Category Archives: Curiosities

things to make you smile

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Saith Me… Old Books

Over the past couple of years, I started collecting old books, not books with great potential for monetary appreciation or the need for insurance policies.  Certainly not books to be kept behind the safety of glass, but books conveying the ideas of past generations on common subjects like knitting.  My collection began with an out-of-print sequel to a more famous literary novel.  The book was worn and tattered but satisfied the craving to know “what happened next.”

The ease in which this book was purchased made me curious to see what else I could find.  School books dating to 1900 led to the fascinating discovery that young women of that “new” century did not necessarily like the idea of home economics and needed encouragement through a form of literary fiction; the ancestor of the self-help TV programming.

Recently an online sale of old books caught my eye and I wondered if I could find some gems to help with a paper I am working on for class.  Justifying the purchase as an early Christmas present, I sifted and sorted (electronically of course) through the stacks of old books. When my purchases arrived I sorted them into the now and later stacks with the now joining me in my office for study.

One particularly delightful old book just begged for perusal and offered up a poignant quote, but the author had been hesitant to sign his name, making citation difficult. No author, no editor just a mysterious professional title. How very odd and rather mysterious (politically mysterious as it would turn out).

However it seems I was not the only one who had questioned this author’s identity.  In 1955 the book first left the original owner’s hands and a note had been written in the front cover explaining the personal, though cryptic inscription.  The author’s name was written by hand by the bookstore agent purchasing the book, along with a brief explanation of the book’s purchase. The book buyer also hand wrote the resale price of $.50, quite the sum I am sure.

Upon conducting a quick internet search, I verified the accuracy of the author’s name and thereby realized that my copy had been a gift from the author to some initialed friend.  In addition to being the author of multiple books on diplomacy, the mysterious man who published his first book anonymously had been a U.S. ambassador in the years that followed the publication.

Old books certainly have stories to tell.

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Polling Conundrum

People who only have cell phones do not usually get hit by pollsters. Pollsters therefore “overweight” the results for the 18-30 year old bracket to offset the numbers. So do more Democrats (Ds) or more Republicans (Rs) only have cell phones?

Of course I hang up on all pollsters which makes me wonder, do more Ds hangup than Rs or more Rs than Ds?

Now wouldn’t these questions make for good news coverage. But wait, how would the data be collected since people like me don’t play along with all the polling?

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Saith Me… The Insanity of Illness

Possibly the worst thing about illness (besides the illness itself) is that while you lie in bed you feel as if you can take on the world. Then you stand up and reality sets in reminding you that you feel crappy. To add insult to injury, that is usually when your kids begin laughing at your patheticness and tell you to go back to bed.

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A bit of math on writing…

A little math calculation indicates I am writing on average between 10 – 12 pages a week for school, some weeks a bit more.

Didn’t know I had it in me.

It will be interesting someday in the future, when my mind clears, to read what I have written and see what I said.

While I may be the author of the words, I am not at all sure what I have written or what it all means.

Luckily, the professors seem to like my writing so I guess I must be writing something interesting.

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Cats in School

Anyone with a cat knows that they love reading a book with you. If the book is a small, one-hand-managed type, the cat’s pleasure is immense. From their perspective, you have become a dedicated lap focused on their pleasure.  

However, if the book is large, you know your sweet kitten will become an annoyingly discontented, purring, nipping beast until you put the book down and give them the required attention they feel they need. Then, and only then, will your precious ball of fur settle down to enjoy the book.

All of this changes dramatically if, in fact, you are trying to study with a book. For the shedding hair and the highlighter tip do not get along, and cause odd markings to litter your page.

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Cold War Syndrome & Cold War Hero Syndrome

Is it possible that the Baby Boomer generation all suffer from a type of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? That their youth filled with bomb shelters and threats of communist infiltration has left them traumatized. Do they suffer from Cold War Syndrome – the fear that we are in grave peril whenever we do not have an enemy inciting strong militaristic talk from our own leaders.

This syndrome includes the strong desire to stockpile weapons, have a National Offense Policy rather than a National Defense Policy, and the belief that anyone who disagrees with us is ideologically evil. Symptoms include, bullying our friends and threatening any who votes against our National Interests. Happiness and a sense of security is only achieved when the world tells us we are the best, most beloved, and bows at our feet.

The 80’s generation is often exempt from this syndrome because of the mentality that war equals total destruction, and our own leaders are just as dangerous as those of our enemy. However, there are a few who were overly influenced by movies like Red Dawn and have subsequently developed an off shoot of the syndrome called Cold War Hero Syndrome.  This syndrome is similar to its parent syndrome, but deviates by placing a stronger belief on the idea that huge, home-based stockpiles of weapons will save the day.

It is highly possible that there is a genetic factor in the developing of Cold War Syndrome and Cold War Hero Syndrome. Evidence, while not conclusive, indicates that the syndrome is more prevalent in family units and therefore maybe passed from one generation to the next.

Fortunately these syndromes do have a cure.  Education, Community Service, Cultural Diversity, International Travel, and Loving Thy Neighbor as Thyself all reduce, if not eliminate, the fear that perpetuates these syndromes.  Humility and a desire to work with rather than dominate others, also helps.