Administrivia Prevails

It is amazing how administrivia increases exponentially when things get tight and people begin to lose perspective.

I am finding more and more that people are resorting to focusing on small items and procedures at the expense of finding the big picture in things.

It is frustrating--our world collapses and the most important things are whether forms are completed at the expense of the ideas they contain.

Look at the government, for instance.

Congress has enacted thousands of onerous reporting requirements which are, I believe, almost singleandedly dragging the economy into the abyss.

State governments, likewise, in looking for increased revenues are finding new and creative means to apply taxes and fees. In Maryland, for instance, the state is considering raising the gas tax from 23 cents to 38 cents per gallon. A 15 cent per gallon increase. Really? And the consumers continue to bear the brunt of economic downturn and then the state wants to make it all the worse. While 15 cents per gallon may seem small, it adds up fairly quickly.

Instead of finding new and creative revenue means, the state needs to exammine the administrative burden it is placing on people and companies and begin to shed some of those revenue costing measures. Streamline. Don't reduce basic services, but remove the administrivia. I read that there is a 25 step process to gain road access for a construction project. Really? 25 steps? We are beginning to drown in administrative burden and it is causing productivity to fail.

I have already written of fee increases by banks and other industries.

Taken together--the increases, devoted to administrivia, begin to add up to a significant bill.

We need to rid ourselves of the small death by a thousand cuts approach to fees and taxes. Excise administrivia from society to improve our quality of life.

T-shirts filling up the dresser drawer

I have t-shirts from all over the world. From the places I've been and the attractions I have seen.

I am wearing a t-shirt from Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas. I went there a couple of years ago on a Fast Cat from Key West. I never wear these t-shirts I buy out in public. I don't even know why I buy them.

But I do.

I have some cool t-shirts from diving the Vandenberg off Key West, from visiting Keswick Winery and so many other places I can hardly remember.

The bottom line--I don't wear them except around the house or to work on cars.

They make great rags, but I still don't know why I but them. It seems important at the time.

Well--they also make great souvineers, I guess.

I suppose I am just not a t-shirt kinda guy, although I still buy them and store them in my dresser drawer.

The funniest one advertises the Hotel Alcratraz--from when I was last in San Francisco--whenever that was.

So I have a few t-shirts. I donate the older ones every so often so at least they find a new life after spending time with me.

Ah--t-shirts.

Monday Musings - October 17, 2011

1. Apple products can be very fickle. It took the better part of yesterday to be able to update Chris' iPad due to a myriad of problems and old software.

2. The Presidential Olympics are underway. The who is in the lead now seems to be more exciting for the news media than what is happening across the globe with economies and other crises.

3. Give a shout out to Jeremy and Chris for their birthdays.

4. Congrats to the Texas Rangers and the St Louis Cardinals for making the World Series a mid-America game rather than an East or West Coast game. It is weird not having a coastal team in the Series this year. With the exception of both 2005 and 2006, there has been a coastal team in the Series every year since 1987.

5. So does anyone know what the number for 9-9-9 is? I am fascinated by the simplicity of the tax plan proposed by Herman Cain, but I also know than nothing simple ever passes Congress where the special interest groups are likely to shred it to pieces. Look at health care--something conceptually simple became so complex no one really even knew what was being enacted until after it was law. Think there is a problem in there somewhere?

6. It was another mixed weekend around the house for the four football teams which are the favorites. The teams from the NFC East both lost while the teams from the AFC North both won.

7. How do you know when the party is over?  When the guests are gone and the house is restored to its previous splendor.

8. Did you ever wonder how the dishes get from dishwasher and into the cupboard? Or how does the roll of toilet paper get full again? Or the toothpaste tube refreshed and full? If you wonder these things you are the problem.

9. I had to rake leaves already this weekend. How can autumn be so anxious to depart?

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Superpops - Review

The symphony meets a rock band and everyone wins. That is how I will remember this evening of music titled "The Music of Elton John And More." It was presented as part of the Superpops BSO Series, and it was, in a word, fabulous.

Saturday evening, October 15th, we trundled off to the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore for an evening of music. The orchestra was under the direction of David Amado from the Delaware Symphony Orchestra and the five person rock band was led by Michael Cavanaugh. The blending of these two seemingly dissimilar musical groups was accomplished in a masterful manner--although I felt the orchestra could have been given a larger part in some places.

The evening progressed through a series of old favorite rock songs anchored by some Elton John classics. Each song highlighted the talents of the band and the orchestrate to collaborate and present a delightful musical tribute to the songwriter.

I especially enjoyed the orchestra-led piece, "Riffer Madness" which took us on a tour of the great rock band riffs of all time. And I also really enjoyed the rendition of Billy Joel's "Piano Man." Don't get me wrong, the Elton John hits were great too, and I came to hear those, but these two among the many songs of the evening really stood out.

The songs highlighted Cavanaugh's many musical talents as a pianist, vocalist, guitar player and all around talented musician. He led the evening and the audience through the songs while keeping everything moving and exciting with each new twist. Not content to merely cover the old songs, he also provided appropriate interpretation to some of them which made the old songs--some from the 50's like Presley's "Jailhouse Rock" seem alive and new.

Cavanaugh's band was similarly musically talented with Johnny Fedevich on drums; Jamie Hosmer on keyboard, back-up vocals, and second or third guitar; Giovanno Mastro on lead guitar and back-up vocals; and Billy Venditti on bass and back-up vocals. Their ability to work together on stage and create music sandwiched between a potentially overpowering symphony orchestra and a demanding audience is not to be over looked. They each were provided the opportunity to display their multiple talents in appropriate places.

