Well, it's been over 9 years since my first post, which, until now, has been my only post.
    It's not that I haven't had anything to say, it's more that I just haven't said it. Chalk it up to cutbacks.
     This sign reminds me of cutbacks. I took this picture in Trinidad some years back. It struck me that if a Ministry of Finance office can fall into this state of disrepair, well, the austerity measures must surely be having an effect.
     Just like how government cutbacks result in fewer, more meagre services being provided, and a general decline in social well-being, cut backs in the sharing of ideas (i.e. keeping them to one's self) results in fewer ideas being circulated and discussed, and a general decline in the richness of social discourse.
    So here I am, back with another post, contributing to the greater good, with a view to a bright and prosperous future for all humanity. Or something.

In Praise Of My Toaster

This is my toaster.

It is a Toastess Model 202, circa 1949, made in Montreal, Canada. I bought is at a garage sale in 1986 for $5.00. It’s completly manual, with no thermostat or on/off switch, so you have to watch that your toast doesn’t burn. In a way, that’s a good thing in that it requires you to be mindful. You plug it in and it’s on, and you pull the plug and it’s off.

What’s really impressive about this toaster is that, at about 60 years of age, it still works. I’ve had several pop-up toasters over the years, all of them now in a landfill somewhere.... *sigh*. If an element burns out, or a thermostat malfunctions, no one will even try to fix it because new toasters are so cheap... And they will always break down, so you will always have to buy a new one.

As we head into 2009, I am more and more mindful of my ecological footprint. So I’m quite thankful for my simple, ancient, fully-functional toaster. With luck, it will last another 60 years, and there will be one more thing in my life that I won’t have to throw away.

Happy New Year!