The Tease of Things I Don't Need

Milestones & Moves

I was on a 30-something hour push of increasingly unwanted activity before crashing for several hours -- if I stayed in bed I'd find myself back up by midnight and my Wednesday workday turn into another surreal stretch of forced consciousness.

Come to think of it, that's what it feels like most times anyway.

I have to note that I continue to be more easily productive between the hours of midnight and 6am than any other six-hour stretch I give a fair chance. Knowing one's almost certainly going to be free of interruptions helps a great deal. Also, I believe another of those character revelations is that I have a secret career wish of being one of the elves in the old story about the kindly cobbler. I'm happier being an unseen mover, evident only by what he accomplishes in the dead of night, than being in the human mix of the day.

Still, while I've been otherwise occupied a few things have happened in the world.

Before continuing, I do want to note that a good stretch of Monday night was pleasant, as son Nick went with me to a venue to play in a clix tournament using teams composed of monsters, aliens and robots (the theme du jour), and Nick not only improved markedly over the three games, but he won a Fellowship prize. That gave him a choice, and he chose the Kurt Wagner LE, which completes my Fantastic Forces set.

Gray skies and splattering, sputtering, wind-driven rain have been with us all day as the "superstorm" I mentioned Sunday more or less formed. Those North of us in PA appear to be lined up for worse than we're getting, so it's just a good day to stay inside. So, of course, I had to be out in it several times. Just the thing to be driving around in after more than a day of being awake. I couldn't figure out what movie I was in, but judging by the soundtracks I could bring in from the radio it's not one I'd pay to see.

Rosa Parks going yesterday was all over the place, virtually impossible to avoid. I don't find myself wanting to do more than note it. I'm not even going to link to a specific piece, as they're so easily found.

Rumor has it that in relation to the Plame case investigation we can expect between one and five indictments handed down tomorrow, with a press conference on Thursday.

I'm refusing to get my hopes high for any of it, but somewhere inside is a happy kid, watching, munching popcorn and hoping to see a few kicks to the oak-like trunk of the Bush administration reveal that it's all just a show of bark, completely rotted away inside.

Speaking of perps, while I've read that Texas apparently doesn't put booking ID numbers in the mug shots (or, apparently, bother with a profile shot) - something I'm hoping some people follow up on - I haven't seen anyone confirm that they also routinely allow people to smile for the picture. My understanding prior to this was that if someone smiled for the shot they were ordered not to so as to get a more natural, undistorted shot of the subject. If anyone wants to claim that Tom DeLay isn't to be treated like those criminals I would have to remind them that at that stage of the process - a booking photo - they're all to be presumed innocent and all should be treated the same.

Thirty four year old George Alexander, an army sergeant, became the official 2000th U.S. military casualty in Bush's Iraq mess. I'd suggest we designate him Mr. Why 2K?, but I'm sure that he's already becoming a political football and the poor man's family and friends are going through enough. To lean too much on him would also seem to hold his 1,999 predecessors - and who knows how many to follow - in lesser esteem. Besides, I'm sure as far as this administration is concerned 2,000, 3,000 or whatever is in the end irrelevant. G.W.'s building his legacy here, folks! We're just the little people, and aren't fit to question the high ideals of people who are wealthier and more powerful than us. God speaks to the man and tells him to kill for peace. So, join up or get your kids to enlist, folks! It'll take more blood than this to mix the mortar for the Shrub's presidential library.