The Goodness of Even-numbered Years ... Or Not

I have always believed the best years were those where the year number can be evenly divided by 2.  I have also believed the best years to be those in which my age could be divided by 2.

Sadly, those don't completely coincide.

Which could explain why my best times seem to be in even numbered years before my birthday, or in odd-numbered years after.  Since my birthday falls in the first quarter, the very best times should come during odd-numbered years beginning in Q2.

If any of that pure superstition rings true then 2015 beginning in April should be one of the good times.

And I will appreciate the break.  Not that things have been bad for me personally - the most I can claim is to being a little adrift of my goals, and to experiencing (for the first time really) that inevitable physical decline that comes with accumulated years hanging around Planet Earth.

No, not too bad for me personally, but by association I've suffered in sympathy with others the stream of body blows the people of the world have taken in 2014.  Although none have been Tyson-esque knockdowns like the Earthquake/Tsunami combination punches in 2004 and 2011, the 2014 pummeling has seemed relentless, and enough to have us drooping in the corner attended by a frowning and skeptical cut man.

And a few of the blows have been real brain-rattlers, bad enough to raise fears of dementia on a global, societal scale.  I'm thinking Ukraine and the public unveiling of Putin's New Russian Empire, the flare-up of long simmering suspicion and intransigent hatred in Palestine, ISIL/ISIS/IS in Syria and Iraq, the Ebola outbreak, and the ongoing economic malaise that threatens to undermine a livable life for so many.

Those and all the associated jabs and gut punches that accompanied mean we need a good 2015 - or at least a few rounds respite during the year.

So, may I wish anyone who stumbles across this writing if not a Happy, then at least a Happier New Year in 2015, with a chance to heal a bit and catch your breath; maybe even a chance to effect some repairs and to even improve a little after the rubble of 2014 is cleared away.

You Need the break, and You Deserve it.

Me? ... I'm counting on the final 3/4th's of 2015

Neverending Stories

There are some tales that come back again and again, or that come and just won't go away ...

Limited Engagement - We're BAA-ACK!  In Iraq, that is.  It seems like only yesterday we left thinking the Iraqi Army was in good shape to control their own destiny.  How silly of us to be so hopeful.  Now we are involved in 'limited' air attacks on fighters and weapons of the Islamic State (IS).  I don't know about the rest of you, but I wish they'd change that acronym back to ISIS or something, since 'IS' brings to my mind images of the bored voices at the end of a tech support call.   The Prez tells us there will be no resumption of US forces on the ground in Iraq, but, well ..., if we really want Iraq to NOT be a medieval theocratic rogue state and/or carved into three pieces that's exactly what we might have to do.

You First ... No, You First - As it ever was, the Muddle East continues to prove the toughest worldwide political nut to crack, most likely because there is so much at stake for the participants.  After a 3-day cease fire in which both sides licked their wounds, buried their dead, and sorted through the rubble of their neighborhoods - all much worse for the Gazans but a toll for the Israelis too, the violence resumed.  Israel says Hamas (Leaders of Gaza and a certified Terrorist group, according to Israel and the US) fired rockets even before the cease fire officially ended.  Hamas denied this but followed on with dozens of rockets, I guess to make a point or because they buy them in batches and  need to use up the remnants.  With that Israel walked out of the Egyptian-brokered peace talks, stating they would not return until Hamas 'cut it out with those rockets already, enough is enough!'  Immediately Hamas said it would not cut it out with those rockets unless Israel came back to the table with concessions Hamas wants, like the ability to cross into Egypt and into Israel freely.  That last bit is not going to seem like a smart idea to the Israelis who've just finished destroying tunnels Hamas fighters used to sneak into Israel.  On the other hand, Hamas doesn't have much reason to negotiate if Israel doesn't give them something they can show their people was worth all the bloodshed to get.  Not good positions from which to start peace talks.  Just like always, it seems.

