Areas of Unrest

26 October 2000 - Evil Triumphs

QOTD: "It is not enough to be happy; it is necessary, in addition, that others not be." - Jules Renard

Reading: Herman Melville, Typee

Listening to: Eric Bogle, The Eric Bogle Songbook

It is hard to be living in a world which allows such atrocities. I'm not talking about the unrest in Cote d'Ivoire or Islamic Jihad's latest suicide bombing or the judge in Denver ordering Tattered Cover to turn over that invoice to the drug task force. I can deal with all of that. But a third consecutive World Series victory by the Source of All Evil in the Universe - I can't even bring myself to write the name.

I knew the day was doomed when I drove all the way to Azusa (nearly 40 miles away) for a meeting which had been canceled. The meeting had been organized by a civil servant who has apparently made it to his position by a method best explained in The Peter Principle. (Namely, if you recommend someone for a promotion in another organization, they become Somebody Else's Problem.) He knew I had been in Boulder until last night and knew I couldn't access my work email from there. Did it occur to him that might mean it would be a good idea to leave voicemail? No. And why not? Because he has all the intelligence of a giant sea tortoise. (I jokingly asked three people to testify to justifiable homicide.)

Boulder was better - and not just because the Mets won on Tuesday night. I got some useful work done. Not without pain, however, and after four hours of reviewing requirements I was in desparate need of aspirin, a massage, and chocolate. I also ate a couple of great meals - insalata caprese and seared ahi at Full Moon Grill on Monday night and incredibly wonderful spicy red lentils at Ras Kassa's Ethiopian Restaurant on Tuesday night. I got home in time to watch last night's depressing baseball game, but there was still hope.

Actually, I missed tonight's game since we had a Bards' meeting. I ran through one of the stories I plan to tell at our concert in Malibu in February. It went well and the feedback, which really dealt with a couple of minor points, was helpful. I've got a lot to do on the other story, though, and I'm not going to be able to make the November meeting as things look right now. The inconvenient scheduling of design reviews is, of course, the fault of the Yankees.

I had something more intelligent to write, but it's late and I'm tired and I forgot what it was. Some people would blame increasing age for these memory lapses, but I blame you know who.

Special Offer:

Ever wonder about the music I say I'm listening to? Can't hear Snakefarm or Old Blind Dogs or Pierre Bensusan on your local radio station? Well, here's your chance. In the spirit of musical evangelism I've made a mix tape of music I referred to in my margin notes over the past year. I also happen to have another mix tape handy, mostly of World Beat stuff, that I'd made for another purpose. All you have to do is send me email with your address, telling me if you want the AOU41 tape or the Worlds of Unrest tape (or both) before the end of October 2000. (The links are to playlists.) Nothing is required in return, beyond your willingness to listen. If I decide this was a successful experiment, I'll make it an annual event.