It's a vestige of Internet past, live-blogging the State of the Union speech. No, not going to do it, but I am watching.
Even further back, I can recall the first times I watched as a kid. It was hearing the doorkeeper of the House at the time, "Fishbait" Miller, was the transcending moment... "Mr. Speaker: the President of the United States." Loved that bellowing voice. All the history in it from the English Commonwealth to the vaunted leader of the ' free world'. It's all formulaic from there. The state of the Union is strong, America is great, huh? We can do better. But never much humor... that would be unpresidential, see. Soaring rhetoric? I don't feel comfortable with a Preacher-in-Chief; leave it for the Church. One of the problems of the State, having to deal with what abandoned churches neglect, charity.
The journos call it the laundry list, the issues POTUS seeks to focus upon, the legislative agenda he seeks to accomplish. Since Reagan's time, the obligatory heros. I detest it when the party in opposition from the President sit on their hands. Grumps.
The Democrats look ridiculous tonight. Sorry, but I despise them, the seditious bastards and their media flunkies. Such spite!
Mr. Trump sounds alright tonight. How dastardly his antagonists are, their bogus diagnostics so reprehensible. The Russian canard - beyond the pale. All so personal.
I've registered as an Independent my entire life. Prior to voting, my empathy entirely Democratic; through the years they've annoyed me no end. When I recently renewed my driving licence, in the wake of the disgraceful Democrats' efforts to deligitimize and destroy the President, I registered as a Republican. I look forward to seeing the socialist fakes eradicated.
He just finished. The Donald. From Queens. Splendid. We're good.
Tomorrow is National Croissant Day as mentioned. So what? I say we go now!
Just found a place I can get a free eye exam. Internet great for that sort of thing.
Been surfing all afternoon what with FBI McCabe resignation and House memo vote. Will be celebrating POTUS' SOTU speech tomorrow rather. Quite a change. Mellowed. Starting to get new app in gear pretty good. Get out of town this weekend? Maybe.
Up at 4 am - what to do but a tidy. Picked up this Edison bulb lamp for $5 at dollar store. Finally got around to finding someplace to put it. I get very behind on the housework with all the time spent online, reading and watching videos. When you're alone and not often receiving company one becomes oblivious. What is the opposite of anal?
Candle lamp I've had for ages. Locally made.
When the sun comes up, some yard work. Then church, then I'm going to splurge and git some grits with breakfast. LOL I see they moved the Pro Bowl to the week before Super Bowl... nobody ever watched it after and who wants to get hurt in an exhibition? Must be some payoff.
Tuesday is National Croissant Day. Well, that gives me something to look forward to. Karl's on Dunlap has the best. Work up an appetite by then I must. Lately, I'm afraid all I think about is the next meal. Must get more exersize or I will go sumo soon.
Superstition pictures done. Got out there late afternoon so didn't go into park.
The stone textures in the canyons and ravines are outstanding. Get up earlier.
Sort of a personal goal to do the Peralta Trail up the southeast side. Here, north.
That finishes up with a sublime view of Weaver's Needle. "Get in shape, son."
After hike yesterday, bought stew beef on sale and crocked up a savory dish. I think the calorie ratio went out of kilter. Should go to club now too. But headed home. Have a bunch of BBC shows downloaded. Such drama. Home safe and church tomorrow, God willing. Yard work... this looks like it.
Been tied up researching and tweeting. It's coming down.
Extremely gratifying, I must say. There will be arraignments. Yet cannot say - on Twitter nor Facebook, "Do not fuck with us." Might upset the yokels. What would Jesus do? Throw the book at them? For perfectly jaded, a most rollickin' read. (2 Peter 3:14-18.) Detach.
Got out to Apache Junction and back. No problem. Little trek. Very tired. Many shots. Mañana. Did a workout too. Great tub and falling asleep. Good thing not in hot water!
Passed by this church in a tourist trap. Thought it might have been moved, like the buildings at Pioneer Village. Sort of. LOL Doubt the miners built it. Was put up on movie set nearby. A production place that hosted much Western filming through the years. This one made for "Charro!" Yup... is called Elvis Chapel.
