"The War" by Ken Burns...anyone else been watching?

I admit--it has had me breathless, in tears at some points... and yet I can't stop watching. I think it is important to watch. My father in law fought on Okinawa and Tarawa...and has the shrapnel to show for it. He is now in his eighties and suffering from Parkinson's disease.

When they showed the bodies in the concentration camps...I could hardly breathe. Such an atrocity, and yet I feel I never got the full sense of what went on from my high school history class. I think we were still in shock and denial then. Well, now this woman is no longer in denial. This...was...unthinkable. Hope we as a global community see some much better days.

A view into the dregs of humanity

As I mentioned in my previous post, I spent yesterday in the information booth for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at the State Fair. Although we were nowhere near the midway (Thank God, I even walked an extra block to avoid even a glimpse of the entrance with all its contorted Gypsy baroque figures that somehow creep me out!) I still managed to experience an entertaining view into what our society is made of. And that creeps me out more than the Midway statues.

I saw numerous people seemingly going nowhere while talking on cell phones. What's up with that? When I was growing up it was, "Meet me by the giant slide at 2:00". Not "I'm just past the horse barns now, on my way to see that fabulously cool babe at the DNR booth ;), and by the way did you know such and such and yada yada babble ad infinitum." I think some spend way too much time keeping in touch about what they are doing and not enough time doing it.

I saw one of my coworkers using a dipnet to fish a cell phone out from the ever-popular fish pond (Which, by the way, I helped capture a few fish for the effort). I was going to check it out myself after my work shift, but there were people lined up 3 or 4 deep. To watch fish swimming around. People really need to go out and connect with nature more.
I saw maybe a thousand different T-shirt slogans. My favorite was "Old people RULE!"

I saw people who seemingly just lived to collect brochures and free stuff. Even our honorable Governor Tim Pawlenty's face on a fan. When I was little it was the WCCO (TV and radio) shopping bag. Some things never change, thank God.

I saw a bunch of 14-15 year old boys riding around in circles on these little bicycle-scooter hybrids with about six inch bike wheels. They looked like they were very inefficient and pointless to ride, and their riders with their baggy pants looked pretty ridiculous. I think they thought they were cool.

And, I saw thousands of teenagers trying to look cool. Dagnabit, I was once one of them, and I don't know and don't care now if I ever succeeded in looking cool to anyone. The 4-H button I had to wear when I was staying at the 4-H building probably erased all doubts. Especially since I was exhibiting a rock collection.

I saw pieces of metal that don't belong piercing eyebrows, lower lips, tongues, and God knows what else. I have pierced ears, in fact three holes in one, one in the other, but earlobes were just meant to be pierced. Facial parts were not.

I saw people who apparently thought any-kind-of-deep-fried-food-on-a-stick was a sacrament. I even heard rumors of "hot dish on a stick", but did not wish to investigate.

I talked with a few people, many of which I could tell knew nothing about "natural resources" except from what they had seen in the last ten minutes in the DNR building. People asked questions about things that, given the chance, I would seek to find the answer myself instead of going to the fair to ask some uniformed professional.

And I saw crowds. Did I mention I hate crowds, hate the way I have to walk in an erratic, zigzag pattern to get from here to there because all the zombies stand around in clusters and walk with no regard for anyone but themselves. As a matter of fact, it's not the crowds, but the self-absorbedness of the individuals within the crowds that disturbs me to no end. It's all about me, I guess, me and my attitude. My outer presentation matters more than what's inside.

Oh well. I like my little piece of heaven here in the country, with towering white pines and howling coyotes. I'll stay in my little world as much as I can.

State Fair--the first weary report

It's 11:13 PM. Blogger just ate up the first post I was typing about my day spent at the Great Minnesota Get Together, as it is billed. As I saw it, it was the Great Minnesota Festival of The Dregs of Humanity.

Not that my day was trying or stressful. Far from it. I was situated in an information area on the shady north side of the massive log DNR building, with about eight comrades from all the various disciplines of resource management, so if anyone asked me about duck seasons I could literally tell them where to go. To the Wildlife specialist seated next to me.

It was more relaxed and fun than I imagined. The guy in charge, from the DNR's Information Bureau, was more than appreciative and helpful and gracious that we field staff would give up a Saturday to face the public and hand out brochures. I got to talk to a few coworkers from around the state that I normally don't get to see. And there weren't too many weird people asking weird questions.

Fred and Missy even showed up. Cool to have some friends come visit.

But, after viewing the massive throngs, I can't help but wax philosophical about the ways of society. Keep in mind, I don't visit malls, I avoid crowds whenever possible, so what comes as a revelation to me might be obvious to everyone else. The 95% rule is definitely in effect. We have 5% of the population to count on for our salvation. The rest are just bloody sheep.

More to come. I guarantee it. But we had to take the kids to the fireworks in the second closest town, so it was a full day. So more later.

oh no!

I've been asked, nay, commanded, by the powers that be to work a shift at my employer's information booth at the Minnesota State Fair this year, on a Saturday nonetheless.

I could not imagine an assignment less befitting to my personality. Spending eight hours in the hot sun dispensing information to perfect strangers is not my idea of a good day spent working. I would much rather do my consulting long distance, as I have done recently with Pablo.

What bothers me is that I told my boss I might be able to do it, if no one else was available. I never said flat out, Oh yes! I would LOVE to do it! That was my mistake, I should have been less agreeable and invented an unavailability. Or I should have told him flat out no, I'm not the person cut out for the job! I hate cities, I hate crowds, I hate talking to people, I hate answering stupid questions, it just reminds me too much how the general public is out of touch with the way things are.

Oh well. My kids have never seen the state fair, and every kid's gotta see it, right? The Hermit can take them around while I'm doing my best to exchange pleasantries with the general public. I think one of the benefits is my family gets free tickets. I think.

They better have Summit on tap at the beer garden when my shift's over. And there better be some good music at one of the free stages. Grrrrr...