April 25, 2021
I really
enjoy watching the closed-captioning on Netflix. It’s amazing how many ways
they have to describe background music. In just one episode of “Locke and Key”, music
was described as:
Lively
Cheery
Playful
Dramatic
Suspenseful
Sinister
Inspiring
Sweeping
Somber
Solemn
Curious
Sentimental
Eerie
Sometimes I
get as much of a kick out of the captioning as I do out of the shows.
April
27, 2021
About 300 single-stall bathrooms in St. Louis County government buildings will now be available to anyone to use, regardless of gender. Although they’re convenient for everyone, the intent is to take some of the heat off people who might otherwise get grief for choosing one type or another, because of gender issues.
A council member objects, on the grounds that not making people choose between the men’s room and the women’s room is part of an assault on traditional religious and family values.
I hate to break it to him, but unisex restrooms have been around for years.
I also hate
to break this to him, but I doubt that Jesus cares who goes in—as long as they
close the door.
April
24, 2021
Former
police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in the death of George
Floyd, the man whom he killed by kneeling on his neck until Mr. Floyd
suffocated.
A gut-wrenching part of the tragedy was that, even with video evidence of the murder, there was actually some question about whether Chauvin would be convicted for killing a Black man. Justice has not been done in so many cases, even as far back as the video-recorded beating of Rodney King by police, decades ago, that people were honestly wondering what would happen.
And that’s a shame.
And, sadly, this conviction is only one drop in a bucket. Do I believe that from now on, police officers won’t beat non-white people and get away with it? Nor for a minute.
However, it did set a precedent.
It was a
tiny step. But it was a step.
April
24, 2021
Under new stadium rules, people are prohibited from bringing bags into the ballpark. Several women at work were lamenting the fact that they couldn’t bring their purses.
Among all the wailing and gnashing of teeth, all I could think was,
“Who
brings a purse to a ball game?”
April
24, 2021
A few
years ago, I saw two birds walking in a circle. Sometimes one would flap his
wings, but they continued moving around each other. I finally decided that it
was a mating ritual, and left them to their privacy.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw two other birds circling each other. There was no wing display, so I couldn’t decide if it was a mating dance, or a territory dispute. I imagined one of them breaking into song, singing, “When you’re a Jet, you’re a Jet…”
But I had to move on before they actually got down to business, so I’ll never know.
April
12, 2021
The City
Council in Kirkwood, MO wanted to replace old sidewalks. One member, however, wanted
a stipulation that the new sidewalks not be stark white; they should be tinted
to match existing sidewalks.
Other people pointed out that that would add considerably to the cost, as well as being difficult to achieve an exact match.
The councilwoman, however, voted against awarding a contract.
Maybe she could try crowdfunding to pay for the difference. That way she could find out just how interested members of the public are in having matching sidewalks.
April 11, 2021
Some members of the Missouri state legislature are yammering on again about making Daylight Saving
Time year-round. Apparently some of them like to get home in the daylight.
As an early riser, I’d appreciate the chance to actually wake up in sunlight. When DST hits in March, it removes any chance of that until late April. Frankly, after having spent the winter months taking morning walks in the dark, that extended period of waking to no sunlight gets downright depressing.
Furthermore, having DST start in March is pointless, from the standpoint of spending time outdoors; it's either too cold or too windy most evenings to be outside anyway.
I will be happy to write to the employer of each of these people and ask them if they could grant their august employees a flexible schedule, letting them go home an hour early whenever they felt the need, so that they wouldn’t have to drag the rest of down with them in their quest for after-work sunlight.
Although,
if they’re supposed to be capable of running the state government, you’d think
that they could have the guts speak to their bosses themselves.
