Vibecession - The Word of the Day

 

Today I had to look-up the word "vibecession." I came across it while reading the front-page Globe article about how people are feeling more isolated and uncertain in these post-pandemic times.  

It combines "vibe" and "recession" to describe a situation where people feel like the economy is in a downturn, even though the economic indicators are positive. It's all about the mood and perception rather than the actual economic data.

It helps explain why the Dems lost the election. The pro-Trumpers simply ignored the data and kept harping on the price of eggs and butter as proof of Biden's failure to put a lid on inflation. 

It worked.

AFTERMATH - Trump Gets Re-elected.

Well, I did not see this coming. 

I am stunned to learn that I'm in the minority of the American voters who showed-up for the Presidential election last Tuesday.

I honestly did not believe that anyone with basic common sense, a shred of decency and belief in the rule of law would vote for Trump.  But I am duly informed that we do not always see things the same way as others do.    

After the majority of people who actually worked in his government refused to support him, claiming that he is "unfit for the office" I sort of wrote him off.  (If you can't get the support of people who know you best, it would sem to be a no-brainer for citizens to choose a different candidate.)     

I knew that his base -- MAGA  -- had consistently supported him, despite his contempt for truth, fact and decency, but I guess his message of intolerance and toxic nationalism appealed to a much wider swath of the uneducated/uninformed than I had imagined.

Endorsement (in case you were undecided)

The Philadelphia Inquirer endorses Kamala Harris in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania.

"Voters face an easy but tectonic choice in the race for the White House.

Will they choose the first woman or the oldest man to be the next president?

Will they choose the prosecutor or the convict?

Will they choose the candidate who supports restoring Roe v. Wade, or the man who bragged about overturning it?

Will they choose the candidate with a tax plan to help the middle class or the one who wants to help the superrich?

Will they choose the candidate who backs a tough bipartisan immigration law or the guy who killed the measure?

Will they choose the candidate who wants to combat climate change or the one who thinks it is a hoax?

Will they choose the candidate who upholds the peaceful transfer of power or the one who summoned a violent mob to attack the U.S. Capitol?

Will they choose the candidate who stands up to Vladimir Putin or the one who said Russia could do “whatever the hell they want?”

Will they choose the candidate who champions education, health care for all, and sensible gun safety laws, or the person who wants to close the U.S. Department of Education, repeal Obamacare, and told supporters after a school shooting to “get over it?”

Will they choose the candidate who supports the working class or the one who is anti-union and opposed raising the minimum wage?

Will they choose a woman of color who wants to unite the country, or a man with a history of misogynistic, racist, and divisive comments and actions?

Will they choose the candidate who supports LGBTQ rights or the one who wants to roll back protections for the gay community?

Will they choose the candidate who will uphold the presidential oath, or the one who was impeached twice for high crimes and misdemeanors, profited from the White House, dangled pardons to cronies, and was indicted four times?

This baker’s dozen list could go on, but the choice is clear and obvious.

Vice President Kamala Harris wants to help all Americans.

Donald Trump wants to help himself.

That is why The Inquirer endorses Kamala Devi Harris to be the 47th president of the United States.”

The Shit List

 It was another of those warmish Fall days that make you glad to be alive. I was sitting at my desk reading the obituary page in today’s paper. One of my few obsessions in life is the daily reading of death notices, hoping to see the names of people who are on my shit list. 

The shit list is not very long. I keep it in my head. The list contains the names of people -- mainly former bosses who failed to appreciate my genius, a few evil and conniving coworkers who betrayed confidences and thwarted my ambitions. The neighbor with the barking dog. The CFO who torpedoed my career back in the 80’s, one of his lackeys who made my job (and me) disappear hoping to get suck-up points. The moron who thought my idea for using the internet for customer service was a dumb and risky idea in 1996. 

The list has not had any new additions in the last few years, mainly since I stopped working for people with their heads up their ass. Unfortunately, I have not crossed too many people off the list either. I heard one of them got testicular cancer (thumbs up!) but sadly, it is not always fatal. 

I am not saying that their crimes are a motive for murder or anything like that. I’m just saying that news of the early and agonizing death of people on the list would cheer me up. A bit of schadenfreude, you say? Hey, I never said I was perfect.

