Harry's Ruminations

This morning, my daughter Maria, had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy at an outpatient surgery center in Lexington. She did very well, considering. She wasn't happy to have all that pain when she awoke. She cried, and I held her in the recovery room as they took the IV out of her left arm. The nurses and staff at the outpatient center were attentive, answering our every question. We took the slow trip back to Georgetown in the Cube (still no van 'til next week), and she dozed lightly with mom keeping her company in the back seat. Since then she's taken her Tylenol 3 (with yummy Codeine) and 2 popsicles.

This year, I was puzzling over the word 'Easter' itself. Doesn't seem to have any religious connection, does it? All the Latin-derived languages borrow from "Pesach," the Hebrew word for passover. Surprise, Easter is named for an Anglo-Saxon Goddess of Spring . Traditionally the goddess Eoastre saved a frozen bird by turning it into a bunny. A bunny who could lay eggs, like a bird. BANG--"Easter Bunny" For me, this Easter has been a real bust. Really, the whole Lenten season, too. Usually, I get into everything from Ash Wednesday through Pentecost--purification, focus on religious life, prayer. This year, it's been a succession of issues: Pregnancy, Mom's cancer returning, ongoing illness in my wife & kids, work, a car accident, dealing with insurance company. This weekend's been the exclamation point on that--missed our Good Friday chorale because of shuttling J, then missed Easter because J's got stomach flu. Three round...

Since March 22nd, my family's been tooling around in a Nissan Cube . Let's be honest: We hate it. We miss our Honda Odyssey and look forward to its return. Heck, this thing makes me yearn for the consistent handling, quiet competence of my 10 year old Toyota Camry. Yep. This brick is Hello Kitty with wheels, and yikes has it overstayed its welcome. For those who don't know, a Nissan Cube is a Nissan Versa with a different body. A Nissan Versa is the smallest Nissan automobile sold in America, featuring a coarse 122 hp 1.8L engine and a Continuously Variable Transmission. Pic of the versa: Beauty is subjective, but I'd say ugly is obvious. How these TWO rolling monstrosities made it past clay models is beyond me. Anywho... So, what you have with the Cube is a box-it-came-in car, with amazing interior space. Let me describe what it's like to drive this car: Imagine driving your patio deck around with an underpowered engine and Satan's own transmissio...

Chat convo with my wife: Bella: I'm gonna need that $ back. Harvid: Sure, right after I put that deposit down on that motorcycle Bella: Oh, so you're leaving me then? Harvid: Oh, didn't the guy show up with the papers? ;)

Finished reading this book Saturday night It was an interesting tale of an entitled, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) whose life completely unravelled in his late 50's. This true story follows Michael Gates Gill, son of Brendan Gill of The New Yorker magazine fame, graduate of Yale, member of Skull & Bones. Gill's never worked a real job in his life--he moved from Yale to a prestigious Madison Avenue ad agency, living a jet-set life and leaving his kids behind. As he entered his 50's, he got downsized and went home (for the first time, really) to a wife he didn't know and children who grew up without him. He descended further, carrying-on an affair with a younger woman and fathering a child at 60 years old. Then his wife left him. Then his ad clients stopped calling him back. Then he had a young African American woman ask him at Starbucks: "Do you want a job today?" Yes. Yes, he did, and so begins our story. The book is a very quick read, wi...

I'll get some pics up soon...just some thoughts from attending the 2010 Louisville Auto show It's much better going with your 3 year old daughter than with your 1 year old daughter. Maria was my wingman...er...wingdaughter. Awesome! The Ford display triumphed. They had position right in front of the entrance, and the cars were great. They (understandably) didn't have the 2011 5.0 Mustang GT on display--who would by the 2010 4.6? The new Taurus is incredible. Great styling. Sumptuous interior. I can't believe this platform began as the VW Passat-derivative Five Hundred. It's a completely different car just when America's ready to return to cars after gorging on SUV's for 20 years. That being said, the new Fiesta's too small. Unless they can make money on this car at $14k or less, forget it. People will buy the redesigned Focus instead. Toyota's display, right next to the entrance as well, was a ghost town. I felt sorry for these guys as ...

I live in a dysfunctional state. Actually scratch that...I live in a dysfunctional Commonwealth . Looking at this logically: We have 4.3 million people We rank 22nd in population density We have a state sales tax of 6%, except on foodstuffs. We have a state income tax of 6%, basically for everybody. We pay property tax assessed on cars, yearly. We pay property tax on LEASED CARS. Think about that for a minute. Lots of our local municipalities levee income taxes as well Yeah, so of course we're flat broke . Comically so, like your friend who's lived off credit cards for the last 10 years, then can't convince Citibank to up his limit. There are some bright spots. Crit Luallen , our auditor, is a gem. She's the all-seeing eye. She causes embezzlers and graft-takers to shudder, as they should. When things go wrong, she arrives like a pissed off Darth Vader hunting Princess Leia. ( As my commenter, Dash, corrected me, the muckrakers at the Herald-Leader play a huge ...