For years I have been told that I was a baby-boomer by nature of my birth date.  Time and again I heard the 1946-1964 range cited as the definitive boundaries.  But I've never really felt like I was part of that generation and its peculiar experiences and ethos.   I was five when Woodstock happened.  At some point during my late teens I did feel a desire to be part of that generation, but ever since I've dreaded the association.

Last year I was at a talk by Gordon Bell where he referred to a book on generational transitions called The Fourth Turning.  I read the book and found it fascinating, but was especially relieved to learn that by its definition (1943-1960), I am not a boomer.  Of course, I'm not sure I'm what they call me either, but "not a boomer" is a moniker I can wear with pride and relief.  As long as there's some money left  in Social Security when I turn 65.

... the candidates would be promising automatic restraining orders to any woman married to someone named "Peterson."

What's the deal with Faith Hill?  She can't act, she can't dance, and while I imagine she's a pretty good singer, she adds nothing to the Joan Jett original that NBC pays her to rip off.

The Patriots are pretty scary in their dominance.  I can't imagine how any team doesn't get psyched out before they even walk out on the field.  My one concern about them -- if I were a Patriots fan -- is that because of their margins of victory, their kicking game hasn't really been tested in pressure situations.  If you're a believer in the old adage (which for years I believed was coined by George Allen Sr. but for which credit is claimed by Marv Levy), "Offense sells tickets, defense wins games, kicking wins championships", it's something to think about.

This past summer, the conference rooms in the building where I work were remodeled extensively.  Among the improvements is the installation of a network clock, flush-mounted high up on a wall of each room.  Having a clock in a conference room makes it easier for the participants to track the time of the meeting and stay on schedule.  Having a network clock means that it never has to be set manually because it is automatically synchronized to an official time source.

Except that it's now ten days since the conversion from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time and half of the clocks are still on PDT instead of PST.  Not all of them, curiously; some of the clocks have successfully fallen back and some haven't, with no apparent pattern amongst the different rooms.  In at least one case, two conference rooms side-by-side are on different sides of the DST divide.

What's funny is that several folks have walked up to the errant clocks and tried to find the button that lets them set the time.  Only there isn't one, so they end up pushing the mounting screws to see if that will do anything.

I know that these Deborah Solomon mini-interviews are edited to be devoid of context and that the title may be intended as a wry joke, but if he really said these things, John Bolton doesn't help his case (Questions for John Bolton, 4-Nov).  To wit:

"I think it’s almost beyond dispute that we were right to overthrow Saddam and the threat his regime posed."

"But even if there is global warming, the notion that you are going to reduce carbon emissions enough to have an impact on it is just — serious people don’t believe that’s true."

Almost without regard to whether you agree with these statements or not, phrases like "it's almost beyond dispute" and "serious people don't believe that's true" suggest a callous disregard for those who disagree with you.  Indeed, it suggests a person who's incapable of practicing... um, I know there's a word for it... wait for it... here it comes... diplomacy.