THESE TIMES

Random thoughts for a day in June

Kirk Ericson | Jun 08, 20230

Count on this: We'll soon have people who claim they developed PTSD from fighting in this nation's culture wars.

One experience I miss about having babies around: Not being able to say "zero" when people would ask how old my not-yet-1-year-old kids were.

Something true in America: Dystopia sells.

Overheard rant on the street: "Incans made adobe out of bananas ... at least I think that's true."

Invention idea: Shoes with a built-in odometer. That way, you might be able to say, "I got 700 miles out of these babies."

This is annoying: Using the word "serve" when referring to the occupational activities of politicians, soldiers and clergy. Here are some bits from a newspaper story last week about the death of Don Bonker, a former Democratic congressman who represented these parts in the 1970s and 1980s: "Bonker served as a Democratic representative;" "He served in Congress until retiring in 1989;" "Bonker served in the U.S. Coast Guard;" "He served as the Clark County auditor;" and "he was the epitome of a public servant, from his service ..." What's wrong with using the word "work" or "worked," and most importantly, how come we don't use "service" for people in other occupations, including truck drivers, architects, home builders, doctors, librarians (especially), day care workers, grocery store clerks, baristas? Don't the people in those occupations "serve" too? And how come inmates get to "serve time?"

Long ago, people could hear this: "Dear, could you please warm up the TV?"

If you know whether what follows about salt, perspiration and touch screens is true, please send me an email. I'll share the answer in next week's column:

I was in a sauna not long ago with a guy who had his cellphone propped against a wooden slat next to the heater. He was watching a basketball game. A drop of liquid fell on his cellphone screen and the display switched from the game to another screen. How odd, we thought. Another fellow in the sauna said it must have been a drop of sweat because a drop of water from steam wouldn't have the same effect - it doesn't have the proper salt content.

The war videos from eastern Ukraine illustrate something: You have to be able to dive, squat, sprint, crawl, squeeze, jump, run long distances, climb and dig deep to survive this war as a soldier. Yet, we still have people in this country who believe they can fight the U.S. military with their AR-15.

There's a fine difference between "sore" and "stiff," especially when you're describing how you feel upon awakening. Saying you "feel stiff" in the morning is an optimistic way of saying you're "sore." "Stiff" doesn't last long, certainly not as long as "sore."

If the boonies had boonies, it'd be somewhere northeast of Dewatto.

I could never write anything as true as any John Prine lyric. But perhaps I just did.

Instead of trying to change people's opinions by presenting facts, which many won't accept as either true or relevant, try to alter their minds before they hear the facts. Prepare the soil for the seed.

I belong to the community of the unaffiliated.

I once met an elderly man who reeked of death - before realizing he reeked of life.

If there will ever be

another version of me

I hope it can touch its toes without bending its knees

We should try sentencing convicted criminals to court-ordered yoga. See what happens.