When I logged in this morning, Grammarly, the browser extension I use to check my spelling and grammar, popped up a notice saying they had reviewed my writing style for 2024 and that I am best described as ‘The Sage.’ I’m not sure I agree with that assessment. ‘Caffeine addict’ is probably more appropriate. I can’t imagine how jumbled my words would be if I didn’t have a pot of coffee sitting on my desk each morning. I stifled a laugh because Kat’s still asleep. Grammarly doesn’t like that last sentence because I changed the tense halfway through. Queen Bit, who is sitting on my laptop acting as editor this morning, doesn’t seem to mind.
The kids are headed back to school this morning. Primary city streets are well-plowed now, so buses are running pretty close to on time. Sidewalks are still a mess as plows piled snow on them, though. Pedestrians can’t catch a fucking break in this city. The safer option in weather like this, and sometimes the only option, is to walk along the edge of the street. I’ve done that more times than I care to count and I know the dangers. Legally, homeowners and businesses are required to clear the sidewalks in front of their homes and businesses. However, at least in our neighborhood, few people are healthy enough to be outside pushing around shovels full of snow. I know it’s not an activity I dare attempt.
I watched with interest as school closing announcements in Oklahoma and Kansas came across my monitor last night. They have a new weather system hitting them this morning. The accumulation totals appear laughable to people living in places where snow is measured in feet, not inches. The challenges the center states face are unique, though. For Kansas, snow on the flatland means blizzard conditions. Ranchers have to find ways to protect cattle herds that are too large and too scattered to move into a barn. For Eastern Oklahoma, the terrain is an issue. The rolling hills that are so beautiful in Spring are treacherous with the smallest amounts of snow. Municipal governments there don’t have the funding for armies of snow plows or tons of salt. Driving is immediately hazardous as the slightest slip of a tire can send one plummeting over the edge of a cliff.
The cold winter weather of the central and eastern states lies in stark contrast to the ‘worst-ever’ wildfires in and around Los Angeles. While it’s still too early to begin making lists, be sure that a large number of landmarks are gone. Alerts this morning show that the fire has spread into the Hollywood Hills, putting the famed sign in danger. I know that area. The scrub brush in between the homes primarily constructed in the 1940s and 50s, puts the entire place in danger of going up like a tinder box. Lives are upended as the only safe option is to leave, not knowing if anything will remain when they return.
If this seems to be out of season for wildfires, you are correct. This fire is unusual and unexpected. While celebrities and movie stars are quick to hop aboard their private jets and whine about the loss of their million-dollar homes, millions of other people struggle to find a ride of any kind. Freeways are more jammed than normal. Residents are forced to make the painful decision to leave behind pets as they flee. Many have no place to go. Traveling very far is not financially possible for hundreds of thousands of people. As the fires grow, some could still become victims even as they’ve already lost their homes.
Against the backdrop of national tragedy, the prospect of a multi-million dollar inauguration funded by gesticulating tech bros demonstrates how completely out of touch the incoming administration is with the realities of living in America. The Felonious President-elect and his billionaire cronies live in a fantasy world where a new Imperialism sounds like a fun thing to start. They have no concept of how rough winters tend to give way to tornado-ridden springs followed by a devastating mix of drought in the West and hurricanes in the East. Millions of lives will be tragically disrupted over the next twelve months. If you think anyone in DC gives a shit, you are sadly mistaken.
If I don’t seem hopeful, I’m not. World leaders are repeating the sins of the 16th and 17th centuries with no clue how wrong their actions are for everyone on the planet. The end results this time will be exactly the same as before. There will be revolutions and uprisings, assassinations, and mass casualty events. Disease will become rampant. Human civilization takes a hard step backward.
I wish I could foresee a better future, but the data doesn’t support that. What may bother me most is that there are groups of religious zealots who will celebrate this chaos because, in their addled minds, these wars must certainly herald the return of a Savior who, once again, fails to show up. They’re willing to not only sacrifice their own lives but those of everyone else in pursuit of a fake prophecy that is never coming true.
Now might be a good time to invest in the funeral business. We’re going to need a lot of caskets.
Hot & Cold.
