Quick Hits for the Holiday Weekend

*This is Andy, healthy Andy. I had to hold her firmly for the pic, 'cause she's normally bouncing off of walls.


This is sick, exhausted Andy, after spending two days at the animal hospital battling an inexplicable infection and costing me a grand (can you believe that? I think the Bentley I saw in the parking lot must have belonged to the veterinarian). I'm not one of those animal nuts who dresses his pets up in clothes that match his own. And the truth is, prior to Andy I didn't even like cats. I thought they were curse-carrying, spooky creatures. But since I am fond of her, even though she occasionally scratches, think a good thought for her as she recovers at home. And wish her a happy belated birthday. She turned 1 last week.


**Moving right along. Guys what do you see in this picture? A perfect manicure, that's what! No shame in it and nothing feminine about it. My grandfather, James Sr., used to get the nails hooked up and the shoes shined every week. He took a bullet and grenade shrapnel in WWII. Pretty manly. Fellas, it's imperative that we keep the nails and cuticles fit. We don't want them looking like we tried to dig a hole in the sidewalk using our fingers. I have griped about women with mangled toes, squeezed like bunion biscuits into too-tiny shoes. It's only fair that we keep our hands right. What's good for the goose...And Big Daddy, before you say anything, there's no dirt under these nails, in spite of the shadowing.


***I'm in the media, and though I may have a bias in favor of us news folk, I've never fully bought into the political (liberal/conservative) conspiracy hype. I think good journalists report the facts. That being said, media includes more than news people. It includes entertainment magazines and TV shows too, for example. With them, I have no doubts that sometimes there is an agenda. By comparison to MTV's target audience member I'm an old man. Nevertheless, Wednesday night I watched the reunion special for the recently concluded "Real World: Denver." Relatively early in the show, one of the cast members a young black man named Stephen, was taken to task for not being more open-minded about another cast member, Davis's homosexuality. Stephen was scolded for not having learned anything new during the show about gay people, or at least not enough new stuff to help keep himself from being prejudiced against them. But Davis, who in a drunken fit on an early episode of the show referred to black cast mate Tyree as "some nigger" who "wants to kill me," wasn't asked if he'd learned to suppress or overcome his prejudice. Hmmm, agenda MTV? Neither the incident nor the slur were brought up during that reunion special. Nah, MTV would never have an agenda. It's all in my imagination.

****Finally Memorial Day. I have no profound words, only profound respect for any man or woman who ever volunteered for military service. It's not about liking or disliking war, or supporting or not supporting war. Setting politics aside, you have to have a deep love for your country and what you believe it stands for in order to willingly put yourself in the line of fire. To all the families who have lost loved ones in service, may your memories this holiday weekend be fond, peaceful, and pleasant.