Run, Hilary, Run - There's something about people in general that makes us wish to form dynasties.  I guess when we get something that seems good, we want to perpetuate it, even if that something is Bill Clinton and the 'good' looks better in hindsight than it did at the time, and even if perpetuating it means electing the former first lady, Senator, and Secretary of State, Hilary. She's only run for President once before, so the part of this story that is neverending is probably Bill Clinton.  OK, he was a democratic President and he helped swing the needle back from its conservative setting under Reagan, but not as far as it should have, and besides he had the self-control of a barnyard rooster.  Hilary would seem fresher without him and those of us with long memories wouldn't have to suffer the PTSD caused by that whole saga of the intern and the cigar. So, Run, Hilary, Run, but leave Bill in the barnyard and maybe the Clinton story will be neverending (in a good way).

Contagion 2014

I believe it's time to conclude that technological ability has finally and completely outstripped logic and common sense.  Exactly when clinical calm is needed, we go a little crazy in an overly-confident-in-our-own-abilities sort of way. 

I mean, we've recently proven we can't even keep track of deadly smallpox samples from the 70's, vials of which turned up in some sort of forgotten government lab storage room within spitting distance of Congress.  So what makes us think we are capable of safely transporting Ebola-infected patients from Central Africa all the way to Atlanta? Think of all the things that could go wrong.  Look at the people falling ill with the disease in Nigeria, spread from an infected patient who had been (supposedly) isolated.  Are we so blind to think we are infallible (queue the tape on those smallpox vials)?

It's hard to imagine it being better to bring these patients all the way to the US rather than transporting a medical team and appropriate equipment to Africa.  Or do we have tools we can't or don't want to share?  There have been reports of an experimental medicine being given to the two patients in Atlanta - a medicine which has not yet been approved and is in vanishingly short supply (or so we are told).  I guess we don't want the thousands at risk in Africa to get the idea we can save them.

One of the core principles of epidemiology formulated since the late 1800s tells us that at a minimum you absolutely do not move sick people to unaffected population areas.  It is ethically unforgivable to expose unsuspecting people and risk a widening of the outbreak.

But then again this is 2014, and US Scientists have been working on Ebola since the late 80s.  In the mid-1990s they discovered the lethal factor in Ebola, and this new miracle medicine was devised by generating antibodies to cloned components of the virus.  Its clear somebody's been driving research into a very rare, geographically isolated (well, it was) virus with some clear purpose in mind; and that purpose was not making money in the clinic (with so few outbreaks normally you'd never sell enough).

Maybe in that light this is a golden opportunity for all those people who've worked all these years to show what they can do.  Epidemiology (and logic) be damned!

Dropping Ballast

You may have read in the news last week that a prominent West Coast Biotech has decided to close two of its locations in the US and cut 15% of its workforce, mostly affecting US staff.  And it announced this move in the same press conference in which it reported excellent earnings.

You may also have noticed that stock market analysts cheered the announcement and investors responded to move the company's shares to an all-time high, if only for a brief while.

That response may be because it is Business 101 to manage profit in a more tightly competitive market where sales may increase more slowly than before by cutting the bottom line, meaning staff and infrastructure.  But when that bottom line move guts communities and leaves skilled workers on the sidewalk it's a painfully sad event (even if the push out the door is done with velvet gloves, it's still a push).

It's even sadder when the hammer falls harder on US workers than the company's foreign workforce, especially considering the US is still that company's number 1 market, and likely to be so for some time to come.

Even so, this company is just doing what is considered the best way for a business to operate today; nothing unusual at all.  But that is precisely why this move bothers me so much - that businesses consider this standard procedure.

Consider there are two ways to manage the situation this West Coast Bio faced: What they did - cut costs ahead of need; or, use their excellent earnings to buy some time to figure out how to better utilize those US locations and staff to make the company even stronger and more competitive.

To take the second path involves some complex thinking and planning, and then execution.  Taking the first path is easy, and I guess that at least partly explains the decision. But there's more to it I think.  There's the impression that this company - like many modern corporations, considers only the Board of Directors and Executive Management to be 'the company', with employees just resources to add or drop like ballast.

Peril in the Air

The passengers were by this time well settled-in to the rhythm of the flight:  most were watching movies or playing games on the inflight entertainment screens; some were probably trying to sleep or if that failed get some work done or catch up on a book.  Children - getting perhaps a little bored and restless, were needing the attention of Moms and Dads.  The crew went about their jobs as competently and politely as they could. They'd done this a thousand time before. Routine.