Got a few done. Will give me something to do... mañana. If'n ya see any mounts, lemme know so's ah kin bust it. Sure...
This is the day The Lord hast made - blessed be the name of The Lord. And that was last night; as good as I could do. Could have been a timed exposure but was in the street. Ultra Dusk, no?
Am getting on the road, headed for Superstitions. Please God, no issues, as they say. The light is fine. Just some cirrus clouds.
Not bad a'tall. When I find the time, will keep at it. Still, I'd really, really like a change of scenery; sheesh. Believe it or not, this aspect from curbside in residential area. Nice back yard, huh? Scorpions! Just fininishing a trekking account by an English fellow doing the Pacific Crest Trail. I've been on segments in Oregon and Washington, never the length. I do think about a drive to Riverside, CA, then north through the Mohave past Lancaster and up to Mt.Whitney on east side of Sierras. From there to Yosemite. Never been there... have wanted to go forever.
I am quite feeling the dearth of photo subjects and equipment. Well, it is 4 am and not much is illuminated. Have a bunch to process. We'll see. Marigolds at Denny's presently. The phone camera obviously does not resolve as well as hand-held Canon up close.
Just after I woke around midnight, it dawned on me I'd slept right through the Blues session at the local saloon. Nary a thought of it prior, nor of Francesca. Wonder how she is; I stay out of bars. Up in the air about going out for Super Bowl. Meanwhile...
More fun than a barrel of Smileys. George, that is, late of the Circus, MI5 that is.
Here GCHQ relates SIGNINT per POTUS via FBI pursuing FULSOME by dint MI6.
Ah, read it yourself. It's either an outrage or the most pathetic political fiasco.
All over a fabled Golden Shower in the bed Michelle and Barry slept in. Personal?
What really grabs me is that, for all the fabulism that invented Obama's career, this will be his vaunted legacy. I wish I had the time and inclination to get a complete grasp of this. On Twitter, I suggested P.J. O'Rourke take it on. Definitely not (never) Bob Woodward. You just can't make this stuff up - nor can one keep up.
Got my documention off into the mail toward a court appearance on my parking ticket. Took a few days as I wanted to ascertain some things before signing off as 'not responsible', as they put the plea. As usual, all parties involved not very cooperative. No access to data.
Went to the bank to get a transaction number of the meter payment. Not available until the monthly statement made. The logic of that was to make sure that I paid the correct metre. The city department said they couldn't help me there even if I did have the number. Will have to go with just a copy of the transaction in bank statement. I'll flip if they give me any grief.
Took another short ride over to the other side of Dreamy Draw. Got some pretty good, however same old, same old, shots. Will give me something to do tomorrow. Feel like hitting sack now. Guess I'll wake up in wee hours. Good thing gym open 24x7.
Went to church this morning but, to tell the truth, couldn't wait to get out of there to do my pictures of shots taken in the bright morning light, the sky exceptionally clear. Am going home now for to BREAK THE BOYCOTT LOL. Yes, I'm going to spend the rest of the day watching football. So, what else is new?
This one on the way home. A lone bougainvillea. Nice contrast.
Well, I have gone out of a Friday night but it's only to the local Starbucks and I haven't even gotten out of the truck, tapping this out within Wi-Fi range, having made mine own cappuchino before I left the house.
I'll go in in a while. There's a few regulars here and I need to ask a few questions about transferring music files. I uploaded all my files from the Microsoft Media app to the Google Drive cloud. Now I have to see about opening them on the phone. Not all of them as I haven't got a memory card in.
Right now just listening to KBAQ. Very rarely buy music. I've burned my own CDs to the laptop and go to the library for much. There comes a point though where enough is enough. You just don't have the time to either futz with the computing or listen to the tunes.
