I have a theory about regret. We are less likely to admit regret for actions that cannot be reversed. I think it might even be impossible. In the latest episode of House of Cards, Claire Underwood is asked (by a woman) if she regrets not having children. Claire answers with, “Do you regret having children?” Sssssnap. It’s damned difficult to find a parent that will admit they sometimes wish they had not had children. I suspect the same is true for tattoos. No matter how ugly or fucked up the tattoo, I’ve never heard anyone say “Wish I hadn’t done this.”
Category Archives: Miscellany
Thinking about water and oxygen
We’re getting a nice, slow rain here in mid-Missouri this morning. And I am grateful. I never used to give much thought to rain — or in this context, water — but I no longer take having abundant drinking water for granted. Or try not to. Part of this a growing awareness of the droughts in the western US. And, yes, I know drought has been a global problem for a long time. But a couple of science fiction novels have also contributed to my newfound awareness.
In Neal Stephenson’s SEVENEVES water (ice in space) was essential to survival. Same for The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey (pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck).
I frequently find myself thinking more about plants (while taking a walk or sitting on our deck). Who thinks about oxygen, right? People in space think about it all the time. So rain on!
Illiteracy in America
“According to a study conducted in late April by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy, 32 million adults in the U.S. can’t read. That’s 14 percent of the population. 21 percent of adults in the U.S. read below a 5th grade level, and 19 percent of high school graduates can’t read.[…] The current literacy rate isn’t any better than it was 10 years ago. According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (completed most recently in 2003, and before that, in 1992), 14 percent of adult Americans demonstrated a “below basic” literacy level in 2003, and 29 percent exhibited a “basic” reading level.”
What Made The Aeron Chair An Icon
I don’t think much about office chairs these days but when I did I was of the opinion there were only two kinds: really bad ones and really good ones. And like most companies, the two I worked for purchased the bad ones because they were cheap. And before the Aeron, I suspect most of the expensive ones were pretty bad as well. Wheels always falling off or locking up; the seats were wobbly; hard to adjust.
A few years before I retired took some of my savings and bought myself an Aeron chair to use in my office at work. I think I paid north of $1,000 for the thing but I’ve never regretted it. It’s as good as its reputation. The design is based on the following tenants:
- A chair should be perceived as comfortable before, during, and after sitting upon it. Comfort is as much a matter of the mind as of the body.
- A chair should enhance the appearance of the person sitting upon it.
- While allowing postural movement, the chair should also embrace the body.
- The chair should provide correct support for the sacrum as well as the lumbar region of the spine.
- The chair should provide a simple means for height and angular adjustments. A chair should be friendly to all parts of the body that touch it.
My Aeron is in my home office now.
Left his Big Boy camera in the car
What’s going on here? Can you really get credentials to photograph the national championship game with just your smart phone
Old Reservoir Dog
Playing with photo editing tool called Tonality. One of the effects gave my ghostly visage some color it has never had. A bit startling. I’m sure an experienced Photoshop hand can create effects like this all day long. As an amateur, it’s fun to have tools like this.
Goodnight
An hour in a laundromat
I spent an hour in a laundromat this afternoon, washing and drying a load of clothes. I can’t remember the last time I did that. Must be 30 years ago. That’s about how old our house is and many/most of the appliances. A major remodel starts in a week or so, including new appliances which are gasping their last.
When I had lots of Important Stuff to do, sitting in a laundromat was a hassle. Today’s chore wasn’t one at all. I’ve reached he point where waiting for the spin cycle to end is the most productive thing I do all day.
Barb tells me the new washer and dryer can be operated from our phones and we’ll receive notifications (if we want them) when the wash is done. In the meantime, are you sure these aren’t your panties?
RP shows off dance moves
This is a rare find from the archives (Memphis, TN circa 1974). Richard Peck and friend demonstrating some moves.
College Theater
Once I figured out Business was the wrong college (Southeast Missouri State University) major, I got a small part in The Taming of the Shrew (December 1968). They offered me a tiny scholarship (and the chance to keep my draft deferment) and I jumped at it. Other productions that year included: The Subject Was Roses, Summer Tree, Camelot, Slow Dance on a Killing Ground and Blithe Spirit.