Drudge, drudge, drudge...I continued the postcard caper and have now completed the third box. I was pleased to find the cemetery part of my collection in the study closet; will add those. In the same place, I came across correspondence from a postcard pal of 13 and 14 years ago--Ann W., in Santa Fe, NM. Ann was "into" decorating with stamps and she sent me wonderful creations, all of which I saved. On impulse, I wrote her a letter (regular mail) and hope to hear back from her.
Got a phone call from the woman I might have driven with if I went to the Dionne Quint gathering at the end of May. (However, I've decided not to go.) Considering I had called her in February and never heard back, I was surprised. Understandably, she wanted to know if I would be going with her. I told her no, but she kept hanging on the phone. Finally, the real reason surfaced: she wanted me to list her items to sell on eBay! I'm happy to say I stood firm and, as courteously as possible, said I wouldn't be able to do that. After that, she hung up quickly.
That little exchange confirmed my first instinct that I would not be comfortable on such a long trip with her. She comes across as very brusque and somewhat combative.
Called my new Wellspouse friend, Mary, from Toms River and we made a date to meet for lunch on May 5. I'm looking forward to that.
Went to Manahawkin and got a new rug/seat cover set for the bathroom in a pretty shade of lavender. Hey, sprucin' up for spring!
Wider: Chris Floyd in his "Empire Burlesque" blog, has another strong, clear essay today. Here's the beginning:
"Could it really have ended any other way? As the New York Times reports, Barack Obama and the Democratic Establishment are coming down hard and fast to quell any incipient movement toward accountability for the Bush Regime's torture system."
He adds that one reason for this rejection is that torture was fully approved by the dems and, yes, indeed, they must CTAs. Then:
"The second reason why Barack Obama and the Democratic leadership are resisting, with all their might, a full investigation for the torture system is that they want to uphold what is perhaps the central principle of the American state today: the unaccountability of the ruling elite. [Glenn Greenwald speaks to this point here.] They want to retain the freedom of action to do "whatever it takes" (that tough-guy phrase so beloved by "savvy" insiders and their sycophants in the press) to maintain themselves and their cronies and their class in a position of dominance, wealth and privilege. The law is not for them; the law is for the rubes, the suckers, the rabble, the losers -- for you and me, in other words."
The emphasis is mine--I believe it's the whole crux of the matter.
Later: Went to Weight Watchers to be told I'm down .8 (no sneering out there; that's more than half a pound), bringing me just a smidgen over my permissable window of 125 to 130. I'm at 130.2 with a total loss of 69.4. Now to just nudge the first number down a tad and the second up.