---

Freedom From Want

---

Nightline just did a segment on Norman Rockwell's painting "Freedom From Want" and its significance in American culture. When I was younger and didn't know Rockwell's work, I thought the title "Freedom From Want" was intended to be ironic.

I didn't understand "want" as meaning "lacking" in the title. I thought its meaning was "desire," as in the Buddhist maxim "Desire is the cause of all suffering." And I imagined the scene was representative of more than just one family at one meal.

So "Freedom From [Desire]" would be an ironic title for a painting that depicts an outrageously opulent meal being served to an eagerly ravenous family.

I prefer my interpretation. The title as it is makes little sense to me. The family in the painting is so far beyond the threshold of starvation, that the idea of real "want," of being in need, would have a difficult time entering into their collective consciousness. Perhaps they do need to be liberated from their desire or their greed, or simply the institutional inertia that drives them toward consumption far beyond their needs.

---

Postmodern Blues

---

Currently, I'm listening to Patricia Barber's album
Verse, which besides its uncommon sounds has some remarkably clever lyrics. Someone, perhaps not you or I, but someone may find themselves today experiencing a sentiment similar to that expressed in "I Could Eat Your Words:"

"I'll drink 'remorse' like a cabernet
champagne with 'indecision'
'guilt' like garlic, needs to sautee with cream, butter and wine."


And/or at the end of the holiday festivities the song "You Gotta Go Home" may echo your sensibilities:

"You've overstayed your welcome
And the thrill is really gone
You just gotta go."

I started the Green Bay Packers defense in Ghettobowl this week and I was dismayed to see them give up, well, any points to Lions in a loss (what was that about?). But, considering that my other defense, Dallas, gave up 40 to the Dolphins, (what the hell was that about?) I guess I made the right choice.

I need a nap. Then dessert.

---

The Apology

---

Alright, so right now I'm waiting around until it's time for me to do a little cooking myself.

Miracle on 34th street is on NBC. I've never actually watched it. Why exactly is Santa Claus on trial? Is it like when Socrates was put on trial for "corrupting the youth of Athens" and subsequently executed? Santa Claus could certainly be accused of corrupting the youth of America.

---

Some Other Sucker's Parade

---

Parades are such a trifle, aren't they? What do they accomplish? But, according to someone who was deamed worthy of having a microphone placed in front of him, "the band kids are the unsung heroes of high school." Um, ok. I didn't know it was that serious.

And why is Medieval Times marching in the Chicago parade? It is a startlingly anachronistic sight, let me tell you.

I went to Medieval Times once on a school field trip. They give you these silly cardboard crowns to wear during the performance. I didn't want to wear mine, so I put it down next to me. I was sitting in a front row on the end right next to the aperture where the performers entered and exited the arena on horseback. At one point, one of the performers about to exit wielded his prop lance and used it to scoop up the cardboard crown I had placed beside me. He then flung it at me and snarled, "Put on your damn hat!" Um, I didn't know it was that serious. So I placed the crown on the other side of my seat, just to raise the degree of difficulty.

I guess they're calling an end to the search. I wonder if O.J. is still looking for the real killers.

Intelligence: U.S. to Shift Some Experts From Arms to Antiterror: "Dozens of the American intelligence experts and linguists sent to Iraq to search for illicit weapons have been reassigned to an expanding effort to learn more about the insurgents attacking United States troops, senior government officials said Wednesday."

Have you ever watched this show Elimidate? Sometimes I'll see it on and think it would be fun to play along and choose between the four women contestants, but so often I would be loathe to choose any of those women; what unpleasant people.

---

Simple Abundance

---

I made a trip to the grocery store to procure some materials for my portion of the Thanksgiving preparations and the checkout lines extended from the cashier to the middle of the product aisles behind. All I needed was a couple of tomatoes, shallots and a bell pepper, but there's a woman in the store buying the turkey and all the acoutrements, as well as the pots and pans to cook them in. That is not at all apropriate.
If only she had discovered this and realized there is an easier way.

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving, or whatever manner of Thanksgiving you like. Some people may prefer a more wistful holiday experience, but hey whatever works for you.
There is a lot to be thankful for, like produce. So when you sit down to enjoy your meal, remember to be thankful for produce.

From all of us here at alpha charlie bravo, have a Pensive Thanksgiving!

---

Matchstick Men

---

I have about a half dozen email adresses, more or less, which can be cumbersome, but I've managed to keep them nearly spam free by allowing one of those adresses to be used for commercial or public activities and the rest for private use only.

