The New American Digest

I mean … if you were to picture a stereotypical bureaucrat in your mind, isn’t this what you’d picture?

One of those late spring/early summer days that couldn’t make up its mind as to which it wanted to be: cool, warm, cloudy, clear.
Decided to take a drive “around the block” – this particular block being about a 25 mile drive.

The May flowers were in bloom and not an internet site to be found anywhere around.

First published Sunday, March 01, 2009

Witholding words and, thus, myself.
No trust enough to tell all to anyone.
No one anywhere who can coddle and absorb and still
remain the same, loving, after knowing all that is.

Indeed, myself as most do, parse words carefully, even
in our own hearts.

Some words are painted glossy to look better than they are.
Some are weighted so as to never surface, certainly not
in daylight for others, and often not either known in our
own nights.

Sometimes tripping over the shadows (there are always
shadows since nothing true disappears completely), the
bolt of pain in the stubbed toe flashing a memory of self
back to surface. A moment only long enough to frantically
push it back into the basement and slam the door closed again.
Looking behind self, fearful that someone might have noticed,
might have recognized an unadmitted truth.
Then walked away. Ashamed for knowing.

But, no. No one else.
I keep myself alone enough to pick and choose, pick and choose
carefully, what words will be dressed for dinner.
Offered on a gilt-edge platter. Will be only my best at any table shared.
Why do we fluster so about how to know others while we fail
to know ourselves?

Words not spoken may reveal more truth than those brandished
in the open.

Not at all what you would think.
If you saw.
If you knew.

A buddy of mine lives about 40 miles away; we get together every so often for breakfast during which we solve the problems of the world and drink coffee. And then some more coffee. And then “Sure, we can use a refill“.

We swap – sometimes I go his favorite eating establishment, sometimes he comes to mine. Mine’s better. Today it was mine … mostly because mine is shutting down in two weeks because the owners decided after 40 some odd years, it was time to retire.

40 miles out here is pretty much next door.

The place is regularly voted the best restaurant in town – even when including the foo-foo ones started and owned by “We left California because we’re conservative“.

One of the two such places is all light and fluffy with a “You’re done eating. Go away” attitude expressed in such a gentle manner. Food’s OK but not a place to sit and guzzle coffee. Besides, they charge for coffee refills and the foo-foo chairs get uncomfortable after a bit. Ferns and stuff all over the place with little cafe tables.

The other has a “cowboy” theme. It’s such a fancy place that they fill up the empty space on the plate around the “entree” with the number on the bill. $7 beer? But no problem walking in and getting seat right away. The place to go if you need to impress big city folk for some reason.

Let me tell you from experience. With few exceptions, a conservative Californian is well to the left of center in Idaho – unless one visits the capital city where the city council voted to make the fag flag an “official city flag” because the governor outlawed all flags on public facilities except the US, State, and official city flags, including BLM and LBGTWTF flags and even Trump flags.

Boise City’s going to turn this state blue yet – and it wasn’t that long ago Boise was a decent city pretty much isolated from the rest of the country – Seattle is about 500 miles away, Portland 350, Reno and Salt Lake about the same at just over 300 – until the local university football team beat Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, got national attention, and attracted all the national sports nuts. Especially with their blue field.

Guess what the lead news stories mostly consist of these days?

All of a sudden, the university realized money was theirs to be had, so of course the stadium had to be upgraded.
Where do you suppose that money came from?

And why is it the head football coach is by far the highest paid state employee (Annual Salary: $1,100,008.00)?
#2: The head basketball coach Annual Salary: $1,000,001.60.
#3 Former head football coach. Doesn’t even coach anymore but has a contract Annual Salary: $781,268.80.
#4: President of not as big university Annual Salary: $479,191.78.
#5 President of the big university Annual Salary: $473,449.60.
#6 Executive Director Athletics at big university Annual Salary: $465,004.80
#7 Offensive Coordinator Football Annual Salary: $460,012.80
#8 Defensive Coordinator Football Annual Salary: $440,003.20
#9 President of smaller university Annual Salary: $420,000
Governor: $151,400

And why is it the taxpayers get to help support all this?
Rah, rah, rah! Go Team!

I get more and more convinced that “sports” has become a detriment to this country and should be stripped away from institutions of education.

But that’s not the problem we discussed today.

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Today’s Yesterday’s topics:
How guilty is Comey? (Oh, yeah … how fast would we be in jail?)
What’s the relationship between the stock market and the US economy? (Not much until the reckoning comes. Likely soon)
Will it be safe to travel across country this summer? (Maybe. Depends on where)

And the biggie:

What happens if someone does manage to off DJT?
Can you say “S*storm?

Buddy just got back from Philippines. He’s thinking of moving there.
Not for me: Too much humidity, too many people all trapped on an island.

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Anyway, this diner has the best pecan rolls I’ve ever had … and they’re shutting down Memorial Day.
I need to find a place that knows biscuits and gravy. With a couple of eggs over easy on top.
You’d think that would be easy. You’d be wrong.

Needs excellent homemade cinnamon rolls and pies.
You know – a place that cooks rather than heats up.

They can’t sell. The building’s been grandfathered in for decades and will be condemned soon after it closes.
Those are usually the best places to go …