NP: Elvis Costello, The Very Best Of (MP3)

You know, I had a two-week contract gig back in September, but somehow, getting up and going to work this morning still felt really weird. Could be the comparative pay scales, or the uncomfortable feeling I had yesterday as I tried to figure out how this piece fit.

That's gone away, to a degree, now that I've taken control of my scheduling. Of course, a bunch of other things are popping now that I've more than halved my available hours during the normal workday between this and the Sandwich Music King gigs.

Elsewhere, I'm not sure if I'm selling what Alan Greenspan is buying (registration required). The surface read, for me, is that I would agree that personal debt management now may be significantly different than it was ten years ago, except for the "near record levels" of mortgage foreclosures, credit card delinquencies and personal bankruptcies. Although the article never puts those in a statistical context, so maybe they're not increasing at the same rate as the personal debt numbers. I'm always suspicious when one statistic is reported quantitatively and another allegedly related one isn't.

The other big news flitting about is what the Spanish elections mean with regard to terrorism. Lots and lots of recriminations, but as far as I can tell, there are two key assumptions fueling the notion that expelling the previous government is a sop to al Queda. First, you have to agree that Iraq is a front in the war on terrorism. Or, rather, that it was one before we went in, as it clearly is now that we've kicked that particular hornet's nest. Not everyone believes this, so it's a legitimate distinction. Second, you have to assume that the reaction of Spanish voters was to the bombing itself, and not the crass, manipulative lying for political gain that the current administration engaged in afterwards. Although I'm willing to concede that this may have been a proxy of sorts. Which isn't to say that side of the argument doesn't have a point, but it's probably not as extreme as they make it out to be. That's politics.

And today is the Illinois primary. It dawned on me as I hit the "vote for your delegates" pages of the ballot that this is, in fact, the first time I voted in a primary. This made me think I got it right last time, when I passed after Bill Bradley had dropped out. I don't care for John Kerry, even if I feel compelled to pick him in November. I have no preference between the two front-runners for the senate seat on the Democratic side. Heck, I couldn't even vote for a judge named Nimrod (note to self: steal sign if it's still there on Thursday). So why leave a paper trail that labels me a Democrat, when I prefer to think of myself as an independent?

I'm not exactly sure, but maybe it can be the beginning of an era of actually picking a side rather than trying to maintain maximum flexibility for what may happen down the road. That's a fairly deeply ingrained trait for me, and I think it's bitten me in the ass before. We'll see if this is indicative of anything.

Now, it's off to see Elvis, courtesy of Miss Weeza.