(A reprint from MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2009)

Random Ramblings and Recurring Themes…. (The more things change….)

Any time we enjoy wasting is not wasted time! (Mafia Wars, Bejeweled Blitz, Chain Rxn)
The only James Bond to me is Sean Connery. Probably the one I least see as 007 is Roger Moore.
How much do drug manufacturers spend on TV and other advertising? What could drug prices be without all that advertising?
It’s nice to be old enough to remember what good customer service is and should be, so when I don’t get it, I can spend my money elsewhere. More people should and not adhere to blind obedience.
I think as a country the US has lost its way (or is at least off the path). I also think politics is too important to be left in the hands of the politicians. They owe too much to too many special interests. The philosophy should be People First.
I am going to miss “Monk,” one of my favorite (yet sometimes irritating) characters.
One sign I am getting (or already am) old – I don’t understand the lure of texting. I also can’t understand why some people can’t understand the concept of “Don’t text and drive!”
I was a bit dismayed when I saw in these tough times that someone made a 1,224-pound triple vanilla cupcake with pink frosting to set a record as the world’s largest – woo-hoo! Then I saw that slices of the cupcake were served in exchange for donations to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer organization. It’s all good!
Boy, it’s hazy, hot, and humid – it’s an official heat wave, but it comes with the territory.
I am wondering if I should seriously run for office – I am disgusted with who we have for politicians. My basic credo would be to support what’s best for the most people.
Comedy that is vulgar and in-your-face isn’t comedy to me.
I wish I had been able to meet Jerry Orbach.
It’s naive, but wouldn’t it be nice if country A could say to Country B, “Look, we have something you need. You have something we need. Let’s talk. We’re all passengers on the spaceship Earth.”
If you can count all your true, dear friends on your ten fingers, you are doing very well (good food and good friends make me very wealthy indeed)!
I miss Peter Jennings and Elizabeth Vargas (and Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley). They don’t make ’em like they used to (ABC’s Charles G. and George S. are up there, though.)
I am getting closer to cleaning out my study area! (I’ve said that for years.) [Note: some 7 years later, it is still a cross between a black hole and an episode of “Hoarders.”]
That’s it for now.