addendum to my last post

It also dawned on me that there are some merchants who donate their walls so that youth empowerment organizations can help youths take pride in their communities and give back by painting murals. We hear about them every summer. I gather they're probably done in graffiti style too. I wonder if those are "mediocre" too, according to Ms. Siebrand.

That's what I hated about attending university in a fine arts program. Beauty is so very much in the eye of the beholder, and yet here we are, debating which kind is better. Can we just agree that the world needs more art? The best will out, not by who proclaims it so, but simply by those who remember it.

public art

This one may actually make a smidgen of sense. Saturday's Gazette had an article on public art, or the lack thereof, and Montreal's lagging commitment to enhancing public spaces and encouraging artists.

I quote one Saskia Siebrand of Mosaika Art and Design, who says, "There is a lot of mediocre mural art that's done in the graffiti type of style. It might be nicer to have something with a bit more artistic value."

Well now, that statement irked me for a number of reasons. Actually, the article as a whole had me saying "yeah, but..." throughout. Let's go over this concept:

• This person, first and foremost, is the co-founder of a company who specializes in mosaics for public spaces. Selling your services is one thing, and saying Montreal needs more is fine, but attacking styles of art that are different than what you propose is ignorant at best. On appelle ça prêcher pour sa paroisse.

• The quote itself is odd. Is it taken out of context. Did she praise the graffiti murals that are well done further in her interview, which was subsequently cut? Or, as I suspect, does she simply not see the value of spray paint?

• More artistic value? How exactly does one gauge that, anyway? Monetary value? Time and materials? That's exactly the kind of art elitism that makes people abandon museums and inaccessible art forms.

• Next question: has it dawned on her that by putting down the aforementioned awful graffiti murals, she's indirectly knocking the building owners who commissioned them, and that they might yet own other buildings that require beautification?

• Has is occurred to her that perhaps these murals were specifically chosen because of their hip urban youth appeal, something that the mosaics on her website certainly cannot claim? (Mind you, I'm not knocking them at all; some of them are stunning. The pond reminds me of Monet and the birds are spectacular. But they do convey an entirely different art experience than graffiti-style murals and will speak to a whole different audience.)
  

• Given that everyone involved in the article agrees that more thought and resources should be allocated to public art (which they will be in coming years), shouldn't the focus be on the areas that have given no thought to art, rather than those who have, albeit in a manner deemed "mediocre"?

Lastly, the article asked a series of rhetorical questions on how Montreal could develop into an art capital, and one of the items was to encourage homeowners to beautify their homes. Hmm. Let me think: I seem to remember a man in St. Leonard (I think) who painted the flag of Greece on his garage door, only to be ticketed by the city. It was an eyesore, they said. What if everybody did it, they said. What would happen to the poperty values, they said. He took the city to court, and lost. I believe he was planning to appeal the decision, last I heard.

So are they saying that if everybody did it, it would be OK? Who would be the arbiter of good taste, anyway? A lot of folks enjoyed watching Weird Homes on what is now slice. But how many of these self-same people would react negatively if most of the folks featured on the show, the ones who dared to carry their art outside, moved in next door to their Plateau triplex? It all sounds great, until somebody tries it, and the collective Big Brother raises its ugly head, sending in the taste police. So we have a beige and grey city. Blech.

(602)

on differences

Cyber Sunday was never my favourite PPV, and this year, somehow, it's gotten worse.

Was it the fact that voting was restricted to the US audience and that it was a paid system? Was it the Big Show telling Kozlov he'd never get in because he wasn't American? Was it because the Big Show was right?

For a company that prides itself on criss-crossing the world and being watched across the planet, for a company that in an acknowledgement of its international appeal changed its audience program from WWE Nation to WWE Universe, where on earth does this restrictive, America-centric navel-gazing fit in?

