Occupation of Independence

I take my nightly sleeping pill in the form of watching DVDs of old television westerns from the late 1950s up til 1965 or so.  Several times now I have been profoundly affected by seeing a guest give a great performance. Previously I had only known that actor as a regular on some idiot sitcom I remembered from childhood.  As a guest star, they had a real chance to show what they could do as an actor. Of course I remember the actor as the regular on the idiot sitcom. And now, to see that same actor give a great performance as the guest star... Dick York, and shame on you if your first thought was, "Hey isn't that Samantha's husband?"  From IMDB.com . It makes me feel so good to see that actor redeemed. In fact it seems to redeem the entertainment industry and the good sense of my parents' generation. At the time I always wondered how they could produce such a shabby product: sit-coms that never made me laugh; weak, clownish fathers on the sitcoms; intru

I keep wondering whether I will bother to read a single history book in my 'next life.' The reason is that I fear that reading them during my current life has been a big waste of that life. It's not that I expect the reading of history books to make me clairvoyant about the future. But it should at least help me identify fundamentally important issues and structures. If it can do that, then at least I won't waste much time on trivial or superficial things. Consider the Russia-Gate hoax. Many people might think that this is purely a partisan issue or dependent on how much you hate Trump. I hate Trump, but that seems like a secondary matter. There are more important questions. Quoting Paul Craig Roberts: The felonies committed by the CIA, FBI, and Obama Justice (sic) Department constitute no less than a coup against the president of the United States, an act of sedition and treason. Yet, those responsible might never be held accountable. Later he adds

One of the sadder chapters in a traveler's career is when they announce that it is time to 'turn in the keys.' Sometimes an outsider can see them sneak into it before they can: for instance, they buy a lot at one of the Yoostabees RV Club parks (aka, the Escapees). Then they stop kidding themselves and backslide completely into bourgeois normalcy, that is, sticks and bricks, a Sears Kenmore riding lawnmower, a Lazy Boy recliner, and discussions of window treatments. The luckier ones get to -- or choose to -- go out in a 'blaze of glory.' I finally saw on the street today what I knew was coming... That's right, it is the long-promised Jeep pickup truck. Is it even worth reading any of the usual automobile review websites to learn about this model? The only such website I like is ericpetersautos.com, and it has been blacklisted by the Higher Powers at Google. Besides, he hasn't reviewed the Jeep "Gladiator" yet. It took a small miracle,

It is getting close to peak tourist insanity in Colorado, otherwise known as the Fourth of July. Say, what do you think this guy is trying to do?    That's a full size fifth-wheel trailer. In about 100 feet he is going to encounter a giant mud pit that he probably will get stuck in. Even if he makes it through, he might knock out his black water holding tank. If his luck still holds, there are no campsites where he is headed that will hold his rig. Well maybe one. But it is likely already taken. Then again, his trailer might only be a double axle, instead of a triple axle. And he doesn't have a UTV trailer or boat trailer appending his fifth-wheel trailer. And he came in before sunset. So it's not like he is a dummy or something!   But he is going to have to back out of there... There was a time in my career as a campground host when I would have rushed down there to help the bloody fool. No more. Is that good or bad? There was a time when I would come rushing

Microsoft sent me another fan letter, informing me of the imminent end of security updates for my Windows 7 laptop, purchased in 2011. Rather than get angry at being forced into buying a Windows 10 computer -- which I really don't want -- let me try to be a good sport: 8 years is a good long life for a $250 computer. 'It doesn't owe me any money,' as the saying goes. I was shocked at how bad the laptop choices were at places you'd think would be good: Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, New Egg, and Target.  Maybe it was the websites that were poor. They can't seem to categorize sensibly. For instance, if you ask for "Windows laptops", it gives you Chromebooks. If you ask for 11.6" displays, it gives you 14" and 15" displays. If you ask for the Windows 10 operating system, it makes you dig through the entire write-up before you learn that the computer uses Windows 10 "in S mode." S mode is Microsoft's devious plan to forc