Big Stick Physics
I’ve been scanning and organizing old photos.
The photo on the left was from a balloon festival in Columbia, South Carolina in 1985. It’s not a scanning problem, the photo looks like that. I don’t know if it always did, or got that reddish tint with age.
This time, I thought Sparky’s argument was really weak, and I had some complaints of my own.
Sparky wants to know why I just automatically assume that I got the cold from him. I have been out to all sorts of places, and he just stays home for no reason. So I probably got the cold and got Sparky sick.
Sparky is offended by the assumption that I got my cold from him.
Oh yeah, he finally got out of bed around noon. That gave me time to consider adapting my cold mitigation protocol for him.
I don’t even know if that’s possible, but with viruses, something isn’t possible until it happens, or everything is possible all the time.
Nothing extraordinary, it just feels like I caught a cold. My sinuses aren’t behaving in their customary manner. No congestion, just draining and a mildly irritated throat.
I have a routine that I follow when a cold is coming on. Avoid going out, rest as much as possible and get plenty of fluids. Let my body focus on healing.
Now that I think about it, except for having more soup, it’s indistinguishable from my normal routine.
I should be at Costco or Planet Fitness right now, but since I usually wake up around 7 am, an early afternoon nap seemed like a good idea. Being a well-mannered pup, Sparky waits for an invitation to hop up on the couch. He is far too cute not to be invited up.
Congress dragged me back in the game, so now I want to win.
Social Security is a game. It’s not like roulette, where the risk corresponds to the reward. It’s not much like blackjack where there is a clear strategy to narrow the odds. Social Security is more like that Fun Fair “Mystery Fishing” game where every player gets a prize, but there are better prizes and worser prizes.
It’s a good thing I ordered early. Sparky would have lost all faith in my judgement. The pet bed warmer I got for Sparky is completely ineffective. I’d have better luck keeping Sparky warm by reciting bawdy limericks all night.
National Geographic: In Japan, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy is a Christmas Carol.
In Die Hard it’s a nice touch that Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, ‘Ode to Joy’ is a recurring musical theme in the movie. Since NatGeo says “Ode to Joy” is a Christmas carol, then you’d have to be anti-science to disagree.