Ghost stories

Today, I thought I'd start off our Sunday discussion talking about the afterlife - what people's concepts about it were, and whether they felt that it was possible to communicate with the departed - if they existed, and how that could be.

It was pretty animated.

I've had quite a few ghost stories in my life; almost wrote a book about one of them.

A day off - so it seems. I need to shower and head off.

BRILLIANT!

Just some thoughts

So, having had David here all weekend was pretty darned fun. While he worked this weekend, I ran around with Robert or did the church thing.

Yesterday, Robert and I attended the Hyundai Genesis "Discover Genesis" tour here in Houston. It was .. lame. I know that it was raining cats and dogs, and the thunder had them turn over the power inverters, so we couldn't demo the stereo, or other electrically powered features of the cars. The cars (I drove both the V6 and the V8) were really quite lovely. Beautifully put together. The demo was crap. Either Hyundai went dirt cheap on this, which was a huge mistake, or they're not being well represented by their contractor. The cars were driven around a closed parking lot track that lasted just over two minutes. The babysitter chattered on the entire time - uh, shut up?

Robert loved the car, hated the presentation, and really was not impressed with the people who were there to see it.

Before going to the Discover Genesis tour, we stopped at the Houston home of DeLorean Motor Cars, which was closed, but was viewable through the open bay doors and through the showroom window. The owner was getting into his Nissan Titan pickup, and we chatted him up a minute.

After the Genesis was Discovered, we were walking out to the car and Robert said "let's go watch airplanes." Well, twist my arm, Buck.

We drove around the perimeter of the airport, and stumbled across a non-parking area at the very foot of one of the primary runways. We stood there about an hour, as two strong thunderstorm systems converged on the airport, and saw them (the airport ops people) shooting arrivals in between the storms. At one point, as we watched a British Airways 777 coming in on final, the wind shifted from north to south and inceased. We watched him reverse his crab and he landed that beast at about 15 degrees off center. It was so cool.

Right after that, a Continental 737-800 came in - engines screaming on high power, all the flaps and slats thrown out, gear down, condensation rat tails pouring off of the deployed flap edges. He was crabbed pretty hard, also. Seconds after he roared five hundred feet over our heads, we heard the wildest whiffling noises overhead. I think it was the following vortices from his passage that we were hearing.

David and I had Star Pizza last night, which was great. This morning, off to church at the normal time, and got home around 4:00 p.m. Dinner at Mission Burrito, followed by some quality floating time in the pool. Now, it's nearly midnight and time for me to get some sleep. Hopefully, I'll make it until sunrise before my brain awakens me with detailed plans for worrying and decision making.

What my friend said, I cannot improve upon

"One of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen is to go about repeating the very phrases which our fathers used in the struggle for Independence."
---Historian Charles A. Beard

And, in counterpoint -



So, does this mean that the US isn't a nation? Or that Iraq wasn't a nation? Or that our invasion of Iraq was somehow actually done before 12/31/1999?

The 23rd Qualm

(Written by a retired Methodist minister.)

Bush is my shepherd; I dwell in want.
He maketh logs to be cut down in national forests.
He leadeth trucks into the still wilderness.
He restoreth my fears.
He leadeth me in the paths of international disgrace
for his ego's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of pollution
and war,
I will find no exit, for thou art in office.
Thy tax cuts for the rich and thy media control,
they discomfort me.
Thou preparest an agenda of deception in the
presence of thy religion.
Thou anointest my head with foreign oil.
My health insurance runneth out.
Surely megalomania and false patriotism shall follow me
all the days of thy term,
And my jobless child shall dwell in my basement forever.

Just clean up your thinking!

Thursday night

Okay, so I'm loving the new office set up. I love this big, practical furniture. It rocks! I love looking out at the pool through the French doors. Thanks Robert and Dina for helping me!!

Deep Thought™

by digby


Travelling by airplane in the US is nothing more than mass training of Americans to the requirements of the coming police state. The whole point is to make you learn to acquiesce without question, en masse, to completely absurd directives by dull functionaries wearing uniforms.



™Atrios

For those who have asked why not, I offer:

Saturday finishes

Well, this morning I was up at 5:50, so that I could take Miss Jackie outside, make coffee and start making pancakes for RWB, who had to be at work early early. Jackie started clicking around on the wood floors which was a very effective alarm clock for the guest room downstairs - returned about 20 phone calls from prospective renters, hauled out the old AT&T 964 phone, dusted it (really) and set it up to receive phone calls from said prospective renters - thus cutting back on my phone call volume.

Then, drove down to the church to meet with Jean and put up some white boards. From there, back to Manderlay to re-letter the sign with the home phone number and meet people who wanted to walk through. Think I found someone who will rent the place; I expect to hear from them Monday or Tuesday.

A friend tonight linked me to a NYT article that describes a company's effort to assist people who are in trouble with their mortgages that my dad was telling me about last week. Looked them up on the web, and sent them an email, which bounced back.

Crazy.

Got home around 5:30, watched "Keillers Park" on DVD. It was good-ish; but nothing on Weeds - the DVD for Season Three of which should be arriving on Monday.

I believe that RWB is giving me a desktop computer, which will replace both this lappy (that is REALLY tired and weary) and the old desktop computer, which is equally weary.

And, my Treo kicked the bucket today. Well, I needed to go into the Sprint store anyway.

Leaving on vacation in twelve days. Yeep!