If you were in business or first, you might be up stretching your legs and enjoying a drink in the lounge.  But, whether enjoying the luxury available beyond economy class, or weathering the practicalities of the cheaper seats, you were inextricably linked to your fellow travelers.  Linked in your dependence on machinery continuing to defy gravity and basic nature; linked in your frail mortality; and linked in common fate marked by the trail of a rocket as it rose, unheeded, to meet you.

The rocket came without sound; without warning of any kind.  One moment everything was as normal and mundane as any flight could be; the next, a sudden concussion, chaotic ripping wind, and blackness.  If you managed to remain conscious it would have been for moments only, as after the heat swiftly would have come breathlessness and killing cold.

The passengers who shared a common fate over Ukraine never knew who killed them, or why.  The distinction of whether the pro-Russian separatists or even Russians themselves did the deed has no power to undo it. The victim's cares have moved on, leaving their families and friends to grieve, and politicians to threaten each other and send blame flying everywhere but where it truly belongs.

There is nothing any of the living can do for those who died on that Malaysian Airlines flight, except to put an end to the fighting that put an end to them.

And, when you are taking your next flight and have settled in with a book, or a movie, or are about to drift off to sleep, stop for a quiet moment and think what it might be like if your plane was suddenly torn apart by violent men with hate and a rocket.  When you do, you'll be in momentary solidarity with those who fell over Ukraine.

Remember

Independence 2014

In a matter of hours we'll be celebrating our Day of Independence here in the USA.  We celebrate with our families and friends, over food and drink; watching fireworks in the evening after a day spotting warplanes as they fly-by.

Its an old tradition, and - as happens with Christmas, we tend to focus on the fun and forget some of the meaning.

But we shouldn't let this happen to arguably the most important US National Holiday of them all.  We need to remember exactly what Independence means and why we must keep it.

So, when dawn rises on July 4, 2014,  I will spend some time reflecting on the bravery of the founders of this Republic, and the close calls that could have ended the experiment before it began, because it was a close thing, folks.

I will also reflect on the dangers now threatening our Independence, and none of them involve being taken over by another country, or people, or culture.  Our dangers come entirely from within, forced upon ourselves by domestic spying, irreparably divisive politics, and moral disconnects like gun-fans who equate Independence with the ability to stand their ground, no matter what.  Dangers come from crazy rulings that corporations are people and can have religious beliefs and spend unlimited money in elections.  And from government vendettas against investigative journalism - Egypt may imprison news crews but so do we.

We've had times of danger to our independence before, and we've always survived them.  The time since September 2001 has been particularly bad, though, and the threats have been unrelenting to the point that survival of our Independence is in doubt.

The Patriot Act - so named to make anyone considering voting against its intrusive provisions appear treasonous, started us off under a wall of fear.  And it has only gotten worse.  Even our progressive President and his Democratic Party have drunk the  koolaid and invaded our privacy. Put people on watch-lists and no-fly lists on meager evidence with no viable means of redress.  Even killed American citizens overseas without due process.

Its not looking good, folks.  Independence in American is down on one knee and is having trouble rising back up. And now that good knee is looking a little shaky too.

So on July 4, 2014, remember that our founders rebelled against Britain not because they particularly wanted America to be a separate county, but because the British government - their own government - had taken away a measure of their Independence, and they wanted it back.

Spend some time thinking about that and the state of our Independence today; where its headed, and what that may mean for you and your family.  Practice your right to Independent ideas and reflect.  It may be an increasingly rare opportunity.

Mistakes of Logic

The clear window of sound logical reasoning is perhaps the greatest tool available to the human mind.  It helps us decipher truth from supposition, and helps us predict the consequences of actions.

Sadly, logical reasoning - often called 'thinking critically', is a seldom and poorly-applied instrument in the realms of government and law, where you'd think they should be most abundantly and expertly employed.

Hobbling Logic at Hobby Lobby

Take for instance, the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision just announced.  In a 5-4 decree, the court agreed that a private, for-profit company could be excluded based on religious belief from the requirement to pay for emergency birth control as a feature of its government-mandated health insurance.  The majority of the Justices appear to feel that this is justified since birth control is controversial and opposition to it could be a strongly held religious belief.  They said that this decision would not impact other provisions of the health insurance law that mandate other controversial services, but let's examine that logically:

What difference would there be?  That opposition to birth control is a more strongly-held religious belief than other concerning provisions? 

