Monday Musings: July 12, 2010

One of the sure signs of summer would be the daily temperatures toying with the 90 and 100 degree mark. Farmers’ markets are another sure sign. My elderly Jack Russell Terrier sleeps even more than usual, and is even crankier.

The surest sign of summer, however, is when Mr. Maven walks through the kitchen while I’m turning fat, lucious blackberries into jam and says “Gee, why don’t you pick a cooler day to do that?”

“Yes, dear. As soon as they invent berries that grow in the snow.”

I used to let stuff like this annoy me. Now, I understand that it’s another one of those touchstones, like a smooth pebble in your pocket, letting me know that all is well. It’s a reminder that so much ‘other stuff’ could be going on instead.

It’s also a reminder to me, and a cautionary tale to all you younger women out there waiting for the perfect man, that they are and will always be totally clueless about some things, no matter how many times you explain it. Focus on his positive attributes. Focus, focus, focus!

Nothing is more of a sure test of a relationship than buying and setting up electronics.

We finally purchased a Blu Ray player yesterday, after having returned the Wii. We’re in agreement on this: you shouldn’t have to completely unpackage something and read the instruction book to find out that a person with a pacemaker should not be using it.

That’s right. A Wii gaming device should not be used by anybody with an implanted pacemaker. Something about electromagnetic fields, the handheld device and proximity to your chest - where the pacer lives.

He wanted the Wii for the balance board fitness programs. I just wanted to watch Netflix instant movies. So we ‘compromised’ on a Blu Ray. As Mr. Maven remarked, it’s an expensive way to just watch movies, but I’m frustrated with not being able to satisfy the spontaneous need for a movie - usually an old classic. A depressing and frustrating trip through the local Blockbuster store the other night capped it for me.

We brought the Blu Ray home, with ideas of a fast and easy setup, followed by an evening of joyful family movie watching and pizza. We finally got the system linked to our network at about 10:00 p.m. after a lot of fiddling and forced civility.

“Yes, thanks, I DID read the instructions, and that’s NOT what it said to do.”

Final success couldn’t end without so much as a whimper, so we watched a favorite Hitchcock movie, ‘The trouble with Harry’. I totally spaced the Hitchcock cameo appearance in this one.

In this mornings Reno Gazette-Journal, in the usual collection of Op-Ed Letters to the Editor, was one of the best examples of ‘conservative’ vestigal thinking I’ve seen in a while. Read it first, then I’ll explain further.

“It’s very simple on how to improve the economy here in the United States and Nevada: Just bring back manufacturing factories that have been going overseas since the 1980s.

We can’t be a service nation anymore.

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