Recently, I have been chastised by friends and family that my blog is no longer upbeat. Sometimes, they say, it can be downright depressing. This caused me to take a hard look at my recent musings. In the past month I wrote the Dear America and the A Very Sad Day for Our Country postings that weren’t depressing as much as they were pragmatic. And I got a lot of (unnecessary) consoling telephone calls about my Photo Hunter Sad theme post about Hamilton Hall. There was also the I am Calling Bullshit post that may have slanted slightly negative. But that’s it. Oh, and maybe 1 or 10 posts lambasting John McCain and Sarah Palin but I am sure that’s all for the negative posts. Hmmm. Well, what do you want? It’s not all blue skies and rainbows all of the time, is it now?

This Random Thoughts Tuesday will attempt to tie a bowtie on a pig (not a Sarah Palin reference) and be full of smiles. That work for all of you? Let’s start by announcing a contest winner, shall we?

☞The winner of the Aye Wonder Gratuitous Contest is….Steve from New York. His name was selected randomly by an online service know for doing such things. Stephen wins the 53 favorite albums of my life. Hopefully, he will find one or two that he will enjoy.

☞You’ll never believe this but a Unicorn just ran by my window. WOW! That made my day.

☞I read last week that a Chinese restaurant opened in Baghdad. It is still not clear whether General Petraeus’ Chicken will be on the menu.

☞On another Middle East related subject; I finally can say Ahmadinejad in a sentence without botching it. I don’t know why it’s taken so long. I have always been able to spell it.

☞I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the negative campaigning for President seems to have subsided. That has to be good, right?

☞If the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise there is a good chance Michael Douglas will reprise his role as Gordon Gekko in a Wall Street sequel. Not being negative here but the studio’s timing is quite good.

☞I find this week’s Aye Wonder quote very prescient. It was recited by the character Gordon Gekko in 1987’s Wall Street.

The richest one percent of this country owns half our country’s wealth, five trillion dollars. One third of that comes from hard work, two thirds comes from inheritance, interest on interest accumulating to widows and idiot sons and what I do, stock and real estate speculation. It’s bullshit. You got ninety percent of the American public out there with little or no net worth. I create nothing. I own. We make the rules, pal. The news, war, peace, famine, upheaval, the price per paper clip. We pick that rabbit out of the hat while everybody sits out there wondering how the hell we did it. Now you’re not naive enough to think we’re living in a democracy, are you buddy? It’s the free market. And you’re a part of it. You’ve got that killer instinct. Stick around pal, I’ve still got a lot to teach you.

Forgot about that one didn’t you?

☞On another entertainment related note, beginning on October 20th, Beatle Ringo Starr will no longer sign any fan related requests. Can’t blame him. He needs a Ticket to Ride at age 68. But if you absolutely must get something signed, get your letter postmarked by the 20th and send your request here:
Ringo Starr
1st Floor
90 Jermyn Street
London SW1Y6JD
UK

Peace and Love.

☞I am always listening to new music. It makes me happy! I came across this cool indie pop band out of Miami called The Postmarks. This week’s Aye Wonder song of the week is The Postmarks’ ethereal version of Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds from their new album By the Numbers.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

☞Back in April, I told you about John Kanzius who has likely made a breakthrough in cancer research. Kanzius, a former radio technician and no college degree, came up with this piece of brilliant research using his wife’s pie pans and hot dogs. It sounds crazy but Penicillin was a mistake too. Watch this video and visit the 60 Minutes web site for more. This is the ultimate good news story.
‘

☞Look. Despite seeing a unicorn, a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and countless other Lucky Charms today, I remain a realist. Normally, that attitude is filled with optimism. These days it is not. We have serious problems in a wide variety of areas that require thought, consideration, sacrifice and action. I am just reporting it as I see it. As I say, usually my view is through rose coloured glasses. Just because it isn’t all rosy these days doesn’t mean I am not happy (triple negative is a positive!). I am happy. But there is work to do. Who among you is with me?

Aye Wonder.
And so should you.

Possibly Related Posts:

• The Insanity Continues
• Two Days Remain
• Marvellous. Just Marvellous.
• I Feel So Good, I’m Gonna Break Somebody’s Heart Tonight
• Has Anyone Seen the Winter Sun