 Actually, now that I think of it, I have a more unspecific list of nameless people whose deaths I would have enjoyed reading about. Call center owners and employees, authors of those scam emails, drivers who have cut me off or otherwise violated my safety and lane occupation on the highways… that sort of offender. 

Today, no one I know was listed in the paper, so I turned to the bird sightings section. One of the sightings was a scarlet ibis. This has to be a secret code. You never see ibises in the North.

What normal people are thinking

 I blame the extremes on both sides for the divisive rhetoric that characterizes public discourse today.  

From the far left we are lectured and hectored by self-righteous, politically correct, tree-hugging wussy progressives  who want us all to feel guilty for all the wrongs of the world.  They want to make things right by reparations, redistributing wealth, saving the planet (and all it creatures.) They want the outliers of society to be treated as if they were normal.    

From the far right we are treated to incredible conspiracies, distrust of government,  threats of violence, distorted truths and the willingness to overthrow an election based on debunked claims of fraud.  

 Most liberals are not progressive.  moderate liberals are willing to accept gradual change, but we don't agree with "In your face" attempts to enforce change.  I, for one, am still a long way from accepting  Drag Queen Story Hour as a good way to influence children. 

You scolds, wallowing in your self righteousness,  may frown and remind us that not everyone was as lucky as we were - that some folks are poor and starving and oppressed, or worse.  Yes, I get that.  I can empathize with others' pain.  

But,  I do not like being told how I ought to think.  

Happy Columbus Day

Sorry folks, I am old school when it comes to October 14th.  It's been Columbus Day all of my life and I don't really see any reason to stop observing it as such.   Not that I spend much time celebrating.  For me it is just another holiday -- a reason to have an early beer and maybe a grilled hot dog or burger.  

The progressive liberals among us want to call it Indigenous Peoples Day, as a rebuke to the reported excesses of Columbus and his crew of marauders against the natives.   That's a bit too woke for me.  I liked it better when Columbus was the hero who put America on the map.   But no,  Lefty know-it-alls are determined to explode the  myths that have been part of my education since I was able to read.  The other day I read that according to recent research,  Abe Lincoln was probably gay.   Who needs this kind of  "truth"?   Does it make us happier, more secure, wealthier?  I say no.

 

The So-Called Debate

 Well, that shit-show couldn't have gone worse.  A weak sounding, scared looking geezer trying to parry the confident, bullshit slinging Trumpster.  I was so disheartened that I shut it off after 20 minutes  of schoolyard name-calling and went to re-organize my sock drawer.

At 11pm, I tuned-in to The Daily Show for the most reliable analysis.  John Stewart did a pretty good job of characterizing the event.  Biden had one thing to do --convince the doubters that he had the mental capacity and stamina for another term.  He failed.

 

I still believe that most reasonable people will vote for an addled, muted Biden over the rambling, incoherent, lying Trump.  But  I fear that Trump did not lose a single supporter where mumbling Joe may have sent a few million votes towards Kennedy. 

I wish they had sent Kamala instead.  She is a good debater.  I can just hear her, walking out there and saying "Joe's got the flu.  As #2 I am here to take-on this orange motherfucker, so let's get started." 

 It's Tuesday, or as I call it "Book Club Day."   Book Club as you may remember is the weekly gathering of a select group at an Irish pub (Dunn's) located in Newton Upper Falls.  Tuesday afternoon around 4pm is a slow time at the pub, so we get there just as it opens and claim our usual stools. We don't actually talk about a specific book (as is the practice in ladies' book clubs), but we all read books, and if someone is reading a particularly interesting book, they might recommend it to the group.  No, the real reason is to engage in sociable quaffing and solving the world's problems. 

For example, we discuss the guilt or innocence of the accused in high profile trials, or offer an opinion about issues of the day, or even remark on the outcomes of sporting events.  There is never a loss for words.  Oh, and I almost forgot the popular topic:  Health challenges.  We are all over 50 and most of us are closer to 80.  Several of us are currently being/or have been treated for Cancer.  One is a Doctor (Cardiologist). One has COPD and Heart issues.  Everyone has some bodily malfunction to share.  Those of us in the geezer section think of health as a game of whack-a-mole.  If you get one problem fixed, two more will pop-up to take its place.  

