Thursday, January 22, 2015

Some New Stuff

German Coincidences

This morning I was talking to myself in German, which I do from time to time. I never lived in Germany; I only studied German in college. But every so often, a simple phrase or sentence springs from me, apparently without cause.

This morning, though, it occurred to me to wonder why. I've studied other languages, and while an occasional French exclamation or Latin saying will issue from me, that's about it. No Hebrew, no Spanish, no Italian, or New Testament Greek.

So it occurred to me, maybe German arises spontaneously because I grew up with relatives who spoke Yiddish, which is essentially German written with Hebrew characters.

Then later this morning I met with my weekly coffee/brunch group. I shared with the three women sitting nearest me, who were all Jewish, what I had realized about my Yiddish and German experiences. They seemed to agree with my reasoning.

A bit later still, Maria came to the group for the first time in several months. She had returned to her home in Germany after her stay in San Francisco, and was now back for another visit.

So, first I spoke to myself in German, then I wondered about why I spoke in German, then I talked with my friends about why I speak in German, then finally an actual speaker of German returns to our group after a long absence. What are the odds of all that happening within a few hours?

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Fast Food

Fast food is the choice of the poor, unhappy, or both. It's cheap and readily available. To put together even a hamburger from fresh, organic scratch would cost considerably more than the buck price of a fast food burger. And a restaurant burger? Forget it.

As for the unhappy, I tend to equate unhappiness with depression. And as I well know, a depressed person thinks so little of herself and is so immobilized that she's not about to take herself out to a nice restaurant or buy and fix herself a lovely meal.

And that's assuming she's even hungry. When I was depressed, I had no interest in food. I lost some 60 pounds because I just didn't want to eat anything. So, no food at all would have been my choice then, not fast food.

And I think that patience and anticipation are both characteristics that are not abundant in unhappy or depressed folks. And the ability to plan ahead and then follow that plan? Not so much. I don't think about food until I'm hungry or in a restaurant, and then I want that food now.

Fast food is also tremendously unhealthy - see "Supersize Me." If you weren't unhappy before eating it, indigestion and ill health are likely to sour your mood afterwards.

That said, about once a year I just have to have some Jack in the Box tacos. Because they remind me of Santa Monica beach tacos, they have major nostalgia value.

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Disputing About Tastes

My favorite Latin saying comes to mind, and usually then issues from my mouth, every couple of weeks. The saying is "De gustibus non disputandum est," there can be no arguing about tastes.

I probably picked it up in a Latin class. I continue to use it because I live by the sentiment and love the way it sounds. It's certainly less sexist than the roughly equivalent saying, "One man's meat is another man's poison." And it's much more elegant than "Different strokes for different folks." And I'm not sure how to pronounce the French version, "Chacun a son gout" (or spell it, for that matter).

More to the point, I keep on needing to assert this concept because I'm surrounded by people who believe that their own tastes are eternal verities, and that, if mine differ, I must be flawed, stupid, cowardly, or dull.

No, no, no, no!

Every person has the right to her own likes and dislikes. The only fault that could possibly attach to a dislike is to assert it without actually having tried the substance or activity in question. And I would maintain that we have no moral duty to try any new thing. Some activities I can be fairly confident that I won't enjoy without having to sample them - especially ones that are apt to result in pain, bleeding, or nausea.

Keeping an open mind is a virtue to some folks, so I usually try a new food or drink, say, at least once.. On the other hand, my mind doesn't need to be so open that things fall out. By which I mean that revisiting known pleasures is also a good thing.

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State of the Union Rant

Pres. Obama certainly deserves to take a victory lap after all the disrespect, trash talk, lies, and nearly treasonous obstruction he has received from Republicans and other haters.

He inherited several steaming messes courtesy of the Decider, Bush Junior - Iraq, Afghanistan, Wall Street collapse, real estate collapse, job losses, etc. etc.

And by ignoring the haters and following Democratic principles and just plain persistence, he saved the American economy, encouraged the creation of millions of new jobs, got millions of people health insurance, got Don't Ask Don't Tell repealed and the Defense of Marriage Act off the books, and cut gas prices by half, and saved the American auto industry, and, oh yeah, while bringing budget deficits way down.

If anything, we need to be spending much more federal money to repair roads and bridges, and on education, child care, and Social Security.

Our economy is doing so much better, yet the country is still so divided. Why people vote to preserve the privileges of the 1% at their own expense is nearly impossible to understand. My best guess is that they believe Republican lies about the government getting in the way of opportunity. And they think that they actually have a decent chance of getting rich without relying on their parents' wealth or government help re education, policing, roads, food and water safety, etc. etc. But the evidence is strongly to the contrary. In fact, upward mobility in other countries is strongly tied to the extent to which the government maintains a strong safety net.
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Having Too Much

In this age of clutter-consciousness and voluntary simplicity, having too much stuff is a problem for all but the homeless, and maybe for some of them. Our problems with stuff support reality shows about hoarding, and new books about clearing out clutter appear every day.

I buy too much stuff. I'm given too much stuff. I have no place to put all my stuff. I don't remember where I put my stuff.

After two complete rounds of going through every item I own, paring them down, and organizing the remainder, things are starting to build up again. And it's oppressive and depressing. And that's literally depression-inducing, which is a risk I shouldn't be running.

There must be some member of my interior committee who wants to have lots and lost of stuff, who is greedy and acquisitive. Well, acquisitiveness is a very common failing (and one deemed patriotic for us 'consumers'), especially for Americans. But, more charitably, maybe my inner child, who got plucked up and transplanted twice during her tender years, gets security from having stuff that stays with her. Surrounding herself with toys and memories and books acts as a barrier to change, as a cushion against threat and danger.

Thinking about my talismans, books, and teddy bears, and the records that have given me joy, brings a warm feeling to my chest.

I like knowing where my next teddy bear and my next good read are coming from. I don't have to be greedy to want some touchstones for security. But enough is probably enough.

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