Morning Update: 07/10/24

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 07/10/24

July 10, 2024

Looking For Answers [2011 original with AI background enhancement]

Pain, pain, go away. Honestly, I think I dealt with the pain resulting from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl better than I often do. I didn’t stay in bed all day. We got out, went to breakfast with Kat and the kids, and did a fair bit of writing before giving up and going back to bed. Once I was there, though, I was largely useless. The back-and-forth of intermittent rain was worse than had it just rained consistently all day. Fortunately, I think it all clears out today and perhaps I’ll feel better by noon or so.

We also used the power of AI for good and created this for public distribution:

I have to say that I’m disgusted by all the alleged Democrats and media outlets who are trying to get President Biden to drop out of the race. What the fuck? The President isn’t the one sitting there with 34 felony convictions. President Biden wasn’t a frequent flyer on Epstein’s plane. President Biden hasn’t been invisible for the past 12 days. President Biden DID give a “forceful” speech to NATO yesterday. President Biden is not distracted by stupid little golf challenges. The Orange Felon is the one who needs to drop the fuck out of the race and more people need to be pushing for that to happen.

Also, a heads-up notice in case it slipped past you: In his effort to deny any connection to Project 2025, the Orange Felon has re-branded his platform as Agenda 47. No, that link doesn’t send you to the direct website, because I’m not encouraging anyone to visit any site promoting a convicted felon. But be aware that the language being used is intended to be confusing and misdirecting. It’s still the same liberty-limiting bullshit. We still have to go harder, yell louder, dissent stronger, and make our point more deliberately than we’ve ever had to before.

There’s an interesting and frightening paragraph in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale [the link is to the book]: “That was when they suspended the Constitution. They said it would be temporary. There wasn’t even any rioting in the streets. People stayed home at night, watching television, looking for some direction. There wasn’t even an enemy you could put your finger on.”

It is too easy to see this happening in real life under a Republican-controlled administration. Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich mentioned on social media yesterday that the Felon has said he would overrule the 14th Amendment “on Day One.” This comes from comments the Felon made in May of last year. Does a President actually have the power to overrule any amendment or any part of the Constitution? No, they don’t, and neither does Congress nor the Supreme Court. However, they can work together to create “emergency” legislation that might, for example, address an alleged crisis. The Supreme Court has ruled based on hypothetical situations before. The stacked court is likely to do so in favor of a President they support.

By the way, the 14th Amendment is the one that bars participants in an insurrection such as January 6 from becoming President.

Not everything is so heavy, though. Yesterday, the Indianapolis transit system, IndyGo, posted the following picture yesterday with the attached explanation

It’s Cow Appreciation Day. We wanted to milk this for all it’s worth and come up with a legendairy pun, but it was udderly impossible. With our transit reputation at steak, we decided to steer clear of any jokes. We’ll attempt to be more amoosing next year.

Yes, that’s AI-produced but it’s still a fun distraction from all the serious things going on.

I think I have groceries being delivered this morning. I should probably go open the gate.

YOU should probably have a good and productive day fighting off the forces of evil. You’re a superhero.

Current Issues / Morning Update / Personal / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 07/09/24

July 9, 2024

Down To Business [2013 original with AI background]

Most of the rain we were expecting overnight stayed South of I-70. We did get a couple of showers, but nowhere near the deluge of rain we were expecting. Apparently, this concerned Belvedere, who woke me up at 1:30 and insisted we go outside and check on the yard and the weather and whatever else was bothering him. Of course, he came back in and fell right back asleep. I was awake until almost 4:00. He snuggled like a champ, though.

The cloud cover did help make the temperature a little more palatable for getting the rest of the lawn mown. The electrical tape we needed to make things safe finally arrived. I even demonstrated that it was safe by running my hand over the taped areas. I thought about startling Tipper by faking a shock, but the chances that she might overreact and then not finish her part of the mowing were too high. She hadn’t wanted to mow in the first place. I needn’t be giving her any excuses.

While the kids were mowing, I was finally able to grill the ribs and corn we had originally planned for the 4th. Never mind that it was 89 degrees when I started. I wasn’t going to let the meat spoil after having waited so long to get to it. The cloud cover coming up and dropping the temp was a nice bonus. Inside, I made bacon and spinach, a combination that G was unsure about until he actually tasted it. I tried telling him that bacon makes everything better, but he was a little reluctant to trust me.

I’m feeling unsettled and confused and I’m not sure I can identify exactly why. I know part of the confusion came when I was checking the status of things on the Social Security website and found out that my SSI disability is listed as suspended. There was no explanation why. I assume that there’s a letter coming, but unlike FSSA, SSI doesn’t list all the documents they send you. I’m also feeling concerned about the toll all of this is taking on Kat. She’s so preoccupied with everything she has to do, all the pressure that falls on her, that yesterday she forgot to eat anything until she got home at almost 10:00 pm. She was standing in the kitchen and wobbled as though she might fall. Hey, that’s my job! She ate and felt a lot better, but her stomach issues have only gotten worse. I need to find a safe place to live so that she can relax a little bit.

At the same time, I’m feeling some severe wanderlust, but where can I even go without someone going with me? I know one place I’m not going: Death Valley. Would you believe tourists are still flocking to that hell hole despite the fact it’s seeing some of the hottest temperatures ever? A number of people have died from the heat because, you know, I guess they wanted to test that “Death” part out for themselves. Flying anywhere is out. Between doors blowing out and a wheel falling off yesterday, it would take a lot of alcohol to get me on a Boeing jet right now. Airbus, maybe, but we don’t see as many of those on this continent. I can’t cross international borders with my chemo meds at all, so sailing anywhere is out of the question. I need someone to come and get me then take us somewhere fun. Preferably somewhere with naked people. Some place well away from volcanoes.

Both Kat and G are already up and awake. Maybe we’ll have breakfast together. Maybe someone will bring me more coffee. I keep hoping for a fairy coffee server to appear. Hasn’t happened yet.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / Personal / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 07/08/24

July 8, 2024

Playing in the hay [2013 original with AI enhancement]

While the weekend was sufficiently quiet, I’m hitting this morning with a list of things I want/need to do. There’s an issue with the old insurance that needs to be settled. There are people I need to see live and in person. And more than anything, I need definitive answers from elected officials as to where they stand on Project 2025. I can’t risk letting anyone be elected who would support such an evil and anti-American plan. If you haven’t read yesterday’s sermon, please carve some time out of your day to do so. If you’ve already read it, then please consider sharing it. Widely. We have to bury this thing so deeply that no one speaks of it ever again.

Apparently my sleeplessness is contagious? A friend sent me a text a moment ago that she’d been up since 1:30 this morning and still has to go to work and do important stuff and then drive back home. Kat hasn’t been sleeping well either. We’re all on different medications that affect our sleep, but this is all kind of nuts. I had plans for dinner last night but ended up just going with a plate of nachos. I was too tired to spend time cooking. G made dinner for his mom because, of all of us, he was wide awake and chatty.

Deep bone pain was a problem yesterday as well. Normally, that hits on the longer bones, the femur, tibia, humerus, etc. This time, it hit specific joints, my right knee, hip, elbow, and wrist. Moving at all was limited because of the pain. If I was lying down, I didn’t want to get up. If I was sitting, I didn’t want to move from my chair. I know this is just the chemo doing its thing, but I’m beyond ready for it all to be over.

Back-to-school thoughts are top-of-mind now. New clothes have been ordered and are coming in. Tipper has Freshman orientation next week. I think they both start on or around the 27th. I know the start date is before the first of August. Summer now is nothing at all like what it was when we were kids. The time isn’t there. We’ve not been on anything one might consider a vacation for a couple of years. The kids haven’t complained but I can’t help but feel that they’re getting the short end of the summer experience.

Weather is going to be an issue this week as well. There’s a small system currently Southwest of Springfield, IL that could give us rain and some strong wind this evening. But Beryl hit Texas as a Category 1 storm last night so by Tuesday evening through much of Thursday, possibly even Friday, we could be feeling the effects of that storm. Here’s what the National Weather Service in Indianapolis posted earlier this morning:

While severe weather seems out of the question, we’re almost certain to get a lot of water this week. That will affect both Kat and me as we work through the pain to try and keep things going. Please be understanding, especially if you’re in Kat’s chair.

Frankie, the smashed-face wheezer kitty, just jumped up on the desk for pets. I think Frank is more sensitive to our stress than any of the other animals, though Solaris, Frank’s twin, and both dogs are pretty aware as well. I wish everyone had friends who are as supportive as our animals are.

Strange, the dogs haven’t asked to go out yet. Hamilton’s barely moved from his spot since I woke up. Hmmm… Gotta wonder what’s up with that.

Somehow, the lawn still needs to be mowed.

Cancer Update / Morning Update / Personal

Morning Update: 07/07/24

July 7, 2024

I don’t know how long I’m going to make it this morning. I went to bed early enough, around 8:30, but then I woke up a little after 1:00 and couldn’t go back to sleep. So, I got up and worked on this morning’s sermon, which you’ll want to read because I lost sleep over this thing! It should be posted a little before 10:00 this morning. I’ll do my best to stay awake and share it with everyone.

We didn’t get all the mowing done yesterday. Since we have an electric mower, we have long extension cords to power the thing. Over time, a spot on one of the cords became frayed and now has some exposed wire. As I was mowing yesterday, I ran my hand over that wire. The resulting jolt had my hand tingling for much of the rest of the day. Of course, I couldn’t have the kids using the mower in those conditions. I got online and ordered some electrical tape to cover the damaged area. What I got instead was double-sided tape. I decided to go with another provider and ordered the tape again, but this time it won’t be here until Monday afternoon. By that time, it could be raining again.

The kids didn’t complain. After being up until midnight for two nights in a row, they both stuck close to their beds. Unfortunately, that means neither of them did their chores, either. We’ll need to have a talk about that today.

We’re still watching Hurrican Beryl, the UK and French elections, and the disturbing fact that Brazil’s Bolsonaro hopes the Orange Felon returns to power. Bolsonaro is a corrupt criminal as well. I guess he’s looking for company.

Naps are going to be a necessity today. Sure, there are things today, but by the time I take my chemo meds, my body is going to be insisting on lying down. We’ll just have to see how this day goes.

Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Status

Morning Update: 07/06/24

July 6, 2024

Yesterday was a much-needed rest day. Neither of the kids were asleep before midnight so they didn’t move until well after 10:00 and even then they both took additional naps. The rest of the neighborhood seemed to feel much the same way. Even the construction workers for the house next door didn’t start hammering and sawing until after 9:00. I spent the early part of the day reading, then got in my fair share of napping as well. Then, Kat picked up the kids and off they went to a friend’s house, again not getting in bed until after midnight.

I thought about going out last night, especially since it was First Friday, but I didn’t want to go alone and by the time I thought about it, it was too late to ask anyone to go with me. All things considered, though, it was probably best that I stay in. My glucose has been like a yo-yo, low in the morning, then doubling or more during the day. I need to stay away from carbs today to get that back under control. Fortunately, there are enough leftovers that I shouldn’t need to cook anything.

Even the dogs seem exhausted. They’ve barely moved since the cats woke me up this morning. We’ve not been outside. Mowing needs to happen today but it will be tough getting the kids out if it’s as humid as it has been most of this week. The next best chance for rain looks to be Monday. After that, it depends on what Hurricane Beryl decides to do this weekend. The kids are strongly eyeing the start of school in a couple of weeks and trying to get in all the goofing off they can. Chores are low on their priority list at the moment, and who can blame them?

I’ve this sense that there’s trouble coming, though. Both the Etna and Stromboli volcanoes spectacularly exploded yesterday. Both the UK and France pretty much flipped their governments this week. Hamas seems willing to talk. I’m of the opinion that the world, in general, wants to reset, but in what direction? The Orange Felon is trying to distance himself from Project 2025, but we already know he can’t be trusted. Iran is having runoff elections this weekend and that likely means more chaos than solution. All of it, together, is… uncomfortable.

And all four of the animals on my bed are licking their own balls. That’s not only uncomfortable, but it’s a unique noise that makes me cringe.

Perhaps it is time to put on pants and get things done, both physically and metaphorically. The coffee isn’t going to drink itself.

Current Issues / Holidays / Morning Update / Personal

Morning Update: 07/05/24

July 5, 2024

I felt nothing.

I have never been in the midst of so much noise, so much chaos, and felt absolutely nothing. More than once, fireworks quite literally went off at my feet, leaving my ears ringing for several minutes. Nothing.

Perhaps it’s because we’ve lost our independence, let our liberty be destroyed, and let our freedom become subjected by right-wing tyrants that, quite honestly, aren’t even close to any legitimate form of Christianity. We’ve played into their hands with our missive that everybody has a right to their opinion, but when someone’s opinion steps on my rights? No, sorry, you don’t have the right to do that.

No one has the right to take away a woman’s autonomy over her body.

No one has the right to take away a trans youth’s identity.

No one has the right to take away a gay individual’s personhood.

No one gets to deny scientific facts without other proven facts.

No one gets to claim immunity for crimes regardless of what their job is.

No one gets to lead while tearing others down.

So no, I don’t respect your opinion. When you’re wrong, you’re just plain wrong.

Be offended. I don’t care.

Current Issues / Morning Update / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary / video

Morning Update: 07/04/24

July 4, 2024

The Only National Anthem I Want To Hear

You Want To Know Why? Start Here:

While I don’t necessarily agree with the line-by-line analysis, the importance of the song is well-documented. Given everything the nation has been through in the past week, it is obvious that there are still too many of us not represented by stars and stripes. Too many are marginalized. Too many are shoved to the side.

There are some who think they can impose a new Revolutionary War upon us without spilling any blood. Yet, for anyone who supports this recent round of SCOTUS decisions, there is already blood on your hands. If you support the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, you already have blood on your hands. If you support the laws denying trans children help, you already have blood on your hands. If you have supported anti-LGBTQAI+ legislation at the state level, you already have blood on your hands. If you have ever so sneered at someone you think might be gay, you already have blood on your hands. If you support conversion therapy, you already have blood on your hands.

I don’t want to stand next to someone singing about the “dawn’s early light” when all they see is a nation dominated by white pseudo-Christians. I don’t want to stand next to someone singing about “the rockets red glare” when they’d happily aim that rocket at a person of color. I don’t want to stand next to someone singing about “the land of the free” when that land was stolen from my people and developed by people of color who were considered nothing but cheap property.

What has become painfully obvious over the course of the past week is that there is no one in Washington, D. C. to protect us. We have to protect ourselves. We have to band together, you and I, and we have to stand up and make our voices heard, “Till earth and heaven ring.” We have to fight back against tyranny. We have to fight back against racism. We have to fight back against homophobia. We have to fight back against transphobia. We have to fight back against a brand of so-called Christianity that is so evil the very devil himself stands at the forefront in all his orange glory waving their flag.

Lift EVERY voice and sing.

Lift Every VOICE and sing.

Lift Every Voice to the top of every mountain, people, and SING!

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 07/03/24

July 3, 2024

Stepping outside this morning feels like being mugged by the air around you. It’s not hot yet, a mere 73 degrees Fahrenheit, but it still feels as though the weather outside wants to kill you, making it difficult to breathe or, in my case, drink coffee. I’m often having my first or second cup of coffee when I take the dogs out each morning. I’ve tried getting the dogs to hold off but Hamilton just gets too anxious and, as we saw on Monday, is likely to have an accident if forced to wait too long. This morning, though, we went out and as I’m sipping at my coffee Ham looks back at me as if to say, “What is this fresh hell you’ve brought me to?” Neither of the dogs was anxious to stay. It looks as though it’s going to be an inside kind of day.

Storms are inching their way in our direction. As I’m typing, their bothering Springfield, IL, and St. Louis, MO. I don’t think they’ll actually cool things down any, though, and a new set will be here to keep things damp tomorrow. I still don’t think that the rain and threat of storms will keep the neighborhood quiet. If anything, it means having to do our July 4th “barbecue” indoors, and the kids don’t seem to care either way as long as they get to eat.

All of yesterday morning was spent writing as well as this morning. The issues facing us as a country are dire. If you didn’t get a chance to read Part One, yesterday, please take time to do so today. There’s a ton of misinformation about the ruling, which has people reacting in the wrong direction. Should we dissent? Yes, absolutely, but one needs to understand why. Yesterday we looked at the severe blunder that the majority made. Today, we’ll consider the practical fallout.

Meanwhile, if you have any friends/family in Jamaica, you might want to check on them Hurricane Beryl is headed in that direction and this powerful storm is taking no prisoners. People in the Southern Caribbean islands are largely homeless after the Cat5 storm passed over them yesterday. Jamaica isn’t exactly known for its storm-proof architecture. Don’t be happy. Worry.

A friend of Kat’s borrowed our lawn mower yesterday. Apparently, they have a difficult neighbor like ours who enjoys calling city code enforcement. It occurred to me this morning, though, that at no point while we were helping them load the mower into their car did we actually show them how to turn the damn thing on. Our mower is electric. There is a specific order of pushing the button and then holding down the handle or else it won’t start. Kat hasn’t said whether they’ve contacted her or not. I hope they figured it out.

I made a mistake last night and had pizza with the kids. I like pizza, but not only is it carb-heavy, it’s a good place to hide all kinds of sugars. Normally, when we order pizza I get an order of wings, no sauce, so that I’m not at risk. Trying to save $8, though, I didn’t order the wings yesterday. I ate the pizza. My sugar spiked hard. And then the pizza turned on me in the middle of the night. The mistake is mine and I have to own it. I’ll have to be extremely careful with what I eat the rest of the week.

There are a bunch of interesting headlines this morning. The death toll from a stampede at a Hindu religious congregation in northern India has risen to 121, proving that Christians aren’t the only ones who get stupid regarding religion. Farmers in southern Lebanon are wondering if white phosphorous, used by the Israeli military in cross-border clashes has contaminated their soil. New research shows that some ants perform limb amputations on injured comrades to improve their survival chances. The National Black Farmers Association called on Tractor Supply’s president and CEO Tuesday to step down after the rural retailer announced that it would drop most of its corporate diversity and climate advocacy efforts. See, not everything is about SCOTUS.

So, what are you going to do with your day?

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / Personal / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 07/02/24

July 2, 2024

Hurricane Beryl became the earliest Atlantic storm to reach Category 5 status yesterday as it crossed the Caribbean Islands headed presumably for Mexico. What does that say about the rest of the summer? We’re in for a ride and all scenarios are on the table. Anything could happen. But then, when has that not been the case with this year? Uncertainty defines the first six months of 2024 and if this morning is any indication, it’s not likely to get better any time soon.

Yesterday was largely peaceful and calm. I did get the change of insurance information to my primary care doctor and made a new appointment to catch up on all the fun things I’ve missed, such as the shingles vaccine, kidney disease screening, colon cancer screening, and depression screening. Doesn’t that sound like so much fun? Such are the joys of aging; it’s not so much that your body is falling apart as it is checking to see how much of your body is falling apart at any given time.

This morning started early and that’s going to affect everything else that happens today. It was barely 4:30 this morning when Jack-Jack, the 20+-pound monster of our cat herd, decided that I needed to be up feeding him. I tried convincing him that he was wrong, but after an hour of literal head butting I decided to go ahead and get up and take a shower. All the cats were up and active already, which is never a good thing.

I took a shower, got dressed, and stepped out of the bathroom onto a wet floor. WTF? At first, I assumed that one of the cats must have thrown up because that happens with some frequency. But no, further inspection revealed that Hamilton had decided that he couldn’t wait any longer and he had distributed his urine all the way down the hallway. That had to be cleaned up before the cats could be fed, which didn’t make the cats any happier. And then I had to change socks.

I then went to make coffee only to discover that there were no spoons. There were none in the drawer, none in the sink, and none on the drying rack. That means they’re all in children’s bedrooms where they do not belong. Obviously, that did not stop me from making coffee, but it makes for an unpleasant start to everyone’s morning when Daddy has to yell about spoons in the most 2024 way possible: via text message.

As for yesterday’s SCOTUS decisions, there has been a lot to unpack. I’m concerned that the two less popular decisions are being ignored, especially when one has very strong First Amendment issues attached. I’ll be writing a lot this morning. Stay tuned.

Storms could potentially move in as early as this evening. That’s going to make for a damp holiday, which, in some ways, is probably appropriate. Given the SCOTUS rulings of the past week, our celebrations need some examination.