I would be willing to bet you can find people who are as upset about other clauses in the healthcare laws. 

And what about belief systems that say the only healing you should receive comes from God and not from medicine?  Or that only alternative medications and therapies based on strong religious and cultural beliefs are correct and not western medicine?  

Logically, the arguments are the same, and if the right to allow an exclusion based on religion is right in one case, it's logically right in every case.  

Logic is destroyed by biased interpretation - if your personal concern is a dislike of birth control, that's what you seek to exempt on religious grounds. And you make up illogical reasons why the same exclusion does not apply to other mandated procedures and services. But logically, if any one provision can be excluded based on religion, then any of them can. 

Certainly the precedent will be now be set for court cases testing each and every one of the provisions.

Also missing from the Court's decision was any logical consideration of the rights of the employees.  Those working for Hobby Lobby will not have access to the same coverage as those working for other companies.  As the arguers for the Hobby Lobby decision claimed, the company's workers might be able to get birth control from some other path, but that doesn't change the fact that their beliefs are not being considered while the beliefs of the company's owner hold sway.  This makes no logical sense considering the health services are for the individual worker's benefit, not the company's.  A company does not and can not receive birth control; that service applies only to its individual workers.

The Sterling Conundrum

The LA Clippers ownership debacle is another example, with less impact on society but no less illogical.  

You may recall that owner Donald Sterling was purged from participating in the National Basketball Association based on the leak to the press of racist comments he made in private conversations.  Part of that purge included pressure on him to sell the Clippers to another party, but this was something he didn't want to do and vowed to fight the move.

Enter the plan for his ex-wife and co-owner to have him declared unfit based on diminished capacity and forge a deal without his permission.

So, where's the logical mistake here?  Well, simply this:  if Donald Sterling is suffering from diminished mental capacity, then couldn't his racist remarks be the result of that mental deterioration? If so, then he is suffering an illness and should not have been excluded from the League and forced to sell.  On the other hand, if he is not mentally deficient, then he can't be excluded from decisions on the sale of the team.  

It's either one or the other, logically speaking, but our disgust at his rants have biased us against him, and make us willing to listen to specious and illogical arguments being used to disenfranchise him.  We don't like him so we suspend logic, but that isn't the way decisions should be made.  Of course, that's the way decisions are made all the time. 

It's human nature to look for loopholes in logic to suit our biases, but - logically, there are no such things ...

 

Waiting To Go

The hours before a momentous departure lead to introspection.  As I type this the anti-malarials I started a few hours ago are slowly saturating my blood and turning me inhospitable to Plasmodium (it is hoped).  This drug combo also lightens the head and could be fuzzing my thoughts, but I must 'speak' anyway.

You see, my Uncle passed away last week, after a run of 92 years.  We all thought he'd glide through 100 still motoring around his beloved Island, but life ran out and the ticket's been punched for his last great voyage. Near the end, he was more than ready to go, I'm told.  Tired and not interested in fighting for another day.  He'd been through a tough surgery with complications that ensured he'd never go home again.  Instead, he went to rehab and then hospice, and then ... just gone.

The last few weeks of his life, he was just waiting to go.

I can hear you commenting that this man had a long life, and that we should all be so lucky.  And I can't disagree.

But I miss him, and as I find myself waiting to go on another kind of voyage, I can't help but feel a commonality.  After all, we'll all follow him sooner or later.

Memorial Wings

It's a quiet Monday here in Los Angeles, with most of the city relaxing over one more barbecue with friends.

Or it would be quiet if there weren't the periodic drone of old piston-driven props overhead, as a squadron of WWII-era dive bombers or T-6 trainers make the Memorial Day requisite fly-by of military machinery.

Something about an old plane pleases me more than seeing a B-2 sneak its stealthy (but not that quiet) way overheard, but I still wonder why we have to beat the drum.

After all, this day is meant to remember the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in our wars - and the sacrifices made by their families, friends, and of the greater societies to which they belonged.  When one of our young men and women die in service, a ripple effect alters many lives.

