But Can He Cook?

April 12, 2021

 

The Queen song I like best is “’39”, written by Brian May. He was studying astrophysics before the band hit it big, and wrote a sci-fi song.

He’s also a gifted photographer, and has done work for NASA.

 

Musician, astrophysicist, photographer…Sounds like the perfect guy. 

Efficiency and Opera Don't Mix

April 10, 2021

 

I love opera singing. I don’t need to know what the words are, I just love that the singers give it everything they’ve got, no holding back. So I can listen to the music without seeing the show, and enjoy it.

I also love to watch opera. I like all the elaborate sets and costumes; but if I’m watching it, I want to know what the words are.

And once I find out what the words are, my efficient side kicks in, and I think, “If you didn’t repeat the same phrases 5 times, you could shorten this thing by an hour!”

Maybe I should just close my eyes at certain points, so I won’t care that they’re repeating themselves, and can just enjoy the music.

 

   

What's the Prize for Poetry Called?

April 6, 2021

 

I was looking up through the tree branches this morning, and through the twigs and blossoms I could see some stars, and it was very pretty. I also heard REALLY loud traffic sounds, and wished they’d stop, so I could hear all the morning birdsong; but everything is intertwined. Then I thought, “That’s the kind of thing poets say!” So I added some spacing and called it a poem.

 

I see the stars shining through twigs and tree blossoms, and I think, “How pretty!”

I hear loud traffic, and wish it were gone, so I could hear beautiful birdsong. 

But, for good or for bad, all life is intertwined. 

I also realized this morning that the horrible smell I’ve been encountering on my walks is from Bradford pear trees, which are very decorative, but also very stinky.

So, I thought that I could have added a line about Bradford pears looking so pretty and smelling so bad, but it might have been overkill.

So I made a separate poem for them:

Bradford pear

Looks so pretty

Smells so bad

 

And then at work I came up with:

         Badly-trained people

Are training me badly.

 

I guess I’m on a roll. It may not be great poetry, but it’s all from the heart.

 

  

Needed: A Breath of Fresh Air in the Missouri Senate

April 10, 2021

 

When I lived in Idaho, one county stubbornly refused to require emissions testing, until they couldn’t put it off any longer. Once they did that, I discovered that a mountain range that I had only caught occasional glimpses of over the years was visible every day!

For reasons that are not clear to me, the Missouri State Senate wants to eliminate emissions testing for St. Louis and the surrounding counties. They’re committed to this course of action, even though it means putting $52 million in federal funding at risk.  

 

Maybe they’re worried that too much breathable air makes people think clearly, thus jeopardizing the legislators’ positions.

Has He Tried Matching Their Figure?

 April 10, 2021

 

Times are getting tough for fast-food restaurants, post-pandemic, in terms of staffing.

In order to woo staff to its restaurants, Taco Bell has added four weeks of annual vacation, eight weeks of paid maternity leave, and four weeks of “baby bonding” time for general managers at company-owned locations.

What the hell were they getting before?

The CEO of FAT Brands, Inc. says that staffing restaurants that are re-opening after the pandemic is a “total nightmare.” He says that unemployment and stimulus checks have been a catalyst for people to stay at home rather than look for work. I assume he’s including the extra $300 per week that the federal government is adding to the checks.

Mr. Wiederhorn, I am here to tell you that nobody ever got rich living off unemployment, even with the additional money. If your restaurants can’t match that figure, you deserve all the heartache you get.

 

How Much Is Too Much?

 

April 8, 2021

 

I just read a recipe for banana bread that says that, in a pinch, you can substitute plain yogurt for the butter.

In a later paragraph on substitutions, it also says that you can substitute sour cream or yogurt for milk.

 

Now, is that in addition to the yogurt you used in place of the butter, or should you skip the second substitution? 

Silencing the Voice of the People?

 April 8, 2021

 

Mitch McConnell is upset that corporations are speaking out politically: for example, he feels that Delta Airlines, Coca Cola and Major League Baseball shouldn’t be making public statements against Georgia’s new voting laws. 

So: Corporations are “people” if they want to contribute to Mitch’s campaign; but otherwise, they have no business meddling in politics.

 

Got it.