Funny how I can sit down at the desk first thing of the morning and think of all the things I’m going to get done, but by the time I’ve read through the news, my brain switches to, “We need to lie back down.” Anything that needs to be done outside needs to happen today, while the temperatures are near 70. Thursday’s high is 38, which will feel even colder if it snows. Seasonal temps are upon us for the rest of the week. It’s time to get ready.
Hopefully, today will be better than yesterday. I struggled to stay upright for as little as an hour and ended up spending most of the day in bed. At one point, I thought I was hearing voices again, but it turned out to just be the program that Kat was watching. I did finally get through to the neurologist’s office but the soonest they can get me in is January 29. I’m on a waiting list should a cancellation open a spot before then. The insurance company, however, still hasn’t called back. I’m not surprised.
The big news for this week, month, and year is that my oldest, Zach, finally got around to asking his girlfriend, Meg, to marry him! We knew this moment was coming, we just didn’t know when. Of course, she said yes! This brings about an exciting new season in all of our lives. No, they’ve not set a date yet, but I expect that to be coming soon. I stop now and remember that precious little tow-headed boy I once carried on my shoulders. I couldn’t be more excited!
By the way, I still have two more adult boys living with their mom. Please, feel free to take them off her hands. They’re nice guys, and perhaps that’s part of the problem. Nice guys still have a problem getting noticed because, as much as anything, they don’t want to bother anyone. Well, that and they spend an inordinate amount of time playing video games. Blame their grandparents for that. I never wanted them to get started.
Kat was finally able to see her PCP yesterday. The news is cautious. He told her that she would likely have difficulty breathing for months. That means everyone is going to have to be patient with her. Even with a schedule of only taking two clients a day, she comes home thoroughly exhausted and often falls asleep before she’s had time to eat dinner. Stress over the cumulative holidays and birthdays doesn’t help, either. She discovered yesterday that she and the kids will be doing two Thanksgivings. We’ll have ours early, probably Wednesday depending on how she and I feel next week. I think we have everything we need from a food perspective.
Paying the bills coming due is another matter. Everything hits all at once here at the end of the month and I don’t know when my check will arrive. Kat’s still waiting for a check she deposited last week to clear. I know I have nearly $200 in bills coming out before the first of the month. The way holidays hit the calendar this year, I may not get paid until December 2 or 3. We greatly appreciate the help we’ve had so far. If anyone else wants to contribute, my Venmo is @C_I_Letbetter and CashApp is $ciletbetter.
Today would have been my father’s 95th birthday. I’ve mentioned in previous years how disappointed he would be in world events. As I was combing through local news this morning, I saw this headline: ‘I have fallen short’ | Indiana Sen. Taylor addresses sexual harassment allegations. I was reminded of Poppa’s response to a tearful Jimmy Swaggart apologizing for a cheating scandal. “You can fool people all you want, but you can’t fool God.” I miss his balanced wisdom. In his honor, there will be ice cream today.
With winter rapidly approaching, it’s not surprising to see escalations rising in Russia and Ukraine. In the short time since I sat down here, Ukraine has apparently fired six US-made missiles into Russia. On Russia’s side, Putin has signed a new nuclear doctrine, lowering the bar for the conditions allowing the use of nuclear weapons. What might be more terrifying, though, is that Russia has increased production of radiation-resistant mobile bomb shelters. Why would they do that if they weren’t planning on needing them? Winters are notoriously difficult in both countries, so don’t be surprised to see them making aggressive maneuvers before the end of the year.
Lebanon and Hezbollah have approved the draft of a cease-fire agreement, but it’s unclear yet whether Israel will go along. So far, Netanyahu has been ferociously against such moves, firmly stating that there would be no rest until their goals are met. Knowing that he has staunch allies in the coming Republican administration is likely to bolster the Prime Minister’s defiance. Meanwhile, aid has been stripped from 100 trucks carrying food into Gaza. Looters are to blame. This is further proof that war brings out the worst of humanity. They are like cockroaches crawling out from under cracks in the molding.
