not about political commentary

I'm not political, and I'm not apolitical. I take an interest in current events, political leaders, differing approaches to resolving the world's problems, as I do in indie music and film, gourmet cooking, New Yorker fiction: I like to explore and discover, forming my own opinions, but I'm not a prosthelytizer. That's why you won't find ranting on this blog. Unless its about little stuff, like giving up my seat to old people on the bus (dont like to), or the lack of culinary imagination of the Romans (just plain close-mindedness). About the big stuff, I like to observe and slowly (glacial-slow) decide how I can reconcile my mind to what is happening in the world. Like this war in Iraq. Most people know that both Saddam's old regime, and what we (by we I mean Americans, 'cos let's face it, we're the ones who dragged everyone else into the quagmire) are doing over there is immoral and dysfunctional. There might be a better solution that is neither wholly isolationist nor aggressively interventionist. I read and try to absorb New Yorker columnist Seymour Hersh's articles, as he seems to understand and communicate what's going on there better than anyone else I've read (interview here). I can grasp the import of events, and kinda see where things are headed, but, I feel like I'm too immature to act still. I think I will probably get politically active in my 50's, when I know a thing or two. For now, I think I will just keep looking and learning. Call it Good Cop Out, whatever...

Escape Goat. This is a real knee-slapper, at least if you're me, and I am so..guess what I'm doing..The story goes like this: I habitually make fun of my sister because she's been in Italy for 10 years, and is losing her English skills (Full disclosure: So am I). We both mangle metaphors all the time and freely move between Italian and English, even within a sentence. A few months ago, I just about died laughing when she said that the people at work were making her an escapegoat. It immediately put this image in my head of my sister as a goat with ribbons in her hair and somebody gallopping off into the sunset on her...After that, I tried to find time to evoke this image whenever possible (through incessant teasing), until...I found out there really was an Escape Goat, and in the Bible no less. This is where the word scapegoat comes from, and escape goat is also acceptable (! - you will sound illiterate if you use it though, and its not worth explaining). (Escape Goat is also a record label ).

My best friend from junior high contacted me via e-mail the other day. I hadn't heard from her in at least 10 years. The way she was able to reach me is a mix of old- and new-school. She had seen some friends we had in common at a party (old school), and they gave her my e-mail (new school). And now we will exchange histories and make plans to meet in the future, which is also a nice yin-yang. And, I will be happy to see her because she's the one who first got me into listening to music from bands that you don't hear on the radio. Some very good (Echo and the Bunnymen, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Bauhaus), others not (Gene Loves Jezebel immediately springs to mind), and joined me in our first attempts at looking freaky. Thanks, Jill!!

Have a great weekend everybody!