One year ago today: January 17, 2017, ah, the memory . . .
Five years ago today: January 17, 2013, just rambling on.
Nine years ago today: January 17, 2009, one of those good old days.
Random years ago today: January 17, 2012, MDBA – what it means.
Yes, I saw Taylor’s latest picture at the Grammy thing. No need to remind me I’m the one who said she’ll be thirty all too soon. Or actually what I said when told she was “too young for me” was that “in another few years she’ll be thirty and by then she won’t be too young for anybody.” That’s so you’ll know I at least put some thought into it. But dayum, she’d better hurry up. I don’t got all day over here, Tay, and you are absolutely going to love my real last name.
I mean, she’s the one that keeps dumping these pretty boys because they lack the depth to keep her interested. That’s hardly going to be an issue around here, but I understand this nonsense “age appropriate” thing that’s drummed into women by their mothers. But Taylor is no ordinary daughter, she’s the kind that’s got $280 million. And besides, when it comes to mothers who are hung up on dating ages, it’s not like the whole world can’t spot what they have in common.
I can't believe only 39 people in the whole world read my excellent January 3, 2018 blog on PowerBall odds.
Now this is sheer speculation, but we might be dealing with grant money. Grant is a funny word. It rarely means no strings attached. Often, those strings are use-it-or-lose-it. How well I know that situation, and something about the whole deal smacks of ulterior motives. I’ll give you the points, let’s see what conclusion you come up with.
A) We are told an application has to be submitted before a narrow deadline, with certain data.
B) We cannot get that data on time.
C) The other end submits the application anyway, saying they will wait for the data.
A system staffed by hard-nose bureaucrats would not behave that way, unless. Unless it is a similar situation to those charities that must donate every penny they receive before fiscal year-end or risk losing their non-profit tax status. Slamming that application through, well, it extends their deadline in some way. Why? A lot of charities opt for a tax year ending shortly after Xmas, and receive surprise donations during the season. That means money they can’t keep. What’s more, they can’t just give it away. They must find a worthy recipient . . . or create one.
Do you see where I’m going with this? I can call it dumb luck all I want. The popular opinion is that even so, somebody along the line had to know what that dumb luck looked like and how to act on it.
[Author’s note: so you’ll know, I have never seen or heard of this grant money in such a situation. All that happened is I recall reading about a similar situation in the distant past.]
The VISTA observatory, Chile.
(Opens in 2021)
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Next item of jolly news, the lady guitar player. She surprised me, short of astonishment. She knuckled down and was able to play, after a fashion, around ten of the songs with a good showing on another five. That’s how mercurial the music business is. The other guy, the great guitarist, he didn’t answer his phone all afternoon, so I was rehearsing in the Combee. The improvement was remarkable, it’s like she practiced straight through and didn’t sleep since last week. I have to cover as many bases as possible here, once again the odds are 80:1 against a startup. But the odds improve after the fifth, sixth, and tenth get-together. This was the fifth.
In other news it dropped to the mid-thirties (F) and that is cold for Florida. You’ll have to wait for pictures. My fingers are too numb to work the camera. Well, okay, here’s a still from the rehearsal that may have made the difference. It’s that handsome and over-photogenic actor double who follows me around whenever I need a picture taken. The guy is sharp, knows his poses, and even remembers to squint a little when asked to smile. It adds realism. In his own words, he often insists he is only a stage double, not a stunt man.
But, he’s more than once volunteered that, if I introduce him to Taylor, he’s willing to give it a try.
ADDENDUM - Special edition:
My comment section tells me people are infuriated that the government still has not cracked down on the telemarketers. Instead, the feds keep issuing press releases about how hard it is to find and prosecute these robo-callers. Of course, nobody believes that crap because the system seems to have no problem tracking you down whenever you have an outstanding parking ticket. So that you know, despite the fact the public has told the government they don’t want ANY calls, this is what the rules say.
Telemarketers can still call you if:
A) They are, claim, or pretend to be a charitable organization. But I doubt any legitimate charities would still beg using this most unpopular method. I would certainly give nothing to such people.
B) You have given the caller an “express” invitation or permission to call you. Express means you have to say it or write it. But how bloody likely is that?
Well, it is likely because of the next provision. It is the old “existing business relationship” scam. If you buy or even inquire about anything, the courts will say that is establishing a business relationship. Myself, I never give a business my phone number for this reason. The ONLY way to prevent these calls is to never give out your number in the first place. It works for me.
Take a look at the rules of “business relationship”.
i) The “relationship” has to be voluntarily formed by both parties before the call. Horse hockie, when is the last time you volunteered to be interrupted during dinner? The fact is, this relationship is formed by default without your consent.
ii) You have the right to “terminate” the relationship, but there are no rules or even guidelines on how to accomplish this, nor is the other party required to inform you of this option. Again, don’t give them your phone number—even when they try to embarrass you for it at the cash register.
iii) The period of this relationship legally lasts 18 months, but of course if you answer the phone or respond in any way, that resets the meter for another 18.
iv) If you only inquired about a product, the first callback can only be placed within 30 days. Be careful, many businesses that do this have software that can unblock your phone number even if you did the old *67 block call display. Most insurance companies have this software.
v) Now the bullshit clause. You CANNOT opt out of calls from political parties or surveys. However, at time of writing, these calls are usually placed by humans, which gives you several seconds whereby you can answer them when they “solicit your opinions or ideas”. Note, I would NEVER vote for anyone or anything that called my telephone, except that they be shot with a ball of their own shit.
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