Shipwrecked & Comatose

I believe that once the investigations are over, the indictments are handed down, and the smoke clears, Trump will come out of this victorious. I don't believe he is innocent.  The man is a corrupt grifter drunk on his own power (or his perceptions of his own power). I am sure he is guilty of everything he is accused of and more.  I am saying I am a realist.  Trump has been playing the game for decades.  He knows how to evade the law, which he has always believed himself to be above.  He won't suffer the consequences of his political actions any more than he will suffer the consequences of his bad business practices.  I also believe he has what it takes to fix the elections in 2020. I fear the consequences of what will happen if he remains in office.  I don't know if he will lead us into war, or bankrupt the economy, or disenfranchise more voters, or ruin the environment.  Nothing good will come of a continued Trump presidency. I am more afraid of what will happen if

Ready or not, Christmas is coming.  The reminders began some time in September when a few decorative items began popping up at the Hallmark stores. Now that Halloween is over, Christmas anticipation is in full swing.  Most stores are decorated for Christmas and are selling Christmas swag.  Radio stations have begun playing the same tired rotation of Christmas music (some of them nonstop). This blog bemoaned the early onset Christmas celebration since it was still on MySpace.  I never understood the need to rush the season.  Why do we feel this need to hurtle ourselves at top speed toward Christmas when it's not even Thanksgiving?  What do we derive from trying to make Christmas last for two or three months?  What is the purpose? (Also, why does everyone love all that terrible music?) Recently a memory came back to me from college that still makes me think. Sometime in December of my freshman year, a hallmate in my dorm invited me to the Christmas party for one of the campus C

The difference between a parent and non-parent: Parents think it's cute to show off pictures of their kids with food all over their faces. Non-parents look at those pictures, think "ewwwww gross" and mentally beg the parent to please clean that kid's face.

Many Americans are in denial about climate change, particularly those of us in the Northeast,  because they have yet to feel the effects of the extreme weather patterns taking place in other parts of the country, and all over the world.  Here in NY we had a summer that alternated between extreme heat and heavy rain.  It was unpleasant, but it wasn't dangerous.  The west coast wasn't so lucky as droughts brought the right conditions for wildfires.  The south suffered the effects of warming oceans causing hurricanes. My complaint is small potatoes compared to what other parts of the world have suffered, but for my vacation, I had a direct experience with the effects of global warming.  Nobody was harmed, but many were inconvenienced. We had the warnings.  Two or three weeks before our trip Kevin and I both saw notices online about the summer droughts causing low water levels in the Danube.  If the water levels are too low, ships can't pass.  River cruise companies have to