I hate it when my real life interferes with my virtual life. What’s a blogger to do? Well, the wise thing is to let some things slide on by unremarked. Failing that, try an aggregate posting.
A week ago, NM Republicans met for a Domenici love-fest. Republicans hold “Lincoln Dinners” all over the country. Even in Mississippi? Lincoln was a uniter not a divider, in the long run, but that may not be the prevailing view in the Deep South. How do southern Republicans handle the cognitive dissonance? Or is Lincoln not on recruiting literature down south?
I’m sure the mood at the Lincoln Dinner was extra jubilant over the Metro Court Scandal. Though Manny Aragon represents the past for the Democratic Party (as Teddy Roosevelt represents the forever-past of the GOP), he still looms large. His stature should help him in prison. I find my own amusement in the role of Ken Schultz, former Mayor of Albuquerque. Ken was a weaselly car salesman who, along with “Big J” Johnson and Duhbya, represents one of two Republican beliefs. (1) A businessman will get it done. (2) Destroy government from within through aggressive incompetence. Those are not mutually exclusive beliefs, as we continue to see at all levels of the Bush Administration. After serving (servicing?) the public, Ken Schultz continued to serve as bagman and go-between, carrying petty cash from one corrupt person to another. Thanks, Ken, for reminding us that corruption is a two-party system and when you want to screw the Public, nobody gets it done like a businessman.
Regarding the near-lifesize, purportedly-anatomically-correct (who really knows besides Mary?) chocolate Jesus: what were they thinking? How could this not be controversial? I’m reminded of “The Cook, His Wife, Her Lover and The Thief” (an unpleasant experience itself): “Try the cock — you know where it has been!” Or not, in this case, perhaps. For the record, at the first Valentine’s Day Pajama Party more than 20 years ago, we ate a chocolate Jesus. Been there; done that; threw away the t-shirt.
It has been great to see the outrage over the Million Dollar Coach. (And sad to see my friend Arthur Alpert brush away the expense, as did everyone on The Line but Gene Grant, hockey player.) It is also good to see some put two and two together and wonder about the gutting of a cheap program for poor kids at UNM. We just can’t find the money — the pittance — what with Iraq and gold-plated sports programs. Let’s have a bake sale cuz the people who control the money couldn’t care less.
There were two landmark events for me regarding my book this week. First, ever so briefly, my book rose to #88 in the top 100 computer books on Amazon. That made all those days at #650,000 (of all book, not just computer books). pale a bit. The book has since fluctuated somewhere between #5000 and #25000. Still no review.
Mer and I also saw my book in a bookstore for the first time (the new Borders in the new Qmall — ugh). Very cool, even if it was mis-shelved. In a cosmic moment, I moved from my book to Around 505, a magazine, which printed two of my photos this month. All this to the soothing voice of a Buddhist monk who had the crowd chuckling like a comedy club underwater.
I think Buddhism, like much thoughtful human philosophy, has wonderful advice and insight into the human experience. I abandoned any thought of becoming a Buddhist as I began to realize it is as grotesquely ritualized and hierarchical as any other religion — another insight into the human experience. Apparently, we need rules and structure, just like dogs. Happy Non-sectarian Spring Friday! Have some chocolate.
Speaking of dogs, I have a nit to pick with a report today in which it is said a recent study shows “why” dogs vary so much in size. It does not. The answer to “why” is “because that’s what we want.” Mendel proved you don’t need to know anything about DNA to change living things, even radically. It just takes time. The latest discovery doesn’t even really answer “how.” That answer is “through selective breeding.” The study, which I don’t mean to dismiss with this, answers the longer question: what is happening at a genetic level as we play god to dogs or which gene do we currently believe holds the key. Science is always in the present. Hmmm — just like dogs. peace, mjh