Random thoughts represent the condition of my mind these days. I seem to have lost the ability to focus. However, I have little doubt that my mental acuity that makes it possible for me to focus will come back from vacation soon (I hope it hasn’t retired). In the meantime I will, as they say, “Just go with it.”
The man in the picture to the right is being observed from our Manhattan apartment window. That’s quite a lunch he’s eating, a New York pretzel. Do you think he can eat the whole thing? Yep, he did. Right down to the last crumb.
Item from the New York Times: Three American Soldiers killed in Afghanistan. They were a 22 year old, a 24 year old and a 28 year old. No details of how they died or if they had families or anything like that provided. They are simply statistics. And a total of 1,640 American service members have died in the Afghan war so far. Actually I believe several more have died since the Saturday paper. What a waste of young human lives.
Meanwhile the wrangling goes on in Washington DC. The Democrats, the Republicans and the Tea Party folks are arguing and arguing about what to do about the national debt. Should we raise taxes? Should we cut expenditures? Should we raise the debt ceiling or default? And on we go as billions and billions of dollars are spent on what appear to be useless wars. There’s never any discussion of the military on the table.
Just another random thought: What ever happened to the idea of a paperless society? Computers and other technology were supposed to do away with the need for hard copies. Then why is one of the most common trucks I see on the streets of Manhattan those that promise to shred your paper for you. Today I saw one that is labeled, Information Destruction Systems?????
Who would ever guess the challenges one can face traveling up and down the East Coast of the USA by air. I left Miami International on a flight back to New York LaGuardia Airport. It is typically a three hour flight. We left Miami about 45 minutes late, then over North Carolina we were put in a holding pattern. We circled Raleigh-Durham for over an hour. It was not a smooth ride so we were told to stay in our seats with our seatbelts fastened. That pretty much determines I need a bathroom run. No fun. Next we are told we are running low on fuel and we must land in Raleigh-Durham to re-fuel. We spend over two hours on the ground waiting for clearance to go on to New York. Apparently we were waiting for thunderstorms around NYC to clear. I had arrived at Miami International at 10:30AM and finally arrived in New York City at 8:30PM. A three hour flight turned into a 10 hour endurance experience.
One last random thought: Phillip Roth is a mind-boggling author. His novels demonstrate his mastery of irony. I recommend you read something by him. His most recent book is Nemesis. I just finished The Anatomy Lesson. Great read! He also wrote Goodbye Columbus and Portnoy’s Complaint.
Stan the Man
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