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Back from our trip to the 'rents. I cleaned out part of the closet in my old room, and basically let them know that most of the rest of what's there can go. Though Dad's sensibilities were offended when I tried to throw out the old Millenium Falcon model I built back in high school. He decided that since the neighborhood garage sales are next week, he'll see if it can find a happy home instead. I also brought back my cedar chest. That was a job, as it weighs around 250 lbs or so. Plus I had to rearrange furniture to get it where I needed it, and - having done that - also swept and washed the floor in that room. Started a load of laundry, put the girls to bed, and decided to sit down for a while.
Visiting Grandma and Grandpa always gets them both a little wound. There wasn't all that much sleeping, and quite a bit of carrying on. But, at least they got to play in the wading pool and Rori got yet another birthday cake.
The trip back and forth makes for good philosophical discussion time for John and I - since neither of us is much into Spongebob. We spiraled around Meridies' sumptuary laws, Western wars, the structure of the Kingdoms of the west and politics closer to home. And hit on this little bit of fairly obviousness. IKA is partially kingdom history, and partially strongly related to the culture of the mundane area in which it is based. Meridies' has the most extensive sumptuary laws I've run into. I'd guess that some of this relates to an enthusiastic heraldic corps, some to possible early Excess of display - and some to the fact that Southern culture is much more sensitive to the niceties of social standing and the tiny ways it is expressed than most other places.
That said, we stumbled onto a revelation. The Middle Kingdom started in Chicago, Lansing, and southeastern OH. It's base culture was shaped by the the Union mentality which permeates the rust belt. Which explains a hell of a lot. The general "we have our minds made up, don't confuse us with the facts," attitude, the "if you will only listen to us explain while we're doing this for your own good, you'd agree with us and quit arguing," and general refusal to let go of one single iota of something that somebody considers the "prerogative of the crown."
This presents me an especial problem in that I grew up with the Union mentality, in a GM town (Flint, MI). And I never "got" it. Nor did I ever learn to rub along with it. Attempts to make me toe the line usually ended in my giving them the finger collectively and going about my own thing - even in Jr. High School.
This is not a matter of "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." It's more "The nail that pops up gets hammered down."
What never seems to be understood is that power is like a small bird - hold too loose, and it flies away... too tight, and you crush the life out of it.
I'll leave it at that before I carry the metaphor far enough to speculate on who our equivalent of Jimmy Hofa might be.
Visiting Grandma and Grandpa always gets them both a little wound. There wasn't all that much sleeping, and quite a bit of carrying on. But, at least they got to play in the wading pool and Rori got yet another birthday cake.
The trip back and forth makes for good philosophical discussion time for John and I - since neither of us is much into Spongebob. We spiraled around Meridies' sumptuary laws, Western wars, the structure of the Kingdoms of the west and politics closer to home. And hit on this little bit of fairly obviousness. IKA is partially kingdom history, and partially strongly related to the culture of the mundane area in which it is based. Meridies' has the most extensive sumptuary laws I've run into. I'd guess that some of this relates to an enthusiastic heraldic corps, some to possible early Excess of display - and some to the fact that Southern culture is much more sensitive to the niceties of social standing and the tiny ways it is expressed than most other places.
That said, we stumbled onto a revelation. The Middle Kingdom started in Chicago, Lansing, and southeastern OH. It's base culture was shaped by the the Union mentality which permeates the rust belt. Which explains a hell of a lot. The general "we have our minds made up, don't confuse us with the facts," attitude, the "if you will only listen to us explain while we're doing this for your own good, you'd agree with us and quit arguing," and general refusal to let go of one single iota of something that somebody considers the "prerogative of the crown."
This presents me an especial problem in that I grew up with the Union mentality, in a GM town (Flint, MI). And I never "got" it. Nor did I ever learn to rub along with it. Attempts to make me toe the line usually ended in my giving them the finger collectively and going about my own thing - even in Jr. High School.
This is not a matter of "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." It's more "The nail that pops up gets hammered down."
What never seems to be understood is that power is like a small bird - hold too loose, and it flies away... too tight, and you crush the life out of it.
I'll leave it at that before I carry the metaphor far enough to speculate on who our equivalent of Jimmy Hofa might be.
