The most recent 20 comments posted to Making Light by Toni:

Operating on the principle that there's got to be a pony in there somewhere, I rarely abandon a book no matter how poorly written, pointless, or stupid it may be.

However . . . . I am up to page 209 (of 1079) in *Infinite Jest* described on the book jacket as "Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy . . . ." I'm not finding much of either.

So please, anybody who's read this book, please advise. Is there a pony in there somewhere? Should I keep reading?

In today's Portland Oregonian:

Liquid Courage
In Surfside Beach, southwest of Galveston, Ray Wilkinson became something of a celebrity for a day: He was the only resident in the town of 805 to defy the order to leave. Authorities found him Saturday morning drunk. "I consider myself to be stupid," Wilkinson, 67, said. "I'm tired of running from these things. If it's going to get you, it's going to get you."

In about an hour I'll go to my 90-year old mother's house, check that she took her morning pills, walk for an hour with my best friend Cherokee, fix Ma's lunch, read my paper, work the Jumble and daily crossword, watch two hours of Law and Order on TNT, bring in the mail, give Ma a snack, take care of the recyclables, knit, give Ma her evening pills, go home when my brother gets home from work, and watch Countdown at 5:00 pm. Knit some more.

Life is good! With any kind of luck we'll be doing this Monday through Friday for another 15 or 20 years.

For Captain Bligh fans, this is a fascinating book:

"Mr Bligh's Bad Language: Passion, Power and Theatre on the Bounty" by Greg Dening

July, 1939
An early memory is WWII as background noise, but I clearly remember my mother telling me the war was over. I remember the Vanport flood here in PDX in March, 1947. And President Truman being elected in 1948.

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

This year the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving the Second Amendment; the hope of the concerned parties is that the Supremes will settle the question of whether the intent there is to preserve the rights of individuals OR the right of the states/federal government to maintain militias.

(My apologies to all if I have misconstrued or misstated the question.)

My brother died in a car accident on May 18, 1976. I started wearing my seatbelt on May 19, 1976, feel naked in a car until I've buckled up, and will not shift out of "Park" unless every person in the car is belted.

One of the more grotesque accidents I know of occurred here in Oregon a few years back. A man was driving under the influence while his five-year old daughter was playing with toys in the cargo space of his station wagon. He collided with something, and she went flying out the open back window; she was killed instantly. He went to jail.

#36 "grammer" :-(

I'm just surprised that they underreported by only(!) 20%. I would have guessed about 50%.

Stefan,
We've been getting them in The Oregonian here in PDX.

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.

-Voltaire, philosopher (1694-1778)

Even if you hate this war and the moron that started it, you can support the troops (ordinary men and women, after all, trying to do an impossible job in a hostile environment) by going to www.anysoldier.com .

Bathroom Buddies:

http://www.richardwho.com/collections/collection177.asp

Fourteen pairs of aerial before and after photos of tsunami devastation:

http://homepage.mac.com/demark/tsunami/9.html

Two organizations based here in Portland, Oregon, that have much experience in disaster relief and are taking donations:

http://www.nwmedicalteams.org/
http://www.mercycorps.org/splash/

I don't hate any of them if played/heard only once. But OMG, the overwhelming repetition, on every radio station, store audio system, sappy made-for-tv movie, etc., ad nauseam, until my teeth grind and I want only to pull the plug that would stop all of it.

Bah, humbug.

Bill Blum's link to The Worst Poetry Contests led me, eventually, to this:

http://www.windpub.com/literary.scams/D-Barry.htm

Finally some news that made me laugh instead of cry.

>>>This weekend, the local chick-friendly porn store is holding a "yard sale" which I'm going to check out. Later this month, I may be seeing "Puppetry of the Penis".

Here in Oregon we vote by mail. Ballots are mailed out two or three weeks before the election. Fill in the bubbles, insert the ballot in a privacy envelope, insert the pe in a mailing envelope, sign the me, and put it in the mail or hand-deliver it to the elections office. Registered voters who didn't receive their ballot can vote in person. (I hand-delivered my ballot about 10 days ago.)

Local television news reported last week that more than 50% of ballots had been turned in. Elections officials are expecting a record turnout of about 82%.

A message was on its way to my representative before I had even finished reading the entire essay. Then, in the comments, I was pleased to see that he, Earl Blumenauer, D-OR, is a co-sponsor. As Oregon has five representatives, it seems only fair to write to the other four who are not sponsors.

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