But that, too, is a separate post. Right now, we need more coffee. Lots and lots more coffee.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 07/01/24

July 1, 2024

Ready To Jump [2004 original with AI background modification]

Congratulations, we’ve made it through the first six months of the year. I don’t know about you, but it certainly feels as though it’s been more than six months. Eight or nine is more like it. Isn’t Christmas around the corner or something? Happy Canada Day to those of you who celebrate. Happy “Oh Crap It’s Monday” to the rest of you. The Supreme Court is ready to hand down at least three more disastrous decisions today. Your boss likely wants you to get five days’ worth of work done in three. The kids have less than a month left to summer vacation.

Fireworks in the neighborhood got the best of Hamilton last night. He cuddled up close and I softly reassured him that everything was okay as neighbors callously fired one noisy munition after another until well past 10:30. He’s been okay with the noises during the day so far. During the day he can see that there’s no imminent danger. When it’s dark, though, he doesn’t know that. At night, he’s 65 pounds of tense muscle ready to spring at anything that might be an attack. At the moment, it’s looking as though Wednesday night into Thursday could be cloudy with chances of rain and thunderstorms. Something tells me it would take a helluva thunderstorm to keep down the noise either night, but the dogs deal better with thunder than fireworks, so bring it on.

My insurance changed as of midnight this morning. The instant I opened Facebook this morning, right at the top of my newsfeed, was an ad reminding me that my insurance changed. For the most part, I think this is a positive thing. Transportation to doctor visits and the pharmacy is back. I shouldn’t have to worry about which meds are covered. But there’s still work to do today to inform all the doctors of the change and make sure that the chemo meds are continued going forward. We still have a little over eight months of that stuff to endure. Let’s not botch it up now.

I’ll also need to see if the new program will cover assisted living facilities. I’ll have to be careful talking about this one because if I say the wrong thing it could cause trouble. I don’t want them to think that I’m in any immediate danger, just that I need help I can’t get at home. We’ll see how that conversation goes.

At least we’re not in France. Macron was an idiot for calling snap elections right as the country is set to host the summer Olympics. You couldn’t pay me enough to be in Paris right now. Not that the situation is much better elsewhere. Bulgaria’s elections tilted toward the right as well, and Pakistan sentenced a Christian to death for saying hateful things about Muslims. 2 Algerian journalists were arrested for publishing a video showing businesswomen protesting at a government-sponsored event. The world is a nightmare.

You know I’m not a big sports nut, but when the hell did a guy named Sinner rise to the top of the tennis ranks? Headline writers are enjoying this too much. “Sinner can become No. 1.” “No. 1 Sinner wins his first grass-court final.” “Sinner looks smooth on clay.” Apparently, the dude is a favorite to win Wimbledon as well. Does that mean more tennis players should be Sinners? 🤣

If you’re somewhere in the corridor of coolness this morning between Chicago, Indy, and Detroit, enjoy the below-70 temps this AM. It’s 55 here this morning, enough that I tossed on a jacket before taking the dogs out. No, this doesn’t disprove climate change, you idiot. Warm temps will be back tomorrow, fueling the storms Wednesday night into Thursday. How do you not know how weather works? Personally, I think we’ll take a nice walk later this morning, then probably grill out for dinner since it’s so unseasonably nice.

That’s all I’ve got for the moment. If anything huge arises, I’ll let you know, but let’s hope the day stays calm.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / Mythology / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / science / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 06/30/24

June 30, 2024

Fixing What’s Broken [2021 original with AI background]

Normally, it’s the cats who are up early, making noise about wanting to be fed. This morning, it was the dogs who had me up at 5:00 AM, not because they wanted to be fed or anything, but because they wanted the entire bed to themselves. After fighting them for space, I gave up, fed the cats, and made coffee. On the plus side, that gave me extra time to read through this morning’s news. I’m likely to need a nap much sooner, though, than what I normally schedule.

Yesterday’s rain brought the usual challenges. Arthritis is a bitch on these days anyway and adding chemo pain on top of it and it can be debilitating. I was determined to not let it stop me, though. I had new pictures to process! If you’ve not yet seen our Indiana Dunes photo set, then by all means click that link and do so! I’ll pause here and wait while you go through them all. Taking new pictures and editing them really is some of the best possible therapy, both physically and mentally, that I could have. Hmmm… I wonder if I could use that excuse to get insurance to pay for new camera equipment. Do you think I could get a doctor to sign off on the prescription? Might be worth checking out.

I was so consumed with getting pictures edited, though, that I forgot to take the chemo meds until it was almost too late. There’s a window after which I have to wait until the next day. I barely made it. A dose of the diabetes meds had to be dropped, though, which isn’t a good thing. I was just starting to get a decent handle on the glucose numbers again and missing that dose yesterday may have set me back a bit. We’ll have to see what this morning’s numbers look like.

Most of the evening was spent re-watching Independence Day for the umpteenth time. There are times when it’s nice to not be surprised by what happens next. Are the good guys going to win? Yeah. Will Smith to the rescue. We still ignore the plot holes and all those places where reality had to be dismissed to keep the story moving along. In the middle of the whole thing, though, we got a surprise delivery of groceries courtesy of a good friend. We are blessed to have people who look out for us. I would probably be dead by now without all the help.

The movie did raise a couple of questions in light of current politics. The aliens brought millions of their kind to invade the planet. The inference is that they had been planning the invasion for over 50 years at the time the movie was made. Do you think that communicating via some unexplained form of telepathy made it easier for the alien leaders to convince the millions of followers to stay committed to the plan for that long? Is it possible that the aliens held some form of religious devotion that justified the wholesale killing of the residents of a planet? Hmmm…

Am I the only one disturbed by the right-wing flex in French and German politics? Today’s election in France could easily set up a far-right government there unlike anything that’s been seen since the Nazi invasion of WWII. There’s an “alternative” far-right push in Germany that’s a bit disturbing as well. Remember, concern over Germany once again becoming a problem for the rest of the world was the justification made for splitting it into two countries in the first place. Combine that movement with our own right-wing resurgence and I’m deeply concerned that half the planet may be ditching reason and intelligence in favor of authoritarianism and a religiously-fueled conservatism that spells trouble for LGBTQIA+ populations around the world.

John Naughton, professor of the humanities in the Romance languages department of Colgate University, Hamilton, New York, published an opinion piece in The Guardian yesterday that raises the question of how much conservativism pushes the world away from Democracy. He uses the closing of the Stanford Internet Observatory as an example. In the margin, right next to Naughton’s opinion, is this headline: Byron Bay is to be stripped of its nudist beach – and naturists blame ‘conservative creep’. Both ultimately come to the same conclusion: Conservativism is bad for a free way of life. Allowing them to gain control of multiple governments will push the world further and further away from the very freedoms that our grandparents and great-grandparents fought so hard to secure.

Last month, the United Nations released a report showing that nine out of ten people still hold biases against women. This is devastating, but it lines up with some articles I’ve seen recently touting a “women are meant to be mothers first” type of ideology. Conservativism is pushing women back, not forward. Hell, child marriage is still legal in all but 12 states! There is no more defeating way to hold women back by tying them down to marriage and children before their brains are done developing. The fact that much of this is being done with religious fervor and justification is unacceptable to a reasonable mind.

Yet, one of the fundamental qualities of Conservatism worldwide is to deny reason. They would rather stick to the mythologies of the past, deny the findings of science, and adhere to a morality that predates Socrates. I was severely disappointed yesterday when I saw a former college classmate post an article arguing that current US air temps deny climate change. He’s looking right past the fact that changes to precipitation patterns and sea level are likely to have a much greater human impact than the higher temperatures alone. He also misses the fact that 2023 was the warmest year in the modern temperature record and that some scientists warn there is a strong chance 2024 could beat 2023. How does anyone look at all the evidence and think that because it wasn’t as hot in Paducah today as it was 100 years ago means that climate change isn’t real?

Right-wing ideologies ultimately lead to “everyone who disagrees with me deserves to die.” That’s almost exactly the same as the alien’s ideology that “everyone who is not like me deserves to die.” In the real world, though, I don’t think Will Smith is enough to save us, even if he were to run for President.

We hardly control what happens to our nation, much less the fate of the rest of the world. As we head toward another Independence Day this week, perhaps we would do well to ruminate on exactly how free we are and whether we’re still willing to fight for that freedom.

I’m not sure we’re willing to fight at all.

Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / pop culture / science / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 06/29/24

June 29, 2024

Stepping outside with the dogs this morning felt like walking into a hot sauna. The impact was staggering and while my body adapted quickly enough, I was glad that the pups didn’t feel like lingering outdoors any longer than they needed to. They prefer cooler breezes and softer places to lie down, like my bed. There does seem to be some chance for rain today, but they said that about yesterday and last night, also, and neither happened. The band heading in our general direction isn’t huge, so any moisture we get will be slight.

Notice anything about this morning’s picture? Check the date. 2024! Do you understand what that means? That’s a NEW image from this past Wednesday’s adventures! The bank overnighted my debit card which meant I was able to get a card reader here by a little after 6:00 PM. I’ve processed 18 of the pictures and have roughly 20-something more to go, then I’ll post them for you. Hopefully, that will happen later this morning. I’m having to use a new slider app, though, since the one I used two years ago is no longer supported. That may delay things if it doesn’t work with the high-resolution images.

Having access to my money again also meant being able to pay bills and buy groceries. The groceries didn’t amount to much because the waiting bills took most of what I had. Late fees. Yay. 😒 Hopefully, though, what we got will be enough to get us through all next week. My biggest concerns there are milk and eggs. I’m not sure we ever have enough of those two items.

Meanwhile, in “How Stupid Can Christians Get?” news, it appears that a pastor in Mexico is selling real estate in Heaven. I wish I was kidding. This con man is offering his followers plots of “land” in Heaven for $100 per square meter. Installment plans are available. This isn’t the first time a shyster has perpetrated such fraud on a congregation. A pastor from Uganda Fred Isanga, the head of David of the Universal Apostle Fellowship Church of Righteousness located in South Africa tried perpetrating the same scam in 2023. He was encouraging people to sell off their livestock and earthly possessions to purchase land in Heaven. Both pastors claim to have gotten permission directly from God for these sales.

What can I say? These types of things become possible when people believe so deeply in the mythologies they’ve been told will save them. Remember the late Jim Bakker? He had your grandparents building a Christian theme park! At least he was prosecuted for his fraud, but even after serving his jail time, people still were stupid enough to believe him. At one point, he was selling five-gallon buckets of mac and cheese for people to eat during the apocalypse. C’mon, who the fuck is writing this stuff? Not even D-rated sci-fi movies are that stupid.

