I can't decide which thought I want to post, so I'll do all three:

[capri0mni]

1. Jane Austen:


It occurs to me that there is a recurring theme in her stories (at least in the one and a half that I've read/reread lately, and the adaptation I've seen and not yet read):

Ms. Austen takes pains to make the distinction between people with good manners, and people who are good. Sometimes, it seems that those with the most polished manners are the least trustworthy (I may look for more evidence for this as I read her work more carefully).


2. More thoughts on why I'm not supporting Senator Clinton's run for the White House:
   
   • She's following Dubya's lead. Granted, there're some big differences: I think she's actually competent, and she doesn't confuse populism with feigned ignorance, but: She's using her husband's name as her first stepping stone into the Presidency, just like W. Bush used his father's name. And I don't want these last eight years to set a political precedent for anything (even if I actually like Senator Clinton, otherwise).
   
   
   • The first person I heard mention the possibility of her running for the White House was Rush Limbaugh, and that makes me nervous & suspicious.
   
   
   • She and Bill have been in the White House before. And really, I think once you leave, you should keep going, and not look back. I think Bill Clinton was a great president. But, despite the hype, the power of the White House is one dimensional -- just look at all the good Jimmy Carter's doing with the White House behind him (Not to mention Al Gore -- and Tony Blair, ftm). With all their smarts and compassion (both of them), it just strikes me as a waste for humanity for them to get trapped inside that compound again.
   
   
3. 5 Simple, Aesthetic, Pleasures (besides the food) Around my Kitchen:
   
   • Nesting measuring spoons on a ring: make a very pleasing rattle/chime accompaniment for the hummings and tootles in my head
   
   
   • The sweet potato vine that I let sprout, on a whim, this summer, is still alive, and growing, and on the table by my microwave, so it's one of the first things I see every day.
   
   
   • Watching a big scoop of milk powder sink into my coffee/cocoa is a very organic experience; it slides and rolls like a glacier, or a whale (I could've explained this better, if I'd written it before I was half asleep).
   
   
   • Water (or broth), comes to a boil at the bottom of the pot, before it breaks through to the top, in actual bubbles. And if you listen closely, you can hear it: almost like a breathing, growling animal.
   
   
   • Sunlight, shining through the water running from the faucet.