I Love You

“I don’t like [him.] He is a bad man, an imposter, a creator of wicked schemes. I wouldn’t speak to him, but, by God, I love him.”
Representative John Calhoun (1782–1850), after getting a helpful vote from a despised colleague in 1812

I said, “I love you” to a tech-repair person the other day. It just sort of popped out of me. To review: Through a combination of user error and computer glitches, I’d thrown away my current project from my laptop. And I hadn't backed up for two weeks.

The good news is that I haven’t broken out in a nice cold sweat since seeing Ringu. That along with the adrenaline and weeping made for a nice change of pace in my day.

User error having led to user terror, I took my laptop down to the local Mac store. They could help save my files, yes? Oh please, oh please, oh please... Of course it was a "rush job.” Aren’t they all?

I returned to the shop the next day, by which time my sweat was a more comfortable lukewarm temperature. The tech-repair person (note the lack of gender giveaway) informed me that the Word documents had been mostly saved. I wanted to say, “I thank you, good tech-repair person.”

Instead I said, “I love you.” Beat.

We both consider this for a moment.

“That is, I love you in the platonic way reserved for people who save me from tech emergencies,” I added in a non-hasty or lame way.

The tech person took it in stride. I’m sure they get that all the time there. But as for me, I’m a changed man. And looking at John Calhoun's kind-hearted visage, it’s clear that he too knew about the transformative power of love. After making his quote above, he served as Vice President under both John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, and founded the Nullification Party. (If I remember correctly, its members wanted to make hatred, ill will, and mild revulsion null and void. Oh, and I also blogged about Calhoun here.)

A Fast Velocipede to Oregon

In the 21st century, the state of Oregon is known for its bike-friendly ways. Heck, even Portland police officers pedal in style; check out Portland's finest on a Belgian tall bike.

The Library of Congress has what may well be the first illustration linking bicycles with Oregon. The detail below is from “The Patriots Getting Their Beans,” an 1845 cartoon mocking new President James K. Polk's campaign supporters. The idea is that these sycophants (the "patriots") now want "beans," i.e., patronage and other official favors.
Polk's campaign platform favored favored expanding the U.S. in any way possible, including the re-annexation of the Oregon Territory. Thus we have a militia troop carrying a banner "For Oregon!! Liberty! or Death!!!" Their leader proclaims, "Follow me brave soldiers, strike but one blow, and Oregon is ours!"

Riding the primitive bicycle (or “velocipede" if you prefer) is South Carolinian John C. Calhoun. He was a frustrated aspirant for the 1844 Democratic nomination that Polk got, and departs the scene here in disgust. (Though Calhoun says he’s going south, he’s clearly headed west.)

At the top right, a German or Dutchman leaves in disgust, shouting, "Dod rot this administration! I've lost my sittivation that [former President John] Tyler give me, that was worth $15 a year! Dod rot 'em, I say!" Anyway, here's the full cartoon.
The above photo courtesy of cleverchimp. My sources are here.