Lately, I've been getting an especially inordinate amount of spam at the one "dumping" address. Last week I got one of those "I need to get millions of dollars out of my home country, can I put them in your bank account?" emails. Here's an excerpt:

My Name is douglas ugwu,[sic] I am an attorney... I am writing you in respect of the former first lady and wife of the late GEN. SANI ABACHA,[sic] the former head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. [She] has mandated that I search for a reliable and trustworthy foreign partner, who will help receive some funds which she had in cash totaling US$55.M (Fifty Five Million United State Dollars Only)[sic]

It's quite a lengthy email with a lot of incoherent information about Mrs. Abacha's financial situation and her arrest by the current government. Now, one would think that an educated man, a lawyer, would be capable of composing a cogent email with proper grammar and appropriate capitalization... and since "douglas" is from Nigeria, english is his first language so he has no excuse. But, it's a nice touch invoking the name of Sani Abacha.

I heard somewhere about a person who, having received a similar email offer, maintained a seemingly earnest correspondence with the perpetrator for some time pretending to seek additional information.

I wrote out a response to Mr. "ugwu's" letter. I decided to decline his offer for political reasons. I doubt it will be sent, but it reads:

"I am aware of Mr. Abacha's tenure in Nigeria and I could never aid in the transfer of funds of an individual who either is in fact, or at least should be considered a criminal according to international human rights conventions. I am certainly not a supporter of the current government, but providing such assistance to Mrs. Abacha would be counter to my principles."

Ha! As if I had principles.

---

Keeping The Rabble In Line

---

Welcome to John Ashcroft's America:

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation has collected extensive information on the tactics, training and organization of antiwar demonstrators and has advised local law enforcement officials to report any suspicious activity at protests to its counterterrorism squads, according to interviews and a confidential bureau memorandum."

And please people, stop using your video cameras to intimidate the police.

"The memorandum discussed demonstrators' "innovative strategies," like the videotaping of arrests as a means of "intimidation" against the police. "

Read article

---

Varsity Blues

---

Hey kids, it's football dichotomy time:
Northwestern did not attempt a pass in the second half of their win over Illinois. Meanwhile, I saw about half a dozen highlight plays on the news from high school football games and not one of those highlights was of a running play: all passes and one St. Rita punt return. High school football looks really easy. I don't remember it being as easy when I was in High School as it looks to me now, so I might be wrong, but I think I could suit up against the kids and dominate.

I had my first non-familial passenger a couple of days ago, and my passenger inquired of me whether I liked football. The purpose of this inquiry it seems was to ascertain some concrete evidence of my masculinity, which was apparently dubious from his point of view. I hedged on my answer. I didn't think it was fair to give an unequivocal answer (and provide evidence to support it) given the context of the question. For one thing, it is not incumbent upon me to prove or defend what may or may not be my masculinity; I'm not even interested in the issue. And secondly, my attitude about football or sports in general is not indicative of any personal characteristic. The answer to such a question is therefore entirely uninformative.

Well, anyway I have to put in my Ghettobowl lineup for this week and I'll probably have some errands to run before the Bears game this afternoon, so I should get some sleep. See, I like football.

---

Soul Food

---

I feel obligated to inform you that Noam Chomsky will make a rare media appearance on The Tavis Smiley Show today.

And this just in: there apparently is such a thing as a vegetarian soul food restaurant, but I can't find a link to prove it.

And Laz, this link's for you.

---

Divine Comedy

---

And so therefore I did attend a live performance/taping of Schadenfreude, which was thoroughly entertaining. One of the things that makes Schadenfreude entertaining for me, is that it has a significant amount of locally derived humor. They have a character who is alderman of the fictitious 53rd ward in Chicago and various references to local people, places and events. The effect of this, I suppose, is a kind of "irony of truth." It's the comedic principle that makes people think Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up is funny--the "it's funny because it's true," effect. It's as if we, the audience, are incredulous that the real world can be spoken of openly in a humorous context and that this act in itself, constitutes a comedic event.