Sadly, the evening was not without some technical glitches and there was a hot line somewhere that periodically provided an annoying buzzing sound in the speakers which never seemed to be found or fixed. Also, the Meyerhoff is a traffic and parking mess during performances. I continue to be amazed that the city has not found a way to redesign the traffic patterns to encourage rapid ingress and then egress after the performances.

But despite these annoyances it was a great performance and blending of the BSO and the band. What made the evening even more enjoyable was Cavanaugh's persistent efforts to get the audience participating in the execution of the songs. As those in attendance warmed up to the idea of singing along in specific places, the music began to be created not just from the stage, but in the hearts of those in attendance.

A great evening of music that left my heart singing and gave me a few more tracks to find on iTunes and add to my collection.


- Posted from Elkridge, Maryland

Image of the Weekend from Assateague

As the enjoyment and warmth of last weekend's trip to the beach fades into a nice memory, I was reminded that I had not yet shared the best image of the weekend.



Chris, in one of those incredibly lucky and creative moments came across a monarch butterfly on a yellow flowering plant against the white of the sand.

The butterfly posed for her and even changed positions so she could get a better shot of it.

And so, here it is--one of those we happened to be in the right place at the right time and with camera in hand images.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Friday

Yes. Friday.

An amazing day filled with the hope of the weekend.

Can it get better?

Nope.

A celebration of freedom from the trials of the work week.

A time to enjoy friends and family.

Do not lose the promise of Friday.

Find the day and enjoy it for what it is. The last day of the workweek and the beginning f the weekend.

Carpe diem.

Imagine that we could call in sick today. Everyone.

Yeah, not happening.

Twas a thought though.



Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

On the Beach, again

On the beach this weekend, Chris took a really creative image of a fence in the sand.



It was very stark, but very much like one of those images that are published in beach magazines.

What a beautiful day. What an awesome blue sky.

Could it have been a better weekend? Especially during October?



And then the geese flying south brought me a shot of reality. I actually took this one.

No, this is not Key West. It is Virginia--and I am only dreaming that I am living in the land of endless summer, I am really still in Maryland, not that that is bad, it just isn't perfect, yet.

The geese call to me as they escape the cold of the north for the warmth of more southern climates.

I dream of being a snow bird.

Someday.

But last weekend I was imitating a lizard in the sun. And what could be wrong about that?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Banks, Taxes, and Gouging Consumers

It seems that it is rampant everywhere. Governments at all levels, banks, and companies are keen to increase revenue and profits all at the expense of consumers and tax payers.

Think about it. I read that the recession is over but incomes are still declining. Yet company profits remain climbing.

Governments are increasing revenue through new taxes and fees. Remember the big discussion a few years ago about whether fees are really hidden taxes? If the government is taking it out of my pocket--it is a tax.

The most recent example is a proposal right here in Howard County, Maryland that would have the police finding cars with one, yes, one parking ticket and having it towed. It is merely a plan to increase fine revenue--but really, isn't there something more important that our police force should be doing than trying to increase fine revenue?

Banks, like Bank of America are increasing fees to improve profits. Who is supposed to pay these fees if we are suffering from reduced income? Of course the response is and should be--close any accounts at the bank in protest and go to a bank which is not increasing fees.

We need a paradigm change in government, banking, and corporate companies. The gross profit margins of the past need to be forgotten and a new moderate approach taken.

All of this comes down to the consumer--if we consumers and tax payers continue to have less income then the economy is not going to recover. Additionally, in protest, we are going to have to close accounts, support businesses which are consumer friendly, and maybe even, move to less taxing places to live.

We must be in some downward spiral into economic chaos.

To quote a movie title from a few years ago--somethings gotta give.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Images from Assateague

We had a great weekend and as with all of our vacations, we remember the highlights via camera.




We actually imaged an endangered species this weekend--the Delmarva Peninsula Fox Squirrel. Who knew they were endangered--they are squirrels after all. He was very photogenic--and we actually saw two of them--but we didn't realize they were endangered until we saw the second one.

We also experienced the not so great part of nature and imaged a snake


taking a frog out for lunch. Actually the frog was lunch. To say it was really neat would minimize the feelings of the frog as it was dinner--but that after all is nature and the circle of life.

The birds and the scenery we saw during the weekend were fantastic. As was the beach.



It is reassuring to know that the beach and the wild beauty are so close to the congestion that we live and drive in every day.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Monday Musings - October 10, 2011

1. Happy Columbus Day (celebrated). That's why there won't be any mail in the box this afternoon.

2. There is something really neat about watching the sunrise and also enjoying the sunset that same day. It is circle. Of course it would better sitting on the beach for both--but one out of two isn't bad.

3. Baseball is fickle--the two teams with the best regular season records in baseball--the Phillies and the Yankees, are not in the final four vying for a World Series berth.

4. Lying on a beach in Maryland on October 9th and getting a sunburn. It was a fabulous weekend and reminded me that there are some really great beaches within three hours of the house.

5. I have to apologize to October for my previous remarks--this past weekend was fabulous.

6. With beach you get sand.

7. I read that even though the recession is officially over, workers incomes continue to drop. So how can the recession be over if the job market hasn't recovered?

8. As an addendum to the above--if banks and companies continue to raise charges for services and our income is dropping, who do they expect to pay for the services? Maybe banks and companies need to reevaluate their profit expectations.

9. "Enjoy your life today because yesterday had gone and tomorrow may never come." -
-- Alan Coren