Last summer David and I had a philosophical discussion with Mr. and Mrs. Crapples (I love it that I can call someone - hi Tina - Mrs. Crapples)
about the morality of purchasing a leather couch. Not because of the cows involved, just the money. Crapples held that buying a leather couch was immoral. You can get something that functions just fine as a couch for far cheaper (even for nothing if you're not picky). My thinking was that as long as you can afford the couch, there's nothing wrong with greasing the wheels of capitalism and keeping the fine folks at R.C. Willey and Natuzzi employed. We give a certain amount to charity every month, pretty much regardless of what our other expenditures are. But, I won't give more because I chose not to buy something. Is that immoral? Is it more moral to give money away than let a business earn it?

It is an interesting question. Because at some point, I think it's obscene to spend X amount of dollars on a single item. Like, say, $800 for purse - one of my friends is into Louis Vuitton bags and regularly spends $500-$1,000 dollars on purses and bags. I would never do that. Is it immoral? I dunno. Before I throw my money away on a prestige item to sling over my shoulder I'd.. well, I'd probably just keep it in savings. But, I have no problem with someone spending a couple thousand dollars (or more) on a great trip. Is one intrinsically a more moral purchase than the other? I don't think so. I just value travel more than handbags.

It seems like that mythical obscene amount of money is always something more than what I earn or what I've saved. The grass is less green or in need of more care on the other side.



By the way, we bought these couches during a Memorial Day sale. My girls don't know we bought them yet (they'll be shocked - we've been sofa-hunting for months and they are convinced we'll never do anything more than look). This is the second set of couches we've bought since we were married. I like them and I don't feel guilty about them. Should I?

Wonderful world
Don't know much about geography
Don't know much trigonometry
Don't know much about algebra
I don't know what a slide rule is for
(But I do know)
But I do know "one and one is two"
And if this one could be with you
(A wonderful world)
What a wonderful, wonderful world this would be
What a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful world

I don't know what a slide rule is for? That may be the weirdest phrase sung, ever. But, Paul Simon pulls it off. All of the lyrics to this song are really so odd, that the song should blow chunks. But, it doesn't.

I think it's almost impossible for a Paul Simon or a J.T. song to blow chunks, but it's not even that bad when Herman's Hermits does it.

Bonnie Raitt's song Nick of Time, has the opposite problem. It actually has pretty good lyrics, but the music itself is pretty lame.

I see my folks, they're getting old, I watch their bodies change
I know they see the same in me, And it makes us both feel strange
No matter how you tell yourself, It's what we all go through
Those eyes are pretty hard to take when they're staring' back at you
Scared you'll run out of time.

Then, there's Jump by Van Halen, which seems like just a medium song with meaningless lyrics, but when Aztec Camera sang it the lyrics had a different feeling.

An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
William Butler Yeats

I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate,
Those that I guard I do not love;
My county is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.

I'm <2 w 1s {0}JS </sn> +in-of µ I'M # --1-- _b_

If you know what the bloggernacle is, click. You'll laugh. Then, let me know your code.

It dropped so low in my regard
Emily Dickinson

It dropped so low in my regard
I heard it hit the ground,
And go to pieces on the stones
At the bottom of my mind;

Yet blamed the fate that fractured, less
Than I reviled myself
For entertaining plated wares
Upon my silver shelf.

Kat did a really good job on her songs, but I think Taylor was the man. The last two songs were really awful. Why did they end on that crap? But we got to see who could make crap more palatable. Taylor's been my favorite from the beginning and I think he's going to win it.

It's an easy call tonight. Elliott goes home. He had fine performances but Taylor and Kat were both great. I thought the judges were strangely hard on Kat's last performance. Somewhere Over The Rainbow was incredible and every one of Taylor's songs were right on the money. Next week will be a much tougher call.

We are heading to California (start singing the OC theme song - you know you want to) and I won't be blogging until Monday or so. If you want anything at Trader Joe's or IKEA, I'll be able to look at it for you.

Maternal Caress, 1891, Mary Cassatt

Nature, The Gentlest Mother
Emily Dickinson

Nature, the gentlest mother,
Impatient of no child,
The feeblest or the waywardest,
Her admonition mild

In forest and the hill
By traveller is heard,
Restraining rampant squirrel
Or too impetuous bird.

How fair her conversation,
A summer afternoon,--
Her household, her assembly;
And when the sun goes down

Her voice among the aisles
Incites the timid prayer
Of the minutest cricket,
The most unworthy flower.

When all the children sleep
She turns as long away
As will suffice to light her lamps;
Then, bending from the sky

With infinite affection
And infiniter care,
Her golden finger on her lip,
Wills silence everywhere.

September 11, 2001. Four planes were hijacked. Three of them reached their target. This is the story of the fourth.

We saw United 93 yesterday. It wasn't like going to a normal movie. Even one that says it is based on actual events. It was intense and an emotionally wrenching experience. The story is told in real time, jumping between scenes from United 93 and the National Air Traffic Control Center and a military command room. Many of the men in the control towers who were there that day played themselves in the film. What happens on the plane is reconstructed from cell phone calls placed by the passengers and trying to fill in the gaps.

The terrorists are not caricatures of evil but ordinary men. The movie is not political. It simply displays the day as it unfolds. The saddest part for me was a montage of people calling home and giving their last goodbyes. Even though we know the outcome, the movie is riveting.

Long Ride Home
Patty Griffin

Long black limousine
Shiniest car I've ever seen
The back seat is nice and clean
She rides as quiet as a dream
Someone dug a hole six long feet in the ground
I said goodbye to you and I threw my roses down
Ain't nothing left at all in the end of being proud
With me riding in this car, and you flying through the clouds

I've had some time to think about you
And watch the sun set like a stone
I've had some time to think about you
On the long ride home

Headlights staring at the driveway
The house is dark as it can be
I go inside and all is silent
It seems as empty as the inside of me

It's been a beautiful day today. David is outside with the girls and Scooter talking with the neighbors. I'll head out there in a minute, I just thought I'd try to write something.

Today we celebrated our 15th anniversary and it was just nice to spend the day together and not work. We had talked about some big trip to mark the occasion, but too many things have been up in the air to plan anything. Maybe this summer. The funny thing is, today I don't even care. Trips are great but what is even better is that the day-in day-out routine of our lives makes me happy. I'm still amazed that I met David and somehow he loves me and I get to spend my life with him.

Time just gets weirder every year. The days go by so fast it makes your head spin. At least these days are good days.

I didn't catch all of American Idol last night. I tuned in right after Taylor's second song (but I did catch Simon saying how great he was). Elliott's second song was fan-tas-tic. I thought Chris' second song really fell flat and Kat gave the worst performance of hers I've seen (which actually hasn't been too many). She was trying way too hard and it was not working.

Before last night, I thought Elliott was the next to go, but now I just don't know. If votes are based just on last night's performances, Kat and Chris are the bottom two and I think Kat goes home. If not, then Elliott goes home. Really, the only person I think is safe is Taylor.