It's Okay, I'm Calm Now...Random Thoughts for a Monday

I was pretty fired up yesterday after finishing the tag-team post, but I've managed to calm down. Spending a few hours with a grandchild will help to center you. Reading is fun...

And we can even have fun when she's trying to crush my nose (note to self: check sale pages of the newspaper for sales on Grecian Formula)...

So now I feel better. I just need to figure out a way to get all four grandchildren within cuddling distance.

Getting back for a moment to yesterday's political-economic diatribe...

I don't think we'll ever solve all of our problems until we view them as an interlocked set of issues that need to be treated as a system instead of as a collection of individual issues, each with its own causes, possible solutions, and armies of vested interests who care deeply about it. Because I tend to understand things better when I can see them written out in tabular form, I sat down last night and started to do the "If I were President (and aren't you glad I'm not)" exercise. I'm creating a table which lists the various problems (housing crisis, banking collapse, health care, education, etc) down the left side, and columns for interested parties, causes, related issues, possible solutions, etc., across the top. Looking at things like this helps my aging brain comprehend relationships better and makes it easier to consider the impact of possible actions in other areas. Once it's done, I'll publish it here to see if it gives anyone any ideas. There have to be people out there smarter than I am...maybe we can give the new President a few good suggestions instead of just bitching from the sidelines like a bunch of self-important Rush Limbaughs and Ann Coulters.

Finally for today, here's something really neat. Did you ever wonder how people earn their operator's licenses for those giant earth moving and construction machines? All I can say after watching this is that the operator may be good...but the lady has true balls of steel...

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo