there's more to life than this

There's a new development in the TV ratings system: BTS. Programs that are Better Than Stupid will be marked as such at the beginning of the program with a near-transparent icon, similar to the network logos you see everywhere. It's a symbol of today's lower standards in entertainment, but a necessary rating as viewers attempt to sort out what is barely watchable from the downright idiotic.

In local news, I went to see my aunt today. In the course of a few hours we went from chitchatty niceties to the up close and personal. She's the aunt who lived with my grammy who recently passed -- and although I really had a nice visit with her (took her and her friend Carol out to Coco's for lunch, where they proudly serve a Gardenburger as their only meatless option) I was anxious to leave my grammy's house. More than any other time since she died, I felt her absence and presence all at the same time and it was too much. I had to leave.

Later in the day I had an unexpected side trip to a nearby school/church carnival -- I came *this close* to riding the bee ride but changed my mind when I saw that one of the bees was decapitated. A bad omen. And who knows what amazing fun awaited me in the fun house? It will ever remain a mystery, although somehow I think my imagination would be more fun than the real thing in this case. They had painted pigs on the outside in some sort of farm/fun house (?) kind of theme.

Time now to sleep and dream of lush fields of green grass, blue skies, fluffy clouds and...late night rides in the catbus. 8 hours of squinting at a monitor under flourescent lights in a closet awaits on the other side.