TubaOrNotTuba

There are many questions that I should have asked my parents. One of them would be what their earliest memories were. And given that I am the child of the age of cinema one of my first memories is simple. The first time I went to a drive-in movie. This was not something we did very often. The drive-in required a driver and money. Happily there was a theatre not far from home and so I got to go one evening into that most comfortable of theatre seats. The one in my own family car. And the movie? That was also simple. The Shaggy Dog. Now this was not a great movie. But it happened to be my first so for that reason alone it holds a special place in the memory banks. I do know that I went to see other movies after that like everyone else. By the time that movies were important we had moved to a town the head of theatre. No more requirement of getting the family car involved in the action. And now so many years later I tried to avoid those occasions where I have to sit in a theatre for hours. But, thanks to YouTube, I have enough access to movie content to keep me in my seat for years to come. I probably will not get to see another classic movie. But I should go and rewatch The Shaggy Dog. See if it holds up to what I remember. And if you’re wondering, I just watched a documentary on the trials and tribulations of making another classic. The Wizard of Oz. Yes that movie will stand the test of time long after The Shaggy Dog has been forgotten. As for the movie that I have seen the most often? That is probably American Graffiti. A better soundtrack and a better plot line. More cars.

Back in the beginning when I was fresh at a university I was rather like a Rolling Stone. And as the saying goes a rolling stone gathers no moss. I had very few personal belongings. Moving from one home to another was a rather simple task. In fact the only furniture that I had that I could refer to as my own was my bed. One early iteration involved a steel bed frame that I received from a friend period. Then I went to town and purchased a mattress of course the bed was a non standard size and so the mattress cost me more than I had planned but that is life. I left that bed behind as I moved away and the next piece of furniture that could be called as such furniture was something known in the trades as a futon I will spell that FUTON. Purchased from a small store in a mall and because I had a little extra cash I also bought the frame for it. Something made from hardwood in three pieces that could be folded away for storage much like that mattress. The plan was that you rolled your bed out at night and then converted it into a chair for the daytime. Small apartments and small needs. I know that that mattress accompanied me to another province because we decided to sell the house I had to dispose of it. I can be thankful but the municipal garbage truck was able to handle such a parcel. I think the frame went to one of my children but I am not sure. Unlike the mattress the frame was well made and worth something. After that I move down to real furniture. But in case I forget the first bed that I had was made from a sheet of insulating foam that I took from summers on campus. It was not soft but it kept my kidneys warmer as I rolled out a sleeping bag. Those were the good old days as they say and furniture was something that you made yourself. Would I return to that. In my life? Not a chance I am older now and a good bed is important. I am not ready to go back to sleeping either on pink or blue styrofoam.

When you were young you turn first to your parents for instructions. They are your caregivers and your instructors on life skills. I cannot easily separate who taught me what with one exception. As trivial as it may sound I learned how to peel an orange from my father. This was not a frequent piece of food stuff. They have to be imported from far away. But you could usually find some of them in the supermarket. I do remember the supermarket. And so when first given an orange and figuring out quickly that you could not eat it in the same way you would eat an apple I had to turn to my father for more instruction. Which he gave me. I learned that you take the orange and you roll it back and forth on the tabletop with some force. You need to separate the inner peeling from the outer peeling. And with that done you then figure out how to get a single hole in the side of the orange only one layer deep. Just enough to get a small finger in. After that you work at it. Diligently. Without undue force. And if the orange is ready to be eaten the peeling will separate. Revealing all those sections inside. No that did not begin with those chocolate oranges that we later received for the holiday. It’s one of the things that just is. My parents were never big into cutting an orange into quarters. Unlike the football team. Instead you would learn to peel the orange and then you would learn to separate the sections and then you would eat it one more so at a time. Spitting out the seeds was optional. There you have it one of my earliest memories of learning how to eat.

The assignment for today will be simple. We’re going to compare and contrast two short stories. The only real change is that we’re going to use immediate presentation. From a lifetime ago. Back when TV was something that used to keep the audience in there chair from start to finish. I have gone back into the archives and found two episodes of programs that would have been very popular back when I was in high school. Specifically Dragnet and Highway Patrol. One in colour and the other in black and white. At this point things merge into a single theme. We will use cars and communications. The actors will be required to remain in contact with a central authority. Their chatter will be terse. In large part making sure that they are properly identified on both ends. Very difficult to lose track when one character is called 2950 and the other is called 2110. That was the summary of Highway Patrol. As I said there is some contrast. When the TV changed to Dragnet everything required a timestamp. The actors spent a large amount of time detailing what time something happened. Down to the minute. Not much else would be learned in watching an episode. We all knew who the actors were and we all knew that they were located in a similar geographic area. A lot of time would be spent going from place to place. Or waiting for something to happen. Yes they did shoot at each other but not as much as one might expect. I think bullets were also expensive. But the cars. The best that the American industry could provide. In fact we learned that a lot of the cars were provided by government agencies in return for cheap advertising. I suspected little has changed in the last half century. It takes time to drive from there to here. And if there had been some sort of crossover the actors could have driven from one community to another without hesitation.

