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Location, location, location
Apr. 5th, 2006 10:19 amThe conversation is funny. The setting is funnier. Another "Overheard in New York".
Apr. 5th, 2006
Attack of the Cobra weather machine
Apr. 5th, 2006 10:34 amSo we have this water tower near my mom's place. (For the rustically challenged among you: remember that big metal thing that had "Save Ferris" painted on it? Like that.) Over the past several days, it's been undergoing repairs or maintenance or somesuch. (And draining that mother was an adventure in itself, believe me.) This is not any big city construction project, mind you...this is literally three guys standing around on top of a water tower with some hammers and a welding torch. There's no scaffolding or fencing or anything. They appear to use one of those window-washing ledges with the winches on it...know what I mean?...to get to the top of the tower and back again.
Anyway, this morning was a pleasant, bright-and-sunny-type day. At least, it started out that way. I woke up to the sound of someone banging on the exterior of a large and bulbous (and empty) metal container, which, you can imagine, produces quite a noise. I was doing my usual early morning stumble-around, and I headed outside for a bit and was watching the work. While I was standing there, just like that, like someone throwing a switch, we got hit with a storm. A windy rainstorm. With sleet. Oh my God, dudes...those workers fucking booked for that little window-washer ledge. How much does that suck! Caught on top of the tallest structure around here, bare to the elements, in a goddamn instant wind and sleet storm. Thankfully, they all made it to the ledge, and then I watched in horrified fascination as they clung to the handrails for dear life as the ledge was making its completely undramatic really slow decent to the bottom. The wind was blowing and the ledge was rocking...the support lines looked curved to me. Anyway, it looked like they all made it to the bottom safely, so thank goodness, but still...hazard pay for those guys.
I felt a momentary twinge as I watched the adventure unfold...an attack of uselessness. I mean...that's kind of the point of my life, now...to not be doing anything. But still, it was odd, standing there sipping my morning coffee while I watched these guys risking life and limb to fix an old water tower. I felt like the disinterested aristocrat. "Oh, Jeeves, I say. The help seems to have gotten themselves in a pickle. When the weather clears, run out and see if they'd like some cucumber sandwiches, will you?" I'd say over the background noises of calamity and screaming. Granted, I have absolutely no reason to feel this way; I'm about as far from aristocratic as it gets, standing out on my back steps in my pajamas slurping down instant coffee and trying to make sure the dog isn't crapping anywhere untoward. But still...it was an odd mix of emotions to be working through just after waking up.
Just felt like relating that tale.
In other news, I caught this interesting blurb this morning. In a nutshell, the Drug Policy Alliance is taking up arms because of a bill in Congress proposing money to research mycoherbicides, basically a fungus geared toward eradicating drug crops. The DPA's argument is the fallout from such a project thus far looks to be horrible, and they're probably right. Quite frankly, though, I'm not really keen to put up a fight on this one. I mean...I personally, and maybe I'm wrong on this, feel that this is just a prima facie bad idea. I don't think it would take any of our planet's greatest thinkers to say, "You know...this may not be the best plan ever." And if they want money to research that, then by all means, I say go for it. The government being what it is, I really think we'd need a piece of paper from a study saying, "Yeah, this plan? Probably not so great." The last thing I'd want is the DEA unleashing a fungal plague on South America, subsequently devastating its ecosystem, and then saying, "Whoops. Well, due to lack of funding, we didn't know all that would happen." I'm just sayin'. The government researches a lot of stuff that it doesn't actually do. Sometimes you got to give a little to get a little, know what I'm sayin'?
Anyhoo. Just a little bit of randomness to try and get my day started. Here...read this bit about how cockroaches make group decisions.
Peace!
Anyway, this morning was a pleasant, bright-and-sunny-type day. At least, it started out that way. I woke up to the sound of someone banging on the exterior of a large and bulbous (and empty) metal container, which, you can imagine, produces quite a noise. I was doing my usual early morning stumble-around, and I headed outside for a bit and was watching the work. While I was standing there, just like that, like someone throwing a switch, we got hit with a storm. A windy rainstorm. With sleet. Oh my God, dudes...those workers fucking booked for that little window-washer ledge. How much does that suck! Caught on top of the tallest structure around here, bare to the elements, in a goddamn instant wind and sleet storm. Thankfully, they all made it to the ledge, and then I watched in horrified fascination as they clung to the handrails for dear life as the ledge was making its completely undramatic really slow decent to the bottom. The wind was blowing and the ledge was rocking...the support lines looked curved to me. Anyway, it looked like they all made it to the bottom safely, so thank goodness, but still...hazard pay for those guys.
I felt a momentary twinge as I watched the adventure unfold...an attack of uselessness. I mean...that's kind of the point of my life, now...to not be doing anything. But still, it was odd, standing there sipping my morning coffee while I watched these guys risking life and limb to fix an old water tower. I felt like the disinterested aristocrat. "Oh, Jeeves, I say. The help seems to have gotten themselves in a pickle. When the weather clears, run out and see if they'd like some cucumber sandwiches, will you?" I'd say over the background noises of calamity and screaming. Granted, I have absolutely no reason to feel this way; I'm about as far from aristocratic as it gets, standing out on my back steps in my pajamas slurping down instant coffee and trying to make sure the dog isn't crapping anywhere untoward. But still...it was an odd mix of emotions to be working through just after waking up.
Just felt like relating that tale.
In other news, I caught this interesting blurb this morning. In a nutshell, the Drug Policy Alliance is taking up arms because of a bill in Congress proposing money to research mycoherbicides, basically a fungus geared toward eradicating drug crops. The DPA's argument is the fallout from such a project thus far looks to be horrible, and they're probably right. Quite frankly, though, I'm not really keen to put up a fight on this one. I mean...I personally, and maybe I'm wrong on this, feel that this is just a prima facie bad idea. I don't think it would take any of our planet's greatest thinkers to say, "You know...this may not be the best plan ever." And if they want money to research that, then by all means, I say go for it. The government being what it is, I really think we'd need a piece of paper from a study saying, "Yeah, this plan? Probably not so great." The last thing I'd want is the DEA unleashing a fungal plague on South America, subsequently devastating its ecosystem, and then saying, "Whoops. Well, due to lack of funding, we didn't know all that would happen." I'm just sayin'. The government researches a lot of stuff that it doesn't actually do. Sometimes you got to give a little to get a little, know what I'm sayin'?
Anyhoo. Just a little bit of randomness to try and get my day started. Here...read this bit about how cockroaches make group decisions.
Peace!
