Gratuitous Random Friday Observations

Today is my compressed work schedule day off (Yep, gonna miss that when I jump back into the private sector) so I've been scurrying about taking care of domestic stuff this morning and generating the following thoughts in the process:

** First stop was getting my hair cut. One of the very few examples of fru-fruness? fru-fruidity? teh fru-fru in which I indulge is getting the locks sheared at a gen-u-ine salon by a "stylist", a gal who's snipped the llama head for about four years now. Shades of John Edwards, perhaps, but she certainly knows what she's doing and when it comes to personal appearance, I can use all the help I can get.

Anyhoo, when I got there this morning, the waiting area was mobbed by a bridal party come to get their hair n' stuff done for a wedding tomorrow. Seeing them and overhearing their talk, I suddenly remembered the articles I've been reading lately about how so many people are looking to get married on 7/7/07 because the date's such a lucky number. Now in the great scheme of things, I suppose this idea is perfectly harmless. Nonetheless, the thought of choosing that date for that reason scrapes the very blackboard of my soul, filling me with a surprising antipathy toward the whole business. Looking at the bride and her friends, I couldn't help hoping that Wedding Inc. is fleecing her for all she's worth because of her silliness.

***Next, it was over to the summer camp the Missus is running, busman's holiday style. (Fortunately, today is the last day.) I don't know how it is in other parts of the country, but in the Dee Cee area it seems that parents will pay almost anything to fob their kids off on somebody else when school's out - the Missus could have charged three times what she did and still, I'm convinced, have maxed out her group.

***Having picked up the Missus' car, I was driving down the road and spotted my first Rudy '08 sticker. I've deliberately tried to keep clear of presidential politics so far. It's too damned early and getting involved now would require too damned much energy. So I haven't really given Rudy (or anybody else, for that matter) much consideration yet. However, I thought Dan Henninger's article on Guiliani made an interesting point. Henninger argues that fighting terrorism is going to be the 900 pound gorilla of the election, trumping any other issue, and that Rudy seems to have his eye on the ball about it. I certainly can't speak for anybody else, but at least for me, Henninger is absolutely right about issue priorities - only when I'm absolutely satisfied that a given candidate is resolved to fight the Islamofascists will I even begin to consider anything else.

*** As I sat at Jiffy-Lube, I couldn't help having to watch AlGore on Larry King bloviating about this weekend's EarthAid (or whatever it's called) concert. Yesterday, I happened to flip through the listings for the various venues to see who was going to play them. Of course I knew that Madonna was in this thing up to her neck, but I didn't realize that Snoop Dogg was going to perform as well. I must say that I was appalled when I read this. Madonna is bad enough. But Mr. Dogg is little more than a barbarian, the walking embodiment of the Dark Side of popular culture. To think of that shifty, beady-eyed, drug-ravaged, rat-like face standing up on stage to preach about paying proper worship to Mother Gaya to millions of gawping, brain-dead fans fills me with disbelief. Except, of course, if you see this whole concert bizness as part of a greater hustle by the enviro-nazis to consolidate to themselves both wealth and political power, in which case it makes perfect sense. Either way, one shakes one's head in dismay.

***Speaking of 7/7/07 weddings, for those of you asking, "Tom, are you going to see Licensed to Wed?" I can state categorically that I am not. I can't stick Robin Williams at any price. Just wanted to get that in.