In the real world, remember when we talked yesterday about SCOTUS overturning the Chevron decision of 1984? I told you then there would be serious repercussions and here’s the first one: The 6-to-3 ruling means judges should no longer defer to the scientific expertise of those agencies on a vast range of technical questions and, instead, should make such decisions themselves. “Agencies have no special competence in resolving statutory ambiguities.” They’re throwing scientific expertise right out the fucking window. Nooooo, that’s not going to bite us hard in the ass, is it? I cannot imagine anyone who is supposedly as intelligent as a Supreme Court justice making such an insanely stupid comment. There has to be a payoff here that is behind these decisions. No one with a working brain would make such an ignorant statement otherwise.

We may be getting a clue, though. A study released this past week shows the first instance of Downs syndrome in Neanderthals. While scientists are focusing on the social aspects of the community caring for those with special needs, the evidence of the extra copy of Chromosome 21 in ancient individuals raises questions as to whether certain populations of mixed genetic origin might be more likely to have the abnormality. DNA-level research has yet to begin, so there is still a lot we could learn from our early pre-human ancestors.

Okay, I have pictures to process and I can’t begin to tell you how much that thrills me. You go do your thing, I’ll do mine, and we’ll meet back here later. Sound good? Yeah, sounds good.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 06/28/24

June 28, 2024

Before you bother asking, no, I didn’t watch the debate. I never do. There’s little point. First, there was no question from the beginning that the lies were going to be flying everywhere and by all accounts they were. Here is the AP list of lies. It’s not comprehensive because many of them were repeated in different forms throughout the night. Second, we have YouTube and other video sources now, so we don’t have to sit through all the punditry and pedantry of a live broadcast. From what I’ve seen this morning, President Biden looked a lot like Ronald Reagan did in ’88. The Orange Felon looked orange and spoke felonious. Third: Most people have already made up their minds and there’s little, if anything, that will change them. In that regard, the debates are merely moments of malarky. Are we good with that? Yes, I have my concerns, but they’re more at the state and Congressional level, not presidential (just yet).

If you’re wondering how my day went yesterday, I slept a lot, which wasn’t surprising at all given Wednesday’s fun activity. I woke up thinking I might be able to power through it, but by 7:30 I was back in bed and snoring. Nonetheless, the kids did finish mowing the yard and the construction crew finished enclosing the new house next door.

The moment of disappointment for the day came when there wasn’t a USPS morning scan email. In case you weren’t already aware, you can sign up to get an email notification of the mail expected to be delivered each day. This really helps when you’re expecting something valuable and/or important, such as a debit card. Unfortunately, there was no email yesterday which meant we didn’t have any new mail. No debit card. This is a problem because it has been 10 days since the card was ordered.

The letter containing the PIN for that card gave me the number to call and report the card missing. Of course, a missing card is a big deal. So, they had to cancel that card and issue me a new one. Fuck. Another wait. This time, they put a rush on the processing, so it should go into the mail today and be here by Monday. They kindly waived the standard rush fee since it’s already been 10 days and the other card never arrived. I’m sorry, but that means it will likely be Tuesday or Wednesday of next week before I can show you the pictures we took Wednesday.

What was entertaining is that the customer service person I had was quite happy. One of the first things she told me was that my name made her smile. She proceeded to call me “Mr. Let-Us-Be-Better” for the rest of the call. If that’s what shows up on my card, I’m not changing it. 😊 She hummed while she typed, and once was even singing along with a song I assume was playing either in the background or in her earbuds. Her positivity went a long way toward calming my anxiety about not having access to my funds, as meager as they are.

Reuters was kind enough to tell me that Fourth of July cookout costs in the US have risen by 5% this year over last year, and 30% over 2019. Meat and lemonade are the biggest factors there. I was able to catch a rack of ribs on sale earlier this month, so that’s sitting in the freezer. Hopefully, the few other things we’ll need won’t cost too much more, especially since it will likely just be me and the kids. It’s going to be too loud and chaotic in the neighborhood for Kat. In fact, I wouldn’t blame her if she ran and hid for the whole week. Our neighbors tend to start “celebrating” early.

Processing this morning’s picture reminded me that it’s been 14 years since I was last out on the West Coast. This lack of travel thing is starting to get to me. Wednesday’s adventure was fun and really hit at my inert wanderlust. I’m ready to go trekking into whatever wilderness, urban or jungle. Yet, flying with chemo is apparently a problem and Social Security gets upset if I’m out of the state for more than two weeks of the month. I’m sure there’s a solution out there somewhere, but my brain is too addled to think of anything that isn’t filled with prohibitions. Feel free to help me out there.

There’s rain in the forecast. The skies to the West looked dark and menacing when I took the dogs out earlier. Storms are in the forecast for Sunday as well. That will make for an interesting start to “Blow Your Brains Out” week. The rain might prevent houses from catching fire, but it won’t do much to keep digits from being blown off. We’ve been doing the whole fireworks thing long enough you’d think folks would have learned by now that black powder and stupidity don’t mix well. Yet, every year, emergency rooms fill up with too many examples of “watch this” syndrome and “we didn’t expect that” disease.

My stomach wants me to eat but it’s another hour before I can check my glucose. We don’t really have anything for breakfast, anyway. We’re out of bread, bacon, and cereal. Eggs by themselves don’t cut it. Maybe I’ll just eat leftovers from the other night.

Feel free to amuse me.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Social Commentary / Travel

Morning Update: 06/27/24

June 27, 2024

You can all wake up now! I’m back home, safe and somewhat rested. Yesterday, my dear friend Jennifer and her daughter Ali picked me up from my whining existence and whisked me away to Indiana Dunes National Park where we took pictures of birds, spiders, lizards, and a whole bunch of seagulls! It was a long day driving up there and back, walking through all the sand in moderate heat but oppressive humidity, but it was still a lot of fun. I’ll share my pictures as soon as I can buy a new card reader because I forgot that the one I’d been using is on the other computer.

Yeah, I’m still waiting on that new debit card. I have the PIN. That arrived in yesterday’s mail. But the card itself has yet to make an appearance. We’re hoping that it shows up today because the list of things we’re needing is beginning to breach the limits of the funds I have left for the month, and we’re still two weeks away from the next check.

I noticed that not many people availed themselves of the video treat we left for you yesterday. I kind of understand, given the video’s length. An hour can be a long time. I still hope that more of you will take a look and listen carefully to what they have to say. They really are more intelligent than you and I.

Not everyone is more intelligent, though. They might like to think they are, but their actions tend to prove them wrong. At the top of that list this morning is the Bimbo Bakeries of America. You see, Bimbo, which is a Mexico City-headquartered company, has bakeries all over the place. You may know them for brands such as Sara Lee and Entemann’s. When one has so many locations and product parts may move from one plant to another, cross-contamination becomes an issue that is difficult to manage, especially regarding potential allergens. After the FDA increased the number of potential allergens that have to be listed on wrappers, the folks at Bimbo decided, “Fuck it, we’ll just list the allergens anyway, even if they don’t exist, just to cover ourselves.” Yeah, that strategy doesn’t fly. The FDA has now warned Bimbo to stop listing food allergens that don’t exist. Strong fines come next if the bakery company doesn’t comply. Meanwhile, watch what you’re putting in your mouth.

And as if the summer heat wasn’t troubling enough, over 60 ice cream products have been recalled due to a potential listeria problem. The biggest brand name on the list is Hershey, but it doesn’t apply to all Hershey ice cream products. Click the link to see the full list of affected products.

As we were traveling between Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park, which are two separate but connected parts of the same Lake Michigan coastline, we passed through the town of Portage, IN. Why is that worth mentioning? Because yesterday, your Supreme Court decided that federal corruption laws don’t apply in Portage and that it’s perfectly okay that Portage’s former mayor profited personally from city contracts given to a trucking company. Not surprisingly, the 6-3 decision was dominated by conservative justices with the decision written by “it’s not fair” Associate Justice Brett Cavanaugh. Interesting how justice and the Supreme Court rarely go hand-in-hand.

Interestingly connected, though, 7 in 10 Americans think Supreme Court justices put ideology over impartiality according to an AP-NORC poll. They’re probably not wrong. Even the nation’s highest court is a product of its environment. We probably need to consider how justices are appointed, but we both know that both parties are too power-hungry for that to happen in our lifetimes.

We had stopped on our way home for a quick bite to eat when Jenn got an alert on her phone saying that the voice actor who speaks for Marge Simpson had died. We both immediately thought that the article referred to Julie Kavner, who does the voice for the original show. Turns out, it was Nancy MacKenzie, who voiced the same role for Latin American versions of the program who passed. It was an honest mistake. There were several headlines that simply read, “Marge Simpson voice actor dies.” The error did raise an interesting question, though. When a voice actor dies, do producers re-cast the role, kill off the character, or use AI to continue using the same voice? We see some ethics issues at play there, but we aren’t sure what all the legalities might entail.

I’m not sure what might happen with the rest of the day. I know the rest of the lawn needs to be mowed but we have a heavy dew this morning. The question there becomes can the kids be motivated to get the job done before it gets too warm? I’m not sure. I may need to go back to bed. That involves getting the dogs to scoot over, though, and I’m not sure I have the energy.

I will say that life is much better when we spend the time with friends. Thanks, Jenn, for including me in yesterday’s trip!

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / Personal

Morning Update: 06/26/24

June 26, 2024

There’s not a lot of time to type this morning as I have plans for the day. I’m not going to reveal those plans just yet because I’m not sure myself exactly how they might develop, but there are plans and I will be ready. I will be leaving town for the first time in a couple of years. There could be pictures involved. It might rain. Actually, I don’t have a lot of confidence in some of the weather forecasts I’ve seen. I think the bulk of the rain is going to our South. Rain or not, I’m escaping from my cage.

Knowing that I wasn’t going to be here today, I’ve already set you up with things to look at. If you didn’t read it yesterday, Is The U.S. Siding With The Enemy? takes an uncomfortable look at a few of the ways the US, both through publicly-owned companies and official government policy, is getting disturbingly comfortable with our enemies. Then, there’s Sunflower Stains in the Sun, a fun AI revision of a photo set we did back in 2011 that didn’t end quite the way we expected. You also have The Naked Spy Who Saved The World in case you’ve not seen that set yet. Topping things off, for those of you who are bored easily, I’ll be adding a video of Neil deGrasse Tyson and Richard Dawkins as they discuss Science, Religion, and Evolution. All of that together should keep you occupied for much of the day.

