Today's Morning Coffee is brought to you by Tim Horton's. The best thing to come out of Canada since the cold front. Okay, okay, the young Pam Anderson then. No, I'm not drinking Tim Horton's coffee. I'm drinking some super gourmet stuff - raspberry chocolate or something. It makes an excellent brew.
You will all be happy to know that I now have a vehicle, albeit a loner from a co-worker. It is a Chevy Silverado. I must say in full disclosure that I am in love. Jen seems to think that she always knew that I was a pick-up man; not sure how she knew that since I've never given any indication of that - women's intuition maybe. But I had been thinking about a pick-up for a little while now, I like the vehicle quite a bit.
Ideologues. I have a bust of V.I. Lenin sitting on my desk. It comes courtesy of Mark - who failed to secure a bust of the 'best' dictator, Josef Stalin (or Dzugashvili if you will). People sometimes ask why I have such a thing; they are offended that I would have on my desk such a villainous individual and not some great man like Abraham Lincoln or Jesus. I need no such inspiration. Instead, Lenin (and Stalin) symbolize to me why I do what I do. This bust motivates me. Not in an "ooh rah" way, but in a way that drives me to work even when I don't really want to. Because people like Lenin (and Saddam, and bin Laden…the list goes on) tirelessly work to oppose everything for which our nation stands. They are driven to succeed by their devotion to an ideology, be it religion or Marxism. Our "ideology" (democracy, capitalism, or as GW Bush says, 'Merica, et al.) does not typically encourage slavish devotion or martyrdom. It stresses individuality. So what drives us? Well, as the word individuality would indicate, each person has to come up with his own motivator. Nationalism (aka patriotism when it suits us), greed, hunger for power, or just plain respect for the threat that other ideologies might pose to our way of life if we allow them to grow unchecked - these, among others, are things that drive us as Americans. This is not to say that these other ideologies need to be annihilated, just checked; their ability to influence our way of life (violently or otherwise) mitigated. That is what Lenin represents - my desire to preserve our way of life. It is the best way of life…for us. It may not work for everyone, but for us, there is no better way. Thank you "Bust O'Lenin," for without you, we would probably not realize and appreciate what we have (but isn't that how appreciation works?). At least the bust works in this way for me. For others, it just makes them mad!
For those who wish to opine: questions, (pithy) comments, critiques, fan mail, letters of adoration, love letters, money, gifts, account numbers, etc, can be directed to this email address and/or (preferably and) to my gmail account which can be found in the CC line of these emails.
A quote to consider: "Every action done in company, ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present." - George Washington
Word of the Day: Acclimate*: (transitive and intransitive verb): to accustom or become accustomed to a new climate, environment, or situation.
On this Day in History: Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose, flies for the first (and only) time (1947).
*Bonus: If anyone can tell me how this word is connected to my life, I will send you something in the mail. Say, $10. It's a prize. Answers must be submitted to this and my gmail account along with your address. I will post the real answer in a day or so. It's NOT going to be easy.
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