Did you miss me? Probably not but I’ve been away for several weeks. Here’s the thing about getting old: It Sucks!
It all started with a little fever, some disorientation and weakness, and eventually a spinning fall in the dark which left me on the floor in great pain. After a rainy ambulance ride to the hospital I ended up flat on my back with a fracture in my lower back. Oh, I also had pneumonia and was entering septic shock.
Not good.
It’s been a crazy few weeks. The construction on my new rooms at my daughter’s house forced me to relocate with my dogs. Luckily there was a place offering small suites with kitchenette and dog privileges so I moved in there for about ten days. Although I had internet access and plenty of digital texts on my iPhone and iPad, I had limited tools to keep up on most of my online life, including this website.
I, unfortunately, never accomplished the dream of reading dozens of books while sequestered in that lonely, quite room. I tried watching television and quasi-enjoyed two movies but for the most part the television was turned off and I continued listening to old-time radio mysteries on my iPhone.
I did read some—finished two novels—but mostly just stared at the screen with Sam Spade solving crimes in the background.
A valuable clip from How to Write Articles and Essays Quickly and Expertly by Stephen Downes:
I know these words are often found in other contexts, especially in the computer world (arguments = parameters). But what is important to remember is that these are all neutral words. By this I mean that they each can be used for Evil as well as for Good: an argument might convince someone of something false or dangerous; an explanation might be based on a falsehood; a definition might be chosen to advance a mendacious agenda; and a description might be designed to create a false image of a person, place, or situation.
We see a lot of this sort of stuff in politics these days.
When I was in High School I bought an old Pontiac from friends of my Dad; I was going to fix it up but it never ran and not having proper tools, I probably did more damage than fixing on it. Later on the school’s carnival committee was looking for an old car to beat on with a sledge hammer and I gladly donated my old Pontiac (they even took it away). I was only out the $25 I paid for it and the carnival raised a lot of money what with all the macho guys who insisted on striking the blow that completely knocked the hood off its hinges.
I stood there with my girlfriend and watched. It was fun.
But that’s not why I bring up the old Pontiac: the people I bought it from were very active in Democratic projects in the eastern county. For a while there they we trying to get my Dad to run for mayor. If truth be told, it was probably a good idea: my Dad was well known, civic minded, and damn smart. So while I was buying the old Pontiac for $25, it was suggested that maybe I should get involved in local politics, especially since there was a local election coming up.