A couple of minor local things worth mentioning. The construction crew working on the new house next door (replacing the one that burned down a year and a half ago), got most of the framing done yesterday despite Hamilton’s attempts to get them to stop working and play with him. That is a good thing.

Then, some of you may remember me complaining a couple of years ago about the neighbors across the street having blown up $100+ of fireworks, leaving the street in front of the house a mess. That was one big box of fireworks. Yesterday, they unloaded four even larger boxes of fireworks. I don’t know when they plan to start setting them all off, but it’s going to be a miserable time for the dogs and I won’t be surprised if Kat up and leaves the state until they’re done. That’s not a good thing.

Me? I’m just ignoring everything because there are things I either want or need to do regardless of what pain I’m feeling where. I may be glued to the bed afterward, but it’s worth that eventual consequence to get out and enjoy life a bit now.

Someone has been using a reverse image lookup site to scope out this website for the past few days. I don’t know who you are or what it is you’re trying to find, but know that there are no full sets on here taken prior to October 2015 because of a complete server loss. We’re also missing several sets taken from 2020-2022 because of changes in the software. If we’re failing to sufficiently offend you, let me know and we’ll try harder.

I’m going to eat and then take a shower now. I know it makes you anxious wandering the internet on your own, but you can do it. I’ve left you plenty to do. Be brave. Keep the back door locked. Let the dogs out occasionally. You can do this. I believe in you.

Cancer Update / Morning Update / Personal

Morning Update: 06/25/24

June 25, 2024

Beautiful Mornings [2014 original with AI background]

Weather forecasts yesterday all said that it would rain later this afternoon. That forecast isn’t wrong, but they missed that bit of rain that is lurking just northwest of the city. I’ll have to type fast if I want to get any mowing done before the wet stuff arrives. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

There’s not much to type, though. I slept most of the day yesterday. I was back in bed a few minutes after posting yesterday’s update, got back up long enough to eat lunch, and then was back in bed until after 4:00. I can’t explain how deep in my bones the pain is, mostly in my arms and knees. The kids were sufficiently quiet until G started playing remotely with someone on his VR headset and by that time I needed to be up anyway.

Have you seen yesterday’s photo dump? Putting that together was a nice bit of creativity. I still need to replace some blending tools but that will come in time.

Tipper did something different last night. There were a bunch of 8-12-year-old boys playing next door at the construction site, as boys tend to do. She decided that she needed to go over and make sure none of them got hurt. What surprised me is that she 1. didn’t have shoes on, 2. was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt (instead of sweats and a hoodie), and 3. she didn’t know any of the kids over there. She ended up hanging out and playing with them until dark, even making a trip down to the creek with them.

The dogs and I sat in the yard and pretended we were cool with her adventure. I kept telling myself, “Let her go. She’s not four anymore.” I still had to fight the urge to stand along the fence and keep a close eye on her. I worry a little that she may not be as careful or as situationally aware as G is. But she has to have room to explore and grow. I’m pretty sure I felt more hair turning gray.

Okay, it’s not getting any brighter outside. If I think of anything else I’ll just add another post later. Maybe. If I’m not in bed.

Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Politics / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 06/24/24

June 24, 2024

Ready to Ride [2021 original with AI background]

Hallelujah, we’re up and running! A MASSIVE amount of thanks to Michael Schlagenhauf for helping us out by bringing in an old box with 32 MB RAM and swapping parts and pieces around until we had a functional machine!! The CPU is slower, but it works and survived a night full of Windows updates without needing my direct intervention. Photoshop Beta and Bridge have been installed and are working. I’ll decide later today what additional software I want to run. One thing I’ve learned over the past few weeks is that there was a lot on the old system that I really didn’t need or use. We’ll see if I can avoid making the same mistake again (I doubt it).

For his part, Michael survived the onslaught of kids, cats, and dogs while he was here. Belvedere was rather chill about our visitor, but Hamilton and Frankie, the smashed-face wheezer kitty, were right there trying to assist with every step of the process. Frank is still staying pretty close, not sure what to think about the new box with its red glow. I enjoyed getting to know Michael a little better and greatly appreciate his experience in taking things out of one box and putting them in the other. That has never been something I’ve done especially well.

Now comes the task of recreating all the personalizations and deciding what shortcuts I want where. I don’t like having to hunt for things I use often, but at the same time, I don’t like a cluttered desktop or taskbar. I’m still giggling over how adamantly Microsoft’s Edge browser tried insisting that I didn’t need to download Chrome or make it my default browser. Edge developers tried really hard to sway my opinion. 🤣

With the PC issue out of the way, I can get back to other distractions, such as, “Why is my right knee hurting all the damn time?” You know that pain you get when you need to pop a joint? That’s what I’m living with right now and it’s bad enough that it disturbed my sleep quite a bit. I’m hoping that it comes from having to be down on the floor a lot the past couple of days. Any soreness should go away after a day or two. I’m old, though, and how many peers do I know that have already had multiple knee surgeries? That’s kinda the last thing I want to endure. Let’s cross our fingers that this all goes away.

Odd thing. I was coming back from the restroom a little after midnight and noticed a bunch of trash on the bedroom floor next to the bed. Where the hell did it come from? I know neither of the dogs moved from where they were sleeping, but it seemed like a lot more than what a cat would bring in and drop. None of the clutter was anything of consequence and was easy to pick up and throw away, but I’m still stumped as to its source. We have enough trash without it reproducing on its own!

Elsewhere, heat and flooding are the big stories. Over 100 million people have been affected by the heat and flooding across Iowa and South Dakota is simply insane. More than 1,300 people died during Hajj, many of them after walking in the scorching heat, which is a bit mind-blowing. The tourist death toll from the Greek heat wave has risen to 6, with some still missing. Thousands have been displaced in floods in north-eastern India. At least 30 are dead as torrential rains lash Central America. So, I’m wondering, should I have the kids mow the lawn this morning or not? Zoning can look the other way until this heat dome lets up, can’t they?

Here’s something frightening: A Conservative-backed group is creating a list of federal workers it suspects could resist plans should the Orange Felon become president again. With a $100,000 grant from the influential Heritage Foundation, the goal is to post 100 names of government workers to a website this summer to show a potential new administration who might be standing in the way of a second-term Trump agenda — and ripe for scrutiny, reclassifications, reassignments or firings. This is on top of Heritage’s own Project 2025 is laying the groundwork, with policies, proposals, and personnel ready on day one of a possible new White House.

So, let me ask you these questions. 1. At what point are you willing to abandon the US and move elsewhere? 2. To what country would you consider moving? 3. Assuming that large numbers of people would choose an EU country, how many of us would they take before we become an immigrant problem? It could be interesting to see how opinions change when we’re the ones needing to ask for asylum. Answer the questions in the comments, if you dare.

I’m really not feeling the lawn thing. My knee hurts and Belvedere had me up at 5:00 this morning. Maybe I’ll just go back to bed. Who’s with me?

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / Natural Light / Nature / Personal / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 06/23/24

June 23, 2024

Wild Things Are Beautiful [original 2015 with AI enhancement]

Blame it on the full moon or perhaps the rain that appears to be headed our direction, but we’re awake and typing at 4;00 in the morning without any good reason why. Well, I don’t know. I crashed around 8:30 last night, so that could be part of it. The car going through the neighborhood with its stereo blasting at 1:30 might have something to do with it. A general feeling of uneasiness is probably a contributing factor. I took the dogs out around 3:30, the full moon to our South, and lightning to the Northwest. They ran the perimeter of the yard several times, certain that something in the wind was bringing trouble to the yard. We finally came back in and they’ve settled back down. This could make for an interesting day.

Yesterday was an interesting mix of napping and trying to clean. The amount of energy it takes to sit on the floor and scoop things into a trash bag is surprising. The amount of animal hair that had matted itself to the carpet was disturbing. There’s still more to do later this morning but I’m trying to keep things quiet until at least 6:00. I need to try and figure out a better way to store my vynil. I’d prefer it to be up high, away from the cats, and where it’s easy to find what I want. There’s not really any space for doing that, though. There’s no space for doing much of anything.

Most of the newsfeeds haven’t been updated yet this morning. Reuters has pictures of injured Palestinians tied to the front of IDF vehicles, which is a war crime. I’m not sharing the pictures, obviously. They’re gross and disturbing and are really only suitable for evidence in a war crimes trial. Another person has died in the grocery store shooting in Arkansas. There were at least two other mass shootings across the country this weekend. The orange felon is trying to convince Christians to support him again, but let’s get real: if you’re supporting a felon for president, you’re not Christian. This might also be a good time to mention that last least five pastors of large churches have resigned in the past week due to sexual improprieties. Perhaps that’s what churches really have in common with the felon.

Sitting here with Pinball curled up in my arms, I’m aware of how different life is in chemo. There have been many nights when I would just now be getting home from a club or a party. 4:00 at a Waffle House, any Waffle House, is an experience unlike any other. Now, hashbrowns scattered, covered, smothered, and chunked, my usual late-night order, isn’t something I’m supposed to have regardless of the time of day. The thought of staying out this late at any club in Indy makes me shudder. I doubt I could stay awake for even the best of parties. Life simply isn’t the same. There’s less of everything. By the time I finish chemo, I’ll be too old to be out late. I’m disappointed. I don’t like the thought of everyone having fun without me.

Maybe I’ll edit some more old pictures since I’m up. If you missed the set I posted yesterday, you should look at them now. I don’t see myself falling back asleep anytime soon. In fact, I don’t think the animals have left me any room on the bed at the moment.

At least I have coffee. Coffee is my only friend. 🤣

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / Personal / Status

Morning Update: 06/22/24

June 22, 2024

Living in a Fantasy World [2014 original with AI background]

Sleeping late felt like the right thing to do this morning, but Jack-Jack, Queen Bit, and Fred Fredburger were having none of it. No matter how many times I brushed them off, they kept coming back and insisting that I get up. Jack was especially vicious with the head butts. I got up, fed the cats, took out three bags of trash because it will run today, and started a load of laundry while the coffee was brewing. Then, we took the dogs outside and fed them before sitting down to create this morning’s picture.

That really isn’t that much work, requires practically no effort, and ends with the pleasure of coffee hitting my lips. Everything should be fine, right? No, the cancer and the chemo are kicking my ass. I feel as though someone sucker-punched me right in the gut. Walking or sitting upright is challenging. The bed is right next to me and only three creatures are on it at this point. I could sneak back to bed and almost no one would know.

