Dinner for Four

The painters called this morning to tell us they wouldn't show until afternoon. Okay by me, since it let me finish up the last bit of work I wanted to do, tacking up the irrigation system control wires that had been dislodged from above a patio door by the window installers. I had to use some regular staples since I didn't want to make a run to the store for plastic-coated wire staples, so I hope they don't rust out and stain the paint; since they're under the eaves they won't be directly exposed to water much.

We had invited Paul G and his partner Rick over for dinner Friday. I fixed the usual broiled salmon and broccoli, which would have been boring but was okay since they've never had my version. I was late with dinner prep, and because of that I blew the crostini by reheating the bread, which made it too soft to cut into slices easily, then forgot to coat them with olive oil. While not awful, they weren't crisp and lacked flavor.

Paul G and I are both fairly quiet, and it's our talking that led to getting us all together for dinner, so it was odd that mostly my Paul and his Rick talked at dinner. This was okay by me, since I had never met Rick, and I enjoyed his charming part-Southern stories about hsi family and his history with Paul G. Though it would have been nice to send the two talkers off together to let the two quiet ones get in some face time. This is an interesting dynamic, and now I understand better why two couples who spend time together often split into two pairs, swapping partners for separate conversations.

Saturday we did more prep work for painting, moving potted plants away from the house and cutting back some more vines. Then it was off to the gym for a workout, then home for dinner and a viewing of Sideways, which was a nice little movie with some resonance for anyone in their 40s. Oenophile culture as background for romance and personal recovery was cute, though one wonders how much of these character's problems is due to functional alcoholism. Critics love small movies that work (since they've become so rare), so it was overhyped, but also well worth enjoying.

Sunday I dealt (via phone) with family matters; my brother's recovery from being hit by a car while riding his bike continues. His shattered knee is now moving, and he was thrilled when he was able to (slowly) use the exercise bike at the rehab center. He should be able to enjoy his visit here for Christmas by the time it arrives.

After the usual gym routine, we stopped in at Draeger's for more chocolate goodies and arrived at John and Mark's for dinner around 5. Their house is starting to look lived in; Mark made a boneless loin of lamb using the rotisserie on the new gas grill outside, and it was great.

I wish we had been able to get up to the city to see mrdreamjeans during his all-too-short visit, and I wish I had been able to meet rxdoc. We can't all be posted at Social Central Station like enhydrasf, I guess.

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain

Pres. Bush has nominated Ben Bernanke as new head of the Fed. This was widely viewed as good news, since he seems capable and likely to follow Greenspan's path.

Alan Greenspan has become the center of a cult of personality without actually having one. His tenure at the Fed has been characterized by an understanding of his symbolic role as guarantor of the currency, and while one can point to many small missteps (like failing to rein in the stock bubble a bit, while possibly overdoing the loosening in response to the crash and Asian financial crises), on the whole he provided more stability and reassurance than his predecessors. His past as a devotee of Ayn Rand didn't seem to prevent him from using a government post to build faith in a government institution (the Fed) which most Randites would argue is both unnecessary and counterproductive.

Interestingly, Bush would not have dared to nominate a crony for this position. Near-disastrous hyperinflation was touched off by Lyndon Johnson's "guns and butter" spending, monetized by the Fed's compliant bankers (notably Arthur Burns who did the bidding of both Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter until the inflation and interest rate spikes became a threat to the economy.) Since then, global investors are hypersensitive to the temptations governments have to use the Fed to steal from the future for current political survival, and punish even a whiff of laxity at the central bank.

Apparently the Supreme Court is another story. Bush's nomination of Harriet Miers is in serious trouble despite the apparent backroom deal between Senate Dems and the White House to pass her. Seems there's a level of mediocrity and cronyism thoughtful Republicans won't put up with, the religious right isn't assuaged, and Democrats who weren't consulted in advance wonder why it's in the country's interest to have such an undistinguished person on the court. Reminds me of the famous speech by Sen. Roman Hruska defending mediocrity, which was amusingly parodied by Mad Magazine in my youth.