Absence Makes the Reader Grow Fonder

Once again, real life events have conspired against my best efforts to post at least one item to this blog every day. An insane workload, frequent power outages in my neighborhood in the last week, dinners with friends and Elvis Costello at the Paramount Theater in Oakland have all combined to restrict or curtail the amount of time I've had to spend blathering away in this forum lately. My apologies to any of you folks out there who have missed my writing, filled as it is with trenchant and pithy observations, not to mention sly, sparkling wit and sarcasm sharp enough to shave your uncle Ernesto.

Or so I like to believe.

Just to weigh in on what seems to be the pressing issue of the day (at least according to the MSM), it's my opinion that, grandstanding and religious right-pandering Republican Congresswhores aside, that poor woman in Florida should be allowed to have her undignified and artificially-sustained existence come to a quiet end, and soon. The spectacle of the Schindler family and their coterie of child molesters priests begging from court to court and judge to judge and legislator to legislator in an effort to allow her to continue "living" in a persistent vegetative (and brain-dead) state is just shameful and tragic. Let go, already.

For the record -- and Mrs. Generik is fully aware of this -- if I ever get to a state similar to the one Terry Schiavo is in, I want the plug pulled yesterday. Not for me an existence where I'm not conscious of my surroundings or in control of my motor skills. I've been so adamant about it, in fact, that I was almost afraid to tell Mrs. G the last time I broke my leg. But seriously, I'll take the Hunter S. Thompson route out before I put up with debilitating infirmity or loss of function. I'm not that attached to this life.

Anyway, that's my take, my two cents. I'm hoping I'll get a little more time to throw some more pennies your way in the near future, but right now that commodity is at a premium. (Funny coincidence -- I'm listening to "Time Has Come Today" by the Chambers Brothers right now. Thanks, Eric B!)

In other news -- big congratulations to my pals Jeff and Ramona in Kentucky who, after living in sin for the past few years, finally tied the knot a while back. They met online, can you imagine such a thing?

Oh, and the Elvis Costello show last night? A total rave-up. Excellent. Plenty of material from the new -- and very good -- album, The Delivery Man; most all of the old standbys that we've long come to expect at one of his shows, like Watching the Detectives, Pump It Up, Mystery Dance, (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea and more; and, best of all, a few surprises from the catalog: King Horse, Blame it on Cain, Blood and Chocolate, Clown Strike, Clubland. He was congenial, convivial, conversational and a consummate professional. He led the Imposters through their paces with aplomb, and seemed genuinely happy to be there. I know I was.

So... are we caught up now? I'm sure there's more to talk about, and we'll get to it in due time, but that's about it for right now. Because how can you miss me if I won't go away?