Wednesday

On the radio this morning they were talking about corporate earning reports, how these days they almost always surpass the forecasts, and how this has rendered them nearly meaningless because the executives have gamed the system, because they've learned to shoot low in order to create the illusion of success when they land high -- or what seems like high, but is in fact only medium. Seems like, is like. Complaining about this is like complaining about pirates wearing funny hats. Gaming things seems to be the norm for everything these days, right from the government and corporations on down. Say what you have to say. The theme is cleverness, not work. If you asked boys in high school what their idea of success looked like, I'm sure you'd hear many stories about creating an app for iTunes, or a game for Facebook, and making a million dollars. Or being a professional skateboarder, and making even more millions. Or playing poker for a living. When I was in high school these kinds of schemes didn't even exist; there was only the vague idea of 'making something of yourself', and all the terror that comes with that. Cue floundering around in your twenties, praying to land somewhere that looked professional. Computers: that seems professional. At least you're indoors, all those millions of parents thought.