“I heard about the president’s announcement that we’re going back to Star Wars, and I just about burst into tears. In a world that can’t feed itself, we’re too busy defending ourselves. And defense isn’t even the right word – it’s militarism. Don’t fool yourself – it’s militarism.”
-Nobel Peace Prize Winner Betty Williams, on CSPAN2

Of course in the previous post, I’m not mad at the checker. I know she’s just doing her job. I’m irritated at the stupid corporate policy which insists on demeaning the employee and tweaking the customer at the same time.

“Welcome to Taco Bell. Would you like to try our new Chicken Quesadilla today?”

Standing in line at Toys-R-Us yesterday, I watched as a long line of people were asked, “Can I get your phone number?” before their purchases were rung up. They all docilely complied. As someone who gets far too much junk mail and phone solicitations, my radar is up for ways we make it easier for corporations to sell stuff to us. I guess I was somewhat surprised that no one else failed to volunteer their phone number other than me. But I was also pleased that the clerk didn’t put up even a token fight, as they often do when you tell the grocery store clerk you don’t have a store card:

“Would you like to get one? You could have saved [looks at receipt] $1.26 today with the card. Here, let me get you an application. [rummaging] No? OK, well, if you’re sure…”

Just ring it up, lady, and we can both get on with our lives.

Like Kevin, I sometimes watch infomercials and the shopping channels. I especially enjoy watching HSN and QVC when they have computer shows, since it’s particularly entertaining to watch the clueless hosts when they have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about. Sort of like George W. Bush on CNN. Last night, I watched a Tammy Faye wannabe struggle to get through her segment on a Compaq desktop computer, assuring us that we didn’t need to know any of the “technical gizmo lingo” in order to use it. Apparently, she didn’t know it either.

I do have a sort of grudging admiration for these shopping channel hosts, in that you can set just about any object down in front of them, any object, and they can talk about it at least mostly coherently for 20 minutes. That’s a talent.

Had a dream last night that someone took one of my black dress shoes and threw it in the lake, so I had to go to the shoe store and ask if I could buy just the left shoe only. (Can you do this?) Not sure what that means.

Movie quote of the day:
The things we think – the things we want – we can do them or not do them, but we can’t hide them.
-Mike, House of Games

Spent the day at Great America with the family. (Note to self: asphalt is HOT!) Many people are surprised when they hear I love roller coasters – I guess I don’t seem like the kind of person who would like to be scared or jolted in any way. I do. Since it was a weekday and not yet the heavy season, we were able to ride five great coasters in about 2-1/2 hours.

Best surprise: Vertical Velocity, where you are weightless for a couple seconds at the top of one ascent.
Smoothest ride: Raging Bull, with a seat so comfortable you want one in your living room.
Most fun: The Viper, a small wooden coaster with a lot of the little weightless “dips” I like so much.
Biggest disappointment: Batman, which is fun but jarring, and left me sort of nauseated and dizzy at the end.
Most nostalgic: American Eagle, with the (I believe) tallest drop of any wooden coaster.

Maybe I should switch gears and become a roller coaster reviewer. What do you think?

WORD OF THE DAY: dystopia
(thanks, Mike)

Heard a wonderful commentary on NPR yesterday, where a man took his fourth-grade niece to the Jacqueline Kennedy exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The girl, who initially hadn’t heard of Jackie, was tremendously unimpressed with the former First Lady. Why did such an important woman speak in such a tiny, little girl voice? And why was she so concerned with her clothes? The man was amazed that his niece wasn’t more enthralled by it all.

“But she really didn’t do anything,” said the girl.

“What is a First Lady supposed to do?” said the man, a little taken aback.

“Go places and fix problems and help people, like Eleanor Roosevelt did, or Madeleine Albright,” said the girl.

Amen to that. I’ve never understood the fascination with Jackie, except as a participant in the Kennedy mystique. Even as an icon, she represents some pretty superficial aspects of society: clothes (by browsing the museum’s web site, you would think her pillbox hat was equivalent to the Holy Grail), hair, interior decorating, social status, and living a genteel life shielded from the papparazzi. Not much to build a legend around, if you ask me.

I’ve just updated my Amazon wish list, which should be welcome news to the throngs of people planning to shop extravagantly for my birthday, just a couple of weeks away. Thanks in advance. 🙂