Yes, once upon a time, USA chants had their place. But, really, in 2008? Actually, it goes back further than that, back when Chris Benoit was announced as being from Atlanta, because he was a babyface, but Edge has always been, and probably always will be from Toronto. (Then again, if you want to keep Benoit, have him. But I want Jericho back. He is a heel, isn't he?)

Sometimes I think I just don't understand this longing for division, for independence, for being standalone. Oh look, we're different, and I'm better. Hm. Right. So really, can't we just all get along?

(205)

une fille dans les buts du Canadien

début: 23h40 pm

Voilà le titre d'un article publié sur le site de lcn.canoe.ca cette semaine. Alors que Corey Price, gardien #1 du Canadien de Montréal était affublé d'une grippe, l'équipe d'entraîneurs ont choisi de faire appel à Kim St-Pierre, gardienne des Stars de Montréal et de l'équipe féminine canadienne, le temps d'une pratique. Je ne m'y connais pas beaucoup en pratiques au niveau professionnel, mais il paraîtrait que ça va mieux avec deux gardiens. Bon. Parfait.

Pourquoi est-ce que le titre de l'article me dérange tellement? J'utilise moi-même le terme "fille" assez souvent pour décrire à peu près n'importe qui du sexe féminin de mon âge ou plus jeune (ok, je refuse de vieillir, mais ça, c'est un sujet pour une autre fois). Cependant, à le lire ou l'entendre dans la voix d'un commentateur sportif, ce n'est pas ce "fille"-là que j'entends. C'est celui comme dans la phrase "tu lances comme une fille" ou encore mieux "tu cours comme une fille". Ce n'est pas une question d'âge, c'est une question de "pôvre petite, faut ben lui laisser une chance". Pourtant, je suis sûre que les Carbonneau et Melançon qui l'ont appelé en renfort ne la percevaient pas comme ça. Le reporter non plus, peut-être. D'un autre côté, remplacez "fille" par "noir" ou "extra-terrestre" et vous comprendrez peut-être mieux l'effet que j'y vois.

Pourquoi ne pas simplement avoir mis son nom. Ce n'est pas comme si la fille s'appelait Claude, et que ça aurait pu porter à confusion. Kim St-Pierre, c'est juste quatre lettres de plus, c'est pas assez pour bousiller un titre. Au pire, une femme. Mais une fille, ça sent le mon oncle qui tapote la tête de sa petite nièce à Noël. J'aime pas.

Fin: 23h49

(292)

what's good for the goose...

...apparently, means naught for the gander.

In today's Journal de Montréal, they held a "man-on-the-street" type poll concerning Nicholas Sarkozy's comments regarding Quebec and Canada. It was unanimous: he was out of place, he should not concern himself with our internal matters, and he should concentrate on running his own country. How odd that an entire generation or two warmly embraced Général de Gaulle when he did the exact same thing, only with a separatist bent.

Tough noogies folks: either both are relevant, or neither are. You can't have it both ways. Sometimes, the blatant and unapologetic hypocrisy of my fellow human beings blows my mind.

I also read in the paper that certain scientists were beginning to think that our species is in decline, seeing as our reproduction patterns in no way represent a natural drive towards perfect adaptation. Some days, I think that's a good thing.

On other days, I know it is.

(158)

because it's been a while

In six words: WHAT? I am a TRANSLATOR, dammit.

(9)

words fail me

I heard what was perhaps the saddest thing in advertising in a long, long time.

The latest Discover card ad begins with, "We live in a consumer society. And that's OK."

Erm. That is so wrong, on so many levels. Talk amongst yourselves.

(43)

this is progress?

My bank has recently been updating some of their ATMs, and the new printouts have me somewhat peeved.

Old size: 7.9 cm (3 1/8 in.) by 11.1 cm (4 3/8 in.) = 87.69 sq. cm
New size: 6 cm (2 3/8 in.) by 15.5 cm (6 1/8 in.) = 93 sq. cm

OK, so they're wasting 6% more paper with every printout. Lovely.

