I always find reaction to the blog interesting. Two very good, long time blast readers, Bob Degoff and Sanoguy told me recently that they were uncomfortable with my recent angst ridden childhood biography. Bob said that it was incredibly narcissistic and Sano simply said "too much information." Bob and Sano both like the political stuff. Bob says that he can't send out the blog to his friends because the more personal stuff might tweak his friends who are only tuned in to the political. Don't want to weird anyone out, now.
Other readers of mine like the more personal stories, Tracy and Linda and some others. (actually Linda likes the ranting) While I often feel that spilling my guts on a daily basis is excessively self absorbed, Ida, who is bedridden with bad knees, says that she gets to travel to foreign places and vicariously eat great meals through the Blast. So I find that I can't please everybody. Some love the fiction, some abhor the fiction. KJ hates the food. A guy can't win.
Warren, a quite conservative and very intelligent latter day saint friend and reader came by the other day for lunch. We almost never agree but both appreciate each other's willingness to defend our respective beliefs and the other's intellectual integrity. I am glad that I can look Warren in the eye, and he in mine and it never devolves into anything stupid.
I get sick of the politics because it is so fractious and divisive. I am guaranteed to piss off close to 50% of my readership, no matter what I say. I have been a little more circumspect of late, only getting political when I really feel compelled. We all merely seek out information that will support our existing worldview anyway, people rarely if ever actually changing their minds anyway. Probably genetic or something...
This political season is so stupid that I could get reactionary and just full scale rant every day and I don't want to. Rick Santorum is a daily billboard. The Michelle Bachmann of his time. Just makes the stuff up as he sees fit. So frigging stupid that Michigan Dems are crossing over to vote for him, since he is so much more beatable that the Mittster. No wait got the story screwed up, Santorum has launched a robocall courting the so called Reagan Dems. Good luck...And you catch the congressional doofus from Ft. Wayne who thinks that the Girl Scouts are a commie, homo front group? Epic!
Obama is no prize, his agents are currently ruining the detante in Mendocino, but we can't afford another Scalia, Roberts, Alito, Thomas or sometimes Kennedy up there in Scotusland. I follow the Dems on platform and principals, certainly not the cult of personalities.
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Two very fine men that I knew died this month, Dr. Richard Pyne and Dr. Howard Benedict. Both very smart and very kind. Howard was my longtime dentist in Leucadia. Howard was called the "surfing dentist" due to his late hours but in truth this waterman was a world class free diver and spear fisherman. A great dentist, a beautiful man, will be missed by many.
Richard Pyne was my veterinarian, he succumbed to cancer. An irishman, he had a genuine concern for his patients, was both knowledgable and reasonable. We spent many an afternoon hoisting an ale together at the Moose lodge. He had ironclad ethics, refused to engage in certain procedures that crossed his moral boundaries. Will miss him a lot both as a vet and a lodge brother.
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Ron and Lena are in Thailand still on the way to Bali today. Everyday is paradise, I think that I would go crazy.
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A friend's son took his life this week. He was facing another stretch in prison and he just couldn't take the thought of it. A tragedy, a talented man who got off on the wrong track and could never find his way. Shame.
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My friend Kent took me to the Aztec basketball game on Saturday. We went and had deli at D.Z. Akins first and then took the trolley. We sat right next to the student section, they were fun and loud as hell. Darth Vader and Zorro and hot dog man and viking guy, it was raucous and insane. Aztecs win their twenty second but won't go far in the tournament with four guards and not much else that works.
Padres should be equally pathetic as last year if not worse. We need to raise up more minor leaguers so that we can eventually trade them away for nothing.
Miss Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith on the morning drive. Scott really screwed up.
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Interesting headline today. Rich people like to lie, steal and break the law. Or so says study from University of Toronto.
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Buy an electronic drum shirt. Or don't.
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Why the Keystone Pipeline would boost gas prices.
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My friend Brett and his stepson saw a rattlesnake at their place yesterday. Very unusual for a cold, late february in Fallbrook.
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Paid my property taxes on the building this week. If nothing else of any consequence occurs this month, I still feel very good about this and hereby give myself a hearty pat on the back.
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Leslie's bell turned out really nicely. Shell forms and dragonflies. She is finishing it up today and I will post a picture of the finished product in a couple of days.
4 comments:
I suppose I did say "TMI" re: your life history. However, I did not say that it was not interesting or not well written. It was very interesting and very well written. I suppose it dredged up some things that have occurred in my past that I would rather not be reminded of.
Speaking of Santorum, did you catch this one: Santorum: Religious Freedom Is Not Supported By President Obama and Hillary Clinton (From Huff Po). This guy really is a nut. If the Republican's nominate this guy, it will be the death kneel of the Republican Party.
And thats the way [Robert] see's it...this Monday, February twenty seventh, two thousand and twelve. All news that is fitting........
Goodnight.
In your blog you were commenting about Rick Santorum--and what a strange and dopey character he is. He is often called "senator," which he was until badly defeated, I think four years ago. And when I think of Santorum and his defeat I remember an episode involving the Mayor of New York, Ed Koch. He had just won election to a new term--he was defeated four years later--and badly out polled an opponent, Bella Absug. He was asked by a reporter what did he think caused Bela to lose even in her own precinct. The answer: "Her neighbors knew her." Isn't that the reason for Pennsylvania not returning Santorum to the senate but electing Casey--I think. That remark caused Bela to hate Ed forever.
The other thing Ed once said, after he was defeated for reelection, was that he was having more fun than he ever did before. He wished he had been defeated earlier. And I think that Santorum will be happy that he never became president--I hope.
I bet you have heard of Kiryas Joel, the very Hassidic village in New York State. That is the place which is often described as having the lowest per capita income of any place in the United States. If not, look it up as "kiryas Joel" on Google.
But what I just found out is that there is little harmony in that very religious, fundamental town, where probably every resident is Hasisdic. Apparently, every thing was harmonious as long as the founder, Joel Teitelbaum was alive. But after his death a majority of the population chose Aron Teitelbaum as the Grand Rebbe. But 8,000 of the 20,000 Jews wanted Aron's brother Zelman to be the Grand Rebbe. And as all residents follow the commands of their Grand Rebbe, every elected official and appointed official of the village is a member of the majority congregation.
For more than 20 years the two factions have sued each other. And there has been some mild violence. All this is outlined in a decision of a U.S. District Court judge which is found on the official web page of the village--in a link to Court Rulings, Kiryas Joel Alliance v .Village of Kiryas Joel, filed November 28, 2011. If the opinion wasn't so funny it would be sad.
As much as I dislike fundamentalists of any type, including Jewish fundamental groups, I hate to see Jews acting like Muslim, Sunni v. Shiite.
What Kirvas Joel demonstrates is that theocracy is never democratic. If you are a follower of a priest, minister or rabbi, really a FOLLOWER, every thing God says, of course through God's chosen leader must be followed--not questioned. Read the report of the Jewish men on a bus in Brooklyn telling a woman she must move to the back of the bus--not be so close to men. When she asked why the answer was you don't ask why when God tells you what to do. And is someone like Santorum is ever elected he will try to make the U.S. a theocracy. Scary--that here are people who agree with him.
Stay well. N
"Religious Freedom" to me means freedon from religion.
I had no idea Leslie was so adept with tools. Lauren can manage a screwdriver, but little else.
Ken
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