Late 19th Century Courthouses; Different Differences

Here's a transcription of some notes I scribbled a couple of hours ago.

Sunday, 14:00, Burger King

I'm sitting in the Burger King across from the mega WalMart eating a surprisingly large and surprisingly good Garden Chicken salad.

The BK is in a town about ten miles from where I live. It has an homogenized, Disneyland feel to it. The mayor insists that commerical buildings have a certain exterior "style." Fast food, bank, restaurant, service station, bordello, WalMart - makes no difference. Everything must adhere to a prescribed aesthetic. Resistance is futile.

The exteriors are clad in masonry blocks whose outside surface has a rough-hewn look. Sections of the blocks are banded in dark red or dark rust tints. It reminds me of the exteriors of late 19th century courthouses.

It's not an unattractive look, but when every building appears to match, it makes you want to cry out for something in pink, yellow and purple plastic.

Two observations. First, the workers are all from munchkin land. Everyone seems to be about five feet tall. Two, the customers are in groups of either one or ten. The larger groups are intergenerational - grandparents, an aunt or two, mom and dad, assorted kids.

No more comments for the present. It's time to go buy cat food.

As I sat in the BK, I thought of going to the park after I finished at WalMart. But as I walked to my car, I realized how hot it was. So after a few nanoseconds of consideration, I scrapped the idea. So here I am in my air-conditioned living room.

This morning, I spent at least a couple of hours trying to get my checkbook to balance. I was working with the balance on each ATM statement compared against the previous ATM balance. First, I got a difference between two statements that did not match any combination of checks. I called the 1-800 number and checked off each check, ATM withdrawal and deposit. What they have, and what I have match exactly.

I decided to move forward. Within about 15 minutes, I came to another difference between balances that was at odds with any set of withdrawals. I went back and forth and finally gave up. I've got the latest balance from the bank with only one outstanding check. So I'll use that amount and try to unscramble everything when the statement arrives at the end of the month.