Umm, I'm not being too sarcastic or anything, right?

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Dear Ex:

(Sorry, readers)

A) It's cool if you read my blog but you might want to cover your tracks better.

B) E-mail if you want the BB pistol, I'm pretty sure it's not mine. And/or the Ruger mag, if you even still have that rifle.

(We now return to our regular programming)

How 'Bout Dat

Your Language Arts Grade: 97%

Way to go! You know not to trust the MS Grammar Check and you know "no" from "know." Now, go forth and spread the good word (or at least, the proper use of apostrophes).

Are You Gooder at Grammar?
Make a Quiz


...But they'd take it back if they saw how I write...

Blog Soup



...Right in The Rules, it sayeth: "Thou Shalt Post something each and every day, lest thy three faithful readers abandon thou and depart in favor of the funny pages," and I'm tryin'.

Themeless today, however, so we must muddle through an' nevvah, nevvah surrendah!

The Great Move continues and completion suddenly seems possible. I even found my spare car keys! But, grrr-dern-it, there is a gun show in town today and I have the itch bad. Maturity, do I really need it, or can I spare a couple of hours?
-- I've been spending some time fussing over the Cat-Mother on every trip to the old place. She's a sweet, feral, little yellow tabby I've been feeding for six years. After a year of free food, she decided to make up to me and we've been pals ever since. She wouldn't be a problem to relocate, but her offspring and constant companion, a white-and-yellow tom, trusts no one. He was pretty wary before he got neutered and became more so afterwards, which is understandable. (The Mama cat, on the other hand, seemed a bit relieved after she was spayed; she earned her name fair and square, you see).
-- As for the moving, in a box in a far back corner of the basement I found my ex's HS graduation cap and gown! Also a loaded Ruger .22 rifle mag and a semi-cool BB pistol. I called him about the cap'n'gown, which he picked up (and I never even saw him -- left it on the porch, next time I looked it was gone). Left the Ruger mag next to it but he ignored it. Somehow the "Marksman Repeater" skipped my mind entirely. Tsk, tsk.

I've got a quarter here that says John Moses Browning's favorite great-granddaughter woke up on the move this mornin' yet again -- but you didn't hear it from me!

Since I had a van anyway, I picked up some insulation to replace the fragile, tattered stuff well-meaning family members took down in my attic during the pre-move clean-up. I love 'em dearly and free help is always nice, but that's work I'd hoped to skip for a year. I need to get that stuff up. It's chilly.

Did Saturday morning's errands on the scooter, quite a treat! Almost didn't make it at the bank, thanks to someone renegotiating a loan at the drive-up window. (Please, if it's a complex transaction, go inside! The drive-up is for those of us who finished our homework already). The city's repaved Keystone so I was above 50 mph on those 10" wheels -- laugh all you like, it'll still curdle your hair. Turned up my road and there was a maple in full golden color against the turquoise sky, having already totally carpeted the yard it shades. This is why I love Broadripple. (See photo. Colors not to scale. All leaves over 18...weeks).

It has occurred to me that I have some pre-diced potatoes in the fridge, along with bacon and eggs. It has been some time since I indulged in Breakfast Hash, a treat you poor mortals may be missing. And you'll miss out on it this morning, too, unless you make your own. Wish me luck, those store-bought taters are time-savers but not always as good as starting with whole ones.

Friday, November 02, 2007

State Quarters

Oh, here's a fine bit of Gumm'it workin' for the Common Good! (Don't mind me, I'm middlin' irked).


State Quarters. An Idaho fell into my hands this last week and my first thought was the simple Latin phrase: "Post hawk ergo propter hawk." But it turns out that's a peregine falcon. It's the thought that counts?




On the other hand, Kansas may have gone for snark. I think they're underestimating the effects of inflation but I know my Dad would have snickered at the "Buffalo Quarter" and tossed his lucky nickel to whoever was near for them to check out. "One of those bought a candy bar when I was a boy!" he'd've said. How I miss him; the man had no respect at all for ijits.

...We won't even discuss the thing my state picked. I'd say I'm ashamed of it but the fact is, I'm ashamed of the whole program. It's just play-money trash and has been since before I was voting age, but do they have to rub it in?

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Why The Village Took You

This is sort of Part Two to "Why You Should Not Take A Village..." and it's the one that may get me in hot water. Ahhh! Perfect weather for it.

I left you on a note of bared-teeth libertarian purity. Okay; we live in a decidedly impure world. Let's say it was my kid, or one of my nephew's kids and insurance and savings didn't suffice. Let's say private charity came up dry.

Am I going to sigh and let little Timmy die 'cos It Is Right? What would you think of an adult who let a child she was responsible for die when help was available?

...Thought so. You'd do what it took, and look down on anyone who would not.

And there's the most pernicious thing about such assistance: no matter how high and grand your philosophical ideals, they're pretty much newsprint in a rainstorm when it's your family at stake. (Some have more steel than others -- I believe Marko would do just as he writes, if it came to that). (Thanks for the link, bro!)

The desperation of good men and women is how such Rob-A-Village-To-Raise-A-Child programs persist. A significant number of those who have had to rely on such assistance will become vocal supporters. Many of the beneficiaries who don't go that far will fall silent.

Why crush dissent when it will stifle itself?

I Am Not Either Blushing

...Guess it was a slow news day over at The View From The Porch, either that or the kindest mean girl I know decided to divert some traffic. Either way, it gives me the excuse I was lookin' for to add a link to her blog. I can't imagine who doesn't read it, but if you haven't, you should. Snarkier and snappier!