Quote of the day(or week, or something)

from America Alone:
"Europe," he explains, "acts to ensure that television and radio conform to public interest criteria."

"Public interest criteria": keep that bland phrase in your head when you need to know everything that's wrong with Europe. It's code-speak for a kind of easy-listening tyranny.

In other news:
The rain did indeed end, after a last couple of showers during the night. One area southwest of here got ten inches, which is bloody awful for Oklahoma. Flooding, roads closed, the whole nine yards. Today, with the sun out and temp rising up into the low 80's, we had the outdoor version of the sauna you pay for at a health club; take a step, break a sweat. Take two, start dripping. Etc.

It also means the grass didn't start to dry out until afternoon. I managed to hack through the new growth in the front yard, but the back was way too wet to even try; I had to keep unclogging the mower every pass on the front, and the back is not only wetter, it's taller. And thicker. Must be the fertilizer the dog gives in exchange for food.

Medical problem is a messed-up elbow, the sawbones thinks an irritated nerve(side note: the rest of me gets irritated fairly often, but it doesn't generally give me this much trouble). Hopefully the things he laid out to try will take care of it. From what he said, if it doesn't the next step may well be surgery, that is kind of, ah, 'involved' let us say. And to be avoided if at all possible. I've had enough involuntary punctures, cuts and slices over the years, I'd really prefer to avoid any more voluntary ones.

The work schedule is still screwed, although there's a little light at the end. Yes, it may be the damn train. Or a drunk in a semi. Time will tell. For now, I'm looking on the schedule as an inspired piece of fiction that may have some relation to real life.

By the way, I think the nannies have killed off the strike-anywhere matches, as I can't find the damn things anywhere.

And I called a friend a bit ago and caught her leaving the house; she'd just had a call that her daughter is in the hospital, details very uncertain at this point. And she's got a long drive to get there. Send some good thoughts her way, if you would.

And at this point I'm done, see y'all later.