I have accumulated a lot of things over the decades, it’s all pretty far away, all of nine time zones right at this moment. I’m kind of a pack-rat, the fact that a thing becomes mine impresses me sufficiently that I can’t seem to part with anything. I still have my forty-five RPM record of “Thumbelina,” I was probably five when I got that, I think that I was actually four but I don’t like to exaggerate. I have all of the rock ‘n roll records that I began to accumulate several years later. Good stuff, some nice picture covers too, Elvis EP’s. LP records, I’ve got about three thousand of those, that’s over thirty thousand songs. A lot of great tunes that you’ve never heard; honestly there’s a good few that I’ve never heard either. But it’s all mine.
I have always loved magazines, they are a perfect fit for my limited attention span. I have more magazines than any but the largest magazine stands. Boxes of Silver Age Marvel comics, lots of 1950’s Mad magazines. There was more, lots more. Almost all, almost every piece, of my car magazines are lost to me, I remember them longingly, the early days of drag racing, Bonneville speedsters made from old war-surplus external fuel tanks, ratty looking hot-rods and “No Go Showboats.” They, along with a large number of good, collectible comics, motorcycle magazines, some magazine miscellany, my stamp collection, my baseball glove and my bicycle, mysteriously disappeared some time between when I left for Navy boot camp and when I came home on leave ten weeks later. Thanks, mom.
My things are important to me. One theory is that I have a weak self-image and need to be surrounded by things that are mine to keep track of who I am. Some would attribute it to poor toilet training, but I think that’s simple minded conclusion jumping. Let’s see your license, pal.
I consciously try to keep the amount of stuff in my possession down these days, and I resist any temptation to have any of my stuff shipped to me. No room, no desire to lug stuff around, no wish to ship anything back when the time comes to return to America, it might come, I’m not sure it’s up to me, I don’t like to rub myself in people’s faces. I feel like a juggler, all of the balls are in the air, I’ll let you know how it turns out.
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11 comments:
Sorry Fred: 'lot of things on my republican mind lately . . . but I certainly don't want to forget about, or "dis", my new-found liberal/progressive friends. When my parents got an "offer" on their house, in 1979, they engaged in the typical clean-up routine. I was living in L.A. at the time and, consequently, all of my "Rolling Stone" magazines (the first one and every other one through December, 1977) were thrown out. Moreover, all of my "MAD" magazines, "MAD" paperbacks (that was a special-order thing), "CRACKED" magazines, and "SICK" magazines, were thrown out too. And along with the above, my "DRAG RACING" "mags" (which I bought at "Bernies") were thrown out. That was very disturbing to me; because the first "letter to the editor" that I wrote (when I was about 11) was to one of those "DRAG RACING" "mags" (I forget which one, there were only two) in which I disputed some statistics regarding elapsed times (ETs) on the part of certain dragsters and "Funny-Cars". It would be safe to say that as far back as '65 I payed attention to, what I thought to be, the "facts". However--and this is a big however: Subsequent and consequent to six semesters of calculus, linear equations, and differential equations; eight semesters of statistical analysis; two semesters of graduate econometrics; and many macro and micro economic courses, in between, I've learned that it's easy to torture any statistic and make the poor thing confess.
Wasn't it Disreali who said that there were three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics? I'm a lawyer don't forget, any port in a storm to prove things that aren't actually true, I love statistics.
And don't worry about hurting my feelings, you are on the whole a very considerate man. I have relatives and friends that are well to the right of you and unless they think that Obama is a Muslim terrorist I respect their opinions.
Thank you Fred . . . you are a gentleman and, indeed, a scholar. Yes,the "damned lies" phrase has been attributed to Disraeli (Disraeli Gears is one of my favorite Cream albums... oops, sorry, I had a flash-back), however Disraeli was probably quoting someone else. Seems to me that most politicians and "statesmen" are bereft of originality due to lack of intelligent and coherent input from their constituents. Mark Twain also used the phrase in his autobiography I believe.
My favorite use of the phrase is by Paul Johnson in his book "The Intellectuals. His chapter on Lillian Hellman is titled, "Lies, Damned Lies, and Lillian Hellman."
Random thoughts and free associations:
I like what that Irish guy, J.P. Curran, said in Dublin back in 1790: 'It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.' I often wonder how much whiskey it took for good ol' JP to get that one out . . . .
