For Her Pleasure

I think I should retitle this blog "I Started A Joke." Thanks to the brothers Gibb.

Flashback: Ohio State Fair 1966. Rene on my lap watching those young Bee Gees singing "New York Mining Disaster" ("Have you seen my wife, Mr. Jones?"). She's smoking a Raleigh. We rode home in a friend's station wagon: parents in front, groping in back.

My Town: Mary Ronan is finally the real deal superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools. How she was jerked along to this point is all too typical of the system and personalities involved. I always liked Mary. When we disagreed, it was respectfully. But here's the reality: Like Rosa Blackwell, Mary rose in the ranks. She knows how to make CPS personnel like her. Is she willing to expend her political capital to really shake things up? Is she willing to create a lasting legacy of reform? What CPS and every urban school system needs is its version of Michelle Rhee.

Yer quote of the day: "Not all soul music comes from the church." - Bono, New York Times, April 18, 2009.

Trends: So it's way too late last night as I took the first stab at creating this narcissistic mess when I drifted into the kitchen to witness a commercial for the Trojan "Her Pleasure Vibrating Touch" fingertip massager, "the perfect little aid to create big pleasure, providing thrilling vibrations right at your fingertips." It comes with a plush storage pouch, batteries and a special condom. One of the testimonials: "It's a small finger vibe that's easy to use with a partner or by yourself."

Perhaps this is old news, but I was a bit astonished to see a woman with this ribbed device on her delicate finger, glowing on the tube in my kitchen at 2 a.m. Check it out. Guys are playing with it, too. (By the way, the device bears a weird resemblance to this little fingertip toothbrush for dogs that we stuck away somewhere. I'm sure the doggy orifice brush costs less.)

Whatever moves ya, baby.

I suppose the Trojan Lubricated Mobile Pink-O-Ring for men is up next. Hey, maybe I should lay as many trademarks on that idea as Trojan does, including a TM on -- seriously -- the phrase "Her Pleasure"...

Thoughts for the day: Does waterboarding a terrorist more than 100 times mean he gave so much good, reliable and critical information each time that the interrogators (or torturers) had to keep trying for more, or did they just keep trying and trying to get a little bit of good, reliable and critical information...but kept failing? Didn't Jack Bauer get what he needed to save the world by breaking knuckles once? The whole CIA memo deal has legs and will be a huge challenge for Obama. Gets to the heart of our worst fears and highest values.

Upper of the day: Getting second row seats for a Wilco theater concert -- as I did this morning -- is just too damn exciting.

Downer of the day: Trying to make a new computer peripheral work the way it should, "seamlessly" to use the overused phrase.

Word of the day: anodyne (see my haphazard intro).

Reading: Malcolm Gladwell. So what if he's overexposed? Like Michael Chabon, wish I looked like him and wrote like him...and I'm not the kind of guy who tends to be envious. Which brings me to the excitement of learning that the first film adaptation of a Chabon novel will be Mysteries of Pittsburgh, coming out soon. A first novel I enjoyed much.

Video of the day: Cincinnati's own Swarthy Band doing "Take This Apology" recorded at my fave local radio station, WNKU (89.7 FM):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKjgWgshbno

Their studio version worth the listen. Boys need to work up some vocal harmonies. Love the fact they cite The Who and The Kinks as influences. Throw in XTC, even if they don't realize it. I'm a sucker for power pop. Which reminds me of the all-time great LP title: Jesus of Cool. Nick Lowe, we love ya.

Woman of the day (other than my wife): Irene Jacob, French actress. Google her. See her early films. She's radiant even in her later American B-movies.

I will add these from time to time because I love women and love appreciating ones who deserve more appreciation.

Welcome to Confluenceville

Glad you're here. The idea is to share ideas and, in a world where nearly everyone wants to vent and provoke, attempt to find some shared ground. Much fun exploring language to decide what to call this thing. Was "antipodal consonance" pretentious enough, or what? Another word I'm fond of these days is anodyne. But as much as I want to be soothed and to soothe others, there's much to be gained from pain. More on that later. Love to all.