And By Signs and Portents…

Today, I’d like to tell you a story about signs. No, not the exodus from Egypt. That’s tonight — didn’t you read my post from yesterday? This is a story about some different signs; I’ve got to get this written up so I can go set the Seder table and listen to my favorite table setting music (Amazon). In particular, I sincerely doubt these are signs that Moses saw as he was escaping from Egypt.

Unless he was parking, that it.

Parking signs can be very confusing. Witness what is happening in Los Angeles, specifically in Hollywood. There the signs are extremely confusing with different rules for different hours and arcane limitations. Some claim it is intentionally predetory. The article cites dueling signs, four or five to pole, that go on and on:

Tow-Away No Parking Any time (arrow pointing left)

Tow-Away No Parking 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. (arrow pointing right)

2-hour parking Mon.-Sat. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sun. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (arrow pointing right)

I could imagine it could be worse in San Francisco. There they have introduced demand-based parking, where the parking rate for a particular block changes monthly based on the demand for the space — spaces more in demand cost more. I would image they would need variable LED signage there!

New York City has attempted to resolve this problem in a different way. They are attempting to design parking signs that actually make sense, with a clear focus on the hours where parking or stopping is prohibited, stating the hours when parking is permitted, and identifying any commercial restrictions. Their signs look good; I’m not sure how they would work in Los Angeles with preferential parking districts added to the mix.

Lastly, I’ll note that it isn’t hard to make your own sign. That’s what I did recently. I ordered a custom “Reserved Parking Sign” for in front of our house where I park the vanpool van. Really nice aluminum sign. Of course, I attached it to the tree with wire-ties .

Now to go and set the table…

Music: An Evening With Sutton Foster – Live At The Café Carlyle (Sutton Foster): “Late Late Show”

 

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along The Road (on cahighways.org) as this entry by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link below; you can sign in with your LJ, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. There are currently comments on the Wordpress blog. PS: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

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Let Me Tell You The Story ‘Bout a Man Named Mo…

Now it is almost the time to tell the story I’ve hinted at in the last two posts. I’ve already done my ceremonial playing of the table setting song…

Starting from the left take the little fork, it’s the salad fork, then find the bigger fork place and place it to the right of that fork, then we take the plate, it’s a lovely plate, and you place the plate right next to them, line it up, mmmmm, that looks nice, aren’t you having the time of your life, and guess what comes next — you guessed it, the knife, ….

(if you haven’t heard the “Fork, Knife, Spoon” song from “Dear Edwina”, you should)

I’ve set the Seder Table, and I’m just waiting for it to be closer to put the final items on it:

Last year I printed the 6th edition of my Haggadah (let me know if you want a copy, but it is for personal use only as I haven’t done all the copyright clearances). So we should be all ready to go. All together now (to the tune of the “Theme from the Beverly Hillbillies”):

Come an’ listen to a story
’bout a man named Mo,
A Hebrew child raised
by the daughter of Pharaoh,
An’ then one day
an Egyptian beat a slave,
An’ Moses stepped in,
the Hebrew for to save…
(Struck the guard, killed him dead!)

Well, the next thing you know,
ol’ Mo is all a-feared.
The Hebrews said,
“Mo, run away from here!”
Mo decided Midian
was the place he oughtta be,
And there he stayed,
till he saw a burnin’ tree…
(God, that is… boomin’ voice, majesty.)

God told Moses
to go an’ tell Pharaoh,
“Time has come
to let my people go!”
Pharaoh just laughed, said,
“You tryin’ to pull my leg?”
So Mo raised his staff,
and God brought down the plagues…
(Blood, that is… frogs an’ lice, hailstones.)

Ten plagues in all,
and the last was really bad:
Slayin’ of the first-born,
and Pharaoh was a dad.
He said to the Hebrews,
“Go on! Get away from me!”
So they loaded up their matzah
and they headed toward the sea…
(Red, that is… mighty wide, no way across.)

Pharaoh got all crazy
and decided to attack.
Mo raised his staff,
and the waters, they drew back!
The Hebrews walked through,
just as dry as they could be,
And Pharaoh’s army chased ’em,
but were covered by the sea…
(Drowned, that is… chariots, riders, too)

The Mo’s sister Miriam,
she began to sing,
And the womenfolk danced
as she played the tambourine.
Once we were slaves,
but now we are free,
And in every generation
we recall our history…

This entry was originally posted on Observations Along The Road (on cahighways.org) as this entry by cahwyguy. Although you can comment on DW, please make comments on original post at the Wordpress blog using the link below; you can sign in with your LJ, FB, or a myriad of other accounts. There are currently comments on the Wordpress blog. PS: If you see share buttons above, note that they do not work outside of the Wordpress blog.

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