Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Una models my scarf

This morning, walking my dog, Una, I saw township employees raking up and disposing of leaves from the gutter. Yes, that's right, on February 2. I guess it's better late than never.

A little further on the walk, a gray tabby cat sauntered down the sidewalk ahead of us. Una, who was in high spirits for some reason, started pulling, trying to get to the cat to sniff it. The cat acted as if it had no idea what was happening, just kept sauntering, and then hopped nimbly onto the back of a Verizon truck to investigate.

This made me nervous because I had no idea what was in there and whether some Verizon employee would return and toss some equipment into the back. So I walked over and took a look. The tabby was just about to come back out when he saw us, one paw raised to step over the lip of the truck bed. We walked away, and he hopped off.

The Gryphon and I have discovered 100-calorie bags of microwave popcorn. We got the idea from Mom when we visited her last weekend. They're great for guilt-free snacking when I'm done work and can watch a little something with The Gryphon. Last night, it was the American Idol tryouts I'd taped earlier that evening.

I do not believe how some of these people can be so self-deluded. Usually, before they even open their mouths, you can tell by the way they present themselves. People who can really sing tend to know they don't need a gimmick to get in the door. They often show up wearing just a T-shirt and jeans, but if they can sing, they're in, unless there's some friction with the judges.

The people who show up in sequins and bows, thinking that will give them an advantage, usually sound dreadful. Then, after massacring a pop standard in front of the judges, who are often kinder than they could be, they go out in the hall and tell the cameras, "You'll be buying my album soon. They were so wrong about me."

It reminds me of a study that looked at incompetence and its relation to confidence. The study found that those who are incompetent tend to be overly confident. In other words, they are too incompetent to realize they're incompetent. Those who are more competent often tend to fret about not doing better.

Guess that means I'm doing all right. I'm constantly worrying about how well I've done, constantly thinking, "I could have done better. Well, maybe next time."

I don't know what got into Una just now. She was following some sort of scent trail, her nose glued to the sidewalk. She refused to walk any faster, no matter what. I have no idea what sort of scent she was tracking — dog, cat or human — but she wouldn't walk normally again until we reached the corner and headed up a different street.

Now she's got a big silly grin as if she's figured out some sort of canine mystery, and the answer to that mystery pleases her.

Speaking of mysteries, I've been reading The Da Vinci Code, because I know there's a movie coming out this year, and I wanted to read it before some careless reviewer reveals important plot details.

I can understand why the book became so popular. It's a great mystery, drawing from real historical and art history references to create a tale of intrigue. The edition I got is the illustrated edition, which actually includes photographs and figures of the places and objects described in the book. That helps to visualize the action.

There's a spot along the walk where, right along the curb, there's raw sewage bubbling up through the grass. It's been like this for a good couple of weeks. If the residents have bothered to call anyone, they're sure taking their sweet time fixing it. The mess is only half a block from the local elementary school. I hope the kids are smart enough to stay away from it and don't, say, engage in mud wrestling in the sludge.

Today is Groundhog Day, and those of you who are familiar with the legend are probably wondering what the groundhog has ruled. Since, like in Philly, it was bright and sunny, the groundhog saw his shadow in Punxsutawney, promising six more weeks of winter. Of course, so far it doesn't seem like we've even had six weeks of winter to date. Not that I'm complaining, you understand.

Of course, the American Meteorology Society, at a convention in Atlanta, announced that the groundhog's methods failed peer review for efficacy. That's OK. The groundhog is confident he's right.

Copyright 2005 by Alyce Wilson

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