Moving Bruce

Bruce, who was Amy's roommate, has been moving a little over the past few weeks, but this Sunday (yesterday) was the big move. He's moving in with his girlfriend Emily so there was stuff coming from both places (and there's still stuff here for him to get). Amy, Tillman, and I helped, and her friend Simone helped, too. We had two pickups, an SUV, and a car, so a lot got done.

They found a really nice apartment at the bottom of King St. by Weaver Blvd. Emily can now walk to UNCA, if she wants to. Bruce will bicycle to his work as brewer at LAB.

Amy's not going to get another roommate right away because she's going to redo her kitchen. It'd be too bad to get someone in and then say "oops, no kitchen available for a while." It's going to be enough chaos for her and me to cope with. I don't cook over there but I do get water. And, of course, it's the main entrance to the house.

So big changes afoot.

I'm going to yet another interview on Friday, for a part-time accounting asst job at a business I know and a person who remembers my bookstore. I hope that's a good thing.

Fix Congress

So, I've been thinking for a long time that the electoral process is a mess. And, of course, I have an idea of how to fix it.

Lottery

All senators and representatives would be chosen by lottery. Nobody would "run" for office; all citizens would be eligible. Random selection. Two-term limit (after all, Congress voted to make the office of president two-term only [boy, did they hate FDR] so it's only fair they should be limited, too.

We'd have a democracy where all citizens serve (or could serve). We'd eliminate the constant electioneering. We'd eliminate the PACs and corporate money buying politicians. The states would still have two senators each. Representatives would be chosen by district, just as they are now, but it would be by lottery. And they'd get paid whatever they're making now, so the citizen doesn't lose out.

Of course, we'd need stringent oversight of the lottery process, but it certainly couldn't be any worse than what we have now. We'd need to set up a system for identifying all citizens so their names would be in the "hat." Registered voters isn't enough, nor is licensed drivers or property owners or even the census. We need a list of all adult citizens. It'd be national service and a way to keep everybody engaged in the process.

There.

Oh yeah. I think all high school graduates should have to spend the next two years in national service of some kind, like military service or the CCC or infrastructure restoration or whatever. Something to make them think beyond themselves.

Rejected dejected

Yep, another job down the drain. Last week, I interviewed for a part-time bookkeeper job at a medical office. The admin and I got along very well, but she needed someone with Expert knowledge of Quickbooks and I'm only Intermediate. However, she's decided to keep me on her list if the new person doesn't work out or something else comes up.

Other than that, very little has been going on. Will go get my hair cut in a couple of hours. Longtime hair cutter has moved to Tenn. so we are going to try Great Clips in Westgate. It's cheaper, too.

Went to Burgermeister the other night with Amy, Tillman, Nicole, and two guys N knows. One of those guys is a CPA and I said I needed a part-time job; he said he'd keep it in mind. Had the fish & chips. Yay for malt vingar on the fries. Boo for too much tarragon in the fish breading. Yay for a shot of gin in my glass of ginger ale. Pleasant evening. Amy, Tillman and I walked home and then played a game of Crazy Rummy (T won).

What else what else. Can't think of anything.

Oh yeah. My insurance just renewed and I got hit with a double premium to start the year, but no payment next month, then the regular monthly premium for the rest of the year. Does that make sense? No? I didn't think so either. But I've paid it and now my play money for the month is severely truncated. Humph.

I see that Dancing w/the Stars is about to begin. I'm excited that DL Hughley is in the cast as I've been a fan of his for many years. This is not so much a dance show but it'll do until So You Think You Can Dance starts up again.

That's all, folks.

RIP

Donald Richie

Age 88

Eminent film critic and scholar of Japanese cinema and life. I've read a lot of his work and always found it engaging, honest, and witty.

RIP

Barnaby Conrad.

When I was young, I read his books on bullfighting, an interest of mine at the time. He fought as El Nino de California. Turns out he was also secretary to Sinclair Lewis, a diplomat, and then wound up with an upscale saloon in San Francisco. Interesting guy.

Another Job Lost

Last Monday, I was one of five chosen to be interviewed for a part-time payroll/benefits admin job. It paid well and had excellent benefits. I thought the interview went very well, but yesterday I got notice they had chosen someone else.

Drat. Damn, even. Maybe even Shit! I really wanted that job -- it would have suited me perfectly.

Ah well.

Good thing I'm not a depressive personality 'cause the amount of rejection I've handled in the last two years would have put me into a "slough of despond."

I'll just try again.

Cool Russian RV

Is this not cool? Found on a Russian site with lots of other vehicles. Can't tell whether this is a model or full-size, but it's an interesting take on an RV/Camper. The guy's full website is at:

solifdesign.blogspot.com

Enjoy!