Snooty Purple Bird

 I have been hit with that phrase again --”purple prose” — to insinuate that I affect a pretentious ostentatiousness, to presume to a grandiose manner.

I wrote about a crow that come into my room thru a open window.

"He hopped right in, with lots of flapping his wings, like he thought he owned the place.  Didn't slow down none — acted proud, kinda like them snooty high society couples you see on TV … an he flue up to a high shelf, an he set right down on an old statue I've got up there of a Greek goddess.

An then he jus set there …"

If'n I wanted it t'be purple I'da copied Poe:

"...with many a flirt and flutter,

In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore; 

Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;

But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—

Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door—

Perched, and sat, and nothing more."

        

                                                                Pallas

Anybody that'd read that kind of stuff — no tellin' how he'll write!

Alec Baldwin on trial for Manslaughter

Alec Baldwin faces a Manslaughter trial for the tragic, unnecessary death in that highly publicized incident on a movie set.

Baldwin attempts to shift the blame to the armorer who presented the gun to him. He insists he was told that the gun was unloaded.

It is arguable that the armorer should have unloaded the gun before presenting it. 

 But that did not relieve Baldwin of the responsibility to verify that it was in fact unloaded.

Defensive driving has been a staple in high schools for years  — because we want to teach the skills and awareness that may save the lives of our children when they drive their cars.

Additionally, I insist that basic firearms safety should be included in every high school curriculum.  Not to encourage the students to take up shooting as a hobby. But, recognizing the need imposed by the fact that there are millions of guns in American society, to instill in our youth the rules and fundamentals of gun safety.

The most important rule is “Treat every gun as if it is loaded.”  A corollary of equal importance is “Never point a gun at anyone.”

When anyone picks up a gun — or is handed a gun — the immediate requirement is to check the gun to see if it is loaded.

In context, these two rules would have prevented the “accident” for which Baldwin is probably going to prison. 

Free TV

 Nothing much going on here, so I'll share the following:

There are many things that I encounter in life that baffle me. Mysterious.  Frustrating.  Beyond my understanding and comprehension.

I rely on TV for entertainment and diversion.  Were it not so pricey I would subscribe to Cable.

My chosen alternative is to use an antenna to receive the over-the-air broadcasts that are federally mandated.  

I bought an antenna for a hundred bucks, and hung it on the bedroom wall in my apartment. A shielded twenty-five foot cable connects to the TV in my living room. This has served me well for seven years. 

A recent very severe thunderstorm, with frighteningly arrogant lightning, prompted me to disconnect TVs, computers, and my microwave from the electrical power to avoid damage by any high voltage spike that may follow a lightning strike.  As an afterthought I disconnected the antenna cable from the TVs.  

The storm passed without any incident.  

For the last few weeks I have been enjoying news broadcasts, football games and movies on the TV.

Yesterday I walked past the antenna in the bedroom, and noticed the antenna cable lying on the floor, disconnected.  I picked it up and looked at it.

Yes, I had left it disconnected. I moved the loose end farther away from the antenna, and turned on the TV.  All channels are displayed without any indication of irregularity.

I continue to watch TV with no antenna connection.

I'm not versed in the intricacies and nuances of the science of transmission and reception of TV signals.  But this all seems contrary to any understanding that I may presume to enjoy.

I shall add this to my unrecorded list of Things that Mystify.  

Life goes on.

Errant Lockset

 

The photograph at left immediately above is of an entrance lockset salvaged from the dumpster.

      The adjacent photograph shows how easy it is to see the device in the repurposed plastic jar in which it has been stored for several years.  

The thrust of this essay is to review events of March 2021.

I found it desirable to change the door knob set on a passage door in my apartment. I removed the previous set, and went to the table in my "shop" where I knew I would find the lockset pictured above.  

I had a clear memory of recently noticing the item in its jar on the table, in an group with several other jars of similar size.  And I will note that these similarly sized jars are grouped, together at one end of the table.  No other jars of that particular size are in use.

I couldn't find the lockset.

I picked up each if the other jars in turn and examined their contents.  The lockset was not there.

I searched diligently in several other areas to which I thought perhaps I had relocated it.  No joy.

 I returned to my project and managed a solution without the desired lockset.- Later, remembering again that I had not long ago noted the presence of the lockset on the table in my shop, I returned to that location. I searched the entire length of the table.

Nope.

A week later I had occasion to approach the table in the shop.

There, plainly visible, was the elusive lockset, clearly visible in its jar.

You tell me —  I don't know.