Before I get this Rumination rolling, I must pause for a moment and take note. Thus far this year, I have maintained my goal of writing more frequently – three times a week, in fact. The net result has been not only a consistent writing schedule, but also a new record in blog posts on my site. This serves as a good reminder – that consistency of effort is key. And, of course, how better to display consistency than in the Ruminations – where truth is consistently stranger than fiction.
In this episode of the Ruminations, I bring to you the wackiness that is California, Roger’s mistrial, and the psychosis that is (once again) US politics. Onwards and away!
1. A California official – Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone – has made a proposal that only Rick Perry could truly appreciate. He has suggested that “South California” should become the 51st state. Wait a second here. Wasn’t that going to be Puerto Rico? Don’t most Americans think that the 51st state is Mexico or Canada?
It’s funny how the meaning of certain things can change with time. As we get older, the context of our world changes. What was once important, relevant, or even all-encompassing may evolve into something completely different with time.
As summer time hits us in Texas, I find myself thinking about the meaning of summer – and how that has changed over the years. Now, the summer months in Texas signify lots of air conditioning, oppressive heat, drought more often than not, low lake levels, and sweating. The dog days of summer may be the worst part of living in Texas.
But there was a time when the meaning of summer was completely different. When I was growing up in Canada, it meant swimming in the St. Lawrence River. It meant the coming of Riverfest, the local music festival that would invade Brockville over a week in July. Summer was also the season to go to see some auto racing.
History may not repeat, but it sure does rhyme. I think those words come from Mark Twain. How many times can one person speak of heat and the Republican Party in the same post? Apparently quite a few, if the Ruminations have any say in the discussion.
With Austin having already had it’s share of 100 degree days for the summer, I am starting to think that Hades may in fact be a cooler place to be right now. But it’s not only Austin that is suffering from the heat …
1. The heat has been on the organizers of the United States Grand Prix in Austin. City council meetings and news reports have become contentious and acrimonious at best. But the race organizers did finally receive Austin city council support. There was actually a 5 – 2 vote in favor of endorsing Formula One United States.
I have to admit, I am still shaking my head on this one. I still don’t get the level of anger that seems to fuel this debate. Keeping with the theme of “Keep Austin Weird”, the approach to this event has been strange at best. As much as our local government wants to check all the contracts and make sure that they have everything under control before putting their John Hancock on any agreement with Bernie Ecclestone, they really need to simply stop for a moment and ponder the potential ramifications of NOT endorsing it.
There are admittedly a lot of jokes thrown about on either side of the border. Many hours are spent poking fun at each other. If you are on the north side of the border, you might end your sentences with “eh”. If you are on the south side of the border, you might end your sentences with “hunh”. You might be called a Bubba, or a Hoser, or a Yank, or a Newfie.
Canada is inundated with American culture by way of politics, Hollywood celebrities, and reality TV. The US is inundated with Canadian culture by way of hockey players, musicians and comedians. For some reason, Canadians just seem to know how to crack a good joke and make a dollar or two doing so.
Most Americans tend to know very little about their neighbor to the north. You certainly won’t see much Canadian history or geography in high school. Most Canadians have learned a bit about the US, mainly because, well, that’s what you do when Big Brother lives south of the border.
Although the two countries have their fair share of things to disagree on – things like hockey and coffee and health care – they share far more than we might otherwise imagine.
There are some news items that will leave you shaking your head. Sometimes it is in disbelief. It could be the passing of a celebrity. It could be about a person that does something that makes you say “what were they thinking?”. Welcome to Weiner-Gate.
And this is what brings me to Episode 17 of the Ruminations. Here are some random, assorted news items that had me shaking my head this past couple of weeks.
1. All I need to say is “Governor Rick Perry” and you probably already know why I am in disbelief. The Governor of the great state of Texas seems to be faced with a tough challenge these days. Is he running for President – or isn’t he?
He spent the last week on the road like a travelling road show. Maybe it was more like a circus than anything else. Perry appeared just about anywhere that people were gaga (and I don’t mean Lady Gaga) about his far right conservatism, including an appearance at the Republican Leadership Conference. There was a lot of ego stroking going on.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Perry had over 1,000 bills sitting on his desk, awaiting his attention before Sunday.
The last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup was in 1993: the Montreal Canadiens. Since then, hockey’s Holy Grail has had 18 years of living south of the border, far away from it’s historical home. It has taken residence in New York, Detroit, and Chicago, all relatively acceptable as they were in the “Original Six”. But it has also made an appearance in Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Anaheim, locales that are probably more worthy of football than hockey.
Speaking of the Original Six, I will be the first to admit: when I was a kid, I used to be a fan of the Boston Bruins. That was back in an era when they won their last Stanley Cup – 1972. Those were the days of the Phil Esposito, Derek Sanderson, Wayne Cashman, Bobby Orr, and Gerry Cheevers.
Fast forward to 2011. The Bruins were in the Stanley Cup Final, looking for their first win since 1972. Their opponent this year was the Vancouver Canucks, owners of the league’s best record in the regular season. It was an epic series, going to a Game 7 finale. But if you are a Canadian waiting for the Cup to head north once again, the wait will last at least one more year.
I will admit, I had my doubts. Sure, the Dallas Mavericks were in the NBA Finals. But could they actually win it? There had been plenty of years of “one and done”, and this team was much older than the one that went to the 2006 Finals.
You knew that something had to be a little different this year when Mavericks owner Mark Cuban fell silent throughout the playoffs. Either things were about to change, or the end of the world was upon us.
We now know that it was the former. The Dallas Mavericks are the 2011 NBA Champions. They can also now say that they have won their first NBA title.
Prior to last night, there was not one NBA ring to be found on this team. Veterans? Thirty-eight year-old Jason Kidd was in season 17 – but he kept coming back like the “last” season of “Lost”.
But this team was not lost at all. They reminded us that it in an era of huge contracts and little team (or fan base) loyalty, playing as a team is still the most important aspect of a team sport. And the reminder came in the most obvious way as they were up against perhaps the best team of solo players around – the Miami Heat.
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