Thoughts of the Day

Oh Gosh! We elect a guy from Chicago and what should we expect? He opens the whole Atlantic coast line for oil drilling! Those mid-westerners have no appreciation or love of beaches!

There is something that puzzles me. We catch law-breakers, put them in jail, and it costs the tax-payers a fortune to keep them there. So what is wrong with the tax-payers making a few dollars from the wrong-doers? People write into the local newspapers and say, “You are not installing red light cameras for safety, you are doing it to raise money!” OK, I am the guy that said the state could solve their budget problems by sending troops of state police down to Route I 95 and give tickets to every speeder on the road. The state would make a bundle every day until the word got out.


The “helical” (spiral), long life bulb in my desk lamp burned out the other day. It was practically new. So much for trying to be a “green” citizen. It cost twice as much as the incandescent bulb it replaced and lasted half as long. I’m back to nice, round incandescent. I like the light from the old-fashioned bulbs better anyway.

I wonder how long it will be before all buildings will be made cell phone friendly and the line phones will join the dinosaurs. Then, if someone would please invent a way to send electricity wirelessly, we could get rid of all those ugly telephone poles and their ugly wires.

Apple Magic Mouse

This is just a brief product endorsement. Several weeks ago I indulged myself and purchased an Apple Magic Mouse. I love it! You can find a list of the great features of this product at the Apple Store online. Believe what you read. I had tried it several times in their local retail store and was somewhat afraid it might be too small for my hand. Quite the contrary my hand, without thought, found a natural fit. My arthritic fingers are delighted. Scrolling is a breeze. Wireless and slim, I can always find a space to use it on my messy, crowded desk. It shuts itself down when not in use, so it is easy on batteries. Try it, youll like it.

Solutions for D.C.

Here I am, back from a short hospital and nursing home visit. This morning I had my post-op visit to the surgeon that did the carving. He is very happy about the outcome of this latest procedure. If he is happy, I guess I am too.

A visit to the nursing home is always a chance to watch too much (to the saturation point) television. But the problem was that TV was non-stop chatter about the Obama Healthcare bill. I am a Republican. Always have been, but getting antsy lately. As a frequent consumer of health care I am well aware that something needs fixing in a hurry or we are going to see a crisis. All the members of Congress must know that too. So why the obstructionist approach by my party? I also know that the bill put forth by the democrats isn’t perfect, but it is not nearly the disaster that the hysterical naysayers would have the public believe. Just a little calm negotiating on the part of the Republicans could have turned it into a piece of legislature that everyone could have been proud of. And turning those pathetic rabble-rousers loose in the Capitol streets was not a good way to strengthen the Republican Party for the future.

Now Mr. President, let’s get busy creating JOBS.

Second Chance

One of the good things about being old is that you can reread old mystery books knowing full well that you have read them before but without the faintest clue as to who-done-it. A corollary to that is that you can stay up all night finishing the book and sleep in the next morning no matter what day of the week it happens to be. Old age and retirement have their good points.

I went back in time the other day to 1982 when Sue Grafton published her first of her alphabet series, “A is for Alibi”. Her powers of description and ability to create a mental image were astonishing even then. As I got deeper into the book, I had little flashes of memory, but never complete enough to prevent the ending from blowing me away. ( That’s a joke in case you haven’t read “A” in decades.) Now I have to get the latest. My first question will be, “Has Kinsey got herself a cell phone yet?”

I have read most of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories several times and most of Tony Hillerman more than once. I think that Hillerman was the best craftsman, but he allowed himself the largest palette. I plan to continue reading mysteries over and over as long as I can. They seem to, like so many things, get better with age.