Let's take this week's city council meeting scheduled today, Nov. 28, 2012. There is nothing on the agenda. Just as well to not have to sit through hours of Jim droning on, Mark mouthing catch phrases, Kristin moving forward (using hand gestures) and Jerome's sarcasm.
This very last meeting is really a lame duck meeting. Anything that is really outstanding for the agenda is best dealt with after Dec. 11, with the changing of the council members and selecting a new mayor and deputy mayor.
And James Bond will no doubt be fêted yet again. Just how many of these is this town going to plan? The image above represents the apathy cheerleader - fitting for this mood of boredom. It also fits James Bond to a tee. He had hundreds of ways to describe why people shouldn't bother to come to city council meetings, attend workshops or be engaged as a voter. He could ramble on for 10 minutes or more about how he once bothered and learned it just didn't matter. Change is impossible and it's best to trust those on the dais. Move along folks . . .
Sixteen years were already too long, James Bond knew this and decided not to run in 2008. Then at the last minute his vanity or some other bad influence led him back into election campaign mode. This was way past Bond's sell-by date and the community had to wait it out, as did staff and colleagues.
Once or twice this year he did halt the juggernaut that Stocks and Gaspar created together with their leadership positions in running the meeting to serve their own ends. We can thank him for that. So, let the guy have his last bows tonight.
Boredom is from more than this meeting tonight. Where is it written that the binge consumption - be it holiday foods, retail products or entertainment be practically the only news of the day? It is a real feeling of drift to be secular, not participating in holiday and generally a non-consumer. Possibly it is also the after effects of Manchester buying up NCT and Patch editor Marlena Medford turning over that role to Daniel Woolfolk. *Sigh*
Then there is the shitstorm of misinformation, hysteria, silliness and sex in the MSM that drives one to drink or otherwise shut down mental function to survive. General's genital drama, Twinkies, Grand Bargain, War on Christmas, War on Men versus real undeclared and unaccountable Drone Wars and Murder of Gaza and Climate Change. Maybe this backdrop of crazy and horror just exaggerates the dearth of local stories.
Lastly, it has been a reoccurring thought for some years now that we have got it totally wrong. If you observe nature all around it's apparent that this is a time to turn inward and to slow down. The days are short and the nights are long. It is a time to conserve energy as it gets cooler. It is a time for interactions to dramatically drop off, for sleeping longer hours and needing less to eat with the minimal energy expended. These messages are everywhere in the trees, the birds, critters and waterways.
So, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. There will most likely be light posting from now until Our Mayor goes dark on Winter Solstice, something we all share whether we celebrate or not.
