Six A.M. of a rainy day after Christmas; dreary, dark and
cold. Driving to work with the relatively
few others of the sleepy and depressed on the freeway; and wondering why. I guess this is how it is on the day after
Christmas.
Baby Boomer: A person born during a baby boom, especially one born in the U.S. between 1946 and 1965. I am a boomer; son of a U.S. soldier and his Italian war bride, back from Europe to make their lives in California. I’ve seen generations of change in culture, society, technology and politics; some good some not. I've witnessed wars both cold and hot. This is my America. A collection of stories, events, nostalgia and commentary, sometimes wry, through the eye of an American Boomer.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
Christmas Potpourri; 2012 Edition
Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.~ Washington Irving
Its Christmas Eve morn and I’ve just braved the crowds at
Andronico’s, one of the areas high end food stores. Cora doesn’t see much use for such stores
unless we need something that’s actually good to eat; fresh produce, quality
meats, cuts that you don’t find at the local market and fish that wasn’t raised
on a farm. Today’s mission was to get
some good bread, crusty pain au lavain from San Francisco’s Acme Bakery. On my way to checkout I grabbed a boxed
pandoro, a sweet Italian bread, dusted with powdered sugar to resemble the snow
covered Alps.
Location:
Hercules, CA, USA
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Reflecting on Tragedy
Shifting emotions on Friday evening’s drive home; grief,
rage, confusion. Trying to digest the
news out of Newtown, Connecticut.
Looking for sense in a landscape of senselessness.
I’d been in meetings during much of the
day. Getting back to my office a
co-worker told me of the news; she’d been at her desk bawling as she read the
news. I took a quick look at a report
and didn’t realize the severity of what had unfolded. Another killing - back to work.
Labels:
America,
Childhood,
Culture,
Gun Violence,
Guns,
National Rifle Association,
Religion,
Sandy Hook
Location:
Hercules, CA, USA
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Life is Not Fair
The game of life is hard to play
I'm gonna lose it anyway
The losing card I'll someday lay
So this is all I have to say
~ Suicide is Painless (M*A*S*H Theme). Music by Johnny Mandel, Lyrics by Mike Altman
"Life is not fair; get used to it."
~ Bill Gates
"The world is not fair and often fools, cowards, and the selfish hide in high places."
~ Bryant H. McGill; Author and poet.
I'm gonna lose it anyway
The losing card I'll someday lay
So this is all I have to say
~ Suicide is Painless (M*A*S*H Theme). Music by Johnny Mandel, Lyrics by Mike Altman
"Life is not fair; get used to it."
~ Bill Gates
"The world is not fair and often fools, cowards, and the selfish hide in high places."
~ Bryant H. McGill; Author and poet.
Within the short space of a week I was reminded more than
once that life is not fair. They came of course by way of that universally
respected organ of philosophic discussion; Facebook.
One was a debate about 49er quarterbacks. I’d expressed displeasure over Alex Smith,
the starting quarterback apparently losing his job because his understudy had
performed well the week before while Smith sat out with a concussion. My contention was that Smith had been playing
well over the course of the season and done nothing to lose his status as the
starting player. There was an exchange
of opinions over the merits of one player over the other with one poster
punctuating his comment with, “Life’s not fair.”
A few days later a friend posted a commencement address
made (allegedly) by Bill Gates in which he listed 11 things that they don’t
teach you in high school. Rule number one
on the list of Gatesian sagacity was; “Life is not fair – get used to it.” Ouch.
Let me make it clear, these weren’t the first times I’ve
come across that pearl, “Life’s not fair.”
You hear it all the time. At
times its glib bullshit – something to say when you’ve really nothing more of
any substance to add to the conversation. Other times it’s used as Gates intended; a sort of hardnosed, Darwinian,
tough love approach to survival in this veil of tears.
Location:
Hercules, CA, USA
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