The Art of the Deal
14/04/17 08:00
I'm hearing on the radio that today is Good Friday. I'll need to brush off my second grade catechism to know what that means precisely but I think there might be something in there about not eating meat today. If I learned anything at the gnarly hands of the hunchbacked nuns it was that it was always more fun not to do what they were espousing at any given time. If they told me to go home and say 10 Hail Mary's I would go home and say maybe half that number. I was willing to dance with the devil even then but selling my soul was out of the question. I also won too many spelling bees back in those days to be considered a real rebel and surely there were brothers from other mothers in my class that were far more deserving of their attention than I. They didn't hole up the nuns in a convent without access to the natural affections of their male counterparts for nothing. Nor did the good Lord spare the rod when expelling the merchants and money makers from the temple thereby preventing them from turning the temple into a den of thieves and neither would his disciples. I'm not sure the baby Jesus had old hags with furrowed brows and starched habits in mind when considering how to discipline the masses in the 20th century nor I think had the wooden 12 inch ruler been invented as yet. Nonetheless, fast forward to Good Friday in the 21st century and I'm thinking not much has changed. Because of my rebellious nature which is still intact all these years later I'll probably have a cheeseburger or two just to spite them. If they could only see me now. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Just a word or two about Trump if I might. I very much approve of his bombing the airstrip in Syria in retaliation for their using chemical weapons on their population. Can you imagine? Who does that? It's a quagmire over there in terms of all the factions involved in their seven year civil war but that didn't seem to make much difference to Trump when he instructed our Navy to launch 59 missiles at the airbase. His actions were roundly applauded both domestically and internationally. It sent a message that Trump was not Obama and that was good. Good for our country and good for our allies. And yesterday, he signed off on dropping the MOAB (Mother of all bombs) bomb in Afghanistan which by all reports killed up to 100 ISIS fighters burrowed in an extensive underground network of tunnels beneath the surface of the earth. Good.
Once again, a message to those bad actors across the globe that threaten to do bad things . Trump has enlisted the assistance of the Chinese president in depriving North Korea of their ability to develop and deliver nuclear weapons and that is a good thing. Trump's predecessors had no such luck. They had apparently not read Trump's treatise on "The Art of The Deal." It took a non-politician to get the job done right. And pundits looking to punch holes in his seemingly impenetrable facade rant and rave across the various leftist networks about the fact that he "has no policy." All of this against the backdrop of what the lunatic leader of North Korea may or may not do this weekend to celebrate "The Day of the Sun." Typically, he detonates some kind of nuclear device. Whether that happens now that we have missiles aimed in their direction and now that China has troops amassed on their border remains to be seen. My take is that the "crazy fat kid", as John McCain describes him, will blink. If he doesn't, his nation will be turned into a charcoal briquet in short order. Trump was right when he said we were going to get so tired of winning. And if Trump wants to play a round of golf to celebrate this win he has my approval. Tee time is in 23 hours and counting. Tick, Tick, Tick….
Maybe today will be the day. Today will be the day I make up my mind on what kind of car to buy. So many choices to consider. So many flavors as it were. I've decided that I don't want anything too conspicuous. Nothing that would suggest even an iota of pretentiousness if that is the right word. Then again, it's not all about utility either. If I want to eat my chocolate cake with a plastic utensil then that is my choice. Is sterling silver better? Is the magnificence of the cake diminished by the shape, form, or substance of the utensil used to devour it? All good questions. It may come down to having some things that I simply cannot live without. Sirius radio perhaps. Back seats for the pets, groceries, and children? Space to store bags going off to the local recycling center once or more a week? And then there are things that I never knew I wanted but most certainly do now that I know they exist.
