That Time Change Thing

 

Hashed areas are where DST is not observed.

from NationAtlas.gov

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

Well, its that time again, that twice-a-year misery that marks the onset and end of Daylight Savings Time.  Here in Hawai'i, the shift is not observed, but I remember what a burden it was when I lived in the mainland.  The system's genesis is rather murky, and it's continued existence has depended solely on its own momentum.

The first person to come up with the idea was a fellow named George Hudson, an entomologist in 1895. Yes, a bug guy.  You can probably guess why he wanted an extra hour added to his summer evenings.  It wasn't until 1916 that the first nationwide implementation of DST was done by the German Empire and Austria-Hungarian, two political entities which have both been consigned to the dustbin of history.

Today, the system exists in multiple countries, but even in the United States, there are states and parts of states that refuse to go along with it.  As to the basis for continuing to do it, well, that's a difficult thing to find.

A Different Kind of Holiday Season

"After all the angst, anger, and sorrow that has been 2020,

It is my sincerest, deepest hope that when, or if, families gather

for Thanksgiving and Christmas that everyone remembers this year

and how precious is that joy that accompanies the season

and the love which has always been there.

For if 2020 has taught us anything at all,

it is that nothing is certain

and whatever moments we have must be cherished

before they slip away."

--Ralph F. Couey

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

Cheryl and I were sitting on the couch the other night, watching yet another joyful replay of Super Bowl LIV, when I asked, "What are we doing for the Holidays?"

Her response was almost automatic, that we would gather with family for food, fun, and Mah-Jong.  I accepted this at first, then asked, "But what if we can't?

This is not an idle question.  For the first time in modern memory, the traditional family gatherings around Thanksgiving and Christmas have been thrown into a kind of purgatory.  While the numbers here in Hawai'i are flattening to the point where the government has started a phased re-opening, in the mainland, the numbers are spiking alarmingly.  The tourist industry is ramping up, and the response was almost immediate.  Almost overnight, the daily arrivals went from around 100 to 18,000.  While we are delighted to have that revenue stream restored, some of us are concerned about people coming from places where the numbers are once again out of control.   Gatherings of any kind are still restricted to five people or less, but we have 16 people, and maybe more, so unless the restrictions are eased, it's hard to imagine how to have a traditional type of holiday.

But this is the Pandemic, after all, and Pandemics are where traditions go to die.  I don't know how you folks on the mainland will manage this without adding to your sadness.  No doubt some, perhaps many, will throw caution to the winds and gather anyway, accepting whatever consequences ensue.  That is, if the neighbors don't call the police on you.

"Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You..."

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

Tomorrow marks the first week with my Mustang, and in those first days, the car and I are beginning to know each other.  To quote Bogie, "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

The first day or so, I drove it carefully, getting used to the feel, which is world's different from the SUV I've been driving for the past four years.  Go figure.  The biggest adjustment has been the steering, which is quick and responsive and requires far less movement of the wheel.  It's easy to over steer, especially when just changing lanes on the freeway.  Speed limits being what they are here, I've had very little opportunity to engage the turbo boost, but when I have, the response is...well...thrilling.  It's not the Saturn V feeling of the V8 GT model,  but more than enough for around the island.

The seats are fabric, and well ventilated, a nice thing in the tropics, even though the interior is dead black. The edges come up around my thighs, ribs, and shoulders, ensuring that I will be firmly planted in the drivers' position regardless of what's going on outside.  The Kona Blue Metallic paint is breath-taking in the day, as the tropical sun highlights every single metal flake in the paint, making then sparkle and dance as if the car were painted with diamonds.

My only mild complaints involve the outside mirrors, very tiny after the SUV, and the lack of a rear window wiper, although honestly it would probably ruin the look.  Getting in and out is...not smooth, given my age, but I WILL make it work. Changing lanes involves actually turning my head and shoulders to check the neighboring lanes because the tiny mirrors are very insufficient for safe viewing.  But, if I recall my driver's ed training from 47 years ago, this is something I should've been doing anyway.  

But these are very small things.  Folks, I LOVE THIS CAR!!!  Every commute, every errand, even taking Cheryl's Mom to her daycare in Ewa Beach is too much fun.  

The Context and Perspective of "Home"

 

One of the most famous optical illusions.

It's either a young woman looking away,

or an old woman looking down.

"Its amazing how our perspective of life can change

simply by moving ourselves a few inches

or a lot of years."

--Ralph F. Couey

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

There is a scene in the film "Dead Poets Society" where a teacher, played so brilliantly by Robin Williams, invites his students to the front of the classroom to stand on top of the teacher's desk, and thus look at the room from an entirely different perspective.  Leading teenagers on an exercise of this type can be frustrating, but the looks on those boys' faces as they took in this new point of view showed that they "got it."  I've seen similar reactions in speech classes when a student went from their desk to the front of the room.  They were comfortable at the desk.  But in front, with all those eyes on them, the familiar was suddenly frightening.