You will also note that the width has been reduced by 25%. However, they did not change the template of the printout, which means the text is also reduced by 25%, and there are great blank expanses of paper at the top and bottom. To add insult to injury, they've gone from all caps to lowercase letters, making most text less than half the size it used to be - it's down to barely 1 mm high!

In an age where the aging population has finally gotten the hang of bank machines, and environmental concerns are at the forefront, my bank has chosen to swim against the current. I'd switch, except a) they'd never notice, and b) the competitors are no better, really.

(186)

touchy subjects shouldn't equal hysteria

There was a kerfuffle in the media last week or so about the decision to award the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgentaler, a pivotal player in the legalization of abortion in Canada. Just so we're clear, I stand on the pro-choice side, but I will admit that some women abuse the privilege, either by using abortion as birth control or by demanding one at an advanced stage of pregnancy for no other reason than having taken that long to come to a decision. But I digress.

Dr. Morgentaler stated he was proud to have been able to contribute to the decline in crime rate since abortion was legalized in Canada. (Wow, I'll admit that was arrogant.) This prompted Richard Martineau to throw another of his indignant hissy-fits. He wrote that Dr. Morgentaler was passing judgment on all unborn babies and that they wouldn't all have turned out poorly. Well, OK, let's start at the beginning: Dr. Morgentaler never made such a blanket statement, and didn't actually imply anything about anybody. But let's follow that train of thought anyways:

• Would "unwanted" babies be more likely to be abused/neglected/left to their own devices as they grew up? Probably.
• Would "unwanted" babies be more likely to perceive they are unwanted and develop self-esteem/identity/rejection issues? Probably.
• Would these issues be more likely to push them towards gangs, particularly as a way to recreate a sense of belonging that doesn't otherwise exist at home? Probably.
• Would these issues be more likely to lead them towards drugs and other emotion-numbing addictions? Probably.

The issue is economic as well: parents, especially young people, otherwise forced into having a child, may turn to crime as a way of paying the bills for a family they couldn't afford. So while all of these "probably"s certainly don't add up to all cases, they certainly represent a possibility that is averted with the legalization of abortion. Sorry Mr. Martineau: Dr. Morgentaler might not be the most eloquent or charismatic guy, and that soundbite might sound awful, but his argument has merit.

On a side note, I'd also be willing to wager that we could all find someone who's received the Order of Canada over the years and whose stance we find offensive, whether from a religious, political or social point of view.

(387)

hindsight is always 20/20

So Richard Martineau, of whom I have written about previously, posted à "free to good home" ad for his dog on his blog. Turns out that since the birth of his third child, the couple has had little time to devote to the dog, who is bored silly.

A few of the comments gently chided him not to have any more children, lest the eldest get bored. Another spoke up, saying that hippy tree-hugging animal-lovers will boo hoo the fact he's reneging on an implicit promise to care for the dog its entire life, while they should realize that it takes a real animal-lover to be able to let the dog go to someplace where he will be truly loved and cared for. I thought about this, and it almost made sense, except that:

1. If you can only spare the time to care for a limited number of beings, due to time constraints or whatever, could you not foresee this? Did it not dawn on you that you wanted children within the next fifteen years or so, and that they would take up a lot of your free time? Because let's be frank, you do not want to change your lifestyle to accommodate the dog and the baby. So be it, but you should have thought of that beforehand. I also sincerely hope your parents and in-laws are in good health; I'm afraid to ask how you would solve the dilemma of becoming a caregiver as well.

2. If there were enough foster/adoptive homes to handle and care for all these no-longer-convenient pets, it would be a wash. Problem is the numbers are anything but even. So goodhearted people pour money, time and their hearts into cleaning up your mess. And you have the gall to title your post "Chien à donner - snif". Cry me a river, buddy.

(310)

another rant left over from last week

One of the local media outlets runs a "question of the day" survey on its website. On May 12 and 13, it ran questions dealing with the recent increase in gas prices. You can find the original (in French) here: the translation follows.

