Author: hugh

Sick as a Metaphor

chair and scarf

I am sick as a dog. Well, that phrase must come from some dark truth that when a dog is sick, he literally loses his shit and makes a real mess. If your dog has a head cold, maybe a runny nose and a light fever, he’ll still wag his tail at the same old dog food he’s been eating for 12 years. I’m more the latter sick dog. My head feels like an industrial barrel of ammonia, my arms sling twenty extra pounds of rice sacks, and my left foot keeps cramping up as I’m limping to make tea — but I still have some “Good Morning Vietnam!” when I bust out that frozen soup in the freezer (from a month ago).

A Year of More BS

blue post, nyc subway

Tom Engelhardt and Nick Turse put together a sobering top ten of things to watch for in 2010. One jerk makes going to the airport that much worse for millions of people and forces the U.S. to open another propaganda-plus (more foreign aid and saber-rattling) front in Yemen. I am bewildered at the machinations of empire that fail to learn from history. We’re spending more on war, defense, guns, and killing people (whatever you want to call the military) than the next 25 countries combined. Are we a nation of peace or are we becoming the evil we deplore?

… only diamonds are forever. Sooner or later, like great imperial powers of the past, we, too, will find that the stress of fighting a continuous string of wars in distant lands in inhospitable climes tells on us. Whether we “win” or not in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and now Yemen, we lose.

Sideways

Pedestrian subway tunnel turned sideways

Rolling out old photos. It’s too cold. It hasn’t gone over 25° F for a few days and the stiff breeze hasn’t let up for most of that time and everyone can agree that wind chill is a bitch. Why is just wind chill and not chill index like its summery step-sister, the heat index? A simple case of euphony.

A few more of my friends checked in and I really do have reasons to be thankful. Two had a parent die Christmas week and another went into the hospital for a second back surgery after a whole year of being in and out the hospital. Prayers are with them and knock on head.

I signed up for oDesk early last year and was discouraged at the low rates being offered for a lot of the work. I’m giving it another try as I realized it’s the sort of thing where you have to start low and once your reputation is established, you can charge more. Also it’s the global market place. I’ll be posting these buttons in better spots after I’ve taken a few more tests. Hire me!