The only thing more prevalent and universal in the world than the love of money is the number of lovers of money. The most popular apps for cell phone users are the robocall killers and spam shields and with good reason.
You may already be nodding your head and going 'yeah, it's pretty bad," but that's only because you have no idea just how large the spamvalanche is, and the problem is growing.
If you must steal, and since the last time I had an original idea it died of loneliness I have to steal, make sure you steal quality. So I do and I did. I came across a notion by a Facebook friend a couple of days ago,, SF (though NOT SF Sorrow), and a light came on (so thank you for letting me appropriate it even though you may not know I did. I will know).
Admittedly, that light was NOT the million candlepower one of the search and rescue chopper-more like the bulb in the fridge at one in the morning when you seek sandwich fixings only to find some desiccated lettuce leaves you thought you'd already pitched in the bin.
It's always intriguing how much easier a task, any task, appears from the bleachers. Theodore Roosevelt had some thoughts about the difference between doing and watching that I think about as I peruse my downloaded copy of the Norwich City Manager's proposed budget while it moves from presentation through public hearings to formal adoption.
Safe at home, behind my keyboard, things are much simpler and clear-cut for me and I need to remind myself of that always.
Across the state, our Hartford legislators and Governor continue to evaluate and differentiate between what services are needed and which ones we can continue to afford (and the price), with the neighbors we've elected here in Norwich having to make do with what's left. Not an easy task with the rate of annual inflation at over 8%. Dollars must come from somewhere, or cuts have to be made.
Early last month the City Manager offered his vision of a version of a budget and articulated his rationale for its formulation, with the various city departments each testifying before the City Council as to what they needed and why as well as what they hoped to accomplish.
We’ve had ample
opportunities to offer suggestions on where to spend and where to save (and
why), but I confess to being both disappointed and annoyed because from what I
watched I’m not sure that many of us understood the assignment. It seemed more
of those who should have said something chose silence
while so many who did speak used their time to say 'no' to just about
everything.
I’ve celebrated thirty
birthdays here, more than in all the other places on earth I've lived combined,
in a city where I wasn’t born, and have had people chide me for not knowing
much about Norwich, because as they say ‘you’re not from here.' But I’m
from here now. And I've learned we all have different visions of what
Norwich is and could/should be depending upon our perspective and where we
choose to look.
Talking about how each
of us sees this city, and how we create a shared vision of Norwich is an important conversation that we struggle and
fail to have every year (at least since I've lived here).
It takes more energy
to be a light than to be a horn (to offer ideas instead of just naysaying) and
I'm reminded of that during every budget deliberation. I used to say it makes
me smile, but it's more like a grimace, which from a distance looks pretty much
the same.
If you didn’t speak Monday
night when the Council adopted a preliminary budget, I, too, understand the importance
of the word 'preliminary,' but the second (and so far, final) public hearing is
this coming Monday, May 9th, and it could be your last opportunity to make your
voice heard.
If you have a phobia about public speaking or are social distancing, call the members of the City Council or send them an email (all the contact information is right here).
Someone once told me 'he who hesitates is lunch,' which is why I always have a napkin in my trousers pocket because you just never know. But what I do know is no one can hear the words you don't say, so speak up and speak out. We may not be able to do everything, but together we can do anything.
-bill kenny
Growing up old I was never a fan of Hanna-Barbera cartoons. I could see The Flintstones were an animated rip-off of The Honeymooners, but The Jetsons were a very different kettle of fish in my eyes.
A lot is made over how The Simpsons, selected episodes chosen to prove a point, have predicted our present and future but George and Jane, together with Judy and Elroy (and not forgetting Astro) pretty much belled the cat when it came to projecting our day to day lives in Tomorrowland.
That's why, when I came across this, I didn't know whether to smile or grimace.
Thankfully, from a distance, they look very much the same.
-bill kenny
Our daughter, Michelle, gets annoyed when I write about her, even when I write nice things like, for instance, how she's the world's greatest squirrel wrangler, or wranglette (I'm never sure) so I expect she'll be less than happily surprised I'm mentioning her today. But in my defense, I had no choice.
Michelle, who explains to people she has 'my father's wit and my mother's charm' has a birthday all of her own today. I cannot believe my itty-bit is an adult but she is and in hindsight, I'm thinking maybe she was born an adult intellectually and just grew into the size of one.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
-dad
As a child, we used to go to the beach at my grandparents' bungalow in The Highlands, New Jersey, every summer (and spent a lot of time there even after Mom and Dad had rented our own bungalow) in the same colony. I didn't realize at the time that was paradise and when I did, it was too late to return.
I'd stand on the strand with Grampy and he'd have us wave to people I never saw in Europe, on the other side of the ocean. He assured me they saw us and were waving back. I believed him; he was Grampy. It wasn't unusual while we were scampering or swimming (wading out into the ocean a couple of feet while adults fretted about the Undertow) to see someone fishing from the long pier that separated our beach from the next one over.
Sometimes as we watched the fisherman would catch something and one day the fisherman was my dad and the something he hooked was a small shark, about eighteen inches long, though much longer in my memory.
It was terrifying; at least as terrifying as this is. Which reminds me, as Frank Zappa might say, don't forget to floss.
-bill kenny
I'm not a pet owner or parent or however you describe the relationship you might have with an animal that cohabits with you. I have enough trouble taking care of myself (ask my wife) and our two children can attest to how well I performed as The Dad in their little growing-into-adulthood-productions.
Our daughter has a cat and fish (who probably get nervous when left alone with the cat) while our son and his wife have dogs and cats. On a good day, I can correctly guess which end of their critters poop and which end is okay to pet but that's as far as I can go.
Our next-door neighbor has two dogs, Keanu and Bruno, both of whom (but most especially Keanu,) bark vociferously at the sight, sound, and/or even scent of yours truly. Between you and me, I think it's my liverwurst after-shave.
They, like most dogs I've even casually observed, seem to very much enjoy when they get to be passengers in their owner's car, though I've never understood if they call shotgun or take turns or have come to some other arrangement.
The next time I see them, I will make it a point to not mention Ouka as envy in a dog can be such a sad thing to see.
-bill kenny