There's specific genres I play depending on what I'm doing. There's cooking music, housekeeping music, layed back and driving, etc. And treadmill music. I like marching tunes for that. LOL
Done with the repotting. Saw some chrysanthemums yesterday. Maybe pick some up to place in spare pots now that these have been condensed. Such are the great demands placed on me... decisions, decisions...
Warm in the sun but cool on the patio. Thought I might get on the light rail out to Tempe. Go to the lake around sundown, Mill Avenue after dark. We'll see. Right now, just potting around.
Potted around a bit and then irrigated... pun intended. Repotted. The annuals need to be replaced and others need more room. You tend not to water as much over the winter and let them get somewhat dessicated. The larger cacti will shrink. I can see growth patterns on some domestic saguaro that have been sparsely watered during the winter and then bolused during the heat - contrary to the natural cycle.
Pulled myself together and took a ride. Came to me driving across town. Do something along Dreamy Draw. So I did. A ride and a short walk. 30 odd shots. Wasn't it Christmas, like, two weeks ago? I broke out into perspiration doing some climbing for vantage points. Finished up with the above... what's your problem?
Same old shots. Knew a girl once, a friend's teenage daughter. We hiked a lot and I'd take the pictures. She loved them, and loved getting her own poses captured - before selfies; we'd wait for the prints. There were some really good ones. I told her, "One day we'll have a show at the Whitney."
Haven't seen her in twenty-five years! Well, if I did have one it would be something like "Phoenix Rocks" as that's about all there is. Thousands of pictures of rocks. Vetus saxa redunda. The occasional flower. Just had a conversation with a fellow regarding moving files between a Microsoft app and a Google one, specifically uploading music from laptop hard drive to Google Drive cloud for to download into phone. La-de-da... the young man looked competent and I asked him if there's be a problem across the corporate interface as I'd yet to figure out how to do it. Anyway, he had an interesting face. Turk or Kurd; hooked nose. Dark eyes. Had his hoodie up. That would have made a good portrait but gets complicated.
Yeah, complications and tough all over. Very tough conditions.
Have to stick with what's there without getting personal. LOL
This first I see when I leave the house. And the sky blue too. The air cool. Then I pull out, slowly headed into the stream of strangers.
Where did they all come from? Phoenix has gotten much too crowded. Was thinking last night, during the excruciating inconvenience of contending with rush hour traffic while searching for a decent place to go, how much I hate it here. But then, considering the alternative, like being on the Oregon coast, well, their wouldn't be as many choices of places to go. If that's what you need.
Oh, to be a man of means. Have a shack in the woods up there and an adobe hut here; in season, of course. Hey... got enough for that!
Hadn't been over to the east side for a while. Years ago, every day. Hit a couple of coffee places in the morning, now gone. At first I thought I'd head down towards Roosevelt - several places between 7th Street and Central. Lola's I can live without. I looked up some others. Decided to go to Songbird cause they had 50 sorts of tea.
Around 4:30 pm, the rush hour going pretty good the other way, I got downtown in 15 minutes. (Avoid the tunnel at all costs!) Hunt for a space. Yeah, they want the meter feed too. But after 5 pm? It wasn't clear from the information on the meter and those dopes don't put any signage up in this regard. Found a spot right in front of the place and asked the barista. He didn't know. The place was dead and he seemed flakey. He got all exited describing how I could park in the back in their lot off the street. I got in the vehicle and kept on looking.
But now I'm heading with the traffic. Yowza... how do people put up with it. And every place I drove by was sparsely attended. Kept on going uptown. It was murder. I'm detouring every which way, intending to get to 36th Street and Indian School. Another decent coffee place usually busy with citizens a tad older than ASU snowflakes. I got fed up. Took me half an hour to get to 51 and McDowell. Got on that - should have my head examined. Got off on Thomas and figured I'd go to the library at Highland to wait the insanity out.
Burned a bunch of discs and left at 7. As you can see, traffic lighter. Headed for Sip. Precious, huh? Like Central Perk. Still have a ton of photos to process. Spent a couple of hours writing up the previous on Facebook. No intention to post it here but, what the hell. Don't you know there've been no responses. Must be taboo or something.
