You Know You’re Not Enjoying The Show When You Start Appreciating The Commercials

Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that people are paying so much attention to what the President is doing.  People paying attention is a good thing.

With that said though, this is my actual thought process from just a few moments ago:

(While checking a news feed)  Huh . . . I think that’s the first time in over a week I’ve seen a headline that wasn’t about Trump one way or the other.  The break is kind of nice, actually. 

(Moves to check social media and sees that the first post is about how terrible Trump is.)  Annnnd we’re back to our regularly scheduled program . . .

Not All That Different Really

Upon hearing the news that a younger family member was engaged you . . .

Before the age of social media 

. . . thought to yourself, “he’s not good enough for her.”

After the age of social media

. . . check out his Facebook page then think to yourself, “he’s not good enough for her.”

(I’m kidding, kiddo . . . mostly.  He seems nice, but there’s a reason I keep my overprotective streak in check.  At times like this you could show me a guy who walks on water, and my first thought would be to wonder if he thought he was too good to get his feet wet or something.

All jokes aside though, congrats.)

A Rare Glimpse Into My Personal Correspondences

(I was going to post this yesterday, but then a bit of news broke that gave me pause.  After giving it some thought, I decided that I still stand by what I’m about to post, but I’m also going to acknowledge what I read in the news.)

The following is an only slightly edited for clarity excerpt from one of my personal correspondences regarding recent events:

This may sound uncharacteristically hopeful of me, but I truly believe all we have to do is survive long enough for their [i.e., the up and coming generations] influence to be more strongly felt because the information IS out there, they KNOW that AND they know how to get it.  Granted, there’s still a lot that could go wrong between now and then, but we both grew up in the shadow of the Apocalypse, and I’ve seen the skies darker than this . . . a LOT darker [though The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists‘ Science and Security Board disagrees], and I am not afraid.

With that said though, if you see me running, I suggest you don’t waste time asking me why because I’m going to be trying to outrun a blast radius.

Words From The Ages

Come what may, all bad fortune is to be conquered by endurance.

– Virgil

Or Maybe It’s More Than That

Some days . . . okay, most days of late, I’m struck by the oddity of me being a voice of cautious optimism for the future.  That’s a pretty far cry from the kid I used to be, the kid who was convinced that the world would self-destruct long before he got the chance to see 21.

(Spoiler:  That kid did get the chance to see 21, as well as 31 and . . . you know what?  I’m just going to stop there.)

Maybe I just like being contrary.

This Isn’t As Much Of A Joke As I’d Like

Did you ever have one of those days where you find yourself thinking that you’d order that new time management software if only you could find the time . . .?

One Of The Many Reasons

One of the reasons that I would never want to be President of the United States is that I never want to participate in an event where a “designated survivor” is considered to be a necessary thing, particularly an event where I can never be the designated survivor!

In The News Today

Today on this date yet another in a long string of temps moved into the White House.

(Inspired by something I read on social media.)

I Really DO Understand Though

While I understand and appreciate the need for my son’s school to do a background check on all adults that are going to be around the children, it still feels strange to have to pass a background check to accompany my own child on a field trip.

Things Still Haven’t Changed I See

(Since I’m feeling under the weather and less than eloquent today, I’m reposting something I wrote in 2009 because it matches my current mood and is, sadly, still relevant today.

Source:  Transcending the political.)

American politics isn’t just ugly . . . it’s disgusting. 

I suspect that’s true of politics just about everywhere, but since American politics happens just outside my window (figuratively speaking), I tend to notice it more.

Since I started this blog I’ve managed to keep my entries to “Thoughts” and “Candles,” and though I’ve been tempted to throw a few “Curses” out there, so far I’ve found a more productive use of my energy.

With some difficulty, I’m going to try and keep doing that today too.

As I once observed to someone with dramatically different political views that I, it’s difficult to convince most people there might be something wrong with their livelihood, and it’s even harder for most people to act in a way that threatens their livelihood.  If one political party sees something that strengthens the other, they are going to tend to attack it without apology or remorse because their livelihood is at stake.  Frequently people suffer in the crossfire as the sides wrangle, which is why I call it disgusting, but it’s not particularly unusual.  Nor is it unusual for pundits whose livelihood depends on being heard via radio, television, etc. to fan the flames because they earn their bread by being obnoxious and aggressive in their opinions, but even so I have to wonder exactly at what point the United States of America officially became just “The States.” 

Bottom line people, you want to stop the leaks in the ship of state, you HAVE to work together and return to the idea of “Hanging together or hang separately,” . . . or you could just keep fighting and bickering over your territory, your labels, and your fears because that is OBVIOUSLY working so well.

Your call . . . that’s why they call it democracy, you know.