My New Campaign

The negativity of the English language is upsetting. Consider the following:

• you can be disgruntled, but how many gruntled people have you ever seen?
• you can be disingenuous, but there are apparently no genuous people among us!
• you can inadvertently do something, but who admits to doing things advertently?
• superheros get to be impervious, but never pervious.

See the problem? My mission is to bring back those words (yes, I'm assuming that for the negative form to exist, the positive did at some point. My Oxford English dictionary was left at Swarthmore, so I can't check that easily--and in fairness, it's the first time in years I've needed it)

I may start with T-shirts. I'm working on the visual today while I marinate in Vicks Vaporub. And thinking that if Springsteen would use the words in lyrics, usage would skyrocket. Gotta work on that, too.

Don't Tune the Steel Guitars Yet

I don't like country music. I've said that till it sounds like the refrain of a classic. There's something about it that just......I cringe.

However, I looked at my iTunes downloads today and realized that my last 10 purchases have been country: LeeAnn Womack's "Last Call," Trace Adkins' something about memory, three John Corbett songs, a Kenny Chesney--I don't even know who these people are (except Corbett--Chris on "Northern Exposure" and one of my most favorite characters in TVland.) The songs are ones I ran into randomly and related to in some way. And I just got the new Alison Krauss/Robert Plant cd. Country? Not sure, but sorta.

Furthermore, one of my guilty pleasures right now is the CMT show "Gone Country," where celebs are competing for a chance to record for some guy I've never heard of named Rich something or something Rich--they think it's worth competing for, at any rate. The attraction? George Clinton trying to sing country, and Mickey Dolenz doing a kick-ass job of singing country. Yea, Mickey of the Monkees--see why I'm watching? Shelia E is on and doing an impressive job, too. But Mickey's gonna win!

So why do I think I don't like country? As a guitar player and storyteller, I should like it. That's what it is, really. And I like pop/folk, and heard a lot of roots country when I took my country music class in grad school--which required a night at a Honky-Tonk and learning the Texas Two-Step. Lots of fun.

So again, why...redux. I think I've figured it out: uber-emotionalism, which I'm not comfortable with, and traditional values, meaning theology that I find unsound, unthinking patriotism, and frequent gender stereotyping and objectification.

I think too much. I think I'm proving that again. (Hence, discomfort with uber-emotionalism). Maybe I need to weed through the annoying country and just enjoy some of the Honky-Tonk, life story type songs. Pop music isn't really catching my interest now; it might be time to find some cowboy boots and change the station on my radio!

And I Don't Even Believe in IQ

I want to say something profound and insightful to prove that I'm still smart--I really haven't seemed smart lately. But I have a cold and am coughing up what looks like brains, so there could be a reason I'm de-evolving. I concede. I'm going to the doctor as soon as I finish this and tie my shoes.

But for the record, my IQ seems to be dropping faster than....I couldn't even think of a good simile. Several embryonic ideas, but... those of us with IQ's below room temperature can't use figurative language eloquently, I'm discovering.

Before long, I'll be mesmerized by "The Price is Right." It's bleak.

Battery Operated Toys

I was going to be profound tonight--or rant more about uniforms, or about Bob Dylan pimping Pepsi--but I'm growling at technology. First off, I was going to set up some potentially cool stuff with my email, but for some reason that I can't imagine, I don't have Outlook. Apparently the version of Vista on this computer is using something called Windows Mail. Well, it looks great, but I can't get Airset to sync with it, and in the process, I messed up something in my configuration (which I did have right).

AND the medical insurance company has been going around and around with Chris about his ACL surgery--throwing up more roadblocks and generating more paperwork than you'd think possible. I'm supposed to be able to set up an online account to track the paperwork chase, but they say I don't exist. In fact, we've had five rounds of emails, with the company saying yes, they know I exist, and telling me how they've put my name in the system. Five times, mind you. My name has been blatantly misspelled three of those times--wonder why I couldn't hit on the right misspelling to enter? Now, it just says I don't exist. I've tried every permutation of my name I can think of...no luck. So another email...

I like technology. I want a smartphone, and I like playing with new toys. I'm good with software, and not intimidated by hardware. BUT I've thought this week that being a Luddite might be a good calling. As I'm deluged with data--much of it meaningless, numbers just to feed the virtual monster--I'm wondering if we'd be a lot better off if technology stopped with indoor plumbing and central heat.

And I could twitter a poll which I would then paste on facebook to share my results with my 106 bestest friends,....but....yeah.....