What adult gets to do that, though? There are too many things to do. I’ve let the room get cluttered to the point that it’s bothering me. That has to be addressed today and, knowing how my body degrades as the day gets longer, I know it has to be done this morning. I may fuss at the kids about the living room and kitchen, but the Recovery Room is totally on me. Well, me and the dogs but they’re really only good help if I need them to hold down something or eat crumbs.

Of course, all my going back and forth woke Kat. I’m sure she’s less than pleased. I’m hoping she has a gentle day so that she can get up to Brandon’s early and enjoy a peaceful weekend.

There was an odd moment with the mail yesterday afternoon. I went out with the dogs to see if the mail had come. I was hoping, which I should learn to never do, that my new debit card would come so that I could take care of things like cat food and laundry detergent and litter. You can likely imagine my disappointment to find the mailbox empty. I looked over and there was the mail truck sitting where it normally does after they finish delivering on our street. I took that to mean that we weren’t getting any mail.

But then came the ice cream truck. You know, the kind that plays the silly little music and dishes dairy-based delights from the back of a colorful van without anyone questioning whether it’s safe. They’ve been a ubiquitous summer staple since before any of us were kids. As the ice cream truck draws near, the mail carrier waves him down, walks over and gets an ice cream cone. I’m thinking, “Awww, that’s convenient. He gets ice cream at the end of his route on an impossibly hot day. Good for him.”

Then, as the ice cream truck starts to leave, there comes another mail truck. That mail carrier also wants an ice cream cone. Not that I can blame them after walking around in the heat all day. He gets his ice cream and leaves.

An hour later, I look down the street and… there’s our mail truck sitting where it does when they’re delivering mail on our street. I go back outside and check. Sure enough, there’s our mail. Still no debit card, of course, but at least the mail was there. That means the two previous mail trucks were not delivering mail in our neighborhood at all. They were only here for the ice cream, and our poor mail carrier, who sludges through the heat for 11 hours a day, completely missed out.

Speaking of heat, I’m wondering how it’s still possible that anyone thinks that their pet is going to be okay in a hot car? Even lizards have their limit and I’ve not seen anyone driving around a lizard. There were police reports yesterday of a dog found dead in its owner’s car, and two other people were arrested for endangering their dogs by leaving them in the car. Every summer this issue is a dominant one on all forms of media, yet it keeps happening. I don’t get it. Our dogs are rather aggressive at times about letting me know, “Hey, we want to go back inside now.” We don’t mess around with long walks or extensive time outside when the heat is this bad. We make more frequent short trips for their bathroom needs. Their bodies don’t process heat like ours do. If you’re one of those people who think that your dog can handle it, you’re just mean and I’d rather not know you.

There will be another post dropping about 10:00 this morning. It’s nothing heavy. I just thought it would be interesting to compare how I processed a set of images 14 years ago compared to how I processed the same pictures yesterday. You can look forward to that.

Meanwhile, I need to check my glucose, eat something, take my meds, and get on with this business of decluttering the room. Something tells me the dogs aren’t going to be especially cooperative.

Oh, I still haven’t heard a thing from Canon, Nikon, or Sony and the crew at Adobe is starting to really piss me off. But then, are we really surprised? They’re all big companies. They don’t have the guts to contact me, or anyone else, directly.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 06/21/24

June 21, 2024

It’s Always A Helluva Day [2010 original with AI enhancement]

Summer is definitely here and it’s making its presence known all across the Northern Hemisphere. The number of people dying from heat exhaustion is frightening. Of course, you won’t see much, if any of that in the news because it keeps people from doing things that spend money. That’s what summer is all about, isn’t it? Spending money. If we were to have a summer so hot that everyone stayed home and kept their money to themselves, thousands of businesses would have to shutter. We’ve built our economy in such a way that spending every dime you make and then some is a requirement to keep the nation strong.

Sitting in my email this morning was the following message from Adobe: The price of Creative Cloud All Apps for students and teachers is changing to US $34.99/month (plus applicable taxes), which will take effect on your next renewal date. This price continues to reflect an over 35% discount on the Creative Cloud All Apps plan. This comes as the US Government earlier this week filed suit against Adobe for having a “convoluted” cancellation process. In short, if you try canceling within the first year, Adobe tries charging you for the full annual amount.

Then, there was this from Reuters: Amazon mulls $5 to $10 monthly price tag for unprofitable Alexa service, AI revamp. Alexa’s been losing money for years so I doubt anyone can say they’re surprised. However, a large portion of Alexa users are seniors on a fixed income. $5 or $10 may not sound like much to some, but it’s a big deal for those whose budgets are already stretched to the breaking point.

Oh, and remember those “loans” given to help keep businesses afloat during the pandemic? IRS says ‘vast majority’ of 1 million pandemic-era credit claims show a risk of being improper. Offer corporations free money and not only will they take their share and run, they’ll steal what was supposed to go to other smaller companies as well. Corporate America can’t be trusted at any level.

I did get this email from my bank: Your new card is on the way. It should arrive soon, so be on the lookout. If you weren’t paying attention earlier this week, I had to order a new debit card after a $100 charge showed up that was not authorized. This is life in America: if you don’t spend all your money, someone will take it from you, probably Adobe or Amazon.

Meanwhile, I still need $300 to get a PC that works. No one seems to be interested in helping, but just in case today’s different: Venmo: @C_I_Letbetter or CashApp: $ciletbetter.

To help fight the heat, Kat took the kids to a pool yesterday afternoon. Remember yesterday morning’s post when I reminded everyone to wear sunblock? Yeah, Kat forgot the sunblock. If you’ve met her, you know how pale her skin is. Yes, she’s burned. Be gentle.

I’m going to need the attention of every photographer and camera manufacturer later today. There’s an article dropping at 10:00 and I’m going to need some answers. Be watching.

Apparently, I snored loudly last night. I left the door open when I went to bed. It was closed when Jack-Jack woke me up. Odd. I didn’t hear a thing. 🤣

This doesn’t feel like a Friday. We’ll see how it goes.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / Personal / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 06/20/24

June 20, 2024

Not A Quick Getaway [2011 with AI enhancements]

We are at a point where I can’t beg hard enough: We need a PC with at least 32MB of memory. The “blue screen of death” hit us this morning while we were trying to edit the picture above. A complete system restore was necessary to get the machine working again. There were some fatalities, software that wouldn’t load after the reboot. We were able to work around them for now, but they will impact future production. I can’t ask for the size machine we actually need because that would put me well over the $2000 asset limit for social security (which is stupid and hasn’t been updated since 1987). $300 will get us what we need for now, though. PLEASE help. Venmo: @C_I_Letbetter CashApp: $ciletbetter

Writing two long pieces yesterday took a lot out of me. I was happy to go to bed at 9:30. I’m not sure I’m feeling any major spurts of creativity today, either. The National Weather Service has placed the entire state of Indiana under an air quality alert. Among other things, they are asking that people not put gas in their cars during the hottest part of the day, stay inside as much as possible, and even as you’re inside, hydrate. We’re going to be here in this heat for the rest of the week. All of us. Together. Maybe it wouldn’t feel quite so hot if we spread out a bit… Heat indices will be well over 100. Give extra care to those under two years of age and those over 60.

This is the summer solstice so I guess we should be expecting weather like this. The alternative? 3 people are dead as Tropical Storm Alberto dumps heavy rain on Texas and a parched Mexico. I’m guessing the humidity down there is pretty bad, though. A Baby moose trapped in a lake is saved by Alaska man and police as its worried mom watches. That’s adorable to watch, but Momma Moose was quite upset by the whole thing. She may need therapy. With pardons in Maryland, 2.5 million Americans will have marijuana convictions cleared or forgiven and I honestly don’t understand why every state doesn’t do the same. Oh, wait, that would mean thousands of black people would be eligible to vote, wouldn’t it? You know the GOP doesn’t want that to happen.

Oh, make sure you don’t buy into the anti-sunscreen propaganda. Your doctor is concerned you’re going to hurt yourself. You might think that by now people know better than to trust anything they see on social media, especially medical information. TikTok influencers are stupid. Your sunscreen is not toxic. Excessive sun exposure is still the number one cause of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. There’s no such thing as a “safe” tan. If you have a tan, you have DNA damage. Stupidly, a large number of people under the age of 35 think that they’re safe, but oncologists are seeing advanced cancer in younger people and I can tell you from experience, it’s not a fun way to die.

But then, the fact that there are far too many stupid people on the planet is one of the major reasons I wrote Fit For Office yesterday. Too many didn’t pay attention in school, don’t read (they have their heads stuck in TikTok), and believe stupid shit coming out of the mouth of an orange felon. Did you know that the Associated Press has an entire section now devoted to countering fake news? There’s more than a little concern that the deluge of fake news websites could drown out the truth during the US election. Why? Because there are too damn many stupid people. This is exactly the problem that Socrates had with Democracy. The difference is that when he was speaking, only the elite were educated at all. We don’t have that excuse. We demand that everyone go to school. Yet, we think that posting the 10 Commandments in schoolrooms is a smart move? Seriously, some people scare me for all the wrong reasons.

That’s enough ranting about that, though. Oppenheimer lands on Prime today. Maybe I’ll just watch that.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Long Read / Morning Update / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary / video

Morning Update: 06/19/24

June 19, 2024

Juneteenth

When the first sip of the first cup of coffee hits your lips in the morning, it’s eye-opening, mind-changing, attitude-reversing clarity that lasts just long enough to remind one that they need to take another sip because this day isn’t going to run itself without sufficient caffeine. There is no such thing as a “calm” day anymore. Even when the majority of the day is spent in bed either sleeping or whimpering in pain, as yesterday was, coffee is still needed to keep from biting the heads off cohabitants or fellow employees or cats just looking for a place to sleep. There is no margin for error when coffee is in short supply, and even then, there are days when pot after pot just isn’t enough.

Today is Juneteenth, a holiday if you’ve not been paying attention. Your bank is closed. There’s no trash pickup, which means it’s on a slide schedule for the rest of the week. There’s no mail service. Government offices are closed (which may be a blessing). Some businesses may close, though I’ve not seen a list of such.

What saddens me is that there are too many people who refuse to recognize Juneteenth. They say there’s no reason for the day to be a holiday. These would be the same people who, over the course of several days last week, posted AI-generated images of impossible displays of the US flag with the caption, “This is my pride flag.” I’m going to assume these people are ignorant. If you don’t understand why Juneteenth is important, click here and educate yourself, moron.