There is so much more we could discuss, but I’m feeling the pressure from this damn headache closing in quickly. Among things worth noting, a Judge struck down Wyoming abortion laws, including an explicit ban on pills to end pregnancy while Orders for Morning-After Pills and Abortion Pills Rose After Trump’s Election. The NYC priest who allowed Sabrina Carpenter to shoot a music video in the church was further stripped of duties. Oh, and part of the roof at AT&T Stadium collapsed last night, foreshadowing another Cowboys loss.
I apologize for not having more stamina. The persistence of this headache has worn me down.
If only more coffee could be enough to solve all the problems.
If there is an industry that is currently in decline more than fashion retail, please let me know what it is. Just two days after Macy’s and Sears both announced large layoffs and store closings, The Limited, headquartered here in the Midwest in New Albany, Ohio, announced that it is closing all of its brick-and-mortar stores at the end of business this Sunday
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Defy. Resist. Dissent.
Welcome to the Deep Freeze. When the Gulf (of Mexico) coast is forecasted to receive as much as twelve inches of snow, it’s time to pack everything up and stay inside for a while. We’re keeping the kids home from school today because, once again, it’s too damn cold for them to be standing at a bus stop. The ground was frozen to a degree that dirt crunched beneath my feet when I took the dogs out. My bones ache deep into their marrow. The animals are tightly snuggled together to preserve their body heat. I couldn’t write a more harrowing beginning to a novel of apocalyptic horror if I tried.
No one here watched the inauguration. We’re just not that into insipid stupidity. I’ve not read ‘the speech,’ and I won’t. I don’t mind fiction all that much, but I’m not into pompous self-aggrandizing from someone who is barely literate. No one who stood in the Capitol Rotunda yesterday has my respect. I refuse to acknowledge any authority they might claim. I will not use their names. I actively resist this entire administration and everything it attempts to do.
I didn’t turn off my news tickers yesterday, primarily because I was afraid that I might miss something legitimately newsworthy. While I was hoping for a mass suicide event in the Rotunda, I’ll settle for President Biden commuting the sentence of Leonard Peltier on his way out the door. Understand, a commutation is not the same as a pardon. This champion of Indigenous American rights is still technically under arrest but can finish out his days at home where he can receive the medical care he needs. The FBI can go pound sand on this matter. Peltier has always claimed innocence and there is plenty of evidence to support that claim, but because two federal agents were killed all the feds care about is having a scapegoat. Peltier has never been dangerous, but I remain hopeful that his words inspire an uprising.
The true criminals begin with the oaf who wouldn’t bother to put his hand on the Bible while taking the oath of office. You know, that thing that begins with “I swear…” If he’s not swearing on the Bible, then what’s the authority on which he’s swearing? His actions deny there being any authority greater than himself, which means it is up to us to prove how wrong he is.
Other low points of the day include but are not limited to the following:
Worth watching: Early this morning, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi had a phone call. “We jointly support the development of a more just multipolar global order and work to ensure indivisible security in Eurasia and the world as a whole,” Putin told Xi in remarks carried by the Russian state TV. “Joint efforts by Russia and China play an important stabilizing role in global affairs.” This is a frightening development as our two largest ideological enemies threaten to control more of the world. Keep an eye on this matter.
I don’t expect there to be a great deal of good news over the next four years. For that reason, I’m upping my use of AI-generated imagery on these posts. For the past few years, I’ve re-edited and re-imagined photos from my archives, but the situation we find ourselves in at this moment requires a change. Photos from my archives are from a happier time. They were full of fun, exploration, and frivolity. All that is gone and I’m not going to destroy my photos by trying to make them fit the disgusting and ridiculous circumstances we are in.
Not that any of this matters. Fewer than 100 people view any given update. That’s not exactly a movement that threatens to upset anything. Still, at some unknown point in the distant future, I want our descendants to know that someone put up a fuss. If the world collapses into this chaos, it won’t be because I didn’t try to warn you.
Personally, I’m going to sit here and drown my sorrows in caffeine.
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