It is that importance of every life and the dearness of the sacrificing of those lives that we should be honoring and remembering today, not the glorification of the wars and war machinery that took those lives away.

April Stumbles into May

A touch of rain... barely; then a foreshadowing blast of high Summer heat borne on the Santa Ana winds, then breezy cooling from the always chilly-'round-here Pacific.

That was how April saw us into May here in Los Angeles.

Or, at least that's how my memory pieces the time together. If I am getting it a little wrong, I should be forgiven. I had other things to think about: family mostly, with all the usual cares that parenthood brings, and work (and there's never been a time I've felt more grateful to be saying that), but also 'World Events'.

'World Events' is quite a bucketful of topics these days, right?  Russia dining on the Ukraine like a colossal mutant housefly dines on a lump of sugar. Syria - merging into the news background while Russia holds the stage, quietly (to us) continuing to destroy itself as the World watches nervously.  Our long-term houseguest Afghanistan keeps vomiting on our carpet but we can't seem to get him out the door, while our ex-roomie Iraq seems bent on erasing the meager few hopeful things we left for him to remember us.

And what would 'World Events' be without another Middle East Peace Snafu as part of the mix?  Just when Mr. Kerry is doing what passes as his best to reboot the reboot of the 'peace process', the Palestinian factions decide to kiss and make up, bringing in a partner Israel just can't get jiggy with.  Where it all goes from here is heartbreakingly predictable, and I'm beginning to think there is no real will on either side to find a solution that doesn't include either the utter annihilation or essential subjugation of one of the sides.  The impasse seems so very deep and wide that not even the ghost of Evel Kneivel on a winged and turbocharged Hayabusa could jump it.

But not even these weighty matters could overshadow the momentous news that Stephen Colbert was going to replace David Letterman on the Late Show.

When that news hit I found out by the flurry of texts I received from my wife.  She is all for it.  Me, I'm a little down since I've come to see the Colbert Report as one of the two non-sports shows I'd continue to watch even if it was broadcast by vampires and cost me a pint of blood per episode.  The change feels like an abandonment to me, and I fear the Late Show format will lobotomize the remnants of the Colbert character we've all come to love and laugh with.

In any case, April is over and we are stumbling through May.  There weren't enough April showers here to bring a real bloom of May flowers, but we can all hope this month will be chill enough to cool the heads of the World's decision makers, and we can make it into June with a little less worry and a touch more optimism.

The Tides of March

March 2014 has been interesting ...

Back in The USSR, Playing Chess - The Ukrainians, at least those living in and around Kiev, decided their future should involve closer ties to the West and not Russia, so they forced out their elected leader who'd chosen to spoon with Russia instead. Looked good for a brief moment for the Ukraine and its people, but like many moves on a chessboard it appeared superb only until the opposition made its move.  'Pro-Russian' (but NOT Russian, they exclaimed) troops, masked and without discernable insignia, and strangely well-organzied for a sudden opportunistic action, quickly surrounded all Ukrainian military bases in the Crimea.  Then also very quickly the Crimean parliament (the region was semi-autonomous, like Scotland only without kilts and the inscrutable accents) arranged a referendum for Crimea to declare itself independent, while at the same time petitioning Russia (aka Vladimir Putin) to take them in. Whew!  That's more action in a short time than the US Congress could ever manage, even with advance planning.  No wonder our government was caught on the back foot by this speed of action. Before we knew it, the game was over, no moves left for us that could win, left to angle for a draw instead of conceding abject defeat.  This tale has one caution to the Crimeans and one moral for us:  be careful what you wish for, because it might come with borscht-induced gastritis; and, never play chess with a Russian, unless you are built of silicon and your name is Deep Blue.

Mystery Over Malaysia - In our modern tracked-from-birth-to-death world, where radar pings every moving thing above 500 feet and satellites can spot a medium sized truck from space, we just don't expect to lose something as big as a Boeing 777.  So how on earth could we possibly lose track of Malaysian airlines flight MH370 and its ill-fated souls?  The mystery of where this giant of a plane went has dragged on for weeks now, reaching the point where some less credible pundits are suggesting alien intervention or some Bermuda-triangle like event.  Evidence suggests the plane was deliberately diverted from its planned course, but why? Nobody who might have a real clue is talking, so its left to the rest of us to wonder and to fervently hope for the innocent people caught up in this nightmare.

