Repaving the Path Down Memory Lane

I'm in the process of converting my electronic journal from the format it's in to a Word document format. The reason is that the original software, which is 15 years old, is unsupported and eventually won't run on an upgraded system. The conversion is a tedious and time-consuming process because it first gets converted to rich text, then is copied, pasted, rearranged (taking out extra line spacing), spellchecked and, finally, is saved using the Word .doc format. The old software only allows a certain amount of data to be converted at a time and it comes out to be 10-15 days worth of entries. I've been using the program since early 1999. Like I said, tedious and time-consuming.

While I rarely went back to read what I put in the journal before, the conversion has given me an opportunity to wander back down my own memory lane for at least 12 years, which does my middle-age memory good. There is a certain amount of repetition to the entries. I always knew I had a mostly boring life, but the reading so far really kind of confirms it. There are things I'd forgotten, though - some funny, others poignant. There are even bits of general history documented as well. As an example, for about two weeks after the incidents of 9/11/2001, I made entries pertaining to it and the events that were happening afterward. Interesting reading, if I do say so myself.

People keep journals for various reasons. Sometimes, it's to remind themselves of what they did and/or thought in their younger years. Sometimes, it's for family members to read after they're gone so they get an idea of what their weird aunt or uncle was really like. Sometimes, it's just to document the day-to-day in history for future generations to read, or just for police to ponder over and glean who the culprit was that pushed you in front of the bus, even if it was you.

For me, I'm not really sure why I started journaling or have continued it all these years. Perhaps it's for all of the above reasons, plus the fact that journals are silent sounding boards, a place to kvetch to at the end of a long day that doesn't judge what you've done, said or thought. Finally, let's face it, I love to write and with a journal, I don't have to chose my words carefully like I feel I must to some extent in the online world.

And good news - when I'm gone, my documented life and times are only a few clicks away from being deleted and forgotten. Most lives come and go that way, after all. In the scheme of things, with all those who have passed into history and faded from our memories, only a relative handful of personal histories have survived the test of time. I doubt I'm one of those, but I hope someone reads at least a few passages before it all hits the electronic ether.

My Memory Does Not Betray on the Date of Inauguration Day

Despite the fact that the inauguration celebration is on Monday, January 21st this year, the date of the actual swearing in was and is January 20th.  Why?  I have no idea except that it started with FDR.  It's a question to put to historians.  I used to be a history buff, but my interest has waned along with my middle-age memory of it.

For some reason, though, the day the President of the United States is sworn in stays with me, when he or, perhaps in my sooner rather than later lifetime, she promises to do the job and "... to the best of my ability, preseve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."  It's a promise to do their finest work for the people of this country and, in a way, the whole world during their time in office.  It's a sworn oath not to screw us over or run us into the ground, and I believe that's it's a promise that will be upheld.   

A bon voyage in your renewed four-year journey, President Obama.  It's not the smoothest path you've chosen to continue your trek on, but it's worth the trip -- for all of us.

This is Language Evolution?

Our language gets added to all the time.  It isn't just the aristocracy in the world of words that brings new vocabulary into being. In fact, it's most often the common man's creation.  Regardless of where it starts or ends, it's language evolution in all its splendor and I embrace it.  Usually.

I take issue with a word I heard for the first time today, although maybe I wasn't paying attention previously.  The word was 'facebooked'.  Those fluent in social media will understand this term immediately in all its potential meanings.  Even I understood its use and I consider myself maybe a hairsbreadth above novice in understanding all there is to understand about social media.  My problem with it is purely technical.

Facebook is a noun, yet is being used as a verb.  As a proper name, it gets capitalized.  Verbs are not capitalized unless they start a sentence.  Still, I want to capitalize it even though it's incorrect because it looks wrong without the capital F.  I practically need a referee to deal with my inner struggle.  Twitter is fortunate that their creators chose a word that was in existence and already both noun and verb.  It's much easier to deal with this verbal issue, even though one does not twitter on Twitter, one tweets.

I suppose it's my love of pure and pretty language that makes me have such a hard time with this new word.  It's slang bordering on jargon and it's not even pleasant to the ear.  However, one of the main purposes of language is clarity of communication. It should be perfectly clear to those who use electronic social media and even to those who don't but who maintain an awareness of what's happening on the internet what the word 'facebooked' likely means.  But for the majority of the planet which, by the way, isn't connected to internet and doesn't know what a computer is, this little bit of word creation means nothing.

I don't actually know what it means myself, I just figured it out from context.

My Inner Child

My inner child still runs with scissors
jumps barefoot into puddles
looks for rainbows after storms
and falling stars on clear nights

Still howls at full moons
gets lost on purpose
explores every nook and cranny
and comes home when good and ready

Still laughs at simple silly things
has tantrums for absurd reasons
doesn't want to go to bed on time
and will cry herself to sleep

Still tries to get along with everyone
minds manners and is courteous
questions everything that seems wrong
and won't stop asking why until there's an answer

Still believes that most people are good at heart
will defend others against those who aren't

has trouble understanding adult thinking sometimes

even when it's mine

                                                          Lauren Swartzmiller
                                                          1/2/13

The Fiscal Cliffhanger

Whether or not a deal was reached before midnight between Democrats and Republicans on our fiscal future, we were still going to go over the cliff, Folks.  They hemmed, hawed, negotiated and stalled us past the 11th hour, and by 'they' I mean all parties.  The line between good guy and villain in this case is a bit blurred.

I keep getting this image of the Warner Brother's cartoon character
Wile E. Coyote going over the cliff and crashing on the desert floor below. 

Folks, Wile is us.  Thing about Wile is that he survived and so will we all.

Oh, the horror -- we're going over this virtual symbolic cliff on 1/1/13 and the spending cuts and tax nightmares begin.  AAACCCKKK!  Does the world end when it happens?  Is there no turning back?  Well, granted, we may go splat at the bottom of the cliff, but that doesn't mean we can't get up and continue working to fix things.  More specifically, 'they' need to continue working to fix things, perhaps retroactive to 1/1/13 if they can't get harmonious in their vision within a relatively short period of time.

A final suggestion for all parties concerned:  you really need to put a guardrail at the top of that cliff so we don't go over it again.  And maybe a speed limit.  And a couple of speed bumps.  Maybe some landscaping as well.  You can take that symbolism any way you want so long as the issues get dealt with -- please?