When I logged in this morning, Grammarly, the browser extension I use to check my spelling and grammar, popped up a notice saying they had reviewed my writing style for 2024 and that I am best described as ‘The Sage.’ I’m not sure I agree with that assessment. ‘Caffeine addict’ is probably more appropriate. I can’t imagine how jumbled my words would be if I didn’t have a pot of coffee sitting on my desk each morning. I stifled a laugh because Kat’s still asleep. Grammarly doesn’t like that last sentence because I changed the tense halfway through. Queen Bit, who is sitting on my laptop acting as editor this morning, doesn’t seem to mind.
The kids are headed back to school this morning. Primary city streets are well-plowed now, so buses are running pretty close to on time. Sidewalks are still a mess as plows piled snow on them, though. Pedestrians can’t catch a fucking break in this city. The safer option in weather like this, and sometimes the only option, is to walk along the edge of the street. I’ve done that more times than I care to count and I know the dangers. Legally, homeowners and businesses are required to clear the sidewalks in front of their homes and businesses. However, at least in our neighborhood, few people are healthy enough to be outside pushing around shovels full of snow. I know it’s not an activity I dare attempt.
I watched with interest as school closing announcements in Oklahoma and Kansas came across my monitor last night. They have a new weather system hitting them this morning. The accumulation totals appear laughable to people living in places where snow is measured in feet, not inches. The challenges the center states face are unique, though. For Kansas, snow on the flatland means blizzard conditions. Ranchers have to find ways to protect cattle herds that are too large and too scattered to move into a barn. For Eastern Oklahoma, the terrain is an issue. The rolling hills that are so beautiful in Spring are treacherous with the smallest amounts of snow. Municipal governments there don’t have the funding for armies of snow plows or tons of salt. Driving is immediately hazardous as the slightest slip of a tire can send one plummeting over the edge of a cliff.
The cold winter weather of the central and eastern states lies in stark contrast to the ‘worst-ever’ wildfires in and around Los Angeles. While it’s still too early to begin making lists, be sure that a large number of landmarks are gone. Alerts this morning show that the fire has spread into the Hollywood Hills, putting the famed sign in danger. I know that area. The scrub brush in between the homes primarily constructed in the 1940s and 50s, puts the entire place in danger of going up like a tinder box. Lives are upended as the only safe option is to leave, not knowing if anything will remain when they return.
If this seems to be out of season for wildfires, you are correct. This fire is unusual and unexpected. While celebrities and movie stars are quick to hop aboard their private jets and whine about the loss of their million-dollar homes, millions of other people struggle to find a ride of any kind. Freeways are more jammed than normal. Residents are forced to make the painful decision to leave behind pets as they flee. Many have no place to go. Traveling very far is not financially possible for hundreds of thousands of people. As the fires grow, some could still become victims even as they’ve already lost their homes.
Against the backdrop of national tragedy, the prospect of a multi-million dollar inauguration funded by gesticulating tech bros demonstrates how completely out of touch the incoming administration is with the realities of living in America. The Felonious President-elect and his billionaire cronies live in a fantasy world where a new Imperialism sounds like a fun thing to start. They have no concept of how rough winters tend to give way to tornado-ridden springs followed by a devastating mix of drought in the West and hurricanes in the East. Millions of lives will be tragically disrupted over the next twelve months. If you think anyone in DC gives a shit, you are sadly mistaken.
If I don’t seem hopeful, I’m not. World leaders are repeating the sins of the 16th and 17th centuries with no clue how wrong their actions are for everyone on the planet. The end results this time will be exactly the same as before. There will be revolutions and uprisings, assassinations, and mass casualty events. Disease will become rampant. Human civilization takes a hard step backward.
I wish I could foresee a better future, but the data doesn’t support that. What may bother me most is that there are groups of religious zealots who will celebrate this chaos because, in their addled minds, these wars must certainly herald the return of a Savior who, once again, fails to show up. They’re willing to not only sacrifice their own lives but those of everyone else in pursuit of a fake prophecy that is never coming true.
Now might be a good time to invest in the funeral business. We’re going to need a lot of caskets.
Go ahead. Prove me wrong. Please.
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