The bar staff looks at us with apparent affection.  Perhaps we remind them of an elderly family member or friend.  They know our drinks and stories.  The ambience is much like what you might recall from the old TV program "Cheers" -- where everyone knows your name.  

Afterword: Someone has asked why we call it "Book Club,"  when we do not actually discuss an assigned book.  This, my friends, is  a genius  example of  "Reframing."     Before Book Club , on Tuesday afternoons,  you would meekly say to the wife,  "I'm off to the pub to have a few beers with the guys."  She, of course, would scowl at you.   

But now you say "I'm off to Book Club."   She says "Have a good time."  or even "Hey, aren't you late for Book Club?"    Reframing!

 Well, another Monday.  When I was a corporate employee, I never liked Mondays much.  Usually, they would start=out with a dry mouth and headache from too many beers on Sunday.  Rarely did I look on a new week as a chance to excel, or acheive any long-sought accomplishment.  No, it was a return to hum-drum, tedium and some asshole in the corner office wanting to know why my projects were behind schedule.  As I think I have mentioned before, I was born (82 years ago this week) without a sense of urgency.  (I was reportedly 3 weeks behind the expected due-date, weighing almost 11 pounds at birth.  My mother never let me forget that fact,either, especially when I was being a pain in the ass.  She would make me sit in a chair and listen to how painful it was to pass a large object through a small opening. This was my penance for my many crimes of smartassery and excessive boyishness.)

But I digress:  You would think that being born without a sense of urgency would be a handicap in life, but that is not the case.  Many others, who have a well-developed sense of urgency, are perfectly willing to share their senses of urgency with you.   It doesn't matter that you can't understand why a report needs to be submitted on this Friday instead of, say, Wednesday next week.  The boss wants it on Friday. So...when you come in on Monday --  not having finished the Status Report from last week

He (or she) is all over your ass before you even get a chance to pop down to the company cafeteria for a coffee and jelly donut.   But I shall not belabor the bad associations that I have with Mondays.  For more details you will have to wait until my autobiography is published.  Given my low sense of urgency, you should not hold your breath waiting for it to come out.

Waving Goodbye to Summer

September is my favorite month of  the year. The nights have started getting cooler, the days less humid and we have football, corn on the cob, tart apples and tomatoes that taste like tomatoes instead of cardboard.

That said, I confess that this has not been a great year in the garden: Too much sun combined with too much rain, and me getting lazy about fertilizing and weeding. The tomatoes have not as good as in past seasons. I harvested a lot of them, but many were cracked or sunburned  and I had to cut off the top third to slice the ripe part for my Caprese salads, Irish salsa and homemade tomato sauce. My recipes generally utilize "secret Irish spices," (salt and pepper). 

Anyhow, I'm happy to wave goodbye to the Summer and to embrace the Fall with open arms.
They are predicting a "snowier than normal" Winter this year. I really don't mind the snow  in manageable quantities. Say up to 10-12 inches.   The snowblower is my favorite piece of machinery. Most power tools scare me. Good thing I wasn't a carpenter.

I am not talking about politics these days, there is still more than a year to go until the big election and currently we have two doddering candidates and no good choices. I have enough to worry about without wasting time arguing with gullible zealots about stuff I can't understand or control.

To paraphrase Rodney King, Why can't we all just get along?

Talking about Sports is almost as bad as opining about politics. Lately, I have been turned-off by the inordinate focus on individual players rather than the team. Brady, Ortiz, Brown big names in Boston sports,  earning deservedly big paydays, but folks, there is a team out there, making the big plays possible.  I wish there was an option on the remote that allows you to hear the crowd noise but mute the announcers during a game.   I am definitely a fair-weather fan.   If my team is losing, I switch to another channel.  But  I do faithfully watch playoffs and big games. Sometimes with the sound turned off.

 

A Harrowing Experience  

An airline pilot once described his career flying big commercial aircraft as,"...years of tedium interspersed with moments of terror."   I feel the same way about being retired.  You might describe it as endless days of hum-drum (chores, scheduled activities, family contacts, shopping and waiting), punctuated by moments of panic (sudden medical events, lost keys, social anxiety).  