Finishing up the photos. Getting the burned music loaded onto my phone. I'm done. This place is alright. Old garage. Music on the weekends. Nice kids. Tiki bar below. I stay out of Tiki bars. Polynesian women drive me nuts. Until they eat too much Spam. No, no booze for me. Working up an appetite. Have some Italian sausage. Angel hair.
Frankly, they need to address the fundamentals and dissect the problem which, not to be too simplistic, is misogyny and plain old incontinence - not celibacy perse. These pathologies combined with a contrived and convoluted repressive self-hatred manifesting often enough in criminal behavior, the foibles otherwise problematic.
Tangentially, some of my Evangelical freinds find the worship of Mary odd and unscriptural. Mariology, as the bit of a stretch theologians put it. (Theology... the study of God. Impertinent?) A matter of shunting libidinal energy? The good Sisters of old were inviegled of being the brides of Christ. Now there's an anthropolgical study, eh?
The unscriptual notion of celibacy as practiced by the Vatican cohort derives of many factors, three of which I'll assert. As I am not an academic, I don't feel constrained by having to pony up to references and such. Just the gleanings of keeping an eye on things.
*Philosophical template. The Greco-Roman classical tradition of Platonism through to Stoicism. The 'official' church after the apostolic period came to be dominated by a learned cadre steeped in Greek intellectual culture and Roman law. They 'interpreted' Scripture as it applied to themselves and their civil masters; not the other way around where Scripture informed an inferior Jewish culture.
They more or less coopted Yahweh as they segued from a mystically sophisticated idea of a Supreme Being, the old gods foolishness for peasants - translates pagans, and the caesars decidedly not divine. The powers that were, such as Constantine, who thought 'Sol Invictus' was supreme and analogous to this Hebrew God's Christ, incorporated with the intellectuals in the interest of conformity, uniformity and civil peace. All well and good seeing Jesus as that mystical philosopher king, the quasi-divine emperor his co-regent, but not Kosher.
The Greek way was misogynist, women incapable of reason and not worth consulting. The duality of Platonism held the highest good in pure thought, not actual nitty-gritty. Sex was carnal; it could be idealized with a protoge, however - that was their sense of beauty. The Stoics couldn't be bothered and virtue was seen in avoiding irrational involvement with women.
The Romans, more practical and virile, held women in higher esteem but all were dominated by the genius of the 'pater familius' by custom and law.
*Legal tangles. OK, leaving aside the Pauline instructions about form, polity and church leadership, churchmen did marry without qualm until the monastic movement of the Ninth Century through to a council in 1149 where celibacy was officially instituted. The rationale? Eunuchs for God? Virginity the apotheosis of purity modeled on Jesus Himself?
Consider the legal problems prior. The priest dies. Ought the Church take responsibility for his wife and children? (Modern Evangelical churches I've been with usually pay the pastor's life insurance policy.) The priest fathers bastards... same question.
The priest's tenure is constituent with a feudal holding, a living, some livings more lucrative than others. The better the living, the more his family will thrive. Then the bishop changes his tenure to somewhere the living not so good. He contests and his congregants don't want him to leave. He doesn't vacate, the congregants deluded into thinking they own the property. Trouble.
Get the picture? Married life for clerics complicated the business of the hierarchial 'universal' Church. "Be done with it." said the hierarchs (who've got their mistresses and whatever, homosexuality being more convenient and without progeny) who, by law, owned all and had the last word.
As an aside, the Church was a huge land lord. They'd convince proto-aristocratic legators to leave their property to it, the legacy buying masses purchasing admission into heaven. After expenses of said living and paying for costuming and decor deducted, they'd pass on a pittance to 'the poor'. Quite the racket, no?
*Efficiency. Orthodox priests generally marry. But some vow celibacy and only they can be candidates for episcopacy. Simple time-management issue. The man who's not tied up with family obligations has more time to devote to his more extensive duties.
