I know Old Dog doesn't like being called The Scourge, but I was smote by the Scourge and rightly so.
Relax, Uncle Ken; there was no smiting and I think you're making too big a deal about it. The human memory is not reliable and us older folk have a lot more memories to sort through and organize than younger whippersnappers; mistakes are bound to occur. It happens to me a lot, one of those skills that deteriorate with age, like whistling and skipping. In my case it's a sense of time and when things have happened. I'll remember something and think, Oh, that happened maybe five years ago but then I check and it's been twenty years, or more. It happens in the other direction, too, I'll remember something from twenty years ago and then I find out it happened three years ago. Okay, maybe not that extreme but you get the idea and perhaps the concept of the passage of time becomes more subjective as we age. Did that happen last year, last decade, or last century? Beats me but I can look it up. A good case can be made for keeping a journal, if for no other reason than to keep your thoughts straight. I think the girls called them diaries.
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China's "one child" policy reminds me of the unintended consequences of another policy. Food supplies are problematic in China and Chairman Mao, in his infinite wisdom, blamed grain shortages on the ravenous appetites of sparrows. So, he implemented a plan to eradicate all the sparrows and was wildly successful except for one small detail. Although the sparrows did eat some grain they also ate the insects that ate much more grain and you can guess what happened. Without the sparrows the insects ate their way through the grain supply and the resulting famine cost millions of lives.
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Continuing to lock horns with the Condo Board is a losing battle, I'm afraid, and it may be time to thank them for their time in considering your proposal. You can still put colored lights in your windows, can't you? As long as you keep them off the balcony you should be fine. Condo ownership is interesting because you own the enclosed space but not the walls, floors, or ceilings. Any modifications have to be approved by the Board, don't they? I don't know how the rules and regulations of condo ownership work but it sounds like a pain in the ass to me. The Board can make your life miserable, Uncle Ken, especially with their power to impose fines or liens and I don't think you want to get embroiled in anything that might eventually require a lawyer. Where would you be if the board decides to double the monthly assessments of one-bedroom units where there are colored lights on the balcony and the owner has two cats?
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I only gave that article, that one about splitting Chicago from Illinois, a quick glance but it's too goofy of a notion for me to take seriously. Urban areas need rural areas, and vice versa. To think otherwise is foolish, in my opinion. Are there hidden forces at play that have decided that it's a good idea to pit both sides against each other? I don't doubt it one bit, it's like we are becoming socially and culturally Balkanized and thus, weakened. I need to give this more thought and see how the money flows.
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The current schism in politics..
I like the usage of the word schism, a term frequently used in discussions of religion. Modern political discourse has devolved into something very much like a religious war, and there is no middle ground. Death to the non-believers! And grab some matches; there are witches to burn.
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