For example, safety features that warn you when you are straying outside your lane; automatic braking when large objects appear unexpectedly; and a monitor that displays the area behind your car when in reverse. Cool. I want cool. Do I care that it requires premium gas? No. Do I care that it is a bit more expensive than the garden variety everyday kind of vehicle? No. "Expensive" is a relative term after all. Sometimes, it isn't even about what I like at all. Would I buy it if Nancy didn't like it? Maybe. I don't think she knows what she wants any more than I do. But, I need the car and she doesn't. We're planning to go for a test drive today in a car that has all the bells and whistles one could ever want in a car so we'll see how it goes. Now that I now what I want I just need to see how she feels on the road, if she lives up to expectations, and I need to see if I can get a decent deal from the dealership. It's a lot to think about. Exciting too.
With more time I might like to chime in about Evan's new laptop and the planned Easter dinner at the local Tuscan Kitchen. I need to get out on the road for my morning bike ride so Evan and Mrs G will have to wait.
Just a word or two about Trump if I might. I very much approve of his bombing the airstrip in Syria in retaliation for their using chemical weapons on their population. Can you imagine? Who does that? It's a quagmire over there in terms of all the factions involved in their seven year civil war but that didn't seem to make much difference to Trump when he instructed our Navy to launch 59 missiles at the airbase. His actions were roundly applauded both domestically and internationally. It sent a message that Trump was not Obama and that was good. Good for our country and good for our allies. And yesterday, he signed off on dropping the MOAB (Mother of all bombs) bomb in Afghanistan which by all reports killed up to 100 ISIS fighters burrowed in an extensive underground network of tunnels beneath the surface of the earth. Good.
Once again, a message to those bad actors across the globe that threaten to do bad things . Trump has enlisted the assistance of the Chinese president in depriving North Korea of their ability to develop and deliver nuclear weapons and that is a good thing. Trump's predecessors had no such luck. They had apparently not read Trump's treatise on "The Art of The Deal." It took a non-politician to get the job done right. And pundits looking to punch holes in his seemingly impenetrable facade rant and rave across the various leftist networks about the fact that he "has no policy." All of this against the backdrop of what the lunatic leader of North Korea may or may not do this weekend to celebrate "The Day of the Sun." Typically, he detonates some kind of nuclear device. Whether that happens now that we have missiles aimed in their direction and now that China has troops amassed on their border remains to be seen. My take is that the "crazy fat kid", as John McCain describes him, will blink. If he doesn't, his nation will be turned into a charcoal briquet in short order. Trump was right when he said we were going to get so tired of winning. And if Trump wants to play a round of golf to celebrate this win he has my approval. Tee time is in 23 hours and counting. Tick, Tick, Tick….
Maybe today will be the day. Today will be the day I make up my mind on what kind of car to buy. So many choices to consider. So many flavors as it were. I've decided that I don't want anything too conspicuous. Nothing that would suggest even an iota of pretentiousness if that is the right word. Then again, it's not all about utility either. If I want to eat my chocolate cake with a plastic utensil then that is my choice. Is sterling silver better? Is the magnificence of the cake diminished by the shape, form, or substance of the utensil used to devour it? All good questions. It may come down to having some things that I simply cannot live without. Sirius radio perhaps. Back seats for the pets, groceries, and children? Space to store bags going off to the local recycling center once or more a week? And then there are things that I never knew I wanted but most certainly do now that I know they exist.
For example, safety features that warn you when you are straying outside your lane; automatic braking when large objects appear unexpectedly; and a monitor that displays the area behind your car when in reverse. Cool. I want cool. Do I care that it requires premium gas? No. Do I care that it is a bit more expensive than the garden variety everyday kind of vehicle? No. "Expensive" is a relative term after all. Sometimes, it isn't even about what I like at all. Would I buy it if Nancy didn't like it? Maybe. I don't think she knows what she wants any more than I do. But, I need the car and she doesn't. We're planning to go for a test drive today in a car that has all the bells and whistles one could ever want in a car so we'll see how it goes. Now that I now what I want I just need to see how she feels on the road, if she lives up to expectations, and I need to see if I can get a decent deal from the dealership. It's a lot to think about. Exciting too.
With more time I might like to chime in about Evan's new laptop and the planned Easter dinner at the local Tuscan Kitchen. I need to get out on the road for my morning bike ride so Evan and Mrs G will have to wait.