August 5th, 2022Kyle’s Rant

“So, there’s that one and that one”, the waitress declares. She is, of course, talking about the two menus as she handed me a non-Covid-friendly, sticky laminated glimpse into the hygiene of the kitchen.
In the old days the wait staff fronting the punters were a fantastic way to up-sell the menu and drinks, and create a relationship with the diners so the last question of the day is “Would you like dessert?”. That then becomes a solid “yes”, based on the punter’s experience. The result is an up-tick in the bottom line of the eatery and a possible hefty tip to the staff and return business and recommendations from the diners.
I guess it is the language that has changed. The same staffer presented our meals saying the exact same thing, “so, there’s that one and that one” as the plates were spun onto the table. When I said “thanks”, she proclaimed “that’s OK”, not the warming “you’re welcome” from the old language.
But things are indeed rapidly changing. The earth has literally shifted off its axis. It turns out that if you melt the two big icecaps on either end, and that water shifts towards the equator, the tilt of the earth shifts. WTH? As if we haven’t got enough to worry about – thanks space.com
We are all overrun with so many things to worry about – solar storms, monkeypox, Covid, the cost of living, and foot and mouth – so I have started to turn my attention to rainbows. There have been a number of these things over the Central Highlands lately and I recently drove into one on my way back to TL HQ.
Apparently, it is impossible to get to the end of a rainbow because viewing a rainbow is different for everybody. According to Dr Karl each person sees it from a slightly different angle and the beauty is literally in the eye of the beholder, however I swear it happened.
It might have been a glass diffusion of light or a momentary lapse of reason, but that was my reality, there was no pot of gold at the end of the thing or leprechauns leaping out of the way as I roared down the road at 80km – it was just a peaceful experience.
It was Isaac Newton who first understood rainbows and decided there were seven colours – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. There is also a theory around (well, actually mine) that blue is so close to indigo that he simply chucked it in there to make up the magic number seven.
Seven is such an enchanted number as in seven Spanish angels, seven deadly sins, seventh heaven, seven spirits of God and don’t forget “at sixes and sevens”, which is to be at a state of confusion and disorder.
Anyway, that’s how I am navigating the world right now, with small peaceful reasonings.
And I did drive through the end of that rainbow, rant over…