It's a fair reason not to be married if you want to focus on the pastoral job without distraction. (How many times has a married pastor been humiliated by family relations' behaviors?) A very practical one.
Revisiting the monastic paradigm, that's how the medieval church got so highly organized, centralizing operations with military discipline. No doubt a great phenomenon with regard to building, land use, farming and animal husbandry... making beer, wine and brandy, all of which progressed along with what we'd call vertical integration. It was, in our vernacular, a Blue Chip organization. Temporal power ensued. Prosperity built the cathedrals.
My intuition (having made no study of it) tells me that, however many bright boys were taken in to be educated for a church career, many of the monastic residents were older men, peasants and artisans, who had raised a family. If not a widower, they'd put the wife in a nunnery and take up the rule as they prayed for men's souls. It was their skill sets advantaged. Celibacy just made things easier and, really, is there a problem here?
I once had a conversation with an RC priest who said these medieval (a loaded, relative word) times were the greatest years in that church and he looked forward to their return. (Huh... run that by Hans Küng?) Yeah, they just might be stuck there, Christendom and all that.
Had a great day but that's neither here nor there. Got some good deals in trade. Feeling limber. Exploring new artsy app.
Am finishing up a book written by a Marine who did a tour in Korea 1952-53. Very detailed with regard to tactics. He was a corporal squad leader. Went on to write several histories.
Much debated... like Vietnam, a terrible waste or they held the line. The awful thing is that it became, after the communists turned back and then the red Chinese entry, a war of attrition. A throwback to the trench warfare that everyone agreed they never wanted to participate in again. Also, truce negotiations were going on all throughout '52 and '53... who wants to be the last one to die when they call a ceasefire?
That's Colonel L.B. "Chesty" Puller above. Upon the Chinese crossing the Yalu and bottling up the Marine withdrawal at the Chosin Reservoir, he said, "We're surrounded. That simplifies the problem." Marines, when called to do 10 push-ups will hear, "And one more for Chesty!"
Of course the most notorious issue was MacArthur's firing in April, 1951 over the use (or Truman's restraint from) of nuclear weapons. But the story does not deal with command crises; it's all on the company level.
Naturally, MASH has made its imprint. I did not like the TV show and have only ever seen the occasional rerun. Alan Alda a mealy-mouthed actor and the scripts dull. Loved Robert Altman's film circa 1970. Spearchucker!
As I bare my soul on this blog, is this what it's like. Nekid afore ye world? I guess so.
Don't know how to align pictures sidewise. Figuring it out as I go; seat of my pants. LOL Just purchased processing app. First attempt. Shady side, sunny side. A diptych. Not bad.
I'd like to take a class in this. Haven't gotten it exactly as I'd like... this has to do. Too busy to work it out. There are ways to do what I envision - need to meet people who do webpages.
Working page didn't preview as composed. Fixed best I could. Looks better than planned! Haven't a clue how it presents on phone screen. Done on large screen laptop; what I work with. Sometimes process on Kindle or phone... tiny that.
There was something I quite couldn't deal with yesterday. I didn't get up until noon. I'd gone to bed around 10 pm intending to be at church at 9:30 the next morning. I read past midnight, nodding off. When I woke with a start, my shoulder stiff, I rearranged my configuration but couldn't get back to sleep.
A long while thus, I decided to eat something. Made some toast. Then I began to crave the pound cake I had. Finished that off. Very full now, I knew I'd feel stuffed in the morning and decided to blow church off, commencing to read until dawn.
So what's the difference between obsessive-compulsive eating and sin. Gluttony. The deadlies! None. So sin prevented me from going to church, or rather my sinning derailed me. Upon arousing, I chose not to feel it. Finished digesting and went out.
It's also deadly for 'Christians' to be judgemental about anyone else. Yeah; like the cop busting your chops but, come on.
Do you think I might be able to get $100 for this picture? Like from the City of Phoenix, whose Convention Center this is. That would be good... I'd come out 25 bucks ahead! They hit me with a parking ticket for $75 and I'm totally innocent! Bad enough they charge for parking on a Sunday. Then the shock of seeing the ticket on the windshield returning from a walk. Does misery love company?!!
