More random thoughts

Among my many job titles at work is “archivist”… it alternates with ”curator”…  Occasionally with “director.”  I suspect the people using the terms don’t really understand the difference, and in my job, the two, three merge, blend and rapidly become indistinguishable, (and rapidly lead to taking out the trash) but, apparently being an archivist is cool… they have said so in the New York Times…   

On the other hand, cool job or not, I find myself, at work and at home, distracted… and not very productive… which in turn adds to the frustration and stress, which leads to distraction…  and lack of productivity… It’s a bad loop…

Beyond work, I need to drive to Tonopah Thursday… Need in this case has more than one meaning… I have committed to friends to present a presentation, a paper on railroad cars of the Tonopah gold boom… and driving will result in being there to present the paper… but I also want to be in Tonopah, to escape…. Because I am distracted…  and the drive, some 8-9 hours or so will be calming…  ( I may be unusual in that a long drive is calming, relaxing…  Your experience may vary, but it works for me….) A friend will ride along… there will be music shared… this should be calming as well…  

On to other ongoing issues… I Met with the insurance company, (their insurance company, aka the company insuring the car that hit the car that hit me) who determined that the jeep has about $750 worth of damage… with another $75 or so for the munched jack…   So I am on a quest for a new rear bumper… and a new jack…  Choices, choices, choices… there are something like 60 options or rear bumpers at 4Wheel  Parts… They featured one in their magazine that I like but can’t find in the catalog or on line… A visit to the store is probably in order…  Of course, while in the waiting room of the crash center, they had AutoWeek Magazine, (back, 45 years ago,  when AutoWeek was a tabloid, a good friend subscribed... it was really cool... 35 some years ago, I subscribed… sadly, no longer… I may need to rethink this...) with an article on the annual Easter Jeep rally in Moab, and on Jeeps and how large the aftermarket custom jeep parts market is… with a side bar on how one was modified for the rally…   Jeeps are a hot topic… but back to the jeep… (Klinger) the settlement offered was fair… enough for most or all of the new bumper… I be(note spectacular use of the English language…. )  happy with result if not process…

It’s late, and Dave Letterman is on, with a parody video, about Virgin America, and ordering drinks on line from your seat, and texting fellow passengers, and how this might end badly.  I am writing my presentation… the writing is going well… slowly but well… It will be a decent presentation… Dave is picking on Martha Stewart…

Back to the trip… (the near term trip to Tonopah, not the future trip to the Greek Islands, in Sept., where I now have my eyes on a book store in Santorini (New York Times Again!))  Unlike Virgin American (the best damn airline in the world) the Jeep does not offer the opportunity to text fellow passengers (and in any case the driver shouldn’t text) or order drinks (again, as the driver,  an option which should not be offered) so on this week’s trip, not an issue…  I shouldn’t have to shoot  or otherwise maim my passenger.  This should please Liza, his girl friend…

Some of you may want to question my judgment... Tonopah is not generally listed as a prime escape destination… I is more commonly a desert backwater (without water) But it works for me… 

Randy