Greetings. I know you have all been awaiting my weekly sublime and ridiculous posting with great anticipation. So, to end your anguish, I submit the following:

So many ridiculous events occurred this week that it was difficult to choose just one. So, I didn’t. Instead, I decided to focus on one ridiculous individual. He stands on a street corner that I pass on my way to work. As I and others walk by, he says, every time, “Could you spare 35 cents?” I do not have any problem with individuals begging/busking for money. This particular individual’s act of asking is not what makes him ridiculous in my estimation. It is the peculiarity of the amount that creates the ridiculousness. The catch phrases used to be: “Brother could you spare a dime?” or “Could I get a quarter for the phone?” Therefore, is the request for 35 cents merely an inflationary measure? Or, is there a more creative reason for this? I have come up with a number of theories (my top three are listed below):

1. He has a girlfriend in Mazatlan and he must call her for at least one minute per day and his calling plan dictates 35 cents/minute.

2. He is trying to kick a gambling habit and only allows himself to play once on a quarter slot machine and twice on a nickel slot machine.

3. He is an obsessive compulsive interior designer who has decided to glue alternating quarters and dimes to the wall, but he feels going to the bank and getting large quantities of them is too easy.

Onto sublimity. I really thought I would have nothing to post in this area, until early this afternoon. I was sitting and watching people go by at a busy craft fair. A lady walked by and was pushing a baby girl in a stroller. Recently, I have been catching myself oohing and ahhing at infants and diminutive individuals. This seemed like a bit of a disturbing trend and not at all like me, but today it reached a new level. A sublime level. I actually wished I was a mommy. I wanted to be able to say, “yes, the adorable little girl in the pink coat with the fur trim and the smiling face is my child.” Maternal feelings. When you least expect them they creep up on you.