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lynn and i had a pleasant afternoon yesterday. we ate lunch at nordstrom's cafe. i had pan-seared lamb with mash potatoes and spinach (all exquisitely prepared), and lynn had some kind of tomato fetuccini (sp?). i think eating good food in a peaceful atmosphere can sometimes make you feel all zenned out, like everything is perfect, and you can always operate from this calm state.

we then went to see "avatar" over at the ward theaters. it was a monday, and, what's more, it was a monday afternoon, so the theaters were next to empty. the movie was awesome, the visuals were stunning, the storyline was mildly compelling. as i've heard it reviewed, it's a lot like "dances like wolves," set on an alien world. the two sides are painted with clear, unambiguous strokes; the "sky people" and the "navi" (?). i just hope some of us in the american audience felt a little bit of chagrin at the portrayal of the overzealous military forces and the greedy corporate interest, because that's EXACTLY WHAT WE HAVE DONE AND CONTINUE TO DO in the world...

i'm going off on a tangent here, but earlier in the day, while driving, i heard a piece on "fresh air." terry gross was interviewing bob sullivan, author of "gotcha capitalism," about the many pitfalls people fall into with their credit cards, their banks, their cellphone companies, and car dealerships... this was all pertinent and poignantly relevant, because of all the credit card debt i (and many americans) have amassed over the past month to "pretend we're in the christmas spirit" (perhaps the christmas spirit should be synonymous with "in s**thole debt to holy capitalism").

sullivan looked at banks and other institutions in a matter-of-fact way, as businesses (which, of course, they are) who have a fundamental motivation, not to provide a quality service to their customers in an honest and forthright manner, but to MAKE MONEY in whatever means allowed (and sometimes not allowed) by the law. in the past, banks primarily made money by making loans. but because the margin of profit from loan-making was diminishing over time, and because this arena was heavily regulated, banks and credit card companies decided to use various charges and service fees... under threat of regulation by the obama administration, the credit card companies of late have been exerting their muscle to squeeze every last cent out of consumers before some of their practices become illegal; arbitrarily upping the minimum monthly payments, or dropping credit limits... again, the banks/credit card co's are not in it to provide quality service to consumers; they just want to MAKE MONEY. and they'll do anything to accomplish that end.

i don't want to go on a tirade (i'm tired), but it really makes me question the basic tenets of the capitalist system. certainly, it generates wealth, and that wealth has made us a leading nation. but unregulated growth