Monday, January 01, 2007

Happy New Year!!


Happy New Year! Here’s hoping 2007 is a very good year for you and yours, and that you got what you wanted (or needed) out of 2006.
Apropos of nothing, and most definitely not rubbing it in, my head is perfectly clear this morning and I feel fine. The thought occurred to me (for the briefest of moments) this past week that perhaps a bit o’ the bubbly wouldn’t be a bad idea on New Year’s Eve. I immediately dismissed that thought for two reasons: (1) drinking champagne alone is just SO far beyond the pale as to make no sense at all, and (2) the flutes are long gone. (I’m something of a stickler when it comes to the proper vessel for alcohol.) So…I limited the spirits intake last evening to two-fingers of the Emergency Single-Malt (Glenlivet, of the 12-year-old variety). Which reminds me: I’ve yet to renew the supply of the preferred single-malt. Must add that to the to-do list…
If you happen to be under the weather today, then take two of these and go back to bed. We’ll wait.
Well…SN2 put the second post up on his blog yesterday, so I have to believe he’s ready for some linky-love. Drop by Sam's Rants 'n' Raves and welcome him to the blogosphere!
Don’t be looking for New Year’s resolutions here…you won’t find any. The closest I’ll come to a resolution is this: I resolve to do my best to keep breathing this coming year, and to keep the shiny side up. Past attempts at resolutions only produced angst/guilt at my failure to act upon my best instincts. I don’t need that. Might this be low expectations or a failure of imagination? You decide…
I’m Late to the Party, Once Again… Only 76,157 folks viewed this before me, but hey… here’s a metal/hip-hop song I can really get behind: "Open Season" - Stuck Mojo. The music is good, but it’s the lyrics and the visuals that really ring my bell. Six minutes and 41 seconds of good stuff. (hat-tip: Chap)
Continuing on with the “Late to the Party” meme… Here’s an article I meant to link last week yet didn’t. The actual message of the article isn’t as interesting (to me) as the opening graf or two:
WASHINGTON -- Almost all Americans see themselves as "middle class.''
To declare yourself middle class is to say you've succeeded without openly bragging that you're superior -- a no-no in a democratic culture. You're like everyone else, only a little more or less so.
Not surprisingly, a recent poll done for the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal think tank, finds that only 2 percent of Americans put themselves in the "upper class'' and a mere 8 percent consider themselves "lower class.'' The large majority classify themselves as "upper-middle class'' (17 percent) or "middle class'' (45 percent). The rest (27 percent) see themselves as "working class,'' a stepping stone to the middle class.
Interesting, eh? But not too surprising. We are an egalitarian society, and my personal experience confirms that fact, for me. The great majority of successful people I’ve known described themselves as “middle class,” and only a few of those folks added “upper” to the middle-class tag. I’d have categorized those folks that considered themselves upper-middle class as “upper-class,” myself. But that’s just me.
There are many ways to slice and dice this class thing. Income is the most common, I suppose, but how you earn that income is germane, and then there are such things as zip-codes (where you live), and your familial origins. Values and taste enter into the equation, as well. The great thing about this country is our distinct lack of a caste system. One is truly free to be what one wants to be…there are virtually no, or very few, limits to one’s upward (or downward!) mobility in America when you come right down to it. And that’s a good thing.
An aside: I found out early on that the best, fastest, and most certain way to begin an argument with The Second Mrs. Pennington was to throw out an off-hand observation to the effect of “But Hey! What do I know, anyway? I’m just a blue-collar kinda guy…” “You are not!” she’d snap and we’d be off to the races… Now I ask you: What else would you call a beer-drinking, hockey-loving, retired sergeant, if not blue-collar?
Today’s Pic: Indoctrination. SN1, SN3, and Grandson Sean’s legs. Getting the guided tour of an F-16 cockpit, Cannon AFB. April, 2003.

7 comments:

  1. Blue-collar? Hmmm...

    The former San Franciscan (even if you didn't like the place), Starbucks guzzling, Wall Street Journal reading, IT professional?

    I'd have to say you MAY have moved up in the world, by other people's standards, even though your heart is still blue collar!

    Besides...you never owned a full sized truck!

    ;)

    SN1

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  2. Happy New Year to you, Buck.

    You know, I thought about you this whole holiday season. It made my heart ache to think of you spending Christmas alone in that little camper. I hope you had someone to share the holiday with. If only you were closer, you would have been welcome to spend the holidays with us.

    Anyway, my best wishes for you in the New Year. May all your dreams come true!

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  3. SN1 sez: Besides...you never owned a full sized truck!

    But I have owned two trucks, and one of them was a Furd (not a typo). And when it comes to cars...a lot of Chevys, too.

    Your previous points are well-taken, but on this subject it's MY POV that counts, nu?

    :-)

    Thanks for the kind thoughts, Becky, but I prefer to be alone over the holidays these days. Sort of a "new tradition." El Casa Móvil De Pennington has everything I need and is quite cozy. And it has the added benefit of being truly mobile. A change of scenery and residence is but a turn of the key away, should I ever tire of P-Town. I like that.

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  4. Happy New Year, Buck! Here's to a sane world in 2007 (if at all possible, although I doubt it!)

    I thought about you on Christmas, too. If you'd been in our neighborhood, we'd a come over to play a song or two - probably Dylan or Johnny Cash. Do you play an instrument? I know you sing, cause I saw you performing once on one of your photos. :)
    And if you didn't like it, you could just turn that key and take off. (I sorta like that idea, too)

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  5. Happy New Year, Buck! I am recovering - not from New Years, but from Grand Baby No. 1. It has been a wild weekend, but a good one. I have lots of catching up to do. A "beer-drinking, hockey-loving, retired sergeant" sounds very blue collar, but your interests, views, and wisdom, I would say you are not blue collar.

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  6. I'm not so sure that a Furd Courier and a Nissan count as trucks...at least not in the blue-collar neck-of-the-woods I come from!

    I'm talkin' 'bout the FULL size Chevy and GMC trucks you have to climb into! I'll even count Sam's Furd Excursion...only because it's just about bigger than anything I've ever driven!

    ;)

    SN1

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  7. Bec said: Do you play an instrument? I know you sing, cause I saw you performing once on one of your photos. :)

    The only instrument I play is the stereo, Bec. And I sing off-key and out of tune, too! ;-)

    Lou: The Ol' Man used to say the best thing about grandkids is you send them home at the end of the day. But sometimes you can't, eh? I hope your recovery is swift, and Congrats!!!

    SN1 sez: I'm talkin' 'bout the FULL size Chevy and GMC trucks you have to climb into!

    I said Blue-collar, not redneck. There is a slight but real difference... ;-)

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