Donna commented to me today. "You may disagree with me, but I think that things are on a downer." She said that it might be her general malaise but Truckee's phone call last night definitely precipitated something. A week ago he was very excited about a job interview with a well known advertising firm in San Francisco. He followed that call with a call the next day saying that he had a second interview. The second interview did not go so well. It seemed everyone liked him enough but he lacked some experience with Flash Action Scripting. That interview was Thursday and he should have heard by Monday. By Tuesday I said to Donna that he should call to see had gotten the job. Donna said, "No, he was called for a second interview, so they will call him back." I said, "not necessarily." I was right. They did not call him back and he called them. He felt no antipathy, but excused their rudeness. I still want to write the bastards and tell them, "However many awards your advertisements have received, you flunked the test of common decency. You lost my respect in not replying to someone who put all he could, gave up his time, set his hopes and future upon your rude whims. " I will not tell them directly but get a list of employees and link them to my blog. Also, when I find out the name of the firm, I will publish it here, so you, good readers, can know about some of those responsible for a loss of just a little bit more civility in our society.

Truckee comes home today. He will drop off a small percentage of what he owns in our basement. Donna seemed surprised by his sudden arrival. We have been having this "discussion" about the responsibilities of an adult who returns home to his family. I suppose that I am from the old school. I am believer in a low wage job over collecting unemployment. I believe that anyone who related or not, over the age of 17 years should be working or at least be a full time student- preferably both. I believe that a boarder, related or not, should pay room and board. I thought that $300 per month in this case would be cheap. Then Donna started saying how she didn't want to give up the extra room, how she has more clothes than me, how Anna's stuff is in there. I thought that our new guest- my son, should at least have the courtesy of a room of his own. She let me know that it was impossible. Some arguments I consistently lose. Now his room and board are down to $200 per month.

David Broder, a syndicated reporter for the New York Times had a great article in the paper yesterday about a great change in attitude among Americans since World World II. A simple term for the quality is humility. He states that after the United States defeated Germany in World War II there was no gloating. Neither the troops nor the leaders bragged about the war victory. That people were only grateful that the war was over. Despite his conservative leanings in this opinion I concur completey.