Moonday matinee

A long week, after a pretty difficult month, post extended playtime. I just finished a weekend selling art and antiques in Del Mar. Thanks to some wonderful old and new clients I managed to make a go of it and keep the wolves at bay for what is hopefully a little while. Not exceptional but I can now cover and there are times in our life when that has to be good enough.

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I heard a very poignant story the other day on NPR. They were interviewing an older woman in New York, whose neighborhood was heavily impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Two weeks out and still no electricity. Her name was Shapiro and she might have lived in Far Rockaway. Through a series of snafus with the electrician, the city still wouldn't turn the power back on.

And this woman who sounded to be in her sixties starts to break down and very quietly cry on the radio. She said that she just wanted to be a child again for a half hour and have mommy take care of everything. Just thirty minutes. To be free from the stress. She was so genuine and it was so heartfelt and beautiful and I couldn't help but shed a tear.

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Congratulations to our great neighbors the Pechanga Indians who ponied up twenty one million to kill the Liberty Quarry. A little extortion game from Granite Construction. Per agreement Granite is not allowed to site a quarry within three miles south of the old site, which is pretty much on my doorstep. Wonder if they have anything in mind? Not like there is a great need for anyway, not having enough water to even deal with our present population base.

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Brian Bilbray has lost his congressional seat. Not a great year to be the anti hispanic candidate. Perhaps this is the first crack in the Republican congressional dominance in San Diego, Scott Peters joining Susan Davis. Excellent.

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Speaking of politics, word comes down the pike that Arizona blast reader Creech wants me to go fuck myself. Anatomically impossible but thanks for the sentiment. Something about the marxist, socialist takeover. Thanks for reading anyway KC. Room for all sorts of points of view at the Blue Heron Blast.

Of course the red staters are the biggest recipients of the federal dole and pretty much besides themselves at the moment. Keep telling everybody that your opponents are parasites, this will really help you at the polls. I think you should maybe even double down.

I was reading the Charles Reich biographical interview with Jerry Garcia, Signpost to new space and Jerry says something interesting, and I paraphrase. Whenever you are engaged in a communication medium, there is a bounceback effect and people actively try to change your message. Another sixties luminary, Abbie Hoffman, lectured about the trap of getting co-opted. The trick is to not stray off your message.

When I was taking architecture classes in college I once worked on a six month long project designing a futuristic office building, down to working drawings. It was a horseshoe affair designed on a four foot grid where sections popped in and out to a varying degree. Looked very cool. I stupidly consulted with an architect who worked for our development company and changed my whole concept three weeks before the completion date.

He said that the first rule was not building monuments to our self and I ended up watering it down considerably. I eventually got a c+. Professor said that he had been planning to enter it in a nationwide design competition but I let somebody bump me off my message and instead barely passed. Learned something.

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I have been listening to more political news on Sirius Radio, toggling between Fox, CNN and MSNBC. Now I am no William Safire but I have a pretty keen ear for language. And there is a new popular verb in Washington. Redound. Maddow used it two nights ago and Krauthammer used it right after the election. If like me you would have to check the meaning for certainty you would have found this definition;

redound [rɪˈdaʊnd]
vb
1. (intr; foll by to) to have an advantageous or disadvantageous effect (on) brave deeds redound to your credit
2. (intr; foll by on or upon) to recoil or rebound
3. (intr) Archaic to arise; accrue wealth redounding from wise investment
4. (tr) Archaic to reflect; bring his actions redound dishonour upon him
[from Old French redonder, from Latin redundāre to stream over, from red- re + undāre to rise in waves, from unda a wave]

A new fashionable word, sure to spread in the coming weeks like wildfire. Maddow knew what redound meant but pronounced Jason Mraz, Jason Emraz. Can't know it all.

Great concert tomorrow night at the Belly Up. Toots and the Maytals acoustic. If you get there early, score us a table.