Gathering no moss

My recollections of barracks and locker room talk have become hazy after all these decades, but I remember it wasn't much about the subjects of conversation.  The joyful use of epithets and cuss words was the big deal, as such conversation was otherwise frowned upon.  Where else were you going to learn more swear words?  Back then, swearing had an aura of "badness" and a well phrased oath enhanced whatever little status you may have had.  It was our little secret, and we were easily amused.

But times and social mores have changed; vulgar language is much more commonly used, to it's great detriment.  The words have lost their impact and shock value.  You could judge the importance of something based on the amount of cursing it required to describe; a "big problem" might have some negative impact, but a "big fucking problem" was a real disaster.

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There was an old joke about the sun becoming a red giant in five billion years.  Some guy hears that and is greatly distressed, until he hears the statement repeated.  "Oh, I thought you said five million years."

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At this point, colonizing planets is a dumb idea.  The physical challenges (and costs) are overwhelming.  Unless we find some magic way to crawl out of our deep gravity well we're better off sending robots and probes.  Floating colonies in orbit between earth and moon would be cool, though, if things get too crowded down here in the mud.

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Looking at Old Scratchy Bob's early album covers I was struck at how fresh and innocent he looked, and I suppose he was (as were we all).  He's been at it for more than fifty years now, but time, taking it's toll, has not slowed him down much.  He was recently in a geezer-era concert festival out west, with the likes of The Who and Rolling Stones.  Speaking of fresh-faced kids, look at an early Stones album cover and marvel at the cute kids that were Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.  They now look hideously transformed, but Charlie Watts just looks like an older version of his younger self.  As they say, "It's not the years, it's the mileage."

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I wanted to avoid any election references today, but this item about Mr. Chump was too good to pass up:

In Australia, "...the upper chamber of the New South Wales Parliament, the Legislative Council, passed a motion proclaiming him a "revolting slug."