May 12, 2008

Do gas price fluctuations affect you?
68% Very much
24% A little
8% Not at all
Number of votes: 6,975

May 13, 2008

High gas prices: what are you doing to save?
11% Carpooling
18% Public transit
28% Walking
43% Nothing
Number of votes: 5,131

Those are telling numbers. They tell me we're a bunch of whiny SOBs - we love to complain about rising gas prices, but not enough to actually DO something about reducing our consumption.

I was originally going to pull that quote about loving the human race, but having issues with people, but I found this one, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, which will do nicely:

The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization.

(155)

confession

Since yesterday's post was on a serious topic, I failed to share this: I skipped class last night. And it felt great.

(22)

what does $35.08 buy you?

I never did get around to writing that post I alluded to earlier.

A man convicted of running a puppy mill was sentenced to a $2,000 fine. He is barred from owning a pet for two years, and owning animals for business purposes for three years (see article.)

If memory serves me correctly, 97 dogs, mostly fox terriers, were seized. Reported numbers vary as to what happened next: 18 were put in foster care, between 20 and 40 had to be euthanized, and the rest were rehabbed and adopted out by the SPCA. The highest count I saw reported for this last category was 57.

$2,000/57=$35.08 per dog. How does that compare to the costs of treating these poor animals. Heck, does it even cover the actual cost of the vaccines and flea/tick treatments, never mind the time, food and shelter?

Quebec has long held the title of puppy mill capital, due to a nasty combination of lax laws and virtually no enforcement. Tougher laws are definitely needed, and I believe that part of that reform is a minimum automatic sentence/fine upon conviction. I remember reading that Michael Vick was fined a six-figure amount specifically earmarked for the care and rehabilitation of his victims. That sounds fair to me. Yup, here it is: $18,275 per dog, 22 dogs. While this case was spectacular, in that the accused was a multi-millionaire, the principle is sound – pay for the damage you inflict.

Let’s say an “average” “pure-bred” (but paperless) puppy goes for $500 in pet shops; in fact, that’s really on the low end, but I’m feeling generous. That means that each puppy is sold for approximately $250 (yup, it’s 100% markup on puppies). Assuming that each dog in a breeding facility should produce at least one viable puppy, then the man stood to make 97x$250=$24,250. Let’s say that the profit from any “spare” puppies can pay for the costs of running the puppy mill. So, by my count at least, the fine should represent his "lost" profits, and it was off by a factor of ten. At a minimum.

Otherwise, you could just bill him for all incurred costs - at retail price - no bulk rate for him, and calculate the salaries volunteers would make.

But for the time being, $35.08 buys you the right to abuse a dog.

Also in the news, three young men, aged 19, 21 and 24, were arrested for allegedly beating four cats to death with a hammer. I would like to suggest we give the kids $35.08 worth of hammers, and entrust them with the puppy mill owner. Let's leave the cats and dogs out of this gruesome picture, and let karma work its magic.

With the much-needed overhaul of the Montreal SPCA on the horizon (wave bye-bye, Herr Barnotti), could it be the stars are aligning to help clean up this shameful mess? Cross your fingers, or your paws.

(487)

an inconvenient frog

I recently read something that boggled my mind. (I say that as though it was an unusual occurrence!)

Richard Martineau, a rogue journalist whose no-nonsense approach I find refreshing, posted this on his blog earlier this week. The one topic on which we consistently fail to see eye to eye: the environment. He says that most environmentalists are hysterical tree-huggers who cry wolf at every turn. He often refers to them as eco-terrorists, even the mild, mainstream ones like Al Gore et al.

To him, the equation is simple:

Comfort(Homo sapiens) > Health(Universe - Homo sapiens).

In his post, he states that stopping construction of bungalows and shopping malls is preposterous, following an article in La Presse about one of the Quebec wetlands' most rapidly declining inhabitants, the Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata.) I can only call his approach nearsighted.

