Instruction in not overthinking....

This weekend proved instructive, not only was I given a lesson on irony, but also on tenacity.

First, the Partisan the Sea Show was good, and lots of fun. I scooted down just before the great debate was beginning and was pleased with the turnout as well as the content. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and the posters themselves were really strong.

Except for the part where Levi Ratliff had to explain to me that the posters that said, “All we’re saying is, give war a chance,” and “Peace is not the answer,” were in fact, meant to be ironic. To illustrate his proof, he pointed to the above postcard image.

I thought about trying to explain to him that I have an arch-conservative uncle, with whom I'd had a long conversation that morning, who believes things like:

“The only way to maintain peace is with an army at the ready.”

“The market sorts everything out.”

“Obama is a Socialist.”
{which I don’t think is a bad thing, then my uncle likes to point to the biggest Socialist government ever, the former U.S.S.R}

So it did not seem too far off the mark that some clever, conservative, designer might’ve taken a cue from the Heritage Foundation's positions, and then co-opted a couple favorite catch-phrases of the “left,” to make a political point.

But yeah, I read too much into it.

Next up? A reflection of Kurt Polkey’s auction that was not.

Where the Wild Things Are

I should probably start this post by admitting that I had to shame myself into not titling it “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Jungle Fever,” or “Jungle Gym.” As it is, I obviously couldn’t ween myself off of the idea of wildness.

However, this post isn’t meant to highlight my lack of editorial imagination, but instead to say how excited I am to have stumbled across Shelton Hull’s blog: Money Jungle Safari.

Shelton is one of Jacksonville’s best, most faceted writers whose opinions I always read with real relish. He is smart, and sees connections where the rest of us just see coincidences. It has always been startling to me that the more mainstream publications have never picked him up. On second thought, it doesn’t.

However, it does seem that Shelton, like so many of us, has grown weary of waiting for the imprimatur of establishment publications, and has gone out on his own.

In the coming months, I look forward to reading his thoughts on everything from national politics, to local art shows (and of course, pro wrestling).