Minimal Blogging -- We've Lost Our Internet Connection At Home Due To Texas Thunderstorms, Flooding, And Gremlins; Whiskey For My Men, Beer For My Horses

There is nothing about the Bakken in this post. If you came here looking for the Bakken, move on, skip this post. I am posting this mostly for the archives, for the granddaughters.

I'm at Starbucks doing a bit of internet surfing. Fortunately they are open to 10:00 p.m. tonight. I'm not sure when our internet will be back up. Our internet at home is always "iffy" but with storms, flooding, and the usual gremlins, it's even worse right now. As in "not working."

The good news is that I read a bit more at home and watch a few more DVDs when I lose the internet. If my wife did not mind, I would get rid of cable completely: no television and no internet at home. I find enough wi-fi opportunities without needing connectivity at home, and television hasn't been a factor in my life for years.

I generally read about five books at a time -- actually, I don't really read five books at a time -- I generally have about five books at arm's length at any given time and I read whatever interests me at the moment. The two classics I am reading right now are Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. It is simply a coincidence that I am reading them at the same time. I say that because I finished the first chapter of Dorian Gray last Friday, and then today, started the second chapter of Paradise. In the second chapter, Fitzgerald's character spends a couple of pages discussing Wilde's Dorian Gray. Had no idea. Amazing.

I don't recall reading any Fitzgerald in high school, nor in college. How I missed Fitzgerald, I don't know. Took too many science courses, I suppose. I would not have enjoyed Fitzgerald in my teens, early twenties. I needed life experiences to enjoy Fitzgerald. It was important to read the introduction by Sharon G. Carson to understand why this book was considered his best. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed the book as much had I not read her introduction.

I also just received the classic on the Indian tipi -- first edition written back in 1957 or thereabouts and the second edition published in 1989, I guess. It it incredibly good. I have just browsed through it, and am eager to start getting serious about it. When I find a book that I'm really going to enjoy, I don't like to start it until in exactly the right mood, and with the right munchies and right beverage.

A fourth book is a novel of Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley, The Paris Wife: A Novel. I  have the soft cover edition; it looks wonderful, better than I ever expected.

And finally, a book that just came out this year, Oliver Sacks, On The Move, A Life. If one enjoys the best of Hunter S Thompson's writing (his letters -- first volume), and Hell's Angels, I think one will enjoy this Oliver Sacks book. I've also just read the first chapter of this book and don't think I've enjoyed a book this much in a long, long time.

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Minimum Wage

Speaking of minimum wage, which we weren't, this is a note from my journal, dated: 11:00 p.m. -- July 25, 1969, Friday, Williston, ND --

Worked 9 - 5. Pulled jeep home -- installed new voltage regulator but it still discharges sporadically. Not much new. Goodnight, diary. Got paycheck for $53.00 for 33 1/2 hours work last week. Only $42.12 left after taxes, etc. [Page 328] 

$53/33.5 hours = $1.58/hour -- don't even talk to me about $15/hour minimum wage.

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Wow, it's pouring rain right now, outside Starbucks. It is amazing. Must be "inches per hour." I'm hoping they extend the hours because of the rain. Of course, they won't do that, but if I were the manager, I would send the employees home at the regular closing time (if they wanted to leave) and then just kick back, enjoy coffee with any of the regulars that are still here. Perhaps even order pizza for the regulars. And maybe something other than coffee ...

Beer For My Horses, Willie Nelson and Toby Keith
This might be a good anthem for Baltimore, Milwaukee, and Cleveland.

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This is too technical to talk about but this is a very interesting development coming out of Apple: replacing the problematic "Discoveryd" process.

As long as we're talking about Apple --

Smart Watch: Android vs Apple in The Wall Street Journal -- Apple wins, hands wrists down.