Debt Ceiling-Deficit Reduction Plans KABLOOEY

I sure am fed up with of all these baloney sandwiches flying around about debt ceiling-deficit reduction plans.

I like this comment, via Political Wire:

Elvin Lim: "America is the only country in the world that has the luxury of creating an economic crisis when there isn't one. Ours is the only democracy with a debt ceiling, with the exception of Denmark, which raises its ceiling well in advance of when it would be reached. Economists say that our 'debt crisis' is an unforced error, because people are more than willing to lend us money, at pretty good rates. This is the benefit of having a really good credit score."

"And yet there are some who wish to call the credit card company to voluntarily reduce our credit limit after they just maxed it out. This tells us that politics triumphs economics in this country. That we ended up with so much debt is a result of politics, anyway."

So, McDonald’s announced it is bowing to consumer pressure to make their Happy Meals healthier. They’re going to halve the number of fries and include apple slices in every HM. Ho hum, you say, why are you posting this?

Because of THIS (from the NYTimes):

“Today’s Happy Meal with chicken nuggets has 520 calo­ries and 26 grams of fat, and the reconstituted version, with 1 per­cent milk, will total 410 calories and 19 grams of fat, according to the company.”

Holy crap! Even the reconstituted version has a lot of calories and fat. That’s a heavy meal!

I'm Just Too Nice

Whenever someone says, "well, the problem is, I'm just too nice," I immediately think, "oh, I doubt it."

Clarence Clemons, Big Man

This is a really nice article on Clarence Clemons: "Before Bruce, Clemons Was a Big Man on Campus."

On a related note, there was a n article about the inspiration for Bruce's song, "Glory Days": http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/sports/baseball/bruce-springsteens-inspiration-for-glory-days.html?scp=3&sq=springsteen&st=cse. It's a mildly-interesting story, but it's a bit hashed up--it just needs a good editor, I think.

Hiking!

I was feeling restless. On Friday, I was able to leave work a little early, so I decided to go to Cacapon State Park at the last minute. Cacapon is one of my favorite places to get away and hike. I feel very safe at the lodge and on the trails, and the challenging hikes help clear your mind.

It was wonderful!

Here's a shot of the mountain at night—I took this on Friday. I had dinner at the lodge and then sat on a rocking chair on the "back porch" and watched the sun go down. Beautiful.

Here's a shot of the mountain in the morning. It doesn't really look like much, huh.

Just as I picked up the trail, I heard an enormous screeching in a tree just off the trail—a huge bird fight. I've never seen anything like it, and because the tree was kind of "open" with its foliage, I could see a lot. And it was LOUD. There were at least two types of birds involved, and who knows what else. I saw birds dive-bombing the tree over and over, screeching and screaming. I don't know what the heck was going on—maybe a squirrel? Just as suddenly as it started, it stopped. All was quiet.

On my way up, I saw another huge bird take off from a tree—I think it was a hawk, but I'm not sure—there was a lot of foliage there.

I also saw lots of perfectly-formed mushrooms. This one in particular caught my attention, because it looked like it was fake, with fake detritus on top of it.

I also saw this weird bright red mushroom. It was in a dark place, but a shaft of sunlight rested right on it and it glowed like it was fluorescent.

At the top!

A few minutes after I took that picture, I was walking in the tall grasses to get to a side trail to pick my way down. Out of nowhere, thus huge—and I mean HUGE—pheasant bawked and squawked right next to me, emerging from the tall grassess unexpectedly. She went scuttling down the hill, hollering and yelling at me the whole way. "Honey," I said, "you scared me, too!" It was the only time that day where I was scared. As I went around on the side trail, she was still yelling at me, so I felt compelled to holler back, "In about an hour, I'll be coming back up there, just so you know! And I'm not gonna hurt you, so calm down!"

As I was making my way down the side trail, I saw a huge daddy longlegs (with a bright orange body) picking its way majestically across the trail. He looked just like an important man crossing the street. I stopped so he could cross, but too late. He sensed me and stopped. I stood still for awhile, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, I said, "please, be my guest," which made him turn tail and run in the opposite direction. It made me laugh, because he was SO majestic when he thought he was alone—and so comical when he turned tail to run.

And then: the highlight of my hike <insert David Attenborough voice> "...in all my days of hiking, I never thought I'd see such a sight in action. A working dung beetle, right here in my midst! I crept carefully around him, so as not to disturb him in his important work…." (The beetle is the dark figure at 11:00 o'clock; he's turned around, so you're seeing his backside--he's pushing the dung with his hind legs. The dung is...well, it's the round bit next to him.)

And finally, when I was quite close to the trail head, I saw a family of deer. Two small ones, a large buck with horns, and a doe. They seemed unconcerned for the most part, but they were pretty far away. If you squint, you might make out the two small ones.

So, that was my hike. I didn't see any other people the whole time I was hiking, either, which was just right. I feel very, very, very fortunate to know this awesome place.

I love hiking!!!

Berenstein Bears and Too Much Hair

So I remember reading the Berenstein Bears books as I was growing up:

At first, there was just a couple books—the original one, where Papa effed everything up, then there was one on a spooky house and some such.

Fast forward to college, and I was babysitting some kids. They had tons of Berenstein Bears books—The Berenstein Bears Count Their Blessings, The Berenstein Bears Learn About Strangers, The Berenstein Bears and Too Much Teasing, etc. I thought, "Jesus Christ, is there anything the Berenstein Bears don't do?" I mean, the original books were just fun, with awesome illustrations, not educational.

Ever since then, I like to make up Berenstein Bears book titles and assign them to Life Situations.

Example

When my family gets together for the holidays, it's a small crowd. It's loud and vivacious and fractious and funny. Around Day Three, civil order begins to break down, and one wonders if one will ever have peace and quiet again, or if one's ears will ever stop ringing.

Result: The Berenstein Bears and Too Much Christmas.

Another Example

Last summer, Beloved and I trained for a century (plus five!) bike ride. After every long training ride, I would sigh and say, Berenstein Bears and Too Much Biking. Trust me, saying it never got old. Beloved might have another opinion on whether it got old hearing it, especially because he NEVER UNDERSTOOD what the hell I was referring to so I'd have to take him through the whole thing over and over. "Nonplussed" is what I think they call the facial expression I beheld at the conclusion of my explanation.

And This One

I have a serious hair situation on my hands. The century (plus five!) ride I referred to above was part of a fundraising effort for research on the treatment of cancer (you know, one of those "sponsor me for a good cause" affairs--if you haven't done one, you've probably contributed to someone who is). I was very motivated and inspired, so I decided to grow my hair out for Locks of Love. In the winter, I reached my goal length and went to my hairdresser to get my hair cut. But when I went in, my hairdresser wouldn't allow it—since I was engaged, he was afraid my hair would be too short for my "wedding hairdo" (whatever that may be) if I got it cut—so he just "cleaned it up" (i.e., trimmed it). But Beloved and I haven't organized our wedding date yet and long story short: my hair has been growing for more than a year.

It's way too long.

It doesn't look good.

It's driving me crazy.

I have to get it cut soon, wedding or no wedding.

The Berenstein Bears and Too Much Hair. Total.