Silly me. I thought if I dropped a few pounds the odds of me experiencing the debilitating excruciatingly painful episodes of my back going out of wack would decrease dramatically. Well, I have and it hasn’t. I made an innocent but apparently awkward body turn on Saturday and felt that familiar twinge of pain like I’d stepped on a spine mine. At first I thought I’d be able to walk it off but soon I’d assumed the position of a guy standing on the side of a hill unable to straighten up. By Monday morning, I was barely able to get out of bed and to the Advil jar. So now I’m sitting sideways in my big chair all doped up on Ibuprofen and probably shouldn’t be trying to write coherent sentences but it’s been way too long between blogs and there are a few things I’d like to say.
First off, I don’t like the idea of extorting mega millions from Minnesotans for a new football stadium. But I don’t like the thought of losing the Vikings to Los Angeles or Tucson even more so bite the financial bullet dear lawmakers in St. Paul and I promise not to complain too much about the exorbitant price of tickets, brats and beer when we come visit your new digs.
Seems to me, though, that there are lots of people in this world with lots of discretionary income; billions to burn for things like stadiums or art.
We still don’t know for sure who had the top bid at Christie’s last week when Norwegian painter, Edvard Munch’s pastel version of “The Scream” went for a record 120 million dollars. Most likely one of the filthy rich Arab oil barons from Qatar, Abu Dhabi or Dubai bought it. These guys have so much money they’re running out of ways to spend it like creating palm-shaped islands out of desert sand on which to erect their mansions.
Palm Island..they have two and are building more
They also built an enclosed Alpine mountain resort in one of the hottest places on earth complete with snow and ski slopes.
Ski Dubai outside view
Ski Dubai inside view
Of course if they ever do run low on cash, they just turn off a few spigots to their oceans of oil..create world wide shortages and drive up the price. Anyway its probably one of those Sheiks who wasn’t rattled when he rolled out 120 mil for The Scream..likely from petty cash and ..perhaps to hang above the urinals in the executive wash room on the top floor of Burj Khalifa..the world’s tallest building in downtown Dubai never to be seen again by the general public.
I didn’t know until this auction that The Scream is actually one of FOUR versions Munch did. Linda and I actually saw the one hanging in the National Museum when we were in Oslo years ago. Now, I’m full blown Norwegian and proud of it but I’m afraid “The Scream” leaves me cold. I just can’t get beyond the thought that it looks like refrigerator art in the Addams family kitchen.
I wasn’t sure if sports was a big deal in the turban belt until I noticed several horses entered in the Kentucky Derby were owned by guys with a lot of J’s in their name so maybe if Minnesota lawmakers shake a nod to funding a new Vikings stadium, they should put in a call to one of the movers and Sheikers in Dubai or Qatar.
If they should buy our team, though, I hope they don’t insist that Vikings players wear golden silk slipper spikes with turned-up toes.
Have I gone too far?
I’ll apologize when I hear an “I’m Sorry” from them for having me over an oil barrel every time I fill up at the pump or for trying to make me feel like I’m getting a bargain when gas drops to ONLY $3.50 a gallon.