Yes, I just used the word moron. I’m done placating stupid people. We have reached a point where the level of stupidity is dangerous. Juneteenth is about freedom, but let’s be clear: As long as there are stupid people in charge of anything, we’re not free. Consider the following:

If you work 40+ hours a week and can’t afford groceries, you’re not free.
If you can’t afford to go to the doctor, you’re not free.
If you go to the doctor but can’t afford the medicine prescribed, you’re not free.
If your skin color allows you to be accused of a crime just because you “match the description,” you’re not free.
If you’re not allowed to make decisions about your own body, you’re not free.
If it is illegal for you to receive gender-affirming care, you’re not free.
If you have to jump through even ONE hoop in order to vote, you’re not free.
If you have to have your name on a list that your great-grandparents refused to sign in order to be recognized as who you are, then you’re not free.
If your citizenship is questioned because of the clothes you wear, then you’re not free.
If being intelligent causes you to be called a socialist, communist, or any other slur, then you’re not free.

As we celebrate this year, we must remember that there are still too many people, millions of people, in the US who are not free. They are slaves of a political and corporate establishment that holds them down, pulls them back, and refuses to recognize them as human. That, after all, has been the American way since the Constitution was written. Never forget that the founding of this country, a war fought on the backs of slaves, Indigenous peoples, and those too poor to own land, was done for the sole benefit of male property owners. They may have used the phrase, “all men are created equal,” but what they meant was men like them: white, educated, property owners. Every right that the rest of us have has had to be fought for every day since 1776, and we’re still having to fight. Every goddamn day.

There were tears in my eyes Monday morning when I looked at the list of Tony Award winners and saw that Suffs had won for both best book and best score. Suffs, if you don’t know, is Shaina Taub’s telling of the 2013 women’s suffrage movement. It is one example of a fight for freedom that never ends, especially if you’re a woman of any color. I know I shared this video on Facebook earlier this week, but I’m posting it here to continue making the point: The fight for freedom is never over. Not today. Not tomorrow.

https://youtu.be/d5_t8NPC67I?si=1sVeU_HecWwDzLw1

In case you can’t hear the song for any reason, here are the lyrics:

[ALICE]
You won’t live to see the future that you fight for
Maybe no one gets to reach that perfect day
If the work is never over
Then how do you keep marching anyway?
Do you carry your banner as far as you can
Rewriting the world with your imperfect pen
Till the next stubborn girl picks it up in a picket line over and over again?
And you join in the chorus of centuries chanting to her
The path will be twisted and risky and slow
But keep marching
Keep marching
Will you fail or prevail, well, you may never know
But keep marching
Keep marching ’cause your ancestors are all the proof you need
That progress is possiblе, not guaranteed
It will only be made if we keep marching, keep marching on
Keep marching on

[ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[ALICE]
Keep marching on

[ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[ALL]
And rеmember every mother that you came from
Learned as much from our success as our mistakes
Don’t forget you’re merely one of many others
On the journey every generation makes
We did not end injustice and neither will you

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
Neither will you

[ALL]
But still, we made strides, so we know you can too

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
Know you can too

[ALL]
Make peace with our incomplete power and use it for good
‘Cause there’s so much to do

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
So much to do

[ALL]
The gains will feel small and the losses too large
Keep marching
Keep marching
You’ll rarely agree with whoever’s in charge
Keep marching
Keep marching ’cause your ancestors are all the proof you need
That progress is possible, not guaranteed
It will only be made if we keep marching, keep marching on

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[OTHER ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[ALL]
Yes, the world can be changed

[OTHER ENSEMBLE]
We’ve done it before
So keep marching

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[OTHER ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching
We’re always behind you, so

[ALL]
Bang down the door
And keep marching

[SOME ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[OTHER ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching
And let

[ALL]
History sound the alarm of how
The future demands that we fight for it now
It will only be ours if we keep marching, keep marching on

[OTHER ENSEMBLE]
Keep marching on

[ALL]
Come on, keep marching, marching, marching
Come on, keep marching, marching, marching
Come on, keep marching, marching, marching
Come on, keep marching, marching, marching
Come on, keep marching, marching, marching
Keep marching on

Taub’s words couldn’t be any more spot on: “On the journey every generation makes
We did not end injustice and neither will you.” “…your ancestors are all the proof you need
That progress is possible, not guaranteed.”

Over the course of the past few years, we’ve seen the Voting Rights Act demolished, Roe V. Wade overturned, and even now, as you’re reading this, state and county GOP committees are looking for ways to make it impossible for you to vote.

Juneteenth is a celebration of what is possible, but it must also be a reminder that NOTHING is guaranteed. We cannot sit back and take a damn thing for granted. We must keep marching, keep yelling, keep protesting, keep fighting, and keep voting even when/where they don’t want us. If we don’t, then we’ll lose every freedom our ancestors fought so hard to give us.

I find it no coincidence that we celebrate Juneteenth both in the middle of Pride month and just two weeks after Memorial Day, even though neither holiday had been established when news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the ever-stubborn state of Texas. There’s always this big push to honor WWII veterans, though few remain. There’s always this talk about how they fought for our rights, to keep us free. I don’t challenge that. But let me be very clear: there is a constant and frightening popular threat to those freedoms headed by an orange felon who never served, never sacrificed a damn thing, and holds no regard for anyone’s freedom except his own. Given free reign, he will strip all of us of every freedom we ever thought we had.

When I woke up this morning, the dream I was having was perhaps frighteningly prophetic. There was an Indigenous family of four, Mom, Dad, and two teens about the same ages as G and Tipper. They were at some event that had a carnival-type atmosphere. They seemed to be having fun. Toward the end of the dream, they were all standing in line to sign up for something. My dream was not clear as to what, but they all seemed excited about it. The kids went through first, signed up for whatever it was, and then the man behind the desk shut the laptop and announced that they had reached the allowable limit. No one else was able to sign up. The parents reached out for their children as the kids were ushered off into darkness. It was then that I woke up.

No matter how long I live, I will never forget both my mother and my Uncle Windjammer telling me the story of why my great-grandparents refused to sign the Dawes Roll. Signing the Dawes Roll meant being affiliated with a tribe, recognized by the government as being Indigenous. The government said that being on the roll would come with certain rights and privileges. My great-grandparents didn’t buy into that spiel. Allegedly, the words of my great-grandmother were something along the lines of, “The last time they [the government] put our names on a list, they rounded us up and marched us across the country. We’d be fools to let them do it to us again.”

Never forget that we had no rights when the United States was founded. We’ve had to fight every damn step of the way. We cannot stop fighting now. There are too many people who want to push all of us back, keep us marginalized, slaves to a system in which we have no voice.

Don’t let it happen.

Keep marching.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / Personal / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 03/18/24

June 18, 2024

Negative Affirmations

A Moment In Thought [2010 original with AI enhancement]

There’s something different about my editing screen this morning and I’m not sure exactly what it is. The margins are off and that’s… unsettling. I’m not sure whether to blame one of the random software updates or my own ignorance, which seems to be growing by the hour. Being confident in one’s self is difficult when one loses the certainty of what one thinks they know.

Yesterday was mild. I read. I wrote. I napped. I read some more. I made dinner. Kat had a day full of haircuts, one right after another with no break. She fell asleep soon after she got home and I’m not sure she’s moved since. So everything is cool, right?

Not hardly. First, there was the matter of trying to get my prescription filled. I contacted the prescribing doctor who responded with, “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it.” Ten minutes later, I got a second message, “All taken care of.” So, I check the pharmacy app and it’s back to “Getting refilled.” WHAT THE LIVING FUCK! I need the fucking medicine and I’m fucking tired of having to wait forever to get the damn thing filled!

Then, there was the matter of a recurring charge that shouldn’t be recurring or charging. We went over this with the bank three months ago. Yet, there it was again, $100 missing from my account. The bank replaced the funds, BUT their solution for preventing another incident was to replace my card. Again. Fine, order a new card. The problem with that is that not only will I have to go through and change every instance of my card number with every authorized service, but more importantly, I DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO THE MONEY IN MY ACCOUNT! I can’t buy milk or cat litter or a piece of sanity until the new card arrives. Normally, a new card would be here by the end of the week. However, there’s a freaking holiday in the middle of the week so who the fuck knows when I’ll get the new card and be able to make the necessary purchases.

Yes, the computer is still giving me fits, but no one seems terribly interested in helping resolve that problem. $300 takes care of it. Venmo: @C_I_Letbetter or CashApp: $ciletbetter. Feel free to help ease my suffering.

Since I can’t order more milk, which is the one food item we consume the most, I warned the kids last night to take it easy on the milk. What do I find in the kitchen this morning? Someone had finished the GIANT box of cereal and left the empty box on the counter with a corresponding amount of milk missing. Understand, we’ve only had that cereal a week and it’s already gone. Apparently, someone is using cereal as their primary source of sustenance.

All this and I woke up at 3:30 this morning, unable to go back to sleep. When I don’t sleep, I’m restless. When I’m restless, the cats get restless because I keep kicking them off the bed (it’s dark and I can’t see where they are). When the cats get restless, they get into things like the trash in the kitchen. Then, they wake the dogs. This morning started much too early.

Which leads me to the concept of Negative Affirmations. To hell with all the positive crap about, “you can do this,” and “make the day yours.” No. When a day starts like this, you have to accept the fact that things go wrong, things happen that annoy you and make you angry, and accept that how you feel about those things is okay. So, here are some Negative Affirmations for this morning.

It’s okay to be pissed off when no one takes out the goddamn trash.

Why is the trash bag sitting in the middle of the floor in the first place? No wonder the cats are tearing holes in the bag. If they can tie off the bag and set it on the floor, they can take it the fuck outside.

Go ahead and complain about the heat.

Everyone’s hot, everyone’s complaining about it in their head, so go ahead and say it out loud: it’s too damn hot. Alter your plans to stay where it’s cool. No one has the right to ask you to go out in this mess. It’s not healthy. Do they want you to fucking die? No? Then they can wait for this damn heat dome to pass before asking you to leave the air conditioning.

No, it’s not an oxymoron to drink hot coffee when it’s hot outside.

The only “moron” is the person suggesting you drink something other than hot coffee in the morning. Those are the kinds of suggestions that can get a person slapped, especially if I’ve not had my coffee yet. Coffee doesn’t increase one’s body temperature. Coffee keeps one from being homicidal in this heat.

