Morning Update: 09/07/24

The cats waited until 6:30 this morning before waking me up. I got to sleep in! After filling their food bowls and starting coffee, I came back to the room for a clothing adjustment. All the electronic devices were registering 50 degrees outside. Today’s high won’t reach 70. That makes it time to break out the long-sleeve t-shirts and compression leggings. My calves were immediately grateful for the extra support. Having the full-length coverage back felt nice. Sure, I know it will be back up in the 80s by midweek, but next weekend promises to be even cooler than this one. I may swap back and forth on t-shirts but I’m keeping the leggings.

I slipped on a coat before taking the dogs out. There wasn’t a breeze so the cool air felt comfortable. The sky was a pale blue as the sun was beginning to rise. As far as we could tell, we were the only ones in the neighborhood up and moving. Well, us and the neighbor’s rooster. The sound of traffic on I-65, about 1.5 miles away, drowned out the sounds of I-465, bearing witness to the lack of wind. If there’s any wind, we tend to hear 465’s traffic first. Mornings like this, the photographer in me wonders if I could get away with shooting a naked model in the middle of the street. The tough part would be finding someone willing to stand naked in the chilled air.

My plan for today is to let everyone take it easy. The week seems to have been unusually rough on everyone, especially Kat. After spending most of Thursday night up vomiting, she came home yesterday with the news that one of her bosses and one of her clients had both tested positive for COVID. She immediately took a test and it came back negative, but Brandon took one as well and his was positive. I’m not sure what her plans are for today. I’m not asking anything more of the kids than their basic chores. There’s more than enough food to feed everyone, so the only schedule we’ll have to keep is the one imposed by the pets.

I did set a new record for head pain yesterday. The problem started when I fixed myself a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich for breakfast. While it tasted better than anything you’ll find in a restaurant, the uncured bacon (sugar-free) does sometimes cause some digestive issues. After eating, I took my meds and settled down to do some more reading. That’s when the bacon backed up and forced a burp. What happened next was unlike anything I’ve ever felt. The poison of the chemo pills came up and out my nose. My head immediately felt as if it were on fire from the inside. This wonderful feeling was worse than when I vomited up the poison a couple of weeks ago. The pain lasted for almost three hours, forcing me to lie down and try to ignore the fact that I was pretty sure my head and digestive tract were melting. Be sure that I’ll be much more careful to give the bacon time to digest from now on.

The big news this morning is one that puts the US at odds with Israel. Yesterday, Israeli troops shot a Turkish-American woman dead at a West Bank protest. The 26-year-old woman, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi,  had recently graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle. Passionate about human rights, she was participating in a regular protest against West Bank expansion. Israel says the troops were shooting toward a male “main instigator” who posed a threat by hurling rocks at soldiers. In the careless use of live fire, Eygi was shot in the head. The Biden administration has called the matter “concerning” and wants an investigation. Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan condemned Eygi’s death, saying in a post on social media that Turkey “will continue to work in every platform to halt Israel’s policy of occupation and genocide”.

There’s a lot of pressure on the Biden administration to do more to find a cease-fire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war. The same is happening in the UK as well. In response, Biden will host British Prime Minister Starmer next week for White House talks, and in advance of that, the heads of the CIA and MI6 issued a joint call for a cease-fire in Gaza. Whether either effort will do any good is doubtful, though. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has his heels firmly dug in, refusing to consider any type of cease-fire that does not allow Israel control over multiple areas of Gaza.

This is a no-win situation for the US. Eygi is the third US citizen to be killed since the October 7 attack by Hamas last year. The standard response is that people who put themselves in harm’s way cannot expect to be protected from dangerous situations. That response isn’t going to be enough for Eygi’s family, though, nor a growing number of people in the US who are tired of the whole mess. Eygi’s family described her as a “fiercely passionate human rights activist” who had recently participated in college campus protests against U.S. support for Israel’s war in Gaza. The statement called on President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to pursue an independent U.S. probe into her killing. That sentiment was echoed by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen who said, “If the Netanyahu Government will not pursue justice for Americans, the U.S. Department of Justice must.”

In a nation clearly divided in its support for Israel, the issue is a major one for both presidential campaigns. The death of an American citizen can’t be ignored and one has to wonder at what point American attitudes toward Israel might flip, viewing them as an aggressor rather than an ally. The White House can’t respond fast enough on the issue.

The rest of the news is significantly less important. Barkley scored 3 TDs as the Eagles beat the Packers 34-29 in Brazil. Republican former VP Dick Cheney says he will vote for Kamala Harris. Paris Hilton waited 18 years to drop a new album. On ‘Infinite Icon,’ she’s here to ‘save pop music’ (try to not choke on your laughter). And the New York Times has some advice for those who are fed up and want to leave the US.

The Times also asks an important question: If a Threat Is Not a Crime, Can the Police Prevent a School Shooting? I found that a thought-provoking read, though it comes up short on workable answers. You might also be interested in David Brooks’ opinion piece, The Junkification of American Life. I found it worth my time.

Somewhere along the way, I expect to find some NCAA football streaming. I know Iowa State at Iowa will be live on Prime. ESPN+ has Arkansas vs. #16 Oklahoma State. I don’t have a Peacock subscription, though, so I don’t know what, if anything, they’re streaming. I should check to see if Verizon will give me a discount on that one.

Fat Guy is sitting on the desk soaking up all the love and scratches I can give him. The cooler temps have all the animals in the mood to snuggle. I can’t object to that reality at all.

And, of course, there’s coffee. Fill your cup, sit back, and relax.