Ah, the desert. After a 7 hour flight, we landed in Bakersfield and my wife asked me sarcastially, "Don't you feel homesick?" However, the next day, my brother pointed out something incredibly interesting. As he put it, "This is the only place in the world where when you say your last name, people don't ask, 'Do you know Calls in the colonies or in Starr Valley?" Instead, they ask, 'Oh, are you related to Chuck and Almina Call? When you mention your mother's maiden name, they don't just shrug it off, they ask, 'Oh, are you related to Don Soelberg?'" He's right. Bakersfield is the ancestral homeland. I grew up in a town that knew nothing about my family. Being Mike Call's son meant nothing. As such, I've never known what it was like to be known by others without knowing them, of having a web of connections to so many different people in a city. I've heard about well-known families in towns, but my family was always a transplant. Being in Bakersfield, I caught a glimpse of what it is like to be from a well-regarded family in town. I liked it. One of the siblings must move to Bakersfield, so I can send my kids there for the summer where they will meet other well-known Bakersfield families and can talk about things like I hear my wife's family talk about Monticello. Bakersfield is the Call's Monticello except that both my parents come from there, and both families are well-established. Currently, I have two sets of aunts and uncles, a married cousin, two unmarried cousins and a grandmother on the Soelberg side living in Bakersfield and a grandfather, one aunt and uncle, one married cousin and one unmarried cousin on the Call side. There's so much family there, and more family threatens to move there yearly. So, I was wondering what my experience would be coming back after ten years. As it turned out, the experience was completely positive and I felt a tug to move to the California desert. I don't think we will. But it's not as far out a possibility as it was a week ago. There's something fascinating about a Western desert town and it's hard to place what it is. But going out at night under the palm trees and the stars and not worrying about being mugged was a beautiful experience. Bakersfield, I shall no longer slander thee. She's my roots.
Next item of business. Simple point. If there's one thing that a cemetery should do, above all else, is dig graves and dig them on time. Everything else is secondary. That's all I'm gonna say.
Next: My boss published an op-ed in the NY Times about welfare reform. The point of the article was to point out that, while every celebrates the success of welfare reform, it hasn't been as great a success as people claim. For example, about half who leave welfare do not work and rely on other forms of government assistance. The interesting thing about the article was that it didn't really take a hard line position. It merely pointed out that welfare reform was not a complete success and that we need to continue to talk about how to best serve the poor populations. However, comments about the piece in the blog-o-sphere and the letters to the editor made me wonder if there was some diabolical meaning in the op-ed. I read it again. Nope. Positions that commentators attributed to Besharov are nowhere to be seen in the piece. Now I realize why the political discussions are so poisoned any more. Few policy people/advocates seem to be able to read a piece and discern it's meaning without employing a perspection skewed by preconceived notions about the author and the author's political leanings. Those critical of the piece would comment that, "Noted conservative Doug Besharov..." Somehow people deduced from this piece that Besharov was advocating getting rid of food stamps and WIC and all other means-tested programs, instead of merely mentioning them as benefits poor non-working adults still receive. It is impossible to have a debate of ideas if both sides continually employ straw men and ad hominim attacks to try and prove their point. It's okay to agree with someone from the other side every once in a while. It's okay to compromise. It's amateurish to attribute a false position to someone to get a leg up in the debate. Understand what someone else is saying and then attack the arguments. Seems simple, but I thnk both sides refuse to do it. Because of this, people can't talk politics.
Next: Sufjan: He's a good writer. I'm really liking Illinoise. Muse: What a band. That's all you can really say. Even if you hate the bombast, you have to recognize that they are trying things that no other current band really tries. My only criticism is that in some ways it seems a little overproduced, specifically Matt's vocals on Soldier's Poem and on other tracks. He's got one of the best voices in rock. Don't alter it, or overdub with 50 other Matt tracks. It's irritating. Also, some of the songs seem similar to songs on the previous album. What's incredible is that while one track can sound like Head Music-era Suede, the following can sound like a Depeche Mode track. And it's all vintage Muse. I think that Hoodoo and Knights of Cydonia really sum up what Muse is. Hoodoo features some cool piano crashing and Knights of Cydonia is the pull-out-all-the-stops epic that sounds like a movie soundtrack. Is it as good as Absolution? I don't know yet. Absolution is an absolute masterpiece. Black Holes and Revelations is excellent, but I think it might not make it to the upper echelon. That being said, it tromps on most of the competition out there. Just drives it into the ground and beats it around the head.
Next: The FDA is disgusting. I love how they cave to opposite political pressure. The interim head honcho claimed that he was not pressured to hold off making Plan B non-prescription. But he's totally caving to liberal pressure to make it non-prescription now so that he can be approved by the Senate. Disgusting. The last things we need is another way for people to absolve themselves of personal responsbility. Welcome to Brave New World, you morons. Sheesh, sex is now only for sex's sake. Why should anyone use any birth control or inhibition if they can just take a pill in the next 72 hours? Why should any one ever worry about the responsibility that sex demands? Stupid. So stupid. I'm so glad they made an age limit, because that's really stopped kids from drinking and smoking. I'm pretty darn sure that when a 16 year old girl has sex with her boyfriend, she'll figure out a way to get Plan B. Welcome to a new age in promiscuity.
There was something else I wanted to write about but it has slipped my mind. Too bad.
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