Every blogger, and real writers like nationally syndicated columnists, seem to have catch-all pieces they occasionally issue, pieces to get rid of a lot random thoughts, none of which on their own constitute a decent monograph, but collectively do fill some sort of void.
I've got plenty of random isolated thoughts. All I've needed for some time now is a name under which to place them.
I kind of like Floor Sweepings. All the other names, such as Bits and Pieces, This and That, Odds and Ends, and even Scrapple, are already taken.
Then, upon a second and third think, another name came along. Given my line of work, The Litter Box seemed like a nice fit. So, The Litter Box it will be.
Frozen pizza: Everyone likes pizza. I've been trying frozen pizzas recently, and for a couple reasons. One is that most supermarkets have vast choices when it comes to frozen pizza. It must be good, right? I also get too lazy to make my own, and my own is really good. So far, yuck on the frozen. Even a couple that promised me delivered pizza taste don't cut it. Typically, the crust sucks. I've been trying to reverse engineer their dough, at least in my head, and figure out how they can get it to taste as bad as it does. Haven't figured it out yet.
No Food or Drink Allowed: This sign sits in a retailer that has several soda machines within ten feet of the sign. By a soda, then get the hell out, that's pretty much what this business says to me. I did get out. I won't go back. I didn't buy a soda, or anything else for that matter.
No Personal Checks - No Exceptions: Great, your choice. Now, here's my choice, no business from me. I recently shopped where the clerk behind the counter nearly jumped out of their skin when we pulled out the checkbook. We left. We won't be back. All the big box stores take checks, you little Mom&Pop operators need to take them, too. You get burned on a check, sorry, but that really is the price of doing business in the here and now.
Commonwealth Medical College: The new med school under construction in Scranton will have an unimaginable impact on life in NE PA, most especially in Scranton. It's the first new med school in the country in over twenty years, and the first in Pennsylvania in over forty. I really don't believe any of us can grasp the enormity of its importance to future life here over the coming decades.
Summers Under The Tent: Carol and I often reminisce about Scranton Public Theater's time under the tent during June, July, August, and oftentimes, some of September. We both miss hot nights in the valley when a cool-down was a short drive away atop Montage Mountain. Where a play, always extraordinarily well-done, and cold drinks awaited and friendly faces welcomed your presence. They were good times. I imagine many miss them. SPT's alive and well, with the days beneath the tent gone.
Senator Al Franken: The snickering over Franken's winning of a senate seat wasn't as loud or as widespread as I'd expected. There was, though, a good deal of tittering prior to his formally being declared the winner, most of it because he's only a comedian. Standard practice in America seems to be that what you need be in order to catch any respect as candidate or winner is to be a successful businessman. Look at the economy. Look at the last two years. Look elsewhere for elected representatives. "Successful businessmen" have taken us to where we are today.
Hummingbirds and butterflies: I'm still a little concerned about the lack of both around the property this year. The same lack as last year, and the year before. We do see some hummers and we have hung a new finch feeder which has been pulling in the goldfinches, house finches, a few grosbeaks, and others. The butterflies are still largely a no show. Some blame Katrina, figuring that breeding habitat along the Gulf Coast was so decimated that the number of butterflies morphing there and coming north has been likewise decimated.
Traffic on "The Mountain": Is it just me? Could it be that I'm the only one who finds traffic on Montage Mountain (or is it now Sno Mountain?) enormously un-newsworthy? Seems that no matter what the act, no matter how big the act is, no matter that tens of thousands of people assemble on that mountain, all we hear about is traffic coming and going. Who the hell cares? The only people caught in the traffic are those who know all about the traffic and got into that traffic because they want to go see a performance. Good God, get off the traffic problems. Same goes for any NASCAR race at Pocono. Traffic is not news.
Montage Mountain: Who came up with that name? Why? What does a montage have to do with a gorgeous chunk of the Moosic Mountain range? Never cared for the name, never thought it had any relevance. Nobody asked me.
Bugs on Bridges: I have to concede that the mayflies hatching off of the Susquehanna don't demand headline news as they once did. Good. Here's the deal, plain, simple, and scientifically verifiable; mayflies in the river are an enormous indicator that the river is coming back. In fact, they just might indicate that it is back. The mayfly is the "canary in the coal mine" when it comes to water, especially moving water. Mayflies, and there are thousands of species, do not live in polluted water. In short, the Susquehanna is in far better shape than most believe. It's all about image. The river needs more advocates. Count me in.
For now, I'm out of The Litter Box.