One does not often describe an experience as "Harrowing", but I find it an excellent word, and one worthy of our recent brush-with-certain-death this past Sunday night.   You might recall that the forecast from our crack team of Boston meteorologists were unanimous in their certainty that the "wintery mix" of precipitation would affect the areas West of Boston, beginning late Sunday evening.   We were assured that the snow would amount to a mere dusting to 1 inch overnight.  Thus informed with the best weather knowledge available, we decided to go, as planned at 2pm, to see our grandson, Vinny, perform in a matinee presentation of the play "Into the Breeches," at Worcester Academy Performance Center.

It was a great show, and we loved every minute of the 2+ hrs. However, when it was time to go home, we were surprised to find that there was a heavy snowstorm raging outside.  I brushed about 2 inches of snow off my van and began to head back to whence I came.  I was calm.  I've driven in snow all my adult life and though I don't enjoy it as much as the old days, I am still confident of my driving skills in harsh weather.  I'm no stranger to hilly terrain either, but as you may know, Worcester has hills that are ski-lift steep. 

Within a few blocks after turning out of Academy parking lot, we found ourselves looking down a hill that reminded me of that first high spot on a roller coaster, just before it hurtles down the track. There is a moment when you look down that vertical drop, and realize that you have made a big mistake.  Being manly, I stifled my roller coaster scream and proceeded to descend.  Did I mention that the snow on the ground was slick as cat shit on oil?  There were a few cars parked (or more likely, stranded) by the side and my minivan kept slipping and drifting dangerously toward them. About halfway down, I was losing traction and a feeling of panic began to intrude on my navigational confidence.  (Judy later confided to me that this was the point that she was certain that we were going to die).   We came close to colliding with multiple vehicles, but managed somehow to make it to the bottom unscathed and intact.  

It took us another hour to make it back to Wellesley, no one was going more than 25 MPH on the slippery roads.   Fortunately, there was strong drink in the pantry to calm our frayed nerves.  In retrospect, it was an experience that reminded us never to trust the weather forecasts in winter, and that there are still moments of terror hiding under a few inches of wet snow.

Perhaps this experience was not life-threatening, but it certainly was harrowing.  I heard on the news that there were more than eighty crashes in the Worcester hills that night.  We were lucky not to be in that number.

                                                                                                    DEN December 11, 2022

Positive Thinking

 So, one day you wake up one Friday morning  feeling more congested than usual. You are coughing. In the pre-pandemic days you might say to yourself "I think I'm getting a chest cold."  But, this is 2022 and you are in the high-risk category, so you take the time to check the symptoms: Just a dry cough and runny nose, achy, blah.  Not terribly significant, you think. You have lunch plans, but the sleet and snow put the kybosh on going out. 

Good news

On the second day, Saturday, you still feel a bit crappy.  Maybe you need to get tested.   You get one of those at-home antibody tests and swab away.  The results are good. There should be a "C" line but no "T" line.  Phew! that's a relief.  It's just a "normal" cold virus, after all.   The weather outside is still pretty bad, icy streets, so you stay in, again.  On the third day, Sunday, you are still feeling chest congestion and a bit achy - especially sore ribs from coughing.  Again, you lay low.  Normal appetite and temperature, so no cause for extreme worry.

Bad News

Monday, day 4, things have not improved. Now, you start to worry that this is not a mere cold.  Time for a re-test.  This time the results are a bit of a shock.  The dreaded "T" line appears after only 6 minutes.  That indicates Positive for COVID. 

So, now it is confirmed: you have joined the club you did not apply to.  Like many others, you secretly thought that you would be one of the folks whose natural defenses, plus the recommended shots, would get you through this pandemic unscathed.  But, now you wonder, what foolishness may have let the virus past the gates and into your lungs.  You try to trace your movements during the few days before you first noticed the cough.   This is a memory challenge for someone who cannot recall what they had for lunch yesterday.  You decide it must have been the Thursday lunch at your favorite Italian restaurant, when you and your wife sat at the bar and split a delicious lemon chicken dish.  That was the only time you can recall being indoors without a mask.  Of course there is no way to know for certain  how or where you picked up the virus.  