Rumble and Choke - Our leaders here in California tell us we are in a drought, but not so bad yet that we need mandatory water rationing.  I don't know, but its been pretty damned dry this 'Winter', and last year was no deluge either, but, hey, we'll take the relaxed attitude for now and watch our lawns wither, and our skies fill up with smoke from the inevitable fires.  And maybe some dust kicked up by the recent March earthquakes (biggest so far of 5.1) rumbling around parts of Orange County.  The cluster of quakes sit on one fault in a web of faults that criss-cross the state, feeding into and out of the Mother Fault, the San Andreas.  When the ground shifts, dust rises into the air. Consumption be done about it? Of cough not! (apologies Woody).

This March we could basically forget about the Ides and focus instead on the whole enchilada.  It's been an interesting lesson in the chessiness of World Politics; a reaffirmation that mysteries can still happen (sadly in the case of Flight MH370), and a reminder that those who live in Paradise will eventually feel the Earth move - and not in a good way.  Happy April, everyone!

Numbers

What's in a number?

Today I heard a couple of numbers that caught my attention:

45% of men will get cancer, and

35% of women will.

Think about that for a moment while you are with your friends and family.  Nearly half of all the men in your circle of friends are statistically likely to face cancer, most likely prostate cancer.  Over a third of all the women you care about are at risk, mainly from breast cancer.

And yet, my impression is that cancer is rising but still affects only a relative few.  That if we don't smoke and abstain from binge drinking our risk is very low.  I'll bet that's your impression too.

But those numbers say our impressions are dead wrong.

I heard another set of numbers on the news as well.  70% of young men and women in Greece are unemployed - whether they have a college degree or not.  The overall jobless rate exceeds 40%.

Take a moment to wrap you head around that.  Now add on top of that unemployment, the austerity budget the Greek government had to adopt to get EU bailout money.

Now stop a moment and figure what the current odds are for a Greek man: about half are likely to be unemployed and doomed to face cancer too.

No wonder the news reports say the Greeks are depressed.

So why am I telling you about these depressing numbers?  Am  I depressed? Am I Greek?  (No and No)

I give these numbers for your consideration, because they mean so much but we pay so little attention to them.  They come at us in the news, fast but not furious, as if meant to draw us in but then allow us to easily forget and move on to lighter fare.

Let's try to remember the important numbers we hear in 2014.  A lot may count on it.

Isolationist Me?

World politics has never been an easy concept for me to grasp.  The interconnectivity that runs behind the confrontational scenes and in parallel reality to the harsh public words is difficult to comprehend, but nonetheless is there.

How the US can have so many economic ties to China and still shake a public stick at them over the squabbles with Japan amazes me.  But I just don't get those multiple facets of business and diplomacy.

So, it shouldn't surprise anyone if I say that I'm tending towards isolationism these days.

Not the old-fashioned kind, though, in which we hide inside our borders and don't engage at all.  More of a revised model, in which we engage culturally and economically but drop the Team American World Police attitude.

I feel this way based on the observation that we don't get things right that often.  We might actually make events worse through our actions than if we didn't do anything at all.

I say it also because I am starting to believe that the main reason there is such opposition to World Trade agreements and the like is not so much the economic aspects but the power-politics involved.  No agreement ever seems to be just about making money and creating jobs, two concepts few people can really complain about.  There always seem to be power and influence additions that sour the deal for many of us.

So, can we actually have an economic and cultural open house, while keeping our noses out of other countries internal affairs?  Can we buy VWs and sell Fords to Germany without bugging Angela Merkel's phone?

I think so.  After all Canada pulls it off, so how hard can it be?  (No offense, Canada)

Now, there will be some situations we can't ignore, like genocides, ethnic cleansing, and Dennis Rodman.  No isolationist worldview is absolute, I'm just asking for a little restraint.

Doodle Hair

It's a clear and beautiful mid-Saturday here in Los Angeles.  Our air is fresh after last week's welcome rain, and our collective Angeleno Spirits are up.

So why have I been sitting and staring at the furry conundrum that is our Dog, instead of running about outside in that freshy air?

