Texas always has storms in summer. This one was so bad it was reported on CNN. Wind blew down trees. Over eight inches of rain pounded down in twelve hours, flooding streets and drowning cars. I stayed home and let it roar.
This morning, sitting in my recliner, I watched my plasma tv as the storm spread across the map of the Metroplex and saw video of two little girls pulled out of a flooding creek in Garland. Outside I heard, like one of those modern symphonies, rain beating the ground and lashing against my windows, while lightning crackled and thunder boomed. Charlie, my cat, curled up in his favorite chair and slept all day, as usual.
The Dallas Fire-Rescue department announced, “Normal chaos.”
I laughed out loud. Charlie did not even flick his ears.
Remember SNAFU? That came out of World War II. Don’t think it ever made the dictionary. “Situation Normal All Fouled Up.”
Now Dallas has “normal chaos.” That phrase describes the World perfectly. Things that we can not control are always happening. Chaos is normal.
About Me
- Ilene Pattie
- 85-year-old woman with opinions on everything. An interesting life: not always easy but always exciting. Now on dialysis, but still taking interest in politics, religion, and all that is going on in the World. Lived in Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Mexico,visited all the 48, but do not remember North Dakota, have not been to Hawaii or Alaska, but have been to Europe many times, also China and Thailand. My blogs are comments on life today as it relates to what I've read and observed in the past.
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2 comments:
Charlie knows best. Enjoy the refresh on the real meaning of SNAFU. My dad, who was a Sgt in USAF, often used that term to describe messes made by me or my brother. We always thought it was Dad's word for "You kids are in trouble!"
Ummm.... last time I checked the 'F' stood for something else. Oooo - I liked the following online definition, three cheers for cut and paste:
principle /sna'foo prin'si-pl/ n. [from a WWII Army acronym for `Situation Normal, All Fucked Up'] "True communication is possible only between equals, because inferiors are more consistently rewarded for telling their superiors pleasant lies than for telling the truth." -- a central tenet of Discordianism, often invoked by hackers to explain why authoritarian hierarchies screw up so reliably and systematically. The effect of the SNAFU principle is a progressive disconnection of decision-makers from reality. This lightly adapted version of a fable dating back to the early 1960s illustrates the phenomenon perfectly:
In the beginning was the plan, and then the specification; And the plan was without form, and the specification was void. And darkness was on the faces of the implementors thereof; And they spake unto their leader, saying: "It is a crock of shit, and smells as of a sewer." And the leader took pity on them, and spoke to the project leader: "It is a crock of excrement, and none may abide the odor thereof." And the project leader spake unto his section head, saying: "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide it." The section head then hurried to his department manager, and informed him thus: "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength." The department manager carried these words to his general manager, and spoke unto him saying: "It containeth that which aideth the growth of plants, and it is very strong." And so it was that the general manager rejoiced and delivered the good news unto the Vice President. "It promoteth growth, and it is very powerful." The Vice President rushed to the President's side, and joyously exclaimed: "This powerful new software product will promote the growth of the company!" And the President looked upon the product, and saw that it was very good.
After the subsequent and inevitable disaster, the suits protect themselves by saying "I was misinformed!", and the implementors are demoted or fired. Compare Conway's Law.
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