And I, especially, like the pithy version of JP's assertion by that American guy, Tom Paine (he was a real pain in the ass for many I bet)in 1777: 'Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.'
To the "right" of me? Bible and sword and Heaven and Hell and to be or not to be and ask not what you can do for yourselves; but what you can do for your country. I'm so far out there (right or left--labels are meaningless)that I have recently apprised ostensibly devout and self-righteous Christians of the obvious: namely, that they are really anthropomorphites that worship inanimate objects and that they have been so and done so most of their lives. Most Americans are that way--they just haven't come to grips with it, as it were, HA!
So, Dr. Cripps fired off cranky letters to the Editor at age 11... why am I NOT surprised, Mr. Fred?? The guy was an old-codger-in-training at an early age, perfect training for a future as a rightwingnutter who harasses and intimidates website administrators. Well done, Doctor Cripps! Keep up the great work! (a round of Golf Course clapping) Here's another book for you to read: "How To Win Friends and Influence People." Norman Vincent Peale. Pickup a copy sometime. :)
Yes, Fred, it was a phrase originated by Disreali, but popularized by Mark Twain. And I didn't know you were related to Attila the Hun. Who else could be to the right of the Doc??
Before Cripps comes "roring" back with his wikipedia citations, I erred on the author of "Winning Friends." It was Dale Carnegie of course. He still really really needs to read it. :)
Dear anonymous of October 7, 2008: There you go again . . . telling lies under the cover of "anonymous". I've said it before and I'll say it again,(HA!): Anyone that feels the need to write under the cover of "anonymous" has no credibility and has something to hide. What is it that you're hiding "anonymous", huh? Do I intimidate you? I didn't think so big boy (or big girl) . . . and that's just fine; for if I felt like intimidating someone (which is usually not the case)I wouldn't pick on you. I'd just go up the road and pick on some biker, or red-neck, or nasty drug-dealer that is much bigger than I, (HA!), and I'd have a little fun in the process. By the way, I'm only about five-ten and 180lbs.(not very big by today's standards--I'm indeed, a "shrimp").
Back to your lies "anonymous": Any half-ass/pseudo-intellectual, or punk, or bully, or pig CEO, or crypto-whatever, has no choice but to lie in order to get through the day and the duration of the peculiar existence that was dealt to him or her. Which one of the above liars are you "anonymous?
Hark (and perhaps) a Hear! Hear! Oh "anonymous" liar: Would you agree with me that when a liar lies, and twists and distorts the facts, that the liar sends up a red flag, as it were, which signifies that the liar is not playing with a full deck (at least not a "full-deck" to non-liars and completely sane, emotionally stable, and well-adjusted people such as myself), as it were?
Here are some of the lies, distortions, and twists of the facts, that you, "anonymous", shamelessly, posted about me in your October 7, 2008 comments on Mr. Ceely's blog: You stated that I fired off "cranky" "letters to the editor"(when I was eleven-years-old). I never said that I sent more than one letter and you couldn't have possibly known if that one letter was "cranky", unless you actually read the letter. And for all intents and purposes, you described me as a "rightwingnutter who harrasses and intimidates website administrators." You are entitled to your opinion of my politics, as well as your opinion that if I don't march in lock-step with your "politics" I'm a "rightwingnutter". However, you stated that I 'harrass and intimidate website administrators.' This is a very serious lie on your part--and it cannot be excused and it will be followed up upon (and it may even haunt you for many years). Can you tell me, "anonymous", the names of the "website administrators" (along with the names of their corresponding websites) that I 'harrass and intimidate'? If you can't tell, then don't lie.
I'm not a golfer, nor do I associate with golfers (they fart and talk about "business" too much, and I find the game to be absurd . . . however I'm always willing to learn). And I don't read frivolous "pop-culture" books about 'winning friends and influencing people'. But something tells me that you, "anonymous", read that particular book from cover to cover and that you wasted your money--and what you gained from that book was not, at all, what you expected. And as a result, you wound up in a blue funk for quite some time. Am I lying here "anonymous"? I venture to say that I've had alot more friends, throughout my life, than have you. If you think that I'm wrong, then prove it by posting pictures of all of your "friend's" happy/smiling faces upon that hometown website that you repeatedly lie upon. You may be able to get away with lying on that website, but at least you can't get away with being "anonymous"--unless, of course, you've got something going on with the devoutly Christian site 'administrator".