Been to the parking structure across the street from Chase Field. Always a thought to go back just to take pictures from the seventh story roof; great vantage point. Thus I decided this afternoon. $12 to park in it, I searched for the nearest place to park on the street, which isn't easy in that area. Parked three blocks away next to the above.
Fed the meter. Payed by debit card. I thought I had done so correctly. I'm pretty sure I used the right meter ahead of the vehicle. One hour... $1.50. Hit 'OK' on meter after swiping the card. 1525. Back by 1625. Got it. Walked along vacant urbanity and made my way to the parking structure. Took a bunch of shots, along with several on the way there and back.
I returned to truck at 1615. There was a ticket under the wiper. Son of a bitch! I'm steaming but flummoxed. Did the sale register. Did I pay the right meter. I was cited at 1541; not 15 minutes after feeding the beast. 75 bucks. 50 if you don't contest and pay right away. What a racket! If you contest and lose, the full amount.
Oh, yes, I'm thinking - the bank card will record on the debit posting and I will contest. Have to go to court. I don't keep financial records on phone. I'll have to wait until I get online with the laptop. Sure enough, I was dinged for the fee. Open and shut? If'n I, quasi-demented however I may be, dealt with the correct meter, i.e., not the one behind the space. I'm quite sure, as far as that goes. I suppose I could somehow confirm that with the city account as the delinquent meter is noted. What a bear!
Not going to church this evening. It's a business meeting. Have to deal with this. So I'm calming down after seeing the bank record, having a smoke outside coffee place. I note a dwarf woman struggling with some bags walking home from the WalMart. I give her a holler and ask if she's like a ride. It wasn't far. Isn't such interaction with little people good luck? I could use it.
Funny how things turn. I might have heard this from Cavalleria Rusticana somewhere, sometime in passing on a classical station but it didn't register until Scorsese used it in Raging Bull. Enthralling piece of music. It's a brilliant day but indoor activities mostly. Housekeeping. LOL I got done what I needed to do and got in the vehicle to go for coffee.
The radio came on with the overture of this opera... the Metropolitan broadcast. I've been listening to it all the way through. Exquisite. I think it's all Mascagni is known for, unlike Puccini who's got so many renowned operas. My Italian stops with capisce? My mother-in-law was an opera soprano... does she need to be exed as well?
Got all the photos caught up. Need to do housekeeping there too. Back ups. Organization. One master file of original shots. Then all the subfiles of processed images. When I was taking film photos, tried to do the same with negatives and prints - usually kept in shoeboxes.
This turned out pretty good from one of the apps on the phone. You just have to feel your way through them as there aren't any instructions or tutorials. You can tweak it too much.
Now, the matter is - shall I watch football? I may as I do things around the house. How's that? No dogs in hunt. Ho-hum.
Well, the fat lady has sung but the show goes on! They're doing highlights of Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci too. Precious. OK, you clowns; we've got work to do.
Did take a ride up towards Lake Pleasant. You can see a sliver of it. We are in saguaro country. I am watching for hawks.
There are none. No wildlife whatsoever evident. What else to look for? Same old. They say it takes 70 years for a saguaro to grow arms. These look about that. Many nearby are older. Looking for the oldest one.
Took a bunch of ubiquitous shots but will do the up in this oil effect in a series. Should keep me occupied. Still have pictures of cloudy mountains to process too.
This turned out pretty good. Shadows. Stark coloration. Soft detail. Print it!
Here I wanted layers of texture.
Getting the tumble weeds just right. Many shots the other day after the rain. Low ceiling, much cloud movement.
This one leading up to Piestewa Trail just about the best of them. Rich.
'Tis a splendid day out there, all tempest past, the clouds gone. I wonder if the Bradshaws or Mazatzals got dusted... don't think it was cold enough. Thought for a moment to take a ride but need to do oil change. Frankly, I'm just fine where I am on my arse. But have to get moving soon.
