Monday Musings 11/21

The Nest Begins to Fill:
Oldest child is home for the week!  He's out and about with friends a lot, but it is very nice to have him joining us for dinner in the evenings and hearing his tales of school and his research.  I'm thoroughly enjoying having him home!

Plumbing Woes
So, the stories of angst and woe continue in the home improvement area.  The toilet was leaking into the basement.  I got a plumber in today.  So, there's good news and bad news.  The good news is that it can be fixed.  The bad news is that the fix would cost more than a brand new toilet, including installation and removal of the old toilet.  Even better, this toilet is in the yellow hallway bathroom that I've been wanting to fix for a while now.  Sooo.... the plumber fixed it so it won't leak as much.  But.... it needs to be fixed sooner rather than later. 

Another One Bites the Dust:
Our dishwasher broke last week.  In the hopes that it could be repaired, I had the guy come in to fix it this week.  After looking at it for 10 minutes, he declared it to be dead.  For the cost of repairing the dishwasher, I could buy TWO new dishwashers.  *sigh* 

Wouldn't you know, this was my "on" weekend at work.  I worked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (and tonight).  Not nearly enough time in the weekend to get out and look at a dishwasher.  I think it's fair to say that I won't have one in time for Thanksgiving.  I've solved a big part of this problem by ordering the side dishes and pies from the grocery store.  I only have to make the turkey and the stuffing.  I even bought paper plates - one less thing to clean after dinner! 

God Almighty, will this ever end?  
 

Fake News

Are you familiar at all with John Oliver?  He did a fantastic piece earlier this year on the press for news outlets to publish stories in a hurry.  You can find it if you hashtag Investifart.  It's worth watching.  I mention this story in the wake of the furor over fake news sites on social media.  They thrive on click bait.  You click on the stories, they get paid. I've had the question posed to me this week at my reference desk about news stories.  Where do I, personally, get my news from?  Personally, I have electronic subscriptions to several mainstream outlets, including the Washington Post and the New York Times.  I also read NPR (National Public Radio) and the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation).  Between those sources, I get a pretty well rounded look at the world, with enough differing view points that I feel like I've been exposed to all sides of the story.  I tend to shy away from network news here in the U.S.  Why?  Because these "news" programs are a part of the entertainment division.  Not the news division - the entertainment division.  They are out there strictly to get ratings and rake in commercial dollars.  Telling the entire story is not in their best interest.

Just some food for thought....