The image at the top of this post is an exercise in perspective we call an optical illusion.  There are actually two images there.  One will occur immediately, the other not before several minutes spent in deep thought.  Its the same artwork, but exists in two different points of view.  There are many such kinds of things in life.  There are basically three different perspectives.  How we see things, how others see things, and how things really are.  One of the most painful shifts a person can make is from seeing something with which we are familiar to the sudden realization that it was never that way at all.  Or as Mark Twain put it, "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.”

Perspective is kind of a funny thing.  It's not just a physical change, but could be a philosophical one that could forever alter one's view of the universe.

A Dream, and the Horse it Rode In On

"Dreams that you dream really do come true."
--Yip Harburg

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

It's been a day of emotional contrasts, a ride up and down the proverbial roller coaster.  It was one of those days that was both memorable and forgettable.

After falling asleep about 1:30 this morning, I rolled out of bed just before 7 am.  I don't make a habit of this kind of schedule, at least not since my 20's.  This was Raiders week, and my Chiefs were kicking off at 7:05.  I figured I would have time for a nap later.  Oh, the best-laid plans...

The game was a bust.  The Chiefs iffy style of play finally caught up to them.  I knew they wouldn't go undefeated, that a loss was inevitable.  But to the Raiders???  It was worse than a root canal, or a colonoscopy, and just as uncomfortable to sit through.  But, it's just one game.  Last year (Super Bowl year, remember?) they won their first four games, then lost four of the next six, and almost their unicorn quarterback to boot.  This year, it appears that NFL defenses have cracked the code of the Chiefs' offense, and some sloppy play at key positions has exacerbated the problems.  But, there are 11 games left, and the hope, not yet ephemeral, exists that they will still win out.  Clearly, there is work to be done before they play the Bills next Monday.  Or Tuesday.

But that was the low point of the day.  After losing to the Raiders, things could go only one direction.

About two weeks ago, Cheryl and I were on our way to Costco when we drove by a local mega-car dealer.  Parked along the edge, visible from the road was a beautiful blue Ford Mustang.  It had been there for awhile and for me, hard NOT to notice.  As we drove by, I said wistfully, "My Mustang's still there."  

Cheryl, who really should know better, asked, "Want to go drive it?"

"Don't tease."

The Power of the Ballot

 

My Freedom Ticket

Image Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

"Voting is the right upon which

all other rights depend."

--Thomas Paine

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

This election will be like no other in American history.  This is so obvious, it almost seems silly to make that statement.  The Pandemic, the widespread violence in the streets, a continual train of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, scandals, both real and imagined, impeachment, and other problems too numerous to mention have left a general feeling that America is on the brink of its own destruction.  That may be true.  It would also be true to remember our past, when events and actions created dire national situations, and didn't result in our ruin.  Its probably closer to the truth that every election feels like the last chance to lance the world's biggest boil and save our future.

But perception, for many, is reality.  And there's no denying that the United States is awash with a multitude of very dark perceptions.

But we're now looking down the barrel of the 2020 elections, not only for President, but a third of the Senate (think treaties and judicial nominees) and the entire House of Representatives.  On the local side, there will be governors, legislators, mayors, council people, school boards, county executives, judges, prosecutors, county clerks, and probably somewhere, dogcatchers.  There will be issues as well, like bonds for schools, highways, tax hikes, new laws and regulations -- anything and everything that can be squeezed onto a ballot.  All important stuff.

But despite the bountiful lessons from around the world of how special and precious this right to vote is, far too many of us will decline to participate.

Let's try to put this in historical perspective.  At the birth of this nation, those who had brought us through the agony of revolution and thirteen years of sometimes rancorous debate, it was decided that ordinary citizens of the United States would be given power over their government.  The British thought this was laughable, perhaps even dangerous.  Despotic leaders watched nervously, hoping this particular disease would not cross their borders.  Eventually (and far too slow, IMHO) the vote was expanded to racial minorities and women.  While the right to vote is not enshrined in the Constitution, the requirement of government to be responsive to the will of the people is.

The Limp of Fear

 

Centers for Disease Control

Copyright © 2020

by Ralph F. Couey

For much of the eight or nine months of this Pandemic, we've been taken on a road full of twists and turns, and even double-backs.  For several weeks, it was growing exponentially, then came a time when we all thought the thing was almost whipped.  Then, it came roaring back.  People were told many contradictory things about the best way to protect themselves, and there were those who were convinced that the whole thing was a gigantic conspiracy, and refused to undertake any mitigation at all.

Early this morning (late yesterday evening, Hawai'i time), a bombshell broke out of the nation's capitol.  The President of the United States and the First Lady had contracted COVID-19.  Early this evening, we were told that he had been airlifted to Walter Reed because of some breathing issues.

There was, of course, the inevitable well wishers and gleeful haters who spoke up and flooded social media.  I'm not going to get into that, mainly because, as I've written previously, I'm pretty much disgusted by both sides.

The point here is that the President is one of, if not THE most well-protected person on the planet.  He is surrounded by multiple layers of security, and subject to immediate displacement into any one of a number of secure bunkers, or a convenient jet.  Any attempt to violate that security and do harm to the President is likely to result in the violent death of the assailant.  

But despite gates, locks, police, Secret Service, electronic surveillance, dogs, the most advanced home surveillance system ever conceived, and sheer odds, the virus scored a direct hit.