The rain has got the ground charged. We need more. Where the sun is peeking over the eave on the northern exposue, oleanders beginning to bloom. What am I going to do? Stay here or get to Oregon?
After getting into the vehicle after the test, I felt like driving on and on way out of town, where I stop nobody knows. But didn't. Maybe take a ride over the weekend. Drove up a hill over Lincoln Drive on the way to mountain park for hike. Took this. Good rain last night. Clouds still moving through but I figure it's done raining. Went on to take shots of cloudplay on the ridges. Bible study this evening. Need a nap.
Isn't this what bloggers do, detailing their thrilling lives? Well, there is some drama here. Will the warranty cover? The manager said something about the diagnostics, that 'maybe' it's something else making the catalytic converter go out. Sounds like 'building the sale' as they are wont to do.
Midas was recommended two years ago because the part needs to be welded correctly to the exhaust system. I had the same problem 15 years ago. When I had it checked they said it wasn't installed correctly by the garage mechanic who did the initial work. If it's not one thing... always something.
I'm just whiling away the time until they let me know what's going on. I mean to get through emission Friday. Will change the oil and filters tomorrow. The way it stands with the test is all they do is plug you into the diagnostic telemetry. They don't test the exhaust itself. Hope it all expedites.
Once had a conversation with a pastor about this sort of thing. How does one 'pray over' such an instance. That was about praying that the air conditioner held up during the long summer of a lean season. Is it superstitious? To think that God will suspend the realities of wear and tear in one's favor. Well, Heavenly Father... see me through, please, with a minimum of expense. I just need to get through emissions.
It all sounds silly but the Red Sea parted, the sun stood still and the loaves and fishes. Is it vain? I think so. Better to have God's help to have the provisions to deal with circumstances.
The drama unfolds. After the simple diagnostic read, I'm told it isn't the catalytic converter causing the 'check engine' light to go on. He needs to do a full diagnosis - $100 up front, half credited after work done. He suspects it's a sensor. The gas mixture is running lean. OK. No charge so far. I ask if I can have the indicator light turned off and try to get through emissions; you definitely will fail if it's on. He says he can but doesn't know whether the indication will remain in the vehicle's memory causing a fail as well. I decide to take a chance. I can get the problem solved later when I have better cash flow. So I head on over to the inspection station directly. Hasn't cost me anything. If I fail, I've got two weeks to get it fixed. High drama now as I go through the process. Some little tension. I pass. Praise God. Thank You, Jesus!
Was that an album? Or a movie? Ah, yes... A film. Sidney Poitier. Blind girlfriend. (Get the message?) Fairly decent soundtrack. Quite a ways back. Right now, clouds all about. Going to rain. We could use it. Except to grocery store, didn't go out today. Finishing the de Gaulle book. Have skipped about quite a bit, jumping ahead to the Algerian crisis. (Another good film.) He saw himself as the embodiment of French grandeur, but his daughter had Down's Sydrome and that humbled and humanized him in his affection for her. I remember when he came over for the JFK funeral; marching the procession. He was quite impressed with Jackie after state visit the previous year. Some germane information about how the former French colonies in Southeast Asia - Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, looked to the United States in guaranteeing their nascent independence after the French were utterly spent and defeated in the 50s. At home and abroad, the French politicians sought to keep the communists out of government. What they installed in their wake did so, the subversive activity persisting led to our involvement. I've got a bunch of books downloaded but maybe a movie tonight. I started watching this but got bored. I like Branagh but they all seem to be going through the motions. Might finish it. 75% of movies are lousy. I've got no patience with them. Over the past 20 years, between VCRs to Netflicks to downloads, I've just about seen everything in the cinematic library.
The last of autumn leaves are falling as the sun heads back to it's zenith. Nothing else happening as the rest of creation recycles. I layed back a few moments and just was. What am I to do? Eh... wouldn't worry about it.
Had a thought to go to a Blues showcase this evening but do not wish to complicate my life. If I had a tune in mind presently, this would be it.
