Saturday 9: Kiss

Saturday 9: Kiss (1986)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this week's song, Prince insists there's no particular sign he's more compatible with. Do you take astrology seriously?

A. I do not. I do know, however, that I am Gemini, with the moon in Sagittarius and Aries Rising (though I am not quite sure what that means). I read my horoscope in the paper, but I generally don't remember it by the time I've turned the page.

2) He tells his prospective lover there's no need to be flirty. Are you a good flirt?

A. No.

3) He refers to the nighttime soap opera Dynasty. Were you a fan?

A. No.

4) "Kiss" was recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in Hollywood. Built by Walt Disney Studio, it's the studio where the soundtracks to Mary Poppins and 101 Dalmatians were recorded. When you think of Disney movies, what's the first song that comes to mind?

A. I actually have to think about this. Nothing is coming to mind. Some Elton John song from The Lion King? Can You Feel the Love Tonight? Is that it? (I'm not a big Disney fan.)

5) Prince said he was "obsessed" with Mozart and read everything he could find about the master. Do you often read biographies? If yes, who was the last one about?

A. I occasionally read biographies or autobiographies but not as often as I should. The last autobiography I read (or actually listened to) was Dolly Parton: Songteller, unless you want to count David Sedaris's books, then I have read most of his works in the last year. Since they are life essays, I suppose one could call them autobiographical. The last biography I read was TrueVine, by Beth Macy.

6. He loved snacking while watching a movie in the theater and would mix Goobers (chocolate-covered peanuts) with his popcorn. When you go to the movies, do you visit the concession counter?

A. I haven't been to the movies in years. But I have not visited the concession counter in a long time. I sneak in a bottle of water and make do with that.

7) In 1986, when this song was popular, Peewee's Playhouse premiered. While ostensibly for children, this show had many, many adult viewers. Do you ever watch kids' shows today?

A. Sometimes, but it has been a while. Like back in the 1990s, with exceptions for something like Frozen or a Toy Story movie if I should catch it on.

8) Also in 1986, Sears shoppers were painting their interior walls with "Country Clover," a pale beige with a hint of pink. What color is the room you're in right now?

A. It's off-white. All the rooms in my house are off white. Some places call it almond, some call it eggshell, but it's basically just off-white. A creamy whitish color.

9) Random question: Do you enjoy pressing the pedal to the metal and driving fast?

A. I used to, but that was when I was younger and more stupid. I drive more cautiously now.

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I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.  

Day After Day

This is my cover of Day After Day, written by Peter Hamm and performed by Badfinger in 1971. I have a soft spot for those light rock/pop ballads.

Anyway, the drums are from the Boss RC-3 Loop Station. Everything else is me playing on my Dean Vendetta electric guitar (and singing of course).

First, I played a strumming rhythm and recorded it. Then I played and sang the song. That means you're watching me add the lead and a bit of a bass line in there at times while this video is playing, along with some single string picking at various points in the song.

I must have practiced this 30 times or more before I was somewhat satisfied. There was more I thought about doing with the guitar lead, but I don't trust myself to record over a first recording on the Looper Station and I was afraid I'd lose what I already had. That's something I need to play with so I am more comfortable making those kinds of additions.

Anyway, here you go.

Thursday Thirteen - My Brother's Birds

For Christmas, I gave my brother a bird feeder that takes pictures of birds and sends them to his phone. He's shared some of them with me. He gave me permission to post them.

The Power Men Cometh

Today I have spent hours learning about electricity.

First, a gentleman from a whole-house generator installer came out to give us an estimate on the installation of one of those. I'd rather not have a repeat of the lack of power and heat that we had a few weeks ago. 

It is expensive, though. We will have to think about it. Ultimately, it will be up to my husband to decide, since he would be the one having to deal with generators and such should the power go out again.

Then, a man from the electric company showed up after I called and told them I was being shocked in the shower. He came within an hour of my call, which I had not expected.

Apparently, being shocked in the shower is fairly common. The workman who came was a nice fellow who went above and beyond the call of duty to help us sort out this "ghost," as he called it.

After some kicking around and digging, he and my husband found the ground rod buried in the dirt outside of the house. He sanded off the grounding wire and reworked it and reconnected it because it was loose. He thought this might be the source of the problem.

This was actually something the electrician we'd had out earlier should have checked, I suppose, but the power company fellow wanted to fix the problem. He lives just down the road, we learned, and he said he was helping out a neighbor.

I like nice men who enjoy their work and want to help. He had a ruddy complexion and was quick to smile. He was stocky and exactly what you'd expect an electric repair guy to look like. He was very polite and called me ma'am.

He also gave me his cell number and told me to call him personally if the issue continued. I appreciate that kind of gesture.

We'll see how it goes in the shower tonight, but my fingers are crossed that we have resolved the issue, and there will be no more shocks in the shower.

Sparks in the Shower

Regular readers may remember that when the power was out over Christmas, we managed to have warm water on Christmas Eve. This happened even though the hot water heater was not hooked to the generator.

After the electricity was restored, my husband and I both received shocks in the shower when we touched a stainless-steel hose on the hand-held piece that goes with the showerhead.

We called an electrician.

He and his crew came out, but he could not replicate the shock. Of course, he wasn't standing naked in wet water in the shower, although he did take off his shoes and stand there in his socks. But his socks weren't wet.

Electricity was leaking from the circuit breaker for the hot water heater, so he replaced that. He also tied another ground wire to something or another.

This appeared to fix the problem.

But last week I received a little zap in the shower. I mentioned it to my husband, who said nothing.

Last night, I received another zap in the shower. This time, I experimented. Grabbing the stainless-steel hose did not cause a zap, but if I put my fingertips gently on the hose, I felt the electricity. I no longer chew my nails, but I keep them clipped short, so the skin there is sensitive.

I called to my husband that there was still electricity in the shower.

He came to me bearing a wad of tissues.

"Why are you handing me tissues?" I asked, toweling off my hair. 

"You said you wanted a tissue."

"No, I said there was electricity in the shower."

He says he doesn't have a hearing problem, but I'll let you, dear reader, figure out how "electricity" became "tissue."

"Anyway, I was shocked in the shower. Had my electric shock treatment, I guess," I kidded.

This time, he admitted that it had shocked him earlier as well. He'd showered before me.

My request for him to call the electrician was met with, "I'll do it when I get time."

Since I like my life and would prefer not to be murdered by my shower, I want him to call sooner rather than later, and if he hasn't called tomorrow, I am calling myself.

In the meantime, I put down a plastic mat in the shower. It's the best I can do to offer some kind of grounding.

ChatGPT - Artificial Intelligence

I created an account and went to the openai.com site to see what's up with the ChatGPT research. I've seen reports of students using it to create assignment responses.

I asked the AI to tell me about endometriosis. I thought it was not a highly sought after topic and felt it was a good test for the AI.

Here is its response:

Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue that lines the uterus (the endometrium) grows outside of the uterus, most commonly on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and other tissue in the pