The Day After
I'm at my parents' house. Thank God my dad has a computer or I'd be bored stiff.
I decided to wait until yesterday - Thursday - Thanksgiving Day - to drive here. Then I overslept, I didn't get on the road until almost ten-thirty, and didn't get here until almost two. My parents and my brother had already eaten because my brother had to go to his convienience store job. He has a fledgling PR business, but with the economy, he's had trouble getting it off the ground. The economy here is even worse than it is in other parts of the country. This was traditionally an agricultural area until the late nineteenth century when a lot of textile mills started to open around here. These employed lots of people until the 1980's, when those jobs started to move overseas. But coincidentally, when the textile mills started closing, two big fiber-optic manufacturers moved in. Everybody who lost their jobs in the mills went over to the fiber-optic places for jobs. A couple years ago, with the tech-stock bust and 9/11, the fiber-optic places started laying off massive amounts of people. One major firm, headquartered in Europe, completely shut down all its operations in the US. This time, there was no new business moving in for people to switch to.
It was Bad.
It was like this:
"These days, when a man checks into a hotel, and asks for a room on the thirtieth floor, the clerk has to ask him, 'For sleeping, or jumping?'"
"I know so many men, if the market takes another dive, who will have to leave their sweethearts and go back to their wives."
These are circa 1930 jokes, by - if memory serves - Eddie Cantor.

Vegetable
I can't write about what I've been reading because I haven't been reading. I've been vegging out. I guess it's the onset of winter and the never-changing constancy of my job.
But I guess I can say, that I have fulfilled my duty as a card-carrying homo and I watched "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." If any network executives happen to read this, please feel free to schedule something worthwhile opposite this - and by "worthwhile," I do not mean "An American Idol Christmas."
The Fab Five act pretty abnoxious. But upon close observation, I have come to the conclusion that they are all actually pretty decent fellows, with the exception of the Fashion One. He is an evil queen. I think the others think they have to keep up the viciperous tone he sets, especially the Hair One. Last night the Hair One thought he came up with a good quip when he said the guy's house they went to looked like the Waltons'. However, he apparently didn't think his comment got the attention it deserved, because he repeated it within five minutes.
And I was a little confused by the fellow that the opening credits said was in charge of "culture." All he did last night was give the straight guy an empty picture frame. This is culture?

Prospera Crescam Laude
So - I've mentioned my ancient law display, right? Well, I did.
There is a professor here who studied Greek. Why on earth he switched to law is beyond me, but he is still one of the most interesting and personable people around here. He is still very interested in all things of antiquity.
Earlier he stopped at the circulation desk, where I was minding the store, and he said he thought my display was just great. Wonderful. Fascinating, etc.
Then, he went to tell the library director the same thing. But the library director was in a meeting with department heads and reference librarians. The professor walked right into the meeting, and interrupted everything to tell the director he loved my display.
My direct boss was also in the meeting. When she got back out, she said she was going home sick, and left.