Expecting everyone else to have their shit together is not unreasonable.

Never mind that I can’t remember my PIN or my passcode. My faults are not anyone else’s excuse for being inadequate. They don’t need to be adding to your bad mood with their incompetence. We’ll try to be understanding of innocent errors, but if you’re failing at the job you’ve been doing for twenty years, that’s a you problem. We’re going to expect better.

Being drunk before noon is a reasonable coping mechanism.

Just dealing with people is reason enough to drink and if they’re going to start being asshats early in the morning, then someone needs to spike the coffee. Make it a double if the person you’re dealing with is a fucking politician or telemarketer. Go ahead and drink, then take a nap. Otherwise, you might tell someone what you really think of them.

Telling a person to “shove it” is simply direct communication.

Everyone keeps telling us that “communication is key” and that we should be honest and direct. Okay, you can take all your positivity and sunshine and shove it up your ass. Let me have my bad day(s). How’s that for direct and honest?

You don’t have to give a shit about Taylor, Travis, or anyone else who may or may not be in a relationship.

There simply is no good reason for opening up the newsfeed and seeing a story about how much Taylor misses Travis right under the story about Netanyahu dismantling his war cabinet. No one with a brain fucking cares about celebrity private lives. No one with a working brain should. We have our own relationships to worry about.

No, the 70s rock music is not too loud.

There’s no such thing. You’re just jealous because your generation’s music is lame.

There are definitely more, but I’ll save them for another time. Right now, I need to refill my coffee cup that’s more than half empty.

Oh, and if you didn’t read yesterday’s educational post, you have homework to do.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / pop culture / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 06/17/24

June 17, 2024

Monday morning often come as a bit of a shock to the system. I lose track of time so easily that it takes a moment to figure out which day it is. With the kids being home this summer, I’m having more difficulty than usual because every day feels something like a weekend. Endless weekends sound nice but then important stuff starts falling through the cracks. Jack-Jack woke me up a little before 7:00 this morning and the first thing I discovered was cat puke on the end of the bed. This had to be a Monday.

When Jack wakes me in the morning, it’s because he’s hungry. This morning, he was self-defeating in his method. He stood on my chest and would get upset when I tried to sit up. I tucked him under my arm, as best as one can tuck a 20-pound cat, and scooted off the bed. I think I’ve mentioned how G is re-arranging the kitchen and living room this summer. It’s a process that requires moving some pieces multiple times. Yesterday, he moved the cat’s food bowls. This may prove to be a problem.

Why would moving the cats’ food bowls be a problem? Because he now has them on top of the two file cabinets which are set some distance from each other. The cats are accustomed to congregating and eating together. This new setup allows for no more than two at each bowl, and Queen Bit doesn’t like to share. We have nine cats and only two bowls. See the problem? And no, the bowls cannot be set on the floor because the dogs, Hamilton especially, like eating cat food, too. They like eating everything. G’s going to have to work on his strategy a bit.

The computer presented a bit of a problem again this morning. Obviously, since I’m writing this, I was able to get it worked out, but it re-emphasizes the urgency with which we need a replacement, which means we need help. Our friend Michael turned me on to a source of refurbished machines which would likely be more reliable than Amazon and the pricing is still under $300. If you want to help: Venmo: @C_I_Letbetter, or CashApp at $ciletbetter. Getting this problem out of the way will help my sanity from being destroyed any more rapidly than it already is.

After getting the computer problem fixed, I then had to call the bank and dispute a significant charge. They reversed the charge and then, since this is the second time I’ve had to dispute a charge from the same source, they canceled the card and are sending a new one. I’m sure you understand the challenge that creates. All automated bill payments set to that card have to be reset once the new one arrives in three to five business days. I always plan on five, but since Wednesday is a holiday (Juneteenth if you’re not paying attention), I’m going to plan on not getting anything before next Monday. I hope we can make the milk last.

Once they open at 9:00, I’ll be making a call to the pharmacy. My doctor called in a prescription when she saw me last Monday (which feels like a month ago at this point). I watched the pharmacy’s app so I would know when to ask Kat to pick it up. It wasn’t until Friday afternoon that it finally showed as being filled, but Kat wouldn’t be anywhere close to the pharmacy until Sunday afternoon. When she stopped by, however, they told her that the prescription wasn’t ready and needed pre-authorization.

I have a couple of questions. 1. If the script needed pre-authorization, why the fuck didn’t they call the doctor back when they found that out? The doctor could have handled the pre-authorization quickly and moved things along. 2. Why is the script listed as filled in the app when it clearly is not yet filled? Kat wasted a trip. Once the new insurance takes effect on the first, they’ll pay for me to get a ride to the pharmacy myself. I’m fairly sure I won’t be as polite on matters like this as Kat is. I’m too old for such nonsense.

So yeah, it’s Monday. It’s supposed to be hot everywhere this week. I need to find ways to expend as little energy as possible, thus generating minimal amounts of additional heat. I’m thinking that soaking in a tub full of water sounds like a good idea. I’m old enough the prune-looking skin really isn’t that much of a change from normal. The biggest challenge will be convincing the dogs that they don’t really need to go outside between 1:00 and 7:00 in the afternoon.

By the way, did you happen to see the video we posted yesterday? It’s a fast-moving minute and 23 seconds. You may need to watch it more than once to catch all the details, like whether or not you’re included in the 26 images.

Oh, in case you missed it, and you probably did, the Surgeon General of the United States is demanding that Congress require warning labels on all social media apps. The demand is part of an op-ed in this morning’s New York Times, which is behind a paywall so I’m not going to bother linking to it. There is a CNN article about the op-ed, however. Click here to read that. The Surgeon General cites a JAMA study showing an increased presence of depression in teens who use social media more than three hours a day. The study says that most teens are on social media five hours a day. During the summer, that number is likely higher.

My question is this: does the Surgeon General actually think that teens are going to pay any attention to government-issued warnings? Has the Surgeon General met any actual teens that don’t live in Georgetown or summer in the Hamptons? I won’t challenge the findings of the JAMA study, but I don’t think government-required warnings are anywhere close to being an answer. I mean, we were teens when warning statements started appearing on cigarette packages. Did that warning ever stop any of you? Ever? I think warnings of this type are an empty gesture. The government gets to say, “We tried to warn them,” without doing anything concrete to actually solve the problem.

A more appropriate solution: require social media app makers to install a kill switch that automatically turns off the apps after three hours of use and doesn’t turn them back on for 24 hours. The technology is available and relatively easy to install. If you’re genuinely serious about teen health, then that’s what you have to do. Turn the damn apps off for them. They can do so based on the age of the user so that addicted adults can still get their fix. This is not a difficult fix. A simple timer and a two-line call for the user’s age is all it takes. Killing the app, not the entire phone, is the more responsible thing to do.

Yeah, you and I both know that will never happen. Government likes pretending to be responsible, but they don’t want any actual responsibility. And have you seen the idiots in Congress? I sometimes wonder if any of them can actually dress themselves of the morning.

It’s Monday. I need more coffee. A LOT more coffee.

Cancer Update / Current Issues / Morning Update / News & Comment / Personal / Politics / Social Commentary

Morning Update: 06/16/24

June 16, 2024

Beauty Among The Gods [2010 original with AI background]

My children (the four-legged ones) woke me shortly after 6:00 this morning. Did I sleep at all last night? It certainly doesn’t feel like I did. Toss, turn, flip, repeat. If I was a piece of meat simmering over a low flame, I’d be burned by now. This isn’t how I like to start the morning. I walked into the living room and noticed that the cats had broken yet another glass-covered frame.

While I was out with the dogs, three jets passed overhead, leaving IND just as fast as air traffic control could get them off the ground. They seemed to be taunting me, “We’re escaping and you’re not, loser.” I’ve not been outside Indianapolis since my last trip to Chicago, four years ago. Being around so many people whose minds are warped from generations of belief in mythology, who are mistakenly convinced that the 1950s morality was better, and who think they have a right to force their morality and opinions on others, is crippling. I’d leave, but where am I going to go, and, more importantly, who is going to take me there?

A perfect example of why this is a horrible state is found in yesterday’s state GOP convention. We already knew that, following the primary, Mike Braun is the unfortunate choice for governor. Braun has been useless as a US Senator, so I doubt he’ll be any better as a governor. He had chosen state Rep. Julie McGuire as his running mate. But noooooo, Indiana is so fucking stupid that they chose ultra-right-wing pastor Micah Beckwith. This classless idiot “is known for his far-right stances on gender, sexuality, and abortion. He cast himself as a political outsider who would keep the governor’s office in check, limit property taxes, and oppose school efforts to support the LGBTQ+ community,” according to the Associated Press. Braun says he’ll hold Beckwith in check, but can we rely on that? No, we can’t. Beckwith lobbied for over a year to get this position. We’ll painfully feel his influence if he’s elected. Can Democrats win? No. They’re underfunded and continue to nominate people who are unelectable from the outset. Indiana is going to be one of the worst places to live on the planet.

But then, I’m not exactly happy with the rest of the planet, either. These are some of the headlines greeting me this morning:

Do you see the repeating pattern in all those headlines? How fucking stupid are we to stick to a faulty constitutional amendment just because of who wrote it? We’ve said it again and again and again, the US is the ONLY industrialized country with this problem! We need to get the fuck over this stupid worship of a single statement by people who lived in a very different society.

Maybe I should move to Denmark or Finland. I wonder if they let old people in.

A forecasted high of 96 this afternoon most likely nixes our weekly walk in the park. The Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational is making noise over at the track. One would have to be a real fan of old race cars to endure all the short little races that are on the schedule. Apparently, there aren’t many of these fans left. They can fit all the parking in the infield. Still, we have to put up with the noise.

My sugar was stupid high again last night. I’m not sure if it was the hamburger bun, the cheese, or the mashed potatoes that is at fault. On their own, I wouldn’t have expected any of them to send my glucose skyrocketing, but together they generated a frightening number. Maybe that’s why I’m so cranky.

There WILL be a new video posted, probably a little later this morning. I managed to finish everything except the rendering last night. We’ll see what kind of hoops I have to jump through to get it posted. The last one had to be FTP’d onto the server. This one’s larger. Yikes!

And yeah, we still need help with that new machine. Venmo: @C_I_Letbetter or CashApp: $ciletbetter. We don’t need all that much. I just have nothing left to give to it myself.

Maybe I should go back to bed and stay there the rest of the day.

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