• Hurt, and the other thing

    I find it hard to describe or pin it down to any particular part of my body, but it is most definitely there. Not so much now; but even little reminders tweak the senses. It can be a song on the radio, a movie on the tube, or my personal favorite, a well crafted work of fiction in the written word.

    The founding documents of our democracy talk of certain truths being self evident, but they don’t mention the truths that are most reliably self evident. I’ll grant them this however; it wouldn’t have served their purpose to speak of these truths: that all men will know pain, hunger, unfulfilled desire, loss. I defy any person to justify any of these truths; they simply are what they are. The problem with these truths is that we too often let them overshadow the others, even if this subset is only half of the equation. Oh how sweet it is when we are allowed to embrace this other half, joy, fulfillment, achievement.

    Most importantly, there’s love: my most reliable antidote to the less savory truths. I think this is one of the strongest draws of a good story. Whether it is a romantic comedy, a work of science fiction, or a piece of classic literature; at some point a good story with strong character development touches on my favorite truth. That’s when I feel the connection. That’s when I feel like the author could be describing me, under different circumstances. That’s when I feel the truth in my life, under my own circumstances. It’s thankfully not the only time, but its part of the draw, no, the addiction, to fiction.

    If I didn’t have to work today I could read all day.

  • Make a wish

    Have I written about our Diaper Genie before? It’s too late and I’m too tired to care. It’s writin’ time. Don’t make me go Old Testament on yo’ ass!

    I’m happy to announce that we’ve graduated to the stage 2 Diaper Genie liners. We’re so proud. To recap, the Diaper Genie is a sophisticated device for making diaper sausage links. They sell different thicknesses of liners for the sausages, depending on the load they must carry. Having just experienced the stage two liner, I’m more than a little worried about what this says I have to expect from my son’s diapers in the coming months. It seems that the stage two liners are the steel belted variety, specifically designed for solid food waste. And I thought diaper changes were bad now.

    Seven months isn’t too early for potty training, is it?

  • Taking a pee in the stream of consciousness

    It starts with 1066. You may not know this, but 1066 represents the average monthly income of someone who works full time and earns the minimum wage – as defined by the newly amended Florida Constitution. What you may not know is that 1066 also represents the year of the Norman conquest of England, the last time England was conquered by a foreign army – consummated at the Battle of Hastings. What you are darn near certain not to know is that I confused the Battle of Hastings with the Battle of Tours early this morning. Charles earned his name “the hammer” when he ruthlessly smote the Moors at Tours in 732. Though I’m not sure they were Moors, they were definitely Muslims; and since Muslims don’t rhyme with Tours, you can see the allure of Moors.

    All of this led me to muse on monikers. Charles Martel had a kickin’ name. “The Hammer” makes all of those “greats” look like prissy little boys still trying to please their mammas. Anyone with a little pretension can consider themselves “great,” but “The Hammer” begs a little backup.

    Of course 1066 has nothing to do with “the hammer”, other than me and the stream, but it all has to start somewhere.