Saturday, August 28, 2010

Law as an Arranged Marriage

Westerners in particular feign a disdain for anything approaching an arranged marriage, as though it is both barbaric and lacking in equality. This business is often thought to be the preserve of India, where apparently the class system is yet alive and well (much to the pleasure of those who hang onto the good old days of the Empire), although its legitimacy is contaminated by the reportedly popular affection there for the cow. My own experience leads me to swerve from this high road of morality, since in the past I have, for example, been accustomed to hear of the blissful marriage of Kippy Jaffrey and Morgan Eastman, an association which even the most myopic person couldn’t possibly dub a marriage made in Heaven rather than in Forest Hill.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Conquering the Forces of Evil

Even after a full eight hours in the hammock, I wasn’t especially enthusiastic about getting out of bed when the clock/radio abruptly announced the CBC news at six o`clock this morning. On the heels of seven weeks of almost uninterrupted disruption, caused by an unusually prolonged vacuum in business, car problems and a reactionary return to former indulgences, things are only just beginning to stabilize themselves once again. It is no fun being reminded of the unevenness of life though of course no one can escape it. Eventually circumstances dish out a measure of trouble. I can’t imagine why in the world I would ever assume that I should be spared such allotment, and yet it always comes as a shock, upsetting the pattern and progress of my erstwhile monotony. While I am always happy to find myself on the smooth side of the demarcation between regular and irregular events, I will never be persuaded to become so thoroughly philosophical about the rough ones to adopt an accepting view of them. It is just plain bother! And I could well do without the inconvenience.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Semi-Retirement

I don’t imagine the phrase “semi-retirement” is a term of art having a specialized industry connotation. It is however a step up from jargon and shop talk. No doubt the expression was spawned by the business culture generally, so for example it isn’t what you’d expect to hear from a housewife in her late fifties. Apart from that limitation the scope of the observation is fairly broad, dignifying everything from the former cop who works three days a week in the local hardware store to the 90 year old former CEO of a gasoline distribution company who insists on regularly checking the washrooms of its various outlets for cleanliness. Some might argue that even those who continue on full salary and who make an appearance five days a week are already semi-retired, a more flattering description than being called redundant.