He mentions that his stance might be different if the argument was made that building these bungalows and shopping malls encourages urban sprawl and the unsustainable consumption that follows. Newsflash: the two are not mutually exclusive. He just can't seem to bear the thought of being perceived as one of the tree-huggers he consistently vilifies.

It was also said, "What's next? Worms? Bugs?" What exactly is the criteria for the worthiness of preserving wildlife, anyway? Kermit isn't cute enough? Demetan doesn't do it for you?

Please note that frogs, other than filling their ecological niche (which is indirectly useful to humans), are used as a simple indicator of the health of the ecosystem as a whole, as they tend to be among the first groups to show signs of environmental stress. So in that sense, they are a pre-alarm system - useful for humans.

Besides, I hate to break it to you, but nature is a package deal. Just because you can't immediately grasp the role/impact of a particular species does not make it useless. Let's say you lose a bolt on your car. Just because you don't know what it does doesn't mean you won't replace it, because you just don't know how often that can happen before the entire vehicle falls apart and kills you. Since we can't replace the cog/part/thingamabob once it's gone, we have to take steps to make sure it stays put and healthy. It really is that simple.

On a societal level, reducing your ecological footprint is an attempt to minimize the temporal version of the butterfly effect, because we just don't know how Mother Nature will re-establish balance once we throw it too far off. It may not include Homo sapiens at all.

How's this for an equation:

Health(Homo sapiens)/Health(Earth)=B(alance) (a dynamic constant)

(443)

annoying ads

I probably watch too much TV. Once in a while, there are ads that, for one reason or another, drive me up the wall. For the purposes of this discussion, I will avoid the interminable Subway ads that come on at every WWE commercial break.

First, the latest Bowflex ad is driving me up the wall. To Brian Alvarez, the cocky @#$% who says he gave his fat clothes to his fat friends, and that his wife gives him a little wink now and then, I say this:

1. I hope one of your fat friends sits on you until you say uncle. Then sits on you some more anyway.
2. Your wife only gives you a wink now and then because she’s probably @#$%ing one of your fat friends…you now, one of those nice guys, not one of those arrogant know-it-alls that probably now watches every calorie she ingests.

Another ad I need to comment on is GM Canada’s “Cars Gone Wild/Trucks Gone Wild” event. This one aggravates me, not by how unbelievably bad it is, but how unbelievably boring it is considering the material they were working with.

Now, I don’t know about you, but merely seeing cars and trucks taking curves on closed streets and hearing about the great deals GM has for consumers doesn’t do it for me. That’s not in the spirit of “Gone Wild” by any stretch of the imagination.

I want to see flashing headlights, open hoods, open trunks, preferably with shock absorber action, maybe some “come hither” wheel spinning…and, of course, airbags! What a missed opportunity.

(260)

now imagine my brain on drugs

I had my first class of the spring term this evening.

Our professor came in, wearing a beige blouse, with a floral pattern of darker gold, pastel yellow, dusty rose and two shades of green. Which perfectly matches the dusty rose wall behind her, the chalkboard, the beige walls, the corkboard, the yellow notice on the bulletin board and the chair backs. It was really all I could focus on for the first half hour or so. I tell you, it's been rough going at the office lately!

By the end of class, all I was thinking was, "One down, twelve to go." And then my Buddha chant flooded my mind: shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up. I will try real hard to apply that wisdom next class.

On the other hand, I had a few really good ideas about my NaNoWriMo story on the train home. I guess being tired lets the good kind of weird ideas float to the surface...

(178)

time to play the game

Caveat: I did not see Backlash.

Prior to the PPV, but after I posted my predictions, I came across Droz's predictions. I was quite pleased to see that we called them almost identically, except for the Fatal Four Way.

