Day #19 - I thought you said that...

...normal service has resumed...

Again, I must apologise. I would liked to have posted yesterday but again stuff got so full-on that I wasn't at home and finished until nearly 22:00 and didn't get to eat properly until nearly midnight. I was looking at a shed yesterday and imagined having it myself. It would be good to do the work I need to on my van by myself. I love welding - I'm quite good at it though a bit old school. It is impossible to weld without good preparation and the correct materials and I suppose that that goes for all elemental and craft things. It was the scientist, philosopher, printer and polymath Benjamin Franklin that said; "He who fails to prepare must prepare to fail" or something close to it. I brought that quote to the fore to provide some insight into welding - or, making a roast dinner for example, but the importance of it pervades many, many areas of human activity - virtually all. One couldn't expect positive results turning up for work unshaven and just wearing a tshirt and shorts - assuming that you didn't work in a surf shop. Just as important is the preparation for exams.

I have decided to try and get one of my essays out of the way next week. It is on the theme of forgiveness. I have plenty to say about it but the thing about academia is that they want you to say it in a certain way. I hope that I can get it done. There was a time I wanted a first class degree but at this stage I would be happy to accept anything that passed - although ANY kind of honours would be nice.

Tomorrow, Monday, is Memorial Day in the United States. I wanted to offer my dedications to all that have served and have known those that have. Most of all to the families of the fallen. There are many families out there that have lost members of the armed forces - most recently Drummer Rigby in London. Out of his element and on the streets in London this was clearly a planned attack. I hope that the perpetraitors [sic] get sent to the maddest shithole of a prison available. It is at times like this that I wonder about the appeal of capital punishment. That said, though justice might be served it could be misdirected. THEN you have the enormous cost to the taxpayer of keeping the killers in captivity. This may seem pretty extreme but how about just keeping the killers drugged up for the duration of their sentence. No TV, phone calls, pump in the food via tubes, reverse the process for waste. Hose them down every few days. Is THAT worse than killing? Maybe, but then I suppose that is the philosophy hatted guy talking. "What if..." can be a great starting point in philosophy and especially ethics.

Petty crime can still be very hurtful to the victims. The sense of violation can cause lasting damage. It is here that I fully support the use of public humiliation. In the past the "stocks" or pillory was an effective way of dealing with criminals and given that people seem obsessed by all of these competitive shows on TV, "Idol" etc... along with the Gerry Springer style shows of all kinds then our collective voyeurism could be catered for. The internet would be a good place to watch such stuff.

I am a bit angry that someone who was never a real friend (though would go to great lengths to "prove" that he was) and yet may still claim to be - unless he's the other guy I suspect and he's just a sad-ass prick, decided to hack my facebook page. It was grim what was stuck on my profile but the trouble is that the guy I think did it does not possess the courage to man up and present himself and his OBVIOUS problem. A pathological desire to be liked and admired combined with an insecurity that seems to force him to ingratiate himself to others. I do not really think it is guy #2. The rhetoric and techniques used by the prime suspect are consistent with behaviour patterns that I have witnessed over a number of years. It strikes me as quite odd that this individual seeks to cultivate this nonsense but then he is a bit of an odd chap. A pretender that is just sad and, sadly, quite lonely. A think that the term 'cognitive dissonance' would explain quite a bit about his world view.


Like you reader, I have not been unaware that my blog rhetoric has been a lot about folks being assholes and that, may in turn, imply paranoia. There is no paranoia here, I can guarantee it. The quote that springs to mind is from William S. Burroughs; "A paranoid is he who is in possession of all of the facts". I am not in possession of all of the facts, at least not quite but I am in possession of logical indicators and profiling 'flags'. I may ultimately be wrong or mistaken but I will continue to try to divine the truth and when I have what I need then I will decide upon my next move.

I am pleased to say that my Mother has arrived home after spending a couple of weeks in a nursing home for respite care following a stroke. I think that the "luxury" of the nursing home spoilt her a little but then I think that to be pampered is a good thing. For many decades my Mother had to put up with a lot of crap - mainly from "other people", I think that it is good that she is finally getting some quality R+R. Hopefully when we are back on the road I can bring her to some nice places and watch her enjoy herself. I cannot add years to her life but I can try to add life to her years. Hopefully we are going to watch a movie later after "Sunday Dinner" prepared by yours truly.