Dad has some good news

My father, a frequent reader of this blog and a lifelong lover and consumer of newspapers and magazines, has been following the sad events of the past week with interest.

If Washington, D.C. is the country's stomach, my father lives in the upper colon in the suburb of Herndon, Virginia and is a daily reader of the Washington Post. A former advertising executive he follows and knows trends better than anyone I have ever met in my life. He also believes that to get a real flavor of how stupid Washington works (or doesn't) he thinks it should be a requirement for every American to live in an around Washington for at least two years. (He equally despises Republicans and Democrats - like father, like son).

So he sent along this opinion after reading today's sports section. Finally some good news about the economy.

Dad:

"I have a sure fire accurate gauge to measure the country's economic situation, well it's as accurate as any of the other systems; the Washington Post sports section today featured eight small massage parlor ads, up from four last week. A solid indication of an upswing in the economy!"

Now why my 80-plus year old father is looking at massage parlor ads, you can guess. No, actually my father reads every ad (with a very critical eye) and newspaper articles with the same detailed copy editor's view.

My father's name was once used as the cardholder's name on a national "Bankamericard" ad (remember the little cartoon orchestra conductor back in the 1960s).

He is typical of so many of the "Greatest Generation," he does not like reading his news online. My blog is the only one he reads and that is probably out of some family obligation, so he will likely not make the transition with newspapers into cyberspace.

But at least he sees a silver lining for the economy.

p.s. If you are ever in the Washington, D.C. area and want the best tour you can receive at the Dulles branch of the Smithsonian Air and Space museum, just ask for "Lee" the docent before you head there and you won't be disappointed. A former general aviation pilot and member of the Army Air Corps in World War II his head is crammed full of facts and information about airplanes and flight. It's a free tour, by the way.