Turns out I was right about that one (Ha!), and across the board, except for the Divas match. And really, I'm quite content to see the girls who can wrestle win. Now I could go on again about this topic, but really, Melina's latest Internet Confessions of a True Diva nails my opinion perfectly.

Much like the cruiserweight division (whatever happened to it, anyway?), the women's division is one where WWE has always lagged behind its competition, and most notably the TNA. The knockouts have room to breathe, in the ring (and sometimes even in their outfits!); they've got real, honest-to-goodness storylines, whodathunk? Sadly, I can't even imagine the day when an Awesome Kong could dominate a WWE ring. How I miss Lita, the wrestler who learned to pose in a bikini! And Trish, who busted her ass (and other various body parts) to grow into one of the greatest champions the division has ever had. In that sense, I have some hope for Michelle McCool; there's something about her that makes me think that if we gave her time, and training, she could do well. You'll notice she wasn't the winner of the Diva Search, either...

And now that I've seen Monday's Raw, I must add this. Someone somewhere must have heard me. Katie Lea can wrestle??? Who knew??? That elbow drop (OK, I know, I know, it's just an elbow drop) had a little Shawn Michaels flair to it, and that drop kick meant business, the landing be damned. With her auburn hair and smoky eyes, she channels more than a little Lita, and that's fine with me. The girls need all the help they can get.

That's EXACTLY what I want to see more of. Is anyone at WWE creative listening? I know, I know, I am by no means the targeted demographic; I've just been buying the PPVs, virtually all of them, for years, I watch the (main) shows quasi-religiously, and I buy the really expensive floor seats at the shows. Better yet, I am faithful. So, please, humor me. More Melina, Katie Lea away from her dumbass "brother", Beth, Victoria, Mickie...and less, much less, bunnies. (Désolé Maryse!)

A few random thoughts on Raw: Triple H vs. Orton is always entertaining, even when we don't see the end of the fight.

Cody Rhodes touching the mike twice in two weeks - isn't that a sign of the apocalypse?

Y2J's shit-eating grin is even snarkier now that he has short hair...more! More! More!

I hadn't realized just how much I missed Mister Kennedy. That was, to quote Y2J again, "brilliant...masterful..."

(472)

this isn't rocket science

Quebec roads are an extreme sport. Potholes yield to craters, into which I’m sure small dogs and dump trucks disappear; jaywalking is a national sport, since crosswalks are just ornamental; yellow lights means go faster lest the guy behind you, who’s also flooring it, land in your back seat; and speed limits are mere suggestions even less respected than on the Autobahn. So we have the accident/injury/death toll that goes with it.

Lately, politicians have been discussing the possibility of reducing speed limits by 10 km/h in the city. This will create more work for the poor, overworked blue-collar workers, require a slew of new, and probably overpriced, signs, and generate traffic all over the island as security perimeters are erected at rush hour around said workers diligently taking a break while being paid overtime before attempting the installation of said new signs.

Everyone knows that cops in Quebec do not give out speeding tickets for excesses of under 20 km/h, i.e. you can drive at 49 km/h in a 30 km/h school zone, 69 km/h in a 50 km/h normal city street, and 119 km/h on the highway. You can do this in full view of a traffic cop holding a radar gun. Heck, even the signs the government put up to dissuade speeders indicated the fines for 20 km/h speeding and above. You can claim your speed limit is X until you’re blue in the face, but if you enforce at Y level, then Y is your effective speed limit. It’s that simple, really.

If you want to slow people down, just CHANGE THE LEVEL AT WHICH YOU TICKET. No infrastructure required. Start ticketing at 10 km/h over the posted limit, and ENFORCE the darn thing. Changing speed limits is just numbers on signs. Enforcement levels means dollar signs and safety.

But it’s probably too simplistic for bureaucracy. Common sense need not apply.

Today in six: Quoth Peter: “Beware of strange orifices.”

(324)

participation vs. commitment

I once worked for a Vice President who loved motivational speeches and PowerPoint presentations, particularly those that made abundant use of clip art and animations. In trying to initiate change, he often recited the old maxim that “Insanity is doing things the same way and expecting different results.” Perhaps, but (and this is my own quote,) “Ugliness is using every imaginable option in PowerPoint and expecting people to be impressed.”

Another of his tidbits of corporate wisdom still haunts me to this day. He showed it off proudly at one such meeting; on the slide, titled “Participation vs. commitment” was clip art of a chicken and a pig. On the next slide, there was a plate with bacon and eggs.

So let me get this straight: what you’re really saying is that instead of taking the best work I can offer on an ongoing basis and profiting in the long run, you would prefer to cook my hide for your immediate gratification. Nice.

I don’t work there anymore, but then, neither does he. He was fired almost a year before I quit.

(182)

lo-hi morning

What a trying morning. On/Off. Hot/Cold. Up/Down. I would say I'm PMSsing, but I'm not, and even when I do, my mood swings are usually subtler and better contained. But not today.

The cat was jumpy from the minute I opened the bedroom door. Dudley quickly rose to get out of the way, but soon settled back down on Pat's warm, filthy camo pants - perhaps he knew better than to stay under foot. My hair's full of flyaways, including a stubborn strand that flips resolutely out over my right ear, making for an odd, lopsided silhouette. My forehead and the tip of my nose are still dry and flaky, remnants of dry, heated air. I finally remembered to grab that envelope I've been meaning to mail, but I kept going up and down the stairs, to get the envelope, then my watch, then because I forgot the envelope I'd put down, then I realized my sneakers were downstairs.

Rounding the corner of my street, I almost stepped on a frog. I couldn't have done much more damage, as it has been flattened by a car, its innards spewed out over a respectable distance from its backside from the pressure.

Barely three houses fuether, my neighbour drove up and offered me a lift. It was only part way, it meant I would miss the mailbox, and it kinda shot my eco-motivation out of the water, but I accepted nonetheless; they are our friendliest neighbours - I didn't want to be rude. As she dropped me off, maybe a mile or so up the road, a low-flying V formation crossed the sky. A baker's dozen. Only one of them honked loudly. I found another mailbox along the way, and the thought that I would be early for work cheered me up because it meant I could leave earlier too. I kept walking and turned onto the boulevard.

Now, I'm well-acquainted with the trash that litters the most perillous segment of my route. There are four 10-oz. bottles of vodka: 3 Troika and a single Smirnoff. Did they all come from the same source, I wonder? And if so, did their taste evolve over time, or did they drink the good stuff first until they just couldn't taste it anymore? Further on, there's a diaper that looks like its been there for ages yet steadfastly refuses to decompose. But today, I discovered a new piece of litter, just pas the highway overpass: a flattened stuffed spider, like a cheap Beanie Baby rip-off. It startled me anyway, with all its legs spread out to what would be an impressive width in the arachnid world.

*As I wrote this down on paper, I got a paper cut. !@#$%? *

Soon after, I heard a car horn, and my own car pulled up beside me. Turned out the dogs had been barking since I left, and Pat wanted money...for something he deems essential, and something I see as utterly worthless. I ripped into him, probably worse than the situation actually warranted. But it's the same basic argument we've been having for years. Ten years, in fact. And he hasn't done a thing to help. So whenever he opens that door, even just a crack, I let him have it. I just don't know how else to get my point across.

At work, it appeared that I wasn't the only one having difficulty: two close-working colleagues (both in function and working quarters) also went at it, the elder basically pissing at the four corners of her territory in a not-so-subtle display of seniority. The younger busybody may have had it coming, I don't know. I was too busy imploring Buddha to help me stay out of most of the morning's conversations, just in case.

And then, as abruptly as it had begun, it stopped, just like a sudden downpour; everyone returned to normal, and the rest of the day was entirely uneventful.

Or, in six: Up/Down loop. Then, normalcy returned.

(665)