Monday's Missives

• A Denny Crane post reminded me of a long ago family member memory. He mentioned crazy things people used to get high with around the world and one of the things mentioned was substitute alcohols in Russia. An extended family member's uncle had a bad drinking problem. His wife more or less threatened the lives of every alcohol retailer in town (he did not drive) if they sold him liquor or beer. While cleaning out the attic after his death they found it was stacked to the rafters with empty vanilla extract, cheap after shave and another product I don't recall, bottles. It took two pickup loads to carry it all off to the dump. It was a wonder the ceiling didn't collapse. It amazes he could have put all that away without dying much earlier than he did. Oh, and as I recall- he outlived the wife.
• I'm working on bumping the thermostat up during the day to save money/energy- but still keep it kind of ridiculously cold at night.
• Yesterday morning in the bath a razor fell off into the water. I bent over and it pinched me on the abdomen. I bent over again a minute later and felt another pinch- or so I thought. It was cutting into me with all five blades in two different places nearly evenly in line with each other. I can hear the Medical Examiner doing my autopsy when I die in a car wreck tomorrow: the decedent is a middle aged, well nourished, height and weight proportionate white male with no obvious identifying tattoos or marks except- wait a minute- he appears to have been a cutter...
• My high schooler is taking economics and two other classes this summer- amazing. He'll have his associates when he graduates from high school.
• I get in a bad mood if I don't get outside on the weekend and really do better if I camp- I could do it every weekend. Other than sleeping in the truck on fishing and hunting trips I have never camped overnight by myself though. I have intended to rectify that shortcoming for years although I have not done so and I'm not sure why. I don't think it is fear but no- I am not sure why that has never happened although it would be hard to relax leaving my vehicle unattended in the middle of nowhere.
• Cancer Treatment Centers of America doesn't do anything any other place could not do but they do it systematically and in a cohesive manner and they are master marketers- all very smart. Predictably, they have an infomercial now.