I've been seeing a lot of bad news (almost always, that's the only kind of news...) lately.
- BP is facing disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
- Greece is in upheaval over European conditions on debt assistance.
- We continue to "have the best congress money can buy" (satirist Mark Twain said that) that's obsessed with re-election at all costs, "all other considerations secondary" (Science Officer Ash, from the 1979 movie Alien); I see no candidates anywhere for an updated Profiles in Courage.
- A Lacrosse relationship went horribly wrong.
- And then there's that "nut" who tried to non-bomb Times Square.
When I see all that, I tend to turn inward. I cannot solve the world's problems, nor even my elderly neighbor's, but perhaps I can make a difference with my own.
I faced a local rejection, but as it was a polite one I tried to respond in kind. I argued my case, then carefully reiterated the rationale behind the other's rejection, accepted some of it, and decided to go to work on the latter for my own purposes. Anyone who believes they're infallable, probably isn't.
So I'm going to the gym more often than before. Weight loss..., seems elusive so far, but I'm converting something to muscle, and that's a good thing. Long life seems dependent upon many factors, but two of them are a strong immune system, and a strong body in the more traditional ways. As attributed to Groucho Marx, Joseph Heller, and probably many others, I plan to live forever, or die trying.
And I continue to reevaluate the rejection. Perhaps I don't want to belong to that club, if that's how they treat newcomers. The rejector clearly is not of my kind.
I'm a big anti-fan of Digital Rights Management, where content owners have all the power and I have none. So I have only a first-generation e-book (the manufacturer for "Rocket eBook" devices is now defunct) mostly loaded with public domain books. And I've been buying books lately ("When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes" - Erasmus), some paperback, some hardcover to "upgrade" my library. Not only do they actually belong to me, but there's still a brisk trade in used books, indeed I can give away my books to friends & strangers. That's another thing that DRM has taken away from us.
Lately I've been re-reading my favorite story on the Rocket eBook, Lovecraft's "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath" (you may enjoy this directly on your computer, at dagonbytes). Randolph Carter dreams of the Golden City three nights running, but is not allowed to approach it. He petitions the local gods of Unknown Kadath, and that really shuts the dreams down. So in desperation he resolves to journey to Unknown Kadath, the more direct approach if you will, a quest.
So last night I saw The Jane Austen Book Club and liked it; I may explore Jane Austen next (her books have been out for a while, no DRM here).
And I seem to frequently dwell on people I've known, friends & lovers gone over the Event Horizon. I feel a deep debt to some, but there's no going back, neither alternate fork in the road nor thanks (for a few, anger instead) to give. So I try for the wonderful philosophy from Pay It Forward; I try to do good to others in their honor. What goes around might not ever come around; it's not a circle, you can't go home again. But perhaps it's a never-ending spiral.