Well, he's a Doodle, which to other owners of such stock is 'nuff said, but to the blissfully ignorant requires a bit of explanation:

Doodles do not shed.  They don't have 'fur', but instead have 'hair', which much like our own continues growing and growing until someone cuts it.  (I stop here to look longingly at our other dog, a short-haired traditional-style dachshund, who NEVER needs grooming).

For owners expert in grooming by interest - or who have become so by necessity, this is no biggie.  (Get out the Shears, Ma!).  But to the rest of us who are first-time Doodlers, we find ourselves owners of a canine Gordian Knot, with our only option paying our local grooming Alexanders to wield their mighty swords.

This is not an easy choice for those on a budget, or who like long-hair on dogs.  These Doodles have lots of hair and it is expensive to cut; well, at least it is if you are so reluctant to cut the stuff that you unintentionally leave it so long your Dog resembles a giant rasta-hairdooed lint ball rather than something four-legged.  Once in such a state, the groomers roll their eyes and give just one choice - total annil-hair-ation.

Once groomed, the formerly glorious hound looks like a badly-sheared sheep.  (Hey, I wonder if taking your Doodle to a sheep-shearing is cheaper?)

So, I am sitting here, mentally exploring alternatives to a buzz-cut.  And, of course, I begin to see metaphors to other parts of (my) life.

The most immediate being meetings.  Too many meetings, of the corporate type involving many invitees and frequent recurrences planned in advance for months on end.  And the endless reams of communications and declarations and agendas and minutes that come from all of them.

Show me the inbox of a typical mid-level corporate wonk and I'll show you meetings and their swirl.  You'd be hard-pressed to find the 'skin of the dog'.

Maybe if I can suss out the best approach to our Doodle, I may be able to apply the lessons to my corporate life.  Barring any business Alexanders wielding efficiency swords who may pop up, I could be my company's only hope.

But only if I can get a handle on this Doodle.

Android Dreams

Analisa threw a look over her shoulder at James as she slipped out the door.  In the movement he caught the glisten of not-yet-dried tears on her cheek.  He gave a half-wave and a painful smile.

"See you tomorrow.  Things'll look better then."

From the front step Analisa groaned in response, "Yeah, Right".  And away she went.

James looked down at the newspage glowing on his iPad.  He ran his finger across the headline they had both just read, sitting close together in the way people in shared distress do,

'Wozniac Says to Apple, Build An Android Phone'

With a choked sob, he slapped the smartcover shut, blotting out the hateful text.

"She's right, nothing will ever look as good again.  The Woz has betrayed his Oz"

Dry Ice

What a wonderful introduction to 2014 we've had, weather-wise.  I think we'll all remember 'Polar Vortex'; even those of us living in the West, which, until this past week brought us something that looks very much like rain, has been dry and warm: even more than a typical SoCal 'Winter'.

To be honest, I'm still failing to understand what causes a 'Polar Vortex'.  All I can fathom is that a lot of very cold air is rushing down from the North Pole, sweeping across Canada, and plunging deep into the US of A's solar plexus.  Exactly WHY this air is rushing down I don't know, although I am willing to lay blame on the jet stream - that puppy is always stirring up trouble.  If the weather stinks its because a stratospheric river of air has done something naughty.  It's even a worse actor than El Nino, or La Nina, whichever of those two flavors of lukewarm of lukecold Sea Rivers are in play.  Not that I've heard either mentioned lately, what with that new, fashionable Vortex Kid in town.

I also don't understand why we here in the West have been so very dry and warm while the rest of You have been buried under varying layers of ice.  You get 'Ice Age' and we get 'Lawrence of Arabia'.

Maybe all that cold, wet air being blown down from the Pole was sucked up from somewhere far out in the Pacific, and pulled completely up and over us.

Whatever, it seems to have broken down now, and we're getting a little wet.  Which is OK, because it eases my conscience for enjoying the perfect motorcycle riding weather the dare-I-say 'drought' has brought with it.  My penance for feeling smug about my year-round biking while my Northern and Eastern brothers and sisters have to live on magazines, online forums, and dreams from Thanksgiving to Easter, is that I now have to do some of the same, if only for a short time.