Rain

There's something about an occasional rain storm that I actually like. It mutes sounds, so on an early Sunday morning like today, everything seems quiet, and the only real sound is the rain falling. I'd consider this quite relaxing.
It's when the rain storm lasts for several days and leaves lingering gray skies for a few more that I have a problem. Then, it's just overkill on the part of Mother Nature: OK, we get it...you can make everything wet and muddy at will. Whoopdidoo.
If I didn't have a boatload of errands to do, I'd lay myself right back down in bed and be still for a while.
Sunday mornings...:)

Watch!

John McCain was supposed to be on DAvid Letterman last night, but he canceled his appearance. Check on Letterman's reaction:

Let me write you a check

So, in the last week, the economy started choking on a chicken, and the government came along to perform the Heimlich Maneuver. They are expecting that these bailouts of the last week will amount to about 500 billion to 1 trillion of taxpayer money. I guess the government will be canceling Christmas this year.
Can't say I understand quite all of it. We'll be throwing a lifeline to banks and financial institutions who handed out mortgages to pretty much anyone regardless of ability to pay, and then traded those mortgages, and created derivatives of those mortgages, etc. Will the government be taking over a bunch of real estate that it will need to sell, or is it taking on something else, like mortgage derivatives, that are now worthless?
Something about all these bailouts strikes me as fishy. I just get some sort of vibe of unfairness about it all, but I suppose we needed to do it because the consequences would be even that more disastrous? Eh, I'm not sure. I don't quite understand it.
HEre is an article from the NY Times that might shed light:
Talking Business: A Hail Mary Pass, but No Receiver in the End Zone

Time

I've developed a habit of sending quotes every morning to the folks at work. A friend sent me this one, which I found quite interesting:

Time will reveal everything. It is a babbler, and speaks even when not asked.
--Euripedes

The first instinct would be to "stop listening" to time, but even if you hold your ears as tightly shut as you can, time will make its presence known.

Sheesh...that's bloody cheerful, isn't it?!

Here's something cheerier:

Pack

I am heading up to Maine for an extended weekend, and I've prepared for everything save one thing...the thing I hate the most about traveling: packing.

I never know quite what to bring to places, and I have this tendency to want to pack for every contingency; this contingency is tempered by my not wanting to bring 5 suitcases. Of course, I am left with having to make the earth-shattering decision on whether or not to take the extra shirt or socks or whatever.

So, for this trip, I am leaving packing to the last minute. My theory is the less time I have to think, the less time I will think, and just "do." Thinking is overrated anyway.