"In a democracy (‘rule by mob’), those who refuse to learn from history will be the majority and will dictate that everyone else suffer for their ignorance."
Lovely Daughter commented today after Mother’s funeral, graveside service, and the funeral dinner at the church (at which neither she not I found anything to eat, though there was some palatable–just!–coffee) regarding my (successful!) efforts when she was a small girl (a talkative three year old? About that) to teach her to say to my mom, “Grandma, please take me to Chik-Fil-A.”
So, in honor of her grandmother, she had her lunch at. . . Chik-Fil-A.
🙂
I had a few “*sigh*” moments earlier today. Some early AM car “dwama” with my Wonder Woman’s car, ended up taking her to work & coming back to run errands/prep for tomorrow’s “funeral procession” (couple of hundred miles one way. . . and back), and. . . Pixel, our lil rescue kitty who’d gotten out almost a year ago during a week of the lowest temps in a year, was nowhere to be found. She usually responds to her name, and if not that to “cooing” in the manner she “coos” (yeh, like a dove, really). And where did she show up? Nowhere, mon frere. *sigh*
Now, take note that she has a coat that is effective camouflage against MANY backgrounds (think desert digicam but done really, really well. *heh*), so when I finally saw her, I realized I had looked there earlier and seen her w/o realizing it. Behind a chair, under a table, laying on a heating vent. She still doesn’t want to move from there.
*heh* At least she’s not out in the cold again.
Speaking of which–the cold that is–it was a wee tad nippy this AM here at TWC Central. Car reported 16°F in our driveway, but at about 14′ elevation (up the lil hill leading out of our neighborhood), it reported 18°F, prompting my Wonder Woman to say, “Looks like we’re headed the right direction.” Except. By the time we got to the bottoms ~3/4 mile away, the car reported 14°F. . . and moved down from there as we climbed the long hill to the interstate.
But, never fear! By the time we got to the “Greater Wally World Metro Area” where her MTW school is located (pop 295 when the area recently annexed by a wee village in order to have the county’s WallyWorld included in its borders. Closer to 100 for the village proper), the reported temp was all the way up to 18°F again! Downtown “Greater Wally World Metro Area” was on fire, man!
Mid-morning, temps are a toasty 39°F here at TWC Central, now. Nice. Thank heavens for Globull Warmening.
Any time I see “[Whatever]-splaining” used by someone to dismiss an argument, I know the person using the term is really saying, “I don’t have an argument, and I just don’t want to listen, so I’ll use this nonsense term instead of putting my fingers in my ears and chanting, ‘la-la-la-la. . .’ and maybe the horrible person using facts and reason will just go away and leave me with my chosen, ignorant opinions.”
At that point, I realize that the only proper response is raucous mocking.
And that, dear reader, is how one uses a “Splainsit Stick.”
. . .but my sadness is selfish, all for me, really. Mother “graduated” this morning ~0845, and I know full well she is happy to be where she has wanted to be.`
94 years young, now.
Any time I see “[Whatever]-splaining” used by someone to dismiss an argument, I know the person using the term is really saying, “I don’t have an argument, and I just don’t want to listen, so I’ll use this nonsense term instead of putting my fingers in my ears and chanting, ‘na-na-na-na. . .’ and maybe the horrible person using facts and reason will just go away and leave me with my chosen, ignorant opinions.”
At that point, I realize that the only proper response is raucous mocking.
The Dewey Decimal System is an extremely useful method of categorizing knowledge for cataloging a library, but it is also a very useful system to use when searching out and exploring a topic of knowledge. An understanding of its classifications can yield some few advantages over computer catalogs of libraries for card catalog users, too. And then, just browsing a section, grazing the pages of books from one end of a class to another, can sometimes yield great benefits.
I once spent time “living” any available spare moment in a large state university library as an undergrad (and it wasn’t even the school I was attending *heh*) making such discoveries–especially during one semester when I was taking a course so far off my majors that I had almost NO background, and none of the prerequisite courses (yeh, talked my way ito it because it seemed interesting) in the subject. Result: The professor found my “insights” refreshingly stimulating, much to the disgust of the other seven members of the class who were restricted by having all the prerequisite boundaries instilled in their thinking.
Ah, but of course all classifications of knowledge, especially those which–like the DDS–comprise relatively rigid, detailed classifications, have the basic flaw of placing artificial boundaries between fields of knowledge. But then, it seems to be a basic human trait to connect disparate elements into a whole, even when that “whole” is wholly artificial and even nonsensical. So, the DDS is, in my use at least, most like a box of building blocks divided into compartments by shape, color, size, etc. It can make it useful when searching for just that right building block.
Sometimes, though, one wants to just dump the box out and scramble up the pieces to see what serendipitous connections one might make. That’s the Internet.
I am a firm believer in ONLY firing proper “warning shots. The only exception to this rule is if an aggressor is wearing body armor. Or is a zombie. Or is a zombie wearing body armor.
Thatisall.
Until we purchase paint tomorrow, and then do the painting, our living room will look a bit. . . weird, at least to my eye.
The new flooring is fine–looks great–but we still have the “Amaryllis Yellow” (over plaster) on three walls, with a “Stadium Red” accent wall (muted by a black glaze sponge treatment) behind the bookcases/entertainment center. It all looked well pulled together with the blond flooring we had before, but just doesn’t work with the new “bronzed acacia wood” flooring. Besides, I just put up our new drapes (anticipating the paint to come; they’ll come down easily during the paint job), and while they are a really pleasant blue, the blue-yellow-red combo is just too, too Hobbit-ish. *heh*
The new wall color will be better: a dove gray on all four walls, with a black sponge glaze treatment on the book/ec wall over the dove gray.
Still need to add the trim back–and add a bit more–as well as a new valence for the drapes. Methinks the trim will be a nice oyster color. *shrugs* Probably. Oh, but speaking of drapes, hung them on dual rods, so we can add sheers later. The new drapes are “blackout” drapes, and with sheers added, that will give us a lot of flexibility in window treatment. I do need to repair my faux “stained glass” treatment of the bay window where the cats have worn out a viewport. Maybe I’ll make a “porthole” for them; maybe not. 😉
A nice lil fillip: dove gray will pickup the mottled gray 1’x2′ tile at the entry door.
Sidebar: I avoid terms like “gun rights,” because the real issue is the inherent right of every individual to defend one’s own life and limb against an aggressor (individual or group) doing or threatening to do harm, and to defend his loved ones and the otherwise defenseless innocent from the same. Guns are just one of many tools (excellent and effective tools, indeed often the best of tools, but one of many) for effecting legitimate self-defense.
I also do not like the terms “constitutional rights” or “2nd Amendment right” for similar reasons, but expanding to include the fact that those rights which arementioned in the constitution are mentioned only to prevent infringement of those rights by the federal government.
For some inexplicable reason, Psych (one of the lamest “detective” shows e-vah) is the best thing on TV right now. Yeh, good reason to turn it off, right?
But wait! There’s more! Lassie has a puppy! Yeh, not enough.