Occupation of Independence

  There is something to be said about taking an older dog out for a walk: you tend to go slow, you saunter. At the right place and time, this helps you think. I felt a need for such a saunter recently, at a tourist attraction in southeastern AZ. It was a playa lake that draws hordes of tourists to look at sandhill cranes. The internet reviews kept using words like 'amazing' or 'awesome' to describe the visual spectacle and the sheer number of silly birds, as if it matters where you stick the decimal point on an outdoor experience. Long-suffering readers of this blog know that I was rolling my eyes at those reviews. Walking through the crowded parking lot as sunset approached, I could hear generators running and beeping security alarms on cars. But that might be good news, because it could mean fewer people in my way. We walked toward the main area of concentration at the edge of the shallow playa lake. People seemed to be walking away from it, perhaps because of the eve

  The history of prophets is a history of people making fools of themselves. Strangely, people keep listening to them. Well then, I need to get in on this racket. I hereby prophesy that inflation and shortages will dominate the economic landscape for the rest of my life. In the media you hear that inflation is 7.5%, which doesn't sound so frightening. Then they say inflation is higher than it has been for 40 years, that is, since the Carter era. That is frightening. Clearly, they have changed the 'spreadsheet' for calculating inflation. And why shouldn't they? It will reduce the cost-of-living allowance to pensioners and employees. Inflation happens when the government has turned money into a cheat. Why shouldn't a government that runs a fake-money operation also put out fake statistics? How long will it be before Big Tech censors people who use the awful word, inflation? For awhile, people will learn to get around the censorship by substituting, the 'I word&#

This year there have been more mountain bikes on the desert trails than I have ever seen before. You need experience with this place to really appreciate it. The campers seem higher quality than elsewhere, especially with generators and noisy motorsports stuff. Yesterday there were three people and a dog walking around a local picturesque rock. Lots of people have actually walked by camp. This just didn't happen years ago! I never understood why boondocking was so popular -- most people didn't even come out of their rigs. What were doing in there all day -- watching the Weather Channel? Getting ready for the next potluck? But now, for whatever reason, it is suddenly better. Somebody suggested that the improvement might be due to the MTB Project app including the local two-track roads as "trails." It is a beautiful surprise. I want to appreciate it to the fullest. I want to wallow in it. Maybe that means visualizing it as an efflorescence that is more important and p

Was it back in the 1970s that Steven Spielberg came out with the spooky truck movie, "Duel"? I guess that was considered his first success. What made me want to rewatch that movie?   I wonder if Trudeau has seen it?   

Overall, getting a new dog is a great experience. But it can certainly turn your life upside-down at the beginning. I had given up on F#^Ck#@ng rescue organizations. But county or city animal shelters were still a possibility. If only they would practice "ethnic" cleansing on their inventory. [eyes rolling]  The new push was in the direction of phoenix craigslist>community>pets. Its selection of pets was weird. I was determined not to get sucked into any scam artist who wanted a deposit from me to hold my dog, since of course "they would be having lots of other calls." So, I took the plunge. She was 70% of what I thought would be perfect. When does the world give you 100%? Almost instantly she got on my lap in the driver's seat and gave me a kiss. Hey, we were in the big city and there were pet-store big-boxes around, so why not take her shopping?   Yes, she is a miniature poodle, about 17 pounds, and 4 years old. And she ain't no stinkin' doodle o