How many houses does it take?

How many houses does it take before you forget how many you have?

Today Politico reported that it asked John McCain how many houses he and his wife owned. His response, according to Politico: "I think -- I'll have my staff get to you. It's condominums where -- I'll have them get to you."

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Is it funny that he's a little doddering and can't quite remember how many properties he and the Stepford Wife own? Or is it pathetic and sad?

The mother of a very good friend of mine is 71. She says that she doesn't have the mental stamina to be president, and for this reason (among others, probably) feels that McCain is too old.

I think she's right. But she also needs to factor in the money. He's too old and perhaps too rich. Oh, wait--it's his wife who's rich (estimated worth of $100 million).

Whether he's rich or not, he's certainly one thing: out of touch. When you have too many houses, I tend to doubt you can relate to ordinary Americans.

Some may argue that Obama can't relate either, but at least he's only got one house.

A little culture on the train

Sometimes culture appears in the most unexpected places.

Last night on my way home from work, I got on the Red Line train to Shady Grove as I am often wont to do. As soon as the train started moving, the odorific homeless guy standing in the opposite doorway began to sing:

"I got chills! They're multiplying!"

I wasn't sure he was singing what I *thought* he was singing. But then he went on.

"And I'm looooosing control! From the pow-er...you're supplying."

And then the big finish:

"IT'S ELECTRIFYING!!!!"

I tried to bury my face in my magazine, because I didn't want him to see me failing to stop giggling. It was hilarious. It was actually so funny that I moved to the next train car at Dupont Circle because I thought I would burst out laughing any second.

As I was switching cars he followed up with:

"We take the pressure and we throw away....conventionality belongs to yesterday...."

He wasn't Frankie Valli, but he was in tune. You can't really ask for more than that.

A moment at Farragut North

Last week, while on the escalator leaving the Farragut North Metro station, I heard a trumpet-playing busker. When I got to the top of the escalator, I saw that it was a young guy, probably a junior or senior in high school. He had excellent tone, good technic, and was playing a cornet, not a trumpet. The open backpack at his feet had a sign that said "$$ for college." As I went to drop in a few dollars for him, there was a copy of Arban's Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet. It is the trumpet player's bible. It's huge, heavy, and a lot of work to get through. I never finished it, but then nobody ever truly does. While his copy of it was red, mine was (and still is) blue. The cover colors notwithstanding, I felt an immediate kinship with this kid. He stopped playing for a second to thank me for dropping in the money, and I told him that I used the Arban book when I was a student. I asked him about the Clarke and Schlossberg studies, and he seemed to know all about them. I wasn't surprised, frankly. We chatted a little more about horn playing. He then told me that he usually didn't play cornet--his trumpet had been stolen when he left it outside the band room for 20 minutes a couple weeks ago. He had picked up the cornet for $20 at a pawn shop, and was hoping to make enough money to buy another "Strad." For the non-trumpet-playing public, this is a sad enough story as it is. But when he told me he wanted another Strad, I was quite moved. I've been lucky enough to have a Vincent Bach Stradivarius trumpet since the tenth grade, and I can't begin to imagine what it would feel like to have it stolen. If I see this kid again, I will definitely give him more than $2. He deserves another Strad.

Heading to Virginia Beach

I won't be there to take in any rays, or cavort on the sand (although I may come close to cavorting--you never know).

I will be attending the IPMS USA 2008 National Convention. This will be my first national IPMS convention, and I'm looking forward to it. I will be awash in plastic and plastic geeks. These guys bring their A game, so the quality of the models that will be displayed is going to be extremely high. Given my lack of building over the last two years, I will not be entering any kits in the contest. However, I will be photographing the heck out of everything, so you'll have that to experience when I get back.

Psych up. No, really.