Outside there is more new fresh snow. You really can have too much of a good thing. And seeing outside I had a memory off back in the day when fresh snow meant fresh sliding. The kind that children do on the sides of hills. I received my first sled when I was in Grade 1. That I lived in a place with no hills mattered little. It had a rope and I could drag it around behind me and pretend that I was doing something fun. Later when we move to another province I learned that there were places that had steep hills. The kind that could be dangerous in the wrong hands. One of my friends had a large sled. What we called a double runner because it had two runners in two pieces. Probably designed back in the days when people had to move materials around in the winter. And we would take it to a nearby hill. Located on the property of an important lawyer which meant that there were no obstructions. We could go from the top to the bottom in one move. Happily there was a rather large hedge that would catch us before we went out onto the highway. What we call the highway but it was only a street. And on the right days after someone had taken the time to make the track a little clearer you could get up enough speed to frighten young boys. That is not easy. I can remember all the good points about that sled. In particular that it had been built by an adult. Someone who worked in the nearby factories I did manage to find enough steel to add an edge to the runners. It was the closest thing that we had to a rocket. Yes it took two people to move it and three people to drag it but we accepted that we were small and we were light and we did not make the sled bog down in the snow. We flew over the top. Many years later I discovered the wonders of the toboggan but in retrospect that double runner sled was the best of the bunch. Even better than the crazy carpet that followed.

Although I like to think that I am the master of my own destiny that is not completely true. Some of the things on my schedule are dependent on others. In particular the man who takes care of my eyes. We visit the garage as I call it on an irregular basis. Appointments are set and then we do our best to be there at the right time. Today for example he kept it very easy on me some drops in one eye and the chance to count fingers. The answers are not infinite. He can only hold up so many fingers at one time. The other variation is to move them back and forth or up and down and my goal is to try and get the answer right. Today went well. Once we had cleared that obstacle and set an appointment for six months hence we’re off to do other things. Visit the local Costco light which is a place that brings in selected menu items that we can then buy as we wish. Not going to bore you with details. And with that out of the way returned tail and headed home. Now although the snow is blowing about there was no real accumulation until we got within a few kilometers of home. At that point things were a bit dodgy. Yes there are snow plows on the road but I think they forget to come as far east as we might like. And I realized that within a few months this will not be an issue because the snow will stop and the grass will grow. Very analyzed the story of my life. The other action is going on South of here. I refer to it as political theatre. I think that someone wants maximum views for minimum effort. I am just a bystander. I will have to accept whatever decision is made but it is amusing to watch the posturing. Someone who wants the world to believe that he is much tougher than even he believes. When the history books are written, or re written, you will be able to find out for yourself just how things went. Like anything else someone is going to pay more for less. Capitalism at it’s best.

You have to pay attention to the important things. Today is Groundhog Day. Many years ago I would actually take the time to go into a classroom and right then announcement on the available blackboard because I knew that others were unaware. I would tell people that we needed this to be a new national holiday. If you check your calendar you will see that I had little success. Right now we have other things. Fish to fry if you’re a fisherman. A sudden pressing need for a duty free shop just about everywhere in the country. Why? Well I don’t know exactly but I heard a rumor that we’re going to be asked to pay more for things that we consider to be basic needs. In my case sacks of fresh grapes and salad. We do not produce enough of them here at home so we import them that there will be tariffs placed on things. I doubt that the ink is even dry on the list. Is ink free from tariffs? So many things I do not have an answer to. It is as if someone asked me to write a paper on the history of the doorknob. I do not have an answer to that question. Or why can a dog drink from a puddle when I cannot. Someone knows the answer but that is not me. I’m going to sit back and wait for all the news that is fit to be printed. Back to that ink question. Actually I will go to town tomorrow and I might notice but something is different. Or I will ask pointed questions. Do I have to pay extra money for that? That extra money is another mystery. Where are all the checks that I heard the government was going to sell me or send me for being a good citizen? There’s not much coming in the mail. No sudden electronic transfers of large S from the various levels of government. They also have things to worry about i guess. My main worry right now is to make sure that if I go outside I can find my way back home. And to be fair I never wander far from the front step. A bit like I used to train the puppy to do.

In the world of political policies I can only be someone that reacts. I do not have a seat at the big table and no one asks for my opinion on anything. Knowing that today is T day where the American economy is supposed to change I am left with a bit of a So what happened reaction. Or in other terms keep in mind that tomorrow is Groundhog Day. What happened last year or next year might be slightly different but on the whole we will not really notice or remember. Someone asked what would the Americans need to do to replace all of the aluminum that they are now saying they do not want. The response was unexpected. They would need to build a half dozen huge power dams. Not going to happen short term. Rather those who are buying aluminum will continue to do so recognizing that the cost will rise. And they will pass the tiny change in cost onto their consumers realizing that there is no way to replace that supply short term. The same thing holds true for almost anything else that will be affected by suddenly imposed tariffs. With that in mind I will sleep better tonight. What I do realize is that this situation is not completely new. The reason why we have those huge documents called trade agreements is because this same problem occurs again and again. We all want a good deal for ourselves and we’re willing to endure short term pain in order to guarantee that we will become richer and more comfortable. The whole point of economy I guess. I do like that the news stations are listening also and trying to guess what will happen next. A bit like forecasting the weather. We know it will be cold short term but warmer later. It’s a cyclical thing much like the afore mentioned Groundhog Day meme. I like Groundhog Day because it reminds me that we are not able to accurately forecast anything except for daylight and darkness. Keep watching the news. Try not to panic. Remember that history repeats itself over and over again.