2007-02-06 - 10:49 p.m.

Kostrub: I was just yelling at my old friend NPR, I think it was yesterday, about this issue of the economic divide. They were talking about the growing wage disparity, and then they had this economist on saying that it wasn't such a bad thing, because income inequality provides an incentive for people to work hard, and get good educations, and do good things...

What a genius. Only problem was, the question was not whether or not everyone should make the same amount of money, but whether the gulf should become even greater than it already is. There seemed to be plenty of incentives for people to try to get rich, say, 20 years ago, so where is the economic good to increasing their rewards while the wages of the working class stagnate? Once the incentive is met, the next step should be to ensure the people at the bottom have enough to live with dignity, particularly since many do work as hard if not harder than those who get rich, doing manual labor or working long hours at thankless jobs.

They also happen to be just as instrumental to creating wealth in this country; can you imagine what would happen if the bottom half stopped working? The rich would have nobody to order around, to force to "create wealth" for them.

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They say that global warming's a definite. But how can that be true if it's cold outside right now? And it's been cold for a few days. Seems to me that if it's colder than it was last week, then it's not "warming." But hey, I'm a simple man�

I moved into my new space at work. It's nice, though quieter. I have lots of desk space, and a window that looks out onto an alley. I fear my plants will soon be dead. I was in my own little world until a new hire came in and took the desk behind me. Pam. I think they were onto me that I was just surfing the web most of the time, and they needed someone to keep an eye on me and keep me motivated. She works frenetically, she's very serious, she went to Yale. Guess I'd better get my head in the game.

This past weekend was interesting. Sunday Isa and I went to a motorcycle show with our friends Alicia and Colin, who are bike enthusiasts. It turns out that Isa's always wanted to have a bike. Not a scooter, mind you. And she wants to drive it on the interstate. But during lunch Alicia and Colin let us in on the fact that bikes are dangerous, especially on the highways, and around here the drivers are gunning for you. But maybe there's some way to off-road. Anyway, the bike show was interesting, lots of bikers, go figure.

We were going to a Super Bowl party with Mark's friend Andy in Boston, and since we were already there for the bike show, and didn't feel like driving back after the game, we rented a room at the Samuel Sewall Inn. Samuel was a minister who tried the "witches" in Salem, but he publically regretted it, and he also wrote one of the first anit-slavery books, called "The Selling of Joseph". So, hey, I guess it all works out. It was a cool place, we were in this little room near the roof with angles jutting in where the roof poked in, and antique paintings and cabinets all over the place. Only downside was that it was roasting hot because all the heat was rising, and even opening the windows to the 20 degree temperatures did not offer much relief. But it was a fun diversion to stay there. We recommend.

I'm taking this acting class. The second class was yesterday, and I had to perform a monologue of my choosing. I chose one from Uncle Vanya. The teacher immediately knew the character (Astrov), and could tell me that he was a little drunk, and he secretly wanted the girl he was talking to, and a patient had died in his arms that day. And that he was the Russian version of Al Gore, because he was smarter than everybody else and loved forests. He was probably thinking about global warming. So, this teacher is pretty awesome, an encyclopedia, with such a love of theater. It�s a fun class. Next week, though, I have to make Astrov a little less defeated and whiny, and a little more drunken and ranting.

Who wants to come visit Providence, once it warms up a bit? We�ll take you all around, show you the sights.

Sorry my guestbook's been acting up. I'm sure millions are reading and trying to use the guestbook. I wish this thing had comments you could add like a blog. I suppose I could get one of those. But as for Nathanael West and Hemingway, hahaist� well, I gave my cousin a copy of In Our Time for his confirmation. It seemed better than just money. That and Tobias Wolff's This Boy's Life. I told him that they were coming-of-age books and that they would be somehow meaningful now that he had "come of age." Though they were really just shots in the dark, as I don't know my cousin all too well, or whether he reads much at all. As for West, well, no, nothing to say, but Soul of Miss L, Cleanse Me.

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