It's tiring to be negative all of the time!
I guess it's time to LIGHTEN UP a bit...

No, I'm not a total grouch. Not at all. What could've given you THAT idea? "Well, your last couple of posts were pretty negatory", you say. Oh, that. Well, okay. I suppose, since I'm slowing down mentally and physically, I just feel a lot more susceptible to everything that is happening or could conceivably happen. And even though I'm always saying that people should "pull their HEADS out", well, I've walked around with my head in the clouds, too. (That's how this blog got the 'Thin Air' title, after all.)

So, I got out today and enjoyed those parts of our area which are still accessable to the public for general use, although, those areas will be off-limits what with the advent of this weekend's Ironman Triathalon. Traffic signs say that the 'entire' of CDA Lake Drive will be closed between 7am and 10pm Sunday. But since the Park is already basically off-limits (it's the triathalon's staging area), I went out on the Centennial Trail and (slowly & carefully) walked from the "Lake Steamers" sign to "Tony's" and back. I MADE IT! One tip if yer gonna walk on the trail...if you don't wanna end up as roadkill, stay to the side and don't stray! Athletes on racing bikes were whizzing by, none of them let me know they were behind me AS IS COMMON COURTESY!!!, it was just "zip", "whoosh", "zoom". I suppose I walked a mile total. On the way back, yeah my body was protesting, but I MADE IT! When you consider how I've been feeling lately, well, that was MY "Ironman".

A friend of mine showed up on Ebay dept.: Some of you may remember when Little Nell's Records, located on Monroe Street in Spokane, had to close due to bridge repairs. I had shopped at Little Nell's since the mid 1970's, and she always would shave off a couple of bucks here and there and make me great deals whenever I bought records there. Well, Marlene Moeller, the owner of Little Nell's is BACK! Only, she's now an EBAY seller. Her seller ID is "marlenemoeller", and true to form, she's got good stuff at affordable prices. So I bought something from her, and yelled "howdy" through the computer, and it's nice to know she's still out there and doing as well as possible.

I'd 'Rather' forget this whole thing dept.: CBS and Dan Rather parted ways yesterday. Rather said CBS wasn't giving him enough work to keep him happy. CBS had offered him a contract with no assignments. NO ASSIGNMENTS! Which means he could've hung around in the hallways, mingled with others at the water cooler, and he woulda gotten PAID for that! Now, THAT sounds like my kind of job! Ah, but Mr. Rather is searching for deep meaning and relevance after being put out to pasture after his Bush War-Service fiasco story of last year. So he quit to find other work. If he can FIND any, that is. So don't be surprised if you see him at the drive-in window of a Washington, D.C. Taco Bell. I NEVER thought he was a good anchor. He was too stilted, too formal, something just wasn't right. I never EVER watched a complete Rather Newscast. He was a MUCH better reporter than an anchor.

I have reservations about the fireworks laws dept.:: Ahhh, the 4th of July is just around the corner. Remember "the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air?" Well, them county mounties are gonna make damn well sure that doesn't happen. If they catch you with illegal fireworks, "you in a heap o' trouble, boah!" Cop Cars will be stationed outside Indian Reservation fireworks stands, waiting to bust ya if yer carrying illegal fireworks. So if yer going to buy 'em there, make sure your tail-lights work! According to Idaho law, 'illegal' fireworks can be set off on the "rez". But not just anyone on the "rez" can do that! ONLY tribal members can explode "illegal" fireworks on the reservation. If you're NOT a tribal member, you can't even POSSESS fireworks anywhere, on the "rez" or off. Is this discriminating against non-tribal members? If you are not a member of the tribe, YOU can't go to the "rez" and shoot off fireworks, because it's illegal for non-tribal members to explode fireworks on the "rez"! And, if you're "non-tribal" but LIVE on the "rez", YOU can't shoot 'em off either. Sheeeeesh. I think we need bootleg fireworks we can buy on a street corner from a guy in a trench coat. Illegal fireworks for all! Sounds like a great political campaign motto.

Back to fireworks on the "rez"...say you decide to buy some illicit fireworks and shoot 'em off on the "rez" and you don't belong to the tribe. First of all, have a tribal member with you. Then, when a "fireworks cop" comes up to bust ya...all you have to do is say, "oh, these fireworks are HIS!" Either I am easily confused, or the laws just don't make a whole lotta sense. Over in Washington, at least Spokane County's overbearing, omnipresent, semi-fascist anti-fireworks law makes more sense. NO FIREWORKS, ANYWHERE, EVEN IF THEY'RE SAFE AND SANE. Unless you're in Airway Heights. AIRWAY HEIGHTS??? Yeah, that place is a real holiday hotspot. Sheeeesh. Never mind! Back here in Eye-duh-ho, the Duane can bring out the heavy artillery any day of the year he chooses and shoot 'em off to impress the overpaid money-saturated capitalistic lemmings who stay at the rezzort. Fireworks in the winter...I've seen it happen! A final note...as I proofread this post, I realized I've typed two long paragraphs on this subject, and have accomplished absolutely NOTHING.

I am a total hypocrite dept.: I began this post by saying I had been too negative, and that it was time for me to lighten up. Then I went back and read that whole "fireworks diatribe" I'd written, and if nothing else, I am totally self-contradictory. So the misery continues, doesn't it? Tell ya what...let's hope the Mariners keep winning (they're doing really great lately), and I'll leave y'all with this lil' visual gem...



So when some Idaho fisherman tells you, "I caught a fish THI-I-I-IS BIG!!!", I'd say you'd best believe him. (Of course, if a fish was that big in Coeur d'Alene lake, the Water Cops would make sure there was a "watercraft" license on it somewhere.)
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The only conclusion I can come to after proofreading this diatribe is, that I must be the happiest when I have something to gripe, whine, moan and b*tch about. Where's "Dr. Phil" when I need him?