The rapid antigen test cannot discern what variant if COVID is present.  So you just assume it is Omricon, which seems to be the prevalent strain around here.  (How do they know?) Hopeful news is that the symptoms are mild.  The Health Care folks don't seem very interested in you unless you have severe symptoms.  No one with a medical degree recommends therapeutics, despite the fact that old fat guys are considered "high risk."

Anyhow, you quarantine, start taking Mucinex, which controls the cough and you push fluids (especially Sierra Nevada fluid) and rest up.  The wife must have super immunity, because she has no symptoms.  Because of the close contact, she has to cancel several social dates and classes and is pretty annoyed with you.

All in all, you feel pretty lucky that the symptoms have been mild, and you have family nearby to help.  In a way, you almost feel glad to get it over with. 

Too Much Brady Hype

 Am I the only one who thinks Tom Brady was a great QB who had a great career, but is not a God.  He threw interceptions, fumbled, got sacked.  He was a Professional athlete who played for Money, not because he loved his team or his fans.  I get that it is a worthy sports story, but why is it headlining national news?  If you tune-in to any mainstream news outlet today you would think that Tommy was solely responsible for the winning records enjoyed by teams when he was leader of the offense.  The defensive players who often kept the opponents' scores low, are seldom mentioned.    

.Football is a team sport.  When I look at a successful QB, I cannot help thinking of the other athletes on the team who blocked, caught passes, rushed the line, and protected the passer. I give credit to the coaches that designed plays, ran drills and helped prepare the team for the next game.  I recall that more than one of those Super bowl wins were won by the kicker. either  Adam Vinatieri and Steven Gostkowski.  Guys on the team that did their jobs.

Sports writers have to write about something, so media loves to raise personalities to Idol status. 

Brady set a bunch of records that will probably stand until the next GOAT comes along.  I wish him well. He made a lot of money.  It will be interesting to see what he does next.  It's pretty clear that he is not articulate enough to sit in the broadcast booth, or appear on one of those pre-game shows.  Maybe he would make a good coach?   Who knows.  He will always be #12 and one of the best QB's who played the game.

But he's no Payton Manning. 

Thoughts on the great resignation

 The COVID19 Pandemic has dominated our thinking now for almost two years.  Every aspect of our lives has changed to some degree. Those of us who took being healthy for granted have awakened to a new reality -- an awareness that no one is completely safe from a communicable disease unless one ceases all human contact.  Those who were already fearful or sick have endured the constant terror that the worst could happen at any moment.  

Granted the general availability of vaccines (since last January) has eased the fear of hospitalization and/or death, but the Pandemic is always there --a ravenous vulture sitting on a tree branch waiting for the right moment.  

A few white collars are going back to the office , (probably to get out of the house and get some work done), but a lot of workers and managers are realizing that, after avoiding the deadly daily commute back and forth for a year or more, they are reluctant to go back to the cage.  Many actually enjoyed reconnecting with families. a lot of min wage workers decided to move up to better paying jobs with benefits. 

Strangely, more than a few folks  are leaving jobs because they refuse to get vaccinated.  I say strangely, because there is no logical reason for most informed people to resist this lifesaving measure.   Okay, I admit that there is a lot of misinformation floating around, and for the gullible and stupid, no amount of facts will change their minds.  This is definitely a product of our current political environment:  What you believe depends on who you want running the country. This, of course, is a perverted mindset that has little to do with reason or common sense.

Many businesses have never recovered from the near total shut-downs that were enforced in the period before the general public could be vaccinated.  Some businesses that relied on in-person transactions with customers (Restaurants, Gyms, transportation services, etc.) never re-opened.  Those that have reopened are usually understaffed.   Those workers had a chance to think about their future.   I cannot fault anyone who aspires to a better position where the do not feel trapped.  I do fault the employers who took advantage of workers who were desperate to support themselves and their families.  Now those workers have options and are moving on.

It has been reported that more than 50% of currently employed teachers want to quit.  The reasons vary from COVID related regulations, to unhappy parents and general chaos.  Some corporate  employers are looking at these disgruntled teachers to fill open positions in HR and Training.  And on and on it goes.   

