Thursday's Thoughts

• Something I have been curious about is the number of people with serious health problems and disabilities in US prisons. Recently, somebody was on NPR to discuss the issue. After she was introduced, her initial statement gave raw numbers of prisoners with severe handicaps then she said something to the effect of, Disproportionately these prisoners are people of color, illegal aliens and recent immigrants... How did she even get there at all- much less in the first 15 seconds out the gate? I know at least part of the answer is she was obsessed with those issues- the handicaps of the prisoners were secondary. Regardless, she did her cause no favors. I could not have been alone when I groaned and changed the station.
• Too bad I won't get to meet this guy.
• Phil Hartman is one of the few actors we have lost that nearly every time I am reminded of him I feel a little sad and will often blurt out, Man- I miss him.
• Although I don't know if it was actual rule or not- in old books I have seen the name Fitzpatrick as Fitz-Patrick and it made me wonder if that wasn't originally correct.
• An old friend has died of a heart attack. She was one year older than me.
• While not necessarily a deal breaker- a woman with an ugly or weird looking belly button can freak me out if I notice it.
• There are multiple diseases, syndromes and conditions that are  prevalent in the US that most people I think would presume are real and serious issues. The only problem is- they are not big problems in other countries or they simply may not even exist at all.
• Smashing Pumpkins Rhinocerous.

Saturday's Situation

• Norm McDonald is an awful actor and a mediocre comedian yets we all love him. Why is that- is it because we all love him that well, we all love him?
• Willy Nelson is a great songwriter and decent guitarist but that voice- yikes, yet we all love him. Have you ever heard him singing Crazy? It is creepy.
• A one time patient was placed on home isolation since she may have been infectious until lab results were available that proved she was OK and could go back to work. She called and nearly frantically said, I really need my lab results so I'll know if I can go back to work. She called from the office I personally recalled her stating she worked at. Ahem, little miss patient- allow me to introduce you to a thing we like to call Caller ID. Also, I will translate your part of our conversation into the language of truthiness: Kevin, I need to know my lab results so I'll know if I have to stay at home like I was ordered and not infect any more innocent people with an awful disease...
• I have known exactly one pathological liar in my lifetime. It would be easy to focus on the damage that person caused by their need to lie but I was always struck by how much harder they made their own life in that they would lie when the truth would fit better. I mean, if they said Good morning, you automatically checked your watch. I will say though, over time your expectations were lowered. You simply didn't believe a word they said and did not adapt your thinking or what you did based on anything they said.

  

  I forget the name of this cave but it was used by prehistoric people for shelter.

  
  

  

  Retarded vandalism

  
  

  

  Same view people had thousands of years ago when they would wake up in the morning.

  
  

  

  Magic Bullet outside Meramec Caverns

  
  

  

  Lone Biker of the Apocalypse

  
  
  
  
  

  

  Zip line outside of Meramec Caverns. This guy sailed over us as we parked.

  
  
  
  
  

  

  Why yes, that goober is trying to catch a snake off the walking path in a zoo- why do you ask?

• Frank Sinatra singing Summer Winds in 1992. Summer Winds was first recorded by Wayne Newton. Bonus: Frank and Louis Armstrong singing the blues.
• I'm losing. were Sinatra's last words before he expired.