June 26, 2009

           You know that rumor that Lab dogs have three layers of fur? This is just the first layer; either that or Millie melted in the sun. This was done by hand with scissors, as the electric clippers were instantly defeated by a thick mat that looks like those pictures of Aussies shearing sheep. Anyway, the project so far took two man-hours. Once the remaining fur is raked, she does not look too bad. Hardest parts were around the neck and tail. One laugh, Pudding-Tat, and you are next.
           Was Michael Jackson a financial genius? He died a half-billion in debt living in a rental home. That is something I once planned to do. You watch, it will turn out to be a full billion and all his assets will be hidden in a family trust. I say he is just the most famous of a string of the so-called wealthy who have lived their entire lives on credit, and this is only the beginning of the problem. Others in the past have successfully pretended to be rich, but never has it been done by almost an entire generation.
           For clarity, I don’t mean every generation since WWII. I mean just the generation born between 1946 and 1956 and who cannot be blamed for the credit binge. Think about their experiences. Their parents witnessed the government take every available man, feed him, train him, hand him a gun, airplane or submarine, and ship him overseas and back. Once the war stopped, why shouldn’t the same government, they asked, also give him a house, car and education? The government finds money to fight wars, but not to win peace.
           To repeat the question, if the government can find money to fight a war, why can't they find the money to help the returning soldiers? In a sense, with lax credit, the government did.
           These people were born believing credit was a right, and began having their own children around 1966. That brought the Yuppies, then Yuppie-Puppies, and now Generation X who no longer know how to live without credit. One in a thousand could survive on their own; I wonder what fraction of them could successfully grow a carrot? Credit reporting companies control their lives and there is no way out. Even if they never borrow another cent, those records will remain to haunt them. The only nice thing is that it is all entirely their own fault.

           Another Friday off, I went to the bookstore at Aventura. On the way, I gave a lift to a lady from the shop who lives near MacDonald’s on US-1. I have not associated with people like her in twenty years, and I was reminded of why. She is one of those people who has an extremely low opinion of others and is shocked by everything you do, because she assumed you are as useless as she is. “Oh my God, you’re typing a letter!” “Oh my God, you are using a computer!” Not the letter or computer, but “you”, as in of all people.

           Another annoying habit related to the above is the way she makes really evil assumptions about your motives and does not apologize if you explain. As far as she is concerned, you failed to keep her informed (you kept secrets), and it is your fault she had negative thoughts. “You didn’t tell me you spoke Arabian so how was I supposed to know you weren’t a terrorist? That woman is beyond help. I’m sure we all know someone like her but my question is how do such people survive without getting punched in the head fifty times a day? Do you suppose that might be what’s wrong with her? And thanks to Facebook, she's about to go on-line.
           When I told Wallace about this gal and he recounted a tale of how he and I were near the Skytrain Metro station and I bought a pack of cigarettes from a stall. I smoked fifteen years ago (in case anyone is like the woman in question, I also smoked fourteen and sixteen years ago.) Anyway, I apparently ordered the cigarettes in Arabic and the lady handed them to me. Then I asked for a lighter in English, and the lady was stunned, asking where I had “learned to speak English so perfectly”. I have no personal recollection of this incident, but obviously Wallace must have seen it.
           Later. I’d never tried it before, but I’ve just discovered I can read bass music. So I don’t need the tabs, I can play right along with the notes generated by Cakewalk. That was a nice surprise. Today’s trivia. Did you know that men who are castrated before puberty live over 13 years longer on average? That explains a few things about politicians and guitarists who flag on Craigslist, doesn’t it?
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