Notes from the Media
Tue., May 23, 12:21 PM
I love reading the comic strips. Again and again, they give me a different take on some idea that’s been tumbling around in my brain. For more than a week, I’ve been smiling over “Gasoline Alley,” as Skeezix attempts to renew his driver’s license. I’ve been reading this strip since I was a child, enjoying it all the more because all of the characters age in real time (more or less). I read it online these days, as it is no longer carried by the local newspapers.
Of course, Skeezix has had more than his share of trouble because he let the old license expire. DMV sent him over to Social Security to verify his information, which is accessible from DMV computers, and he had to wait in line – three times. By comparison, I renewed my license last week, and it took about fifteen minutes, part of which was waiting for them to put the photo into the plastic card.
Since I didn’t become a driver until after my children were in school, I was a pretty old “new driver.” This is the eighth license I have gotten and, since they are now issued for six years, it is very likely my last. I stopped driving at night as my eyesight deteriorated, and I will never again drive on a superhighway because, at high speed I can’t read signs before I come to them. I will hate to give up my independence entirely, but if anything were to happen to my car, I wouldn’t replace it.
That’s not so dumb. I would save the price of taxes, insurance, registration, and repairs. I wouldn’t have to pay for gas, except that I would occasionally fill the tank for anyone who drove me regularly. Meanwhile, I continue to get to the places around town by myself. There are ride services around here for senior citizens. One should always look at alternatives.
The story line on “Doonesbury” is disturbing this week, as it often is. “There is no problem that can’t be solved by giving tax cuts to the rich,” according to a sleazy character who mirrors some of the worst in our government. But who will pay for it? “The lame-o Generation X.” That’s you guys and/or your kids; personally, I am pre-Boomer.
Yesterday morning I went to wake up Husband and returned to the kitchen and the radio, just in time to catch the tail end of Peter Marshall’s comments on my piece about “Your Hit Parade.” I missed it; I might not even have recognized it if I hadn’t heard my name. Darn! Even when he isn’t trying, he manages to push my buttons!
A moment of silence for Senator Lloyd Bentsen, who also served in President Clinton’s cabinet. I will always remember him best for his retort in a 1988 vice-presidential debate. When Candidate Dan Quayle had the temerity to compare himself to Jack Kennedy, Senator Bentsen said, “…I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was my friend. Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.” Lloyd Bentsen was one of the remaining politicians with a shred of integrity.
They’re playing a lot of Rosemary Clooney today; it’s her birthday. She was one of my favorite singers for a lot of years. “Half as Much,” a country song by Hank Williams. “Hey, There,” from Broadway. “Tenderly,” a classic romantic song. She also recorded dozens of children’s records, which were often played on “Captain Kangaroo.” I admire someone who can embrace multiple types of music – and obviously enjoy herself doing it.
In a meme currently making the rounds, one that I’m not going to answer, there’s a question, “Have you ever ridden a train?” Dear heaven, has it come to that? See I Like Trains. I had a teacher once who said, “take your children on trains, for one day there won’t be any.”