Anonymous liar: when you throw your crap at some people it's going to come flying back in your face before you even know what hit you. You need to stop lying and you need to face up to the facts. The facts are that I'm "Dr." Cripps, proud republican, and the sanest person that you will ever come in contact with.I know what ails you, brothers and sisters and anonymous liars . . . indeed, I have the appropriate medicine and the proper cure. Trust in me and be ye faithful to all my judgments, HA!
Nothing is more entertaining to me that listening to amateurs talking about lying. I, after all, was a highly trained professional for many years.
I am a seamless garment of untruth. Watch, I'll show you: I respect McCain's war record.
Zzzzzz... oh, excuse me. His verbal diarreah is just too boring to read. Fred, did you have any doubt who "anonymous" is, ie, me? Or is Cripps just really as stupid as he sounds?
-ED STRNAD aka the one who calls Cranky Cripps "Doctor" ....hope that helps! :)
Fred: were your lawyering days really that bad? I'd hate to think that you left the profession because you were becoming too good at your job. My wife was secretary to a senior partner at Skadden,Arps for a number of years (late eighties through late nineties). Her "take-home" stories were interesting, and the money was good--especially that 401K Plan, the bonuses, the "overtime pay", and the limo. By the way, her boss used to make frequent business trips to your neck of the woods, however she could never figure out what it was that her boss did there--and neither could I and I'm quite the snoop. Are you familiar with the books, "Silence Of The Lambs" and "Hannibal" by Thomas Harris? One of Hannibal's (the main character in the books) favorite recordings was the Glen Gould piano version of "The Goldberg Variations", by J.S. Bach. I presented my wife's boss with a CD of "The Goldberg Variations" (as a Christmas present) and told him that it was one of my favorite recordings and that I've listened to it since I was a kid (no lie--I did, in fact, listen to it since I was a kid). My Christmas present was really for symbolic purposes though.
Dear "anonymous" of October 7, 2008(6:48 A.M.) and of October 8, 2008 (7:15 P.M.): Thank you for your impute. I realize that I expect too much from my "anonymous" fellow human beings, but I'm an optometrist at heart and I'm sure that I'll get to see the true you, in all your splendor, someday soon.
Ive asked you before and I'll ask it again: what does :) mean? Is the meaning of :) similar to the meaning of (.) or (o) or is it similar to the meaning of (:) or (oo) depending upon one's own gender-specific view?
Dear Mr. Strnad (formerly "anonymous"): How does it feel to lift the curtain, step out upon the stage, and face the audience. How's that for a highly unoriginal and unmixed metaphor? Are you admitting that all of those "anonymous" comments, in response to the comments that I posted on Mr. Ceely's blog, are from you? I never would have guessed, and I'm not kidding! I assumed that many, if not most, of the "anonymous" comments were from you, however I perceived that, perhaps, a few of the "anonymous" commments were from two other "anonymous" sources due to certain phrases, sentence structures, punctuations, etc.. It has nothing to do with my 'stupidity' (or lack thereof) Mr. Strnad. It has to do with the fact that I make an earnest and sincere effort not to attribute "comments" to an individual unless I know for certain (or I'm provided with evidence from credible sources as to the identity of the commentor) the name and true identity of the commentor.
Mr. Strnad: Until I became a "member" of that peculiar "hometown" website, I had no knowledge of your existence. That in spite of the fact that I was friends with many that lived just up the block, or lived within a few blocks radius, from where you grew up. And many of those that I was friends with are, or were (for a number of them are now dead) about your age (some younger and some older). It was not my intention to become a member of that peculiar "hometown" website in order to get into "fights". Indeed, "fights" were the furthest thing from my mind. But I firmly believe that shortly after I expressed a few innocuous and innocent comments upon that "hometown" site, a few site members (that includes you) used my comments as an excuse to pick a "fight" with someone that they didn't know, simply for the sake of getting into a "fight". In other words, you boys (not I)started the "fight".
And because the still-in-mourning/devoutly Christian/emotionally distraught webmaster of that peculiar "hometown" site was not familiar with me--but somewhat familiar with you boys--she exercised her webmaster censorship powers to the advantage of her "familiar boys" and to my disadvantage. Do you think that I'm all wet and off base here (mixed met-a-fores, HA!)
Sincerely,
"Dr." Cripps, proud republican
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