LEAVE IT TO PEEVER

A dollar here, a dollar there. Pretty soon....

-Bumper sticker of the week: Ask your doctor if medical advice from a television commercial is right for you.

-Quotes of the week: “WE build our computer systems the way we build our cities: over, time, without a plan, on top of ruins.” Ellen Ullman

“The law of unintended consequences governs all technological revolutions.” Joel Swerdlow

“Technology evolves so much faster than wisdom.” Jennifer Stone

-According to Forbes “cost of living extremely well index,” the price of luxuries like caviar and yachts jumped 12% in 2008. Darn.

-The AIG fiasco: This whole AIG thing is just crazy. It’s runaway capitalism at its worst. It is making money, not out of necessity, or hard work, or even a sense of honesty and responsibility, but making money for moneys sake. How much money can we make? No thought of tomorrow, what might happen by being so reckless and irresponsible. And now bonuses. Millions and millions. One has to ask, now that we are partners, how much exactly are these people worth? I’m sure we could all do what they are doing with 4-5 weeks of intensive training. Money. Money. And more money. Is a baseball player worth $20 million a year? A college football couch $2 million? A CEO $63 million? A funny thing happened on the way to the bank-we lost sight of what life is really about, that money can’t buy you happiness. Oh, sure, money can make life easier. But don’t think for a minute that the people at AIG are going to get any happiness out of using our money to live “the good life.” They won’t. It is interesting to see congress so riled up. As though they don’t do the same. Let he that casts the first stone....

-Only 37% of unemployed Americans currently collect jobless benefits, making our unemployment count ridiculously low. (Another Reganomics trick).

-Ways to waste time while you’re waiting for:

* At the doctors office, I waste time waiting for the doctor by e-mailing my congressman and senators, urging them to pass a universal heath-care bill.

* When waiting for my car to get fixed, I pretend I’m interested in buying a new one, mainly to see what kind of deal I can make. If it’s not a car dealership, I just drink coffee and read the 3 year old magazines that are available.

* In Galesburg, you have to get used to waiting on trains. This is a fun pastime, and occurs just about every time you try to drive across town. I try to guess what might be in some of the cars. So far I”ve come up with 1,254 things, all toxic.

* I hate to wait in line. I think this is a genetic defect in humans. We hate to wait, even though we are not in any big hurry. I jump from line to line, looking for the fastest. This strategy never works. The line I jump into invariably has a problem. Usually it’s the idiot in front of me, or the clerk, who I’m sure must have graduated from grade school

* I’ve been waiting for spring since Dec. 20. Finally.

* They say waiting is good practice for developing patience. I say waiting is a good reason to not pass a gun carrying law.

-In Wall Street lingo, making a buck means making $1 million.