Digression:
Once, a few years ago I saw Jerry Seinfeld on the Charlie Rose Show and he remarked that no one really understands how comedy works. I was surprised to hear this and thought that surely there must be some scholarly volume somewhere on the theory and structure of comedy. If one doesn't exist, someone ought to write it. Since then, I've developed all kinds of ideas about how comedy actually operates, mostly having to do with language and cognition. Why it works the way it does is an even more intriguing mystery. So if anyone out there knows a linguist, a cognitive scientist, and an evolutionary psychologist, set them to work on this issue. I can help get them started.
End of Digression

Wow, that was a lengthy digression wasn't it? I'm just going to go on writing anyway. Who am I kidding? This whole blog is a digression.

So did I mention also that I won one of three shiny WBEZ lunchboxes that were raffled off following the performance/taping? I believe I was the penultimate person to enter the drawing. I possessed a slight concern that I would have to walk up toward the stage and make myself known if I did win, or worse yet become, as a result of my luck, ancillary to some comic bit. I don't mind audience participation, as long as I'm not expected to participate--I like to sit in the back and contemplate a performance. But all this unnecessary anxiety made me realize how far away I am now from being a performer--farther than I had ever intended to get. I think it's been about five years since I was last on stage (and I literally fell off that stage during a performance), but it isn't as much about time as point of view. Could I still do it? Would I feel too self-conscious and uncomfortable? I don't know. But anyway, I digress.

---

I of the Mourning

---

The amount of time I spend listening to the radio is disproportianate for my generation. On a day like today, I could spend as many as eight hours with the radio on. I probably wouldn't watch Tv for more than a few minutes. (I hardly ever watch Tv anymore, mostly due to my schedule.) Sometimes I download installments of The Steve Dahl Show, which are archived the day after each broadcast, since I can't hear most of the show during the day. If I fall asleep while listening to the archive file late at night, I may wake up in the middle of a conversation topic or a nonsensical commercial. TNT has been running radio ads for their basketball broadcasts that ask such metaphysical basketball questions as: "Will Shaq regain his MVP form?" "Will Duncan and the Spurs continue to reign?" I don't see why I should painstakingly scrutinize the unfolding mystery of the NBA season when all the answers to these and many other quandries can be easily discovered by reading a newspaper eight months from now. I think that's what I'll do. I'll just read the sports page in June. I've just increased my productivity!

Tonight I'm attending a taping of Schadenfreude a local public radio sketch comedy show.
No seriously, it's a local public radio sketch comedy show.

Pro: Not having to work today

Con: Having your job owe you both a check and a vacation neither of which you have received

Pro: Not having to work today

Con: Having to use the word "having" ad absurdum

---

Like Trees in November

---

I regret that I have lately not offered much content here. Unfortunately, I have not taken the opportunity to funnel my experience of the world into text. However, if you begin to feel restless, you can always peruse the archives. I did so myself recently and it was not an uninteresting activity. Apparently, there was a time when I actually put some effort into writing this thing.

---

The Crying Game

---

I really don't think it's fair, considering my situation, that I've had to drive in bad weather on consecutive nights: thick fog on Monday and rain last night.
It is also not good, when one is obligated to pay a toll on the highway, to miss the collection basket when pausing at the automatic lanes.

This apparently is the next logical step after Joe Millionaire.

---

Drive My Car

---

The last time I was behind the wheel of a car was in May of 1996. A friend at NU needed to pick up one of the university's vans for a dorm event and he asked me to drive his car back as he would be driving the van. I was a bit apprehensive about it because I hadn't driven at all in the year since I had received my license. However, I drove his car without any difficulty and the task was accomplished. It must have been the first time I had ever been in a moving car alone since I had always been either riding or driving with a passenger qua instructor.

On Saturday, after handing over a check and signing a number of documents, I sat alone behind the wheel of a car as I drove it off the lot of the CarMax store in Oak Lawn. Remember my apprehension in the first paragraph? Multiply it by the number of years since my foot last touched the pedals of a vehicle.

Driving is easy isn't it? It's just like riding a bicycle, or something like that.
I piloted the vehicle into the twilight and onto 95th Street, cruised along at a moderate speed and arrived home without incident; although my parking leaves something to be desired.

Having a car is such a novelty for me, I feel constantly compelled to be inside it driving somewhere, even if I have really no place to go. But even if I did have some place to go, it is not unlikely that I wouldn't know how to get there since I'm not accustumed to travelling by car.

I had perceived the necessity, made recently unavoidable, to have my own vehicle as a rather onerous burden that I would otherwise prefer not to accept. I'm not sure now that is the case, but owning a car certainly brings ordinary life a step closer in it's terrible pursuit of me. I only have a 4 cylinder engine; I don't know how long I can out run it.