I got back from Waterloo late this afternoon. I left Friday morning to visit my parents--my mom in their assisted living facility and my dad in a rehab facility since he got sprung from the U of Iowa Hospital on
Thursday. He's doing better, getting stronger each day it seems.
But I thought I'd share some of my random notes from the road trip since on six-hour drives I encountered some stuff, and the mind tends to wander in various directions.
I don't know how truckers do it. On the drive back, my lower back was getting achy. Driving a big rig for such an extended period of time has to entail some lower back doodads that keeps a body loose.
At a gas station, a sign informed me that because of "in climate weather" the electronic pay pads weren't working properly.
The wind farm northeast of Bloomington-Normal is an impressive sight, so impressive that I wonder if they rotating blades cause bad driving as some people get transfixed by those rotating blades that create energy. What's really cool is seeing one of those blades being hauled on the road. You feel small.
About a decade ago, I vowed to turn the channel whenever an Aerosmith, Styx, or REO Speedwagon song came on. I hate that shit. I am especially disgusted by Aerosmith for some reason.
I ate at the I-80 monolith in eastern Iowa this afternoon, at the Wendy's inside. I had a fancy side salad and some of their fries. They were good. I was surprised by how decent the salad was--quite good for fast food.
No cicadas in Waterloo. I suspect they'll get the 17-year variety in four years.
I heard The Wailin' Jennys on NPR this morning on the Mountain Stage program. They are damn talented ladies.
I get angry at people who consider the Midwest "flyover" country or a boring landscape. There are many beautiful woods, rolling hills, and flatlands on my drive in a northeasterly direction. With people's addiction for sublime-like landscapes, they miss the beauty of nuance, the power Bryant writes about in the "The Prairies." Flat isn't necessarily ugly, clowns.
I like sports a lot and all, but I wonder if the collective citizenry spent more time paying attention to politics and policies rather than obsessing about what's wrong with LaBron James, we'd be a hell of a lot better off. Or rather, at least citizens would be more engaged with what's going on. Sports are the new "opiate of the masses," but speaking as a fan of college football and MLB, man, that's a good opiate. Me like.
I miss Ron Santo on the radio.
3 comments:
Glad you were back in time for the best weather we'll have all year. It makes me want to mow the lawn; it's that good. But instead, I met my summer school class. It looks like a good group. And the time, it's already flying.
I just happened upon this column about LeBron (don't ask me how since I'm researching the Black Panthers in 1968) and was reminded of your comments--and that I don't remember how to work in a link.
Here you go:
http://www.thenation.com/blog/161374/lebron-james-and-quote-heard-round-world
Like the blogger, I kind of liked his comment because it was so forthright and in the audience's face.
However, I didn't care for his tweet about God not thinking it's that team's time or whatever. That's just rationalizing Calvinistic claptrap. If there is a God or Gods, s/he/they sure in heck don't give a damn about the fate of the Miami Heat. At least I wouldn't think so.
He brought all the media attention on himself, especially the crazy statement about winning multiple championships and the media parade.
Less chatter/tweeting is needed from him, and more work on a post-up game is needed. He's around 6'8" if I remember correctly, but he doesn't take advantage of his size.
And congrats to the Mavs, btw, even though I don't care all that much about the NBA.
In other matters, let's go Canucks.
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