Washington is all about politics politics politics. But ordinary life also goes on where Obama's future, if he has one, is not the main topic of conversation. I approached a couple the other day in one of the prettiest sidestreets in Old Town Alexandria. He was standing on his raised porch and she, quite an attractive woman , was standing on the pavement (sorry, sidewalk) looking up at him. A sort of Romeo and Juliet in reverse. As I got closer I was imagining the most likely conversation, perhaps, "Darling, don't just stand there, come in and let me cook you a souffle," or "Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are." In fact, when I got near enough, the charming gentleman was saying: "I've gotta put the trash out for tomorrow." Hey man, what's with you?
Television adverts for new medicines remain one of the funniest shows in town. They go something like this: "Chuck Ferrari had back pain so bad he couldn't work for months or lift up his children, but now his life is changed. He took Avarazismell (they're always called something ridiculous) and in just two weeks he was back at work and playing with his kids." A picture is then shown of Chuck throwing a large kid into the air, failing to catch him and they both fall in a heap on the ground, but he gets up laughing and smiling at the camera. Then comes the bad bit. "Avarazismell could change your life too, but if you suffer from frequent colds it could cause your blood to stop flowing leading to death, if you suffer from diabetes, it's likely that one of your legs will fall off, and if you are taking any other form of medicine, whether Aspirin or throat lozenges, you should see your doctor because the combination of Avarazismell and other medicines could lead to insanity." Then the advert reverts to Chuck. "For Chuck, Avarazismell was a life-changer. See your doctor to see if it could change your life too, always read the small print." It comes from living in a highly litigious country where everyone sues.
God bless America.
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