Randomness

As always, click to enlarge. This is one of those pictures that warrants a close look to catch the details at this moment in time. Like the guy trying to get his fellow steward to safety. Or the apparently relaxed seating position of the driver.
The political posturing and punditry has begun and is already at full force. I know in my head that it all serves a valuable purpose. Over the next four months the banter and patter will help us form an opinion of the candidates' positions and character. But I wish civility didn't have to take a holiday. Can't we find a way for two political parties to treat each other with dignity? Can we not disagree agreeably? "My opponent" avoids the more respectful, "Senator _____" and trades it for a passively negative appellation.
I have an idea. I suspect that both Obama and McCain are decent, honorable men who do indeed respect each other, regardless of how strenuously they disagree over the issues. But because they never interact with each other during the campaign, their speech and behavior are influenced only by those disagreements. What if we require them to have lunch with each other, sans advisors and handlers, at least once a week? Call me naive, but I think they would spend the time discussing the campaign, the issues, and where they agree/disagree with each other. If, as I believe, they are both good men, they will emerge from that lunchroom with a better perspective on the other's views, shake hands, and go out to a more civil discussion of the real matters that should decide this election. It's harder to quarrel over good food, and I don't see either of them as the quarreling kind. But I wonder if, during the course of a grueling campaign, it isn't too easy even for honorable men to create a caricature of their opponent. A weekly reality check might help us all.

I want a ctrl/alt/delete command for life.

"It's your High School graduation picture. Can't you at least this once comb your hair?"
- Einstien's mother

When asked which they'd choose, brains or beauty, most women choose beauty. They say that's because they know men see better than they think. Give a man a choice between money and good looks, guess which one he chooses. Why do you suppose that is?

Winnebago's profits plummeted 73% in the last quarter.

I'm off to do an outdoor wedding. It's in the low 70's, brezzy, and we have a 30% chance of thunderstorms this evening. The sky is clear at this point, but it's Michigan. "If you don't like the weather, wait 15 minutes."
My sense is that this ceremony will be managed chaos. But at the end Lisa and Ted will still be husband and wife, and their really nice people. As long as the marriage is good, does the ceremony matter all that much?

Next post from Arizona!