I can't speak for you or anyone else, but all this staying inside and avoiding people that you're doing would be unhealthy for me. And it's probably exactly what I'd be doing, if it weren't for Peggy, who is always helping nudge me in a more wholesome direction than I'd be headed if I was left to my own resources.
Earlier today I was imagining some sort of new social networking computer application that probably would sound like hell to you, based on your horror of people. I was thinking how most people, me included, tend to get isolated in their own little groups of somewhat similar folks, similar age-wise, education-wise, background-wise, outlook-wise and just about every other wise. I was thinking how it would be interesting and good to have some sort of computer application where people -- people who are interested in one-time interactions with others who are UNlike them -- could sign up for the opportunity to do just that. They would sign up and list various basics about themselves, such as age, educational background, place of birth, religion, political preferences, etc, etc. When the inclination hit them to have one of these get-togethers, they'd go online and somehow a match would be arranged, with both people agreeing to get together, at a park or coffee shop, or whatever they agreed on. So maybe a 55 year old businessman would get together with a 23 year old vegan hipster with rings in his nose, or young black college student with a 90 year old woman from China. There'd be certain guidelines, for instance that the meeting only last half an hour or something like that, with no expectations beyond just that one encounter. If at any point the two people run out of things to say, there'd be an online feature where the site would supply them with different questions or topics of conversation. They could be randomly generated, or the general topics could be selected -- religion, politics, childhood, or just general conversation starters. The questions would of course be designed to spur on unusual, hopefully interesting conversation -- what's your first childhood memory?.... What would you do if you only had 24 hours left to live?.... When is the last time you cried? Of course, only a small minority of people would be interested in something like this, and the types of people you would meet would be limited just by the fact of the kind of person who would be attracted to such an odd scheme... it would probably mostly be curious, open, somewhat adventurous people who are attracted to diversity and variety, who think the world is better when different kinds of people get to know each other a little. Which is okay. If something like that existed, I think I'd probably sign up for it. If not, maybe I should start it.
I think you should not be frustrated that you are forgetting words in Spanish. I think you should be expecting to forget words, and not frustrated or surprised at all.
About those nutty republicans, I think there really is no limit to how crazy they can get. I blame Fox News and its offshoots, as I do for most things. When you've got a situation where millions of people rely on Fox for their information and spin on reality, the depths of potential nuttiness are unfathomable. In order to attract and keep viewers, Fox needs to continually ratchet up the excitement, the sense of outrage, and the overall adrenaline-producing nature of their coverage. It's like the way reality shows compete for an audience, all trying to outdo the others for sensationalism and drama. That's how Fox approaches the news, and millions and millions of true believers are swept along by it.
And lastly, it's true that store bought flour tortillas are bland and cardboardy, but they are improved a whole lot by frying them in oil so they are golden brown with semi-inflated bubbles, and serving them hot out of the pan.
--edward
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