Elevation

I was watching Mad Men and started tripping out on all the people who are depicted in the show as having jobs as elevator attendants-- you know, they open and close the door and push the floor buttons so other, mainly upper-middle class white people, don't have to struggle with reaching forward and pressing something.

What's tripping me out is that at some point in this country, there was enough money in this economy to hire people to do even that crappy of a job. I know it's a pretty silly job and it's not like it's necessarily needed, but somewhere along the line, all the companies that had one decided that it's a cost that needed to be cut. So where and to what did all of that saved money go to? Did it go to create more, better paying jobs? Did it go to give employees better salaries because way back in the 50's and 60's people weren't making enough? Or did it go into profits and bonuses and what not?

Hmmm........I wonder....

Want to Take You To...Shantytown

We were at the Ferry Building last weekend on a nice, somewhat lovely day and after drinking wine and eating bread and cheese, we decided to grab some incredible coffee and head on out into the sunshine, grab a bench, and look out over the Bay. There was a slight problem, however, in that once we stepped outside, we were greeted by a street musician loudly playing in front of everybody so that no matter where you sat, you'd still be able to hear her. Now, this can be all fine and dandy if the street musician was good but in no way, shape or form could this street musician be described as good. Among other things, she played an accordion. And sang along to that accordion badly-- very, very badly-- and sung songs that were completely unknown as they were completely illegible.

Now it is pretty much impossible to make nice, relaxing, beautiful music with an accordion. The only people who like music made from accordions are Pirates and Italian maitre d's in cartoons. Yet this woman took it upon herself to serenade tens of people in a nice, pretty place with a pretty view in front of a nice, somewhat fancy-shmancy shopping thingamabob. A nice, pretty place with a pretty view that, I might add, features outdoor seating for the fish restaurant there. To say this was a buzzkill would be a vast understatement. I should also add that the woman in question was young-ish and flashing the very latest in punk/homeless fashion complete with an assymetrical haircut giving one the impression that this was some sort of punkish maneuver too-- punk being predicated on the belief that anybody could make music, even if they had not a dollop of talent as it's more about attitude and heart than skills and ability. Or it could be some sort of arty/indie musician thing much like the guy in college who thought he was cooler than everyone because he listened to Edith Piaf. And nothing says twee more like an accordion and the kids do love their cutesy, indie, thoroughly annoying twee bands.

So basically, what we have here is an arty, punker, possibly homeless woman with an accordion seeing a bunch of indecipherable songs in front of shoppers, eaters, and resters. And nobody seemed to mind. Or notice. Or say anything. I think.

We walked out and upon seeing her and hearing her, decided to grab a bench far, far away from where she was. I did notice that the benches were a little clearer nearer her than further away from her but not that noticeably and there were still people enjoying a perfectly nice if albeit sonically raped oyster lunch. Did they care? Did the store owners care? Did the taste police care? As we sat there, she went on and on and on so nobody did much of anything for awhile. Was it because we were the only one's to find her music dreadful or were people just too polite to actually bring the fuzz in to stop her? Or was it just that everyone was being totally San Franciscan and thinking that we could say something but that would be a drag, man.

And you know what? As much as she sucked, I still kinda have to give her my props. Girl has balls. Big, bouncy, rock solid balls.

You go, girl. Just not anywhere near me.

Around the Dial

The Giants, who are in a pennant race, are playing their games right now on the east coast so the games take place around the time I go to the gym. I would love to be able to listen to the game at the gym, which would give me more motivation to actually go to the gym, but it's not possible for me to actually do so. Neither the iPod or the iPhone will allow you to listen to the radio, or at least sports on the radio.

The funny thing is that way back in the pre-iEverything days, you could actually listen to the games. Those discmans that you could buy often came with radio presets so you could do things like go to the gym and listen to baseball. Our recent technological doohickies don't have that capability. So, we've somehow gotten to the point where I could be dropped somewhere in Albania and find the closest dim sum place, read reviews about it and get directions to it but I can't do something as basic as listen to a baseball game.

I can, however, get pinged with the final score whenever the game ends which is pretty cool.

Crazy Like a Fox

I'm sure you've heard the story out today that Obama is planning on giving some sort of "stay in school/study real hard/don't spend all day on Facebook" broadcast to all the kiddies on September 8th and all the Conservatives are up in arms in fear that Obama will really say "The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains...Workingmen of all countries, unite!" or "The Negro revolution is controlled by foxy white liberals, by the Government itself." This, of course, is preposterous, insane, stupid, and ignorant to say all of this especially in light of the fact that every President since like, ever (or at least as long as there was video hookup) has done the same thing.

The question, of course, is just what the hell is up with all this insanity we've been seeing over the summer? Have conservatives officially gone full-retard? Or is it all some sort of nefarious plot?

It's a plot

Here's what I think is going on- Conservatives have decided to intentionally throw so much stupidity, craziness, and bat shit insanity that at some point all of us sane, rational, intelligent people on the left will just grow so dispirited by the whole thing that after banging our heads against the table too many times, we all decide to throw in the towel, give up, and just accept the fact that we're friggin' doomed and either drink ourselves silly until the Chinese take over or declare ourselves political exiles in some Scandinavian country (when people tell me it can't be done I say that all I would have to do is show them some videos of a Town Hall meeting or any episode of Glen Beck and and tell them "see, you live in a country like that?" and that should probably work).

If you need an example of just what they're doing, think of Terrell Owens. Owens plays on a team and then decides that for whatever reason, he doesn't like where he is anymore and decides to act like a jackass to get himself out from where he is. So he calls the QB gay, answers cell phone calls on the sidelines, holds out for more money and holds a press conference from his drive way while doing push ups. The team that he plays for eventually has to decide whether to give TO what he wants (trade him) or try and work with him in hopes he doesn't eventually take the team down with him. The conservatives are TO and and we, the sane part of the American Democratic Experiment, are the 49ers/Eagles/Cowboys.

This is plan is especially potent in light of the fact that one of the reasons we all took joy in Obama was that it showed, or at least we hope it showed, that adults had finally taken over the country and that we, as a country, will finally have an intelligent, enlightened debate about the myriad of problems facing the country, all led by a calm, intelligent, deeply rational President who for some misbegotten notion, thought he could talk to us like adults.

And there goes that.

Oh, and TO usually winds up getting what he wants.

When you think of the Great Depression, you always think about those images of those poor Okies getting thrown off their land and into John Steinback novels or all those men in suits in line at a food kitchen waiting for food. So what images will we think of when we consider the current economic calamity? How about this-- middle aged male pacing in the patio of a coffee shop in the middle of the afternoon, talking business on an ear piece attached to his iPhone. Or the guy at the unemployment office on hold with the unemployment people, typing away on his blackberry.

Or me, surfing the web on a bus on the way to an interview.

...don't hate...