Don't Stop the Carnival

1)  Did you hear about the rabid fox that attacked the jogger in Arizona?  If not, read the story here.  I don’t know what aspect of this story is most astounding- that the fox attacked the woman or that she had the ability to remain calm, run back to her car a mile away, and put the animal in the trunk so it could be tested for rabies.  This is why we need to be cautious of the fox that live here in Bay View.  Are they rabid?  Most likely no.  Are they friendly?  I don’t really think so.  Do they get uncomfortably close to humans?  Yes.  The best thing we can do to live harmoniously is not to feed them, and enjoy them from afar.

2)  There’s a weird duplicity in home décor in Bay View these days.  On my street, for example, up until earlier this week we had homes with Halloween pumpkins, Thanksgiving turkeys, and Christmas decorations.  It’s a confusing time of year.  It doesn’t help that the stores were selling Christmas and Halloween decorations side by side over a month ago.  It seems that Christmas is slowing becoming a 3-month ordeal, over taking Halloween and Thanksgiving.  Can’t we just slow down and enjoy each holiday in a timely fashion?

3)  I like to read bumper stickers.  Given the nature of my job and that I drive around all day, I see a lot of them.  I like to think of them as moving commercials.  Some are clever, some are stupid, others are distasteful, and, given the recent election, many are political.  People in Bay View have a lot to say, and hence they tend have a lot of bumper stickers.  I’ve noticed that those supporting the democratic ticket seem have the most political bumper stickers- either promoting Obama or bashing Bush.  And I can’t help but wonder, once George Bush is gone, will the bumper stickers go away?  What will we see then? “Coexist” or “Think Globally, Act Locally” or  “Free Tibet?”  Will conservatives feel the urge to cover their rear bumpers with anti-Obama stickers?  I think I will conduct an informal sociological experiment in the coming months to get an answer.  I’ll keep you posted…

4)  A while ago I wrote about returning to school for my graduate degree.  I was panicking about being an older student who was technologically inept and asked too many questions.  Was I that student?  I think I may have been a teeny, tiny bit.  After the first night of class, I quickly traded my mechanical pencil and notebook for a laptop, figured out how to use it, and got with the program.  Much to the chagrin of the class, I probably did ask too many questions, but, honestly, when you are spending as much as I am in tuition I wanted to get every penny’s worth- and I managed to get an A in the class!