About The AuthorCowboy's Bio
Previous articles by Cowboy "An Established Religion!?!?"
Get Tough
On Crime
Clinton's Kosovo Stratgey
Writing this column has, so far, been a very interesting experience. It's one thing to read a columnist's work in the daily paper and say, "Hell, I could do that!", and quite another to actually sit down on a regular basis, with nothingness staring at you from the page or screen, and create something. Believe it or not, even this column requires research and (some) thought. But there are some tricks of the trade, and this is one of them--the 'miscellaneous meanderings' column, which is actually only a collection of notes for columns that never quite happened. (If you're getting paid by the word or the inch, long intros are another trick.) So here are some random thoughts on assorted subjects:
MUSIC
Who would have believed, thirty-five years ago, that the one 60's holdover who'd be a big star in the 90's would be Neil Young, a basically talentless pop singer?
A song I once liked, but hope never to hear again: Stairway to Heaven.
Overexposed tunes I'd probably like again if I didn't hear them for, say, ten years: Anything else by Led Zepplin, Born To Be Wild, Freebird.
PET PEEVES
In the summer, some idiots regularly open fire hydrants on hot days. This makes the peeve list for several reasons:
1. It drops the water pressure to the point that my shower barely works.While we're on summer peeves, how about sprinklers in the middle of the sidewalk, lawn mowers and leaf blowers first thing in the morning, kids with ghetto-blaster cars at 3 AM, and the ever-popular road construction (destruction)?
2. It costs the city (read "all of us") big bucks, not so much for the water, but for the overtime for city employees charged with turning off the hydrants.
3. The resultant floods (especially when they conceal potholes or other road hazards) are a damn nuisance when walking, a royal pain when driving, and life-threatening when riding.
Chicago winters also provide morons a chance to strut their stuff. We're all familiar with the side effects of snow plows on the streets, but don't forget those who plow their drives or parking lots, and leave 10-15 foot piles of snow on the street or sidewalk for the rest of us to contend with.
I'd like to punch the next entertainer (actor, musician, athlete, whatever) who complains about working so hard for multi-millions.
As a writer and editor, I'm amazed and shocked by the number of typos in books, magazines, and newspapers. If I can keep them out of this column, why can't paid proofreaders spot them in professionally produced publications?
When will radio and television reporters learn there is no such thing as a plea or verdict of "innocent"? It's "not guilty".
Speaking of sloppy English, there's the increasingly frequent use of "that" to refer to people. While I sometimes resemble one, I resent being referred to as an inanimate object by people too lazy to learn the difference between "who" and "whom".
(You will notice I have not included politicians or bureaucrats in this list of pet peeves. There are two reasons for this. First, they completely transcend the category with their institutionalized idiocy. Second, if it wasn't for them, where would I get material for this column?)
Well, that's it for now. I just don't feel controversial today. I'll raise your blood pressure next time.
Cowboy
Columnist & Contributing Editor
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