January Notebook

As 2022 starts ticking away, I am visited by the nagging awareness that I am six months away from my 80th birthday. You might think that the realization that I'm on the downward side of the hill would have me assessing my life and the meaning of it all, worrying about my legacy, putting my affairs in order. But no....  

I have long since given-up trying to find meaning in existence. I've come to accept that true understanding of concepts like infinity and eternity are beyond knowing to the minds of men. I would love to believe in an afterlife, higher power, or even UFO's. But, the evidence does not support such fantasies. 

What gives meaning to life anyway?   I do not require meaning in nature. I accept the randomness of it all. Scientific explanation for the physical world makes sense to my mind. As I contemplate my advanced age, I accept that my world is smaller. While some adventurers seek to walk on other planets, I am content to tread familiar paths, within walking distance. I cherish the ability to walk, realizing that it is an impermanent state.

Such concerns as my place in the universe, or was I a good father? do not haunt me. What is cannot be changed. As my grandfather would say to my grandmother's frequent harangues, "Anne, I'm doing the best I can; that's all you would expect of a horse." So it was, in work and life, I did the best I could at the time.

I accept that some doors have closed: I will not win the Nobel Prize for literature, or become US Open Tennis Champion.  Also, I do not ruminate about past events. The past cannot be undone.  I do acknowledge that my future is rooted in the past.  Smoking for 40+ years did not help my pulmonary function today, or tomorrow.  Ditto other unhealthy habits.  

Yet, there is still reason to remain optimistic.  Some bodily damage can be repaired. So can relationships.

Fortunately I do not have a list of regrets or evil deeds to repent.  I am content with my current self.  To go back and change any event in the past, would take me to another place.  I am not willing to risk ending up in that what-if place. 

My Wonderous Life

 

What if I was never...

Tis the season, for chestnuts roasting on an open fire, jack frost nipping at your nose, carols sung by a choir of Eskimos and, of course the annual challenge to see if you can get through an entire evening of TV watching without bumping into "It's a Wonderful Life." 

We've all seen it a few hundred times. Bedford Falls, George Bailey played by Jimmy Stewart, mean old man Potter. We all know the story by heart - a depressed George Bailey, ruined and hopeless decides to end it all on the icy bridge. His guardian angel a large white rabbit names Harvey persuades him that his life did have meaning - by taking him for a walk through Bedford Falls as if he hadn't lived. On the third day he wakes up and .... 

As I clicked over to the Comedy Channel to watch South Park, I vaguely wondered how the companies I have worked for would have been different if I hadn't worked my magic while on the payroll. Letsee - Wang Labs.  I helped design the first commercial application on the Wang VS Minicomputer. But they went bankrupt a few years after I left. (Perhaps they should have been nicer to me). Then Prime Computer, where my most memorable contribution was to design a customer file structure that would allow an intelligent executive to determine how much business a global customer had done with us. Pretty impressive except that the CFO didn't understand it. He had me transferred to Manufacturing because I pointed-out that he was the only one in the room who didn't get it. They scrapped that idea. A few years later, they were out of business. Then there was a short stint at Index Technologies. Aha, I managed the miraculous recovery of their lost user database. Unfortunately, before we got the thing up and running, they got bought out and the new guys laid everyone off. Then I went to Honeywell-Bull, where I analyzed and tested a new piece of software they were considering from Brock Controls. I advised against using this software. They thanked me for my incisive analysis by going ahead with the original plan and made me work on the project. Within a year, they were suing Brock for non performance. Everyone hated the new system. I went to the diploma factory where they were implementing Peoplesoft. I designed a nifty HR DataMart there, but the HR folks were too busy to try it out.  My best efforts were rewarded with an unwarranted  demotion. This act of clueless management turned out to be the best thing that had happened to me in a long time. I went to TAC, where I was finally recognized for my ideas and ability to stay awake during staff meetings. Ok, I admit that I did fall asleep once when the Director was giving us a pep talk. A few months later I was laid off. 

 So, that's the story of the impact my career has had on the world: Nada. I might just as well have been born rich, so I could have at least developed my Tennis game.

Strange Things

 Here's a mystery for you:  Every year around the beginning of January, I carefully take down the strings of  decorative lights that have been displayed for the holidays.  I do not casually stuff them in a box, but wind them, like Martha Stuart would, around my elbow in careful loops, so they will be able to be unfurled in an orderly fashion next season.  

But every year when I bring the box up from the cellar,  they have morphed into a hopeless jumble that requires at least 30 minutes of untangling before I can hang them. Apparently there exists some preternatural force that tangles them while in storage.

I am not complaining, mind you.  I'm just commenting on a domestic phenomena.  Tangled Christmas lights belong in the category "things I do not understand."   You know concepts like: Infinity and rules of grammar and spelling.

I'm starting to wonder of the basement is haunted by some malicious spirit.  That might explain the laundry-related mysteries -- lost socks, missing handkerchiefs and other  small items.  And don't get me started about loose wire hangers.  How come they always get tangled no matter how neatly you try to arrange them?  There must be a malevolent poltergeist that causes these phenomena.

And who, or what, keeps hiding my glasses and keys?

 

January 6th, 2021

"January 6th wasn’t a peaceful protest. It wasn’t a riot. It was an insurrection meant to overthrow the electoral process and install Donald Trump as an American dictator."   Stephen King




Look at the video and decide.

Obnoxious Activists

You probably saw the recent video of protesters following Kyrsten Sinema D AZ into the ladies room to rant about infrastructure and immigration reform.  

I suspect most fair-minded people find this type of harassing behavior to be both  obnoxious and ultimately counter-productive.  These In-your-face tactics have been used before, and are touted as an effective way to get wider media attention.  But not all attention is positive.   

There seems to be a renewed strategy to harass and intimidate public figures.  We've all seen video clips of deranged people disrupting school board meetings over issues such as mask mandates and teaching history of racism.  These are not intelligent debates.  They seem to think that The First Amendment gives them the right to squelch opposing opinions.

 I have no quarrel with protesters waving signs and  chanting on public property (except roadways),  but I decry those zealots who think their cause trumps my right to peace and quiet, or those who think their so called free speech obviates my right to access public buildings or roadways.  This includes peaceful sit-ins, marches and other demonstrations that impede other movements of others.  Go to one of the many public parks, fer chrisakes.

  

Rabbit Rabbit

 It's supposed to give you good luck if the first utterance of the first day of a new month is "Rabbit rabbit".  (Of course this superstition originated at a time when your word processing app would not flag this phrase as a potential duplicated word error.)   You may have a soft spot in your heart for small furry rodents but I have nothing but animosity for those hosta nibbling marigold destroyers.  They have literally gnawed their way through my garden this season.  

In other news...

Voting rights is a big issue these days.  In Massachusetts, the Democratic heavy legislature is considering expanding voting access, including same-day registration.  I am a fan of voting rights, but I am also a fan of free and fair elections.  The country is torn by division on voting rights.  If I were Emperor,  my rule on voting rights would go something like this:  1.  Since only citizens can vote in national elections, proof of citizenship must be shown at the time of registration, and proof of identity would be required at the physical polling places.  Proof of residency is not proof of eligibility. Automatic voter registration would be banned.   All ballots and election materials will be printed in English, since all naturalized citizens would be required to read and understand English.

Brady is back.   The so-called GOAT and his fellow turncoat Gronkowski will be playing the Patriots on Sunday night.  The hype around the confrontation between Brady and Pats coach Belichick has reached fever pitch.  Brady and Gronk are dead to me. I will watch the game, hoping that the new young quarterback Mac Jones has an awesome night.   I decry the current  adulation of individual personalities in sports rather than recognizing and promoting team efforts.   

Fall is here.   The tomato plants have been chopped down, the basil's gone by, the garden is looking sad and tired. The two experimental cannabis plants are bent under the weight of ripening buds. I have begun harvesting some of the most mature limbs, which have split from the main stalk.  There is a rather labor intensive process for drying and "curing" the buds.  I am really unsure about what I will do with the end product. I haven't smoked a joint since the "Abby Road" album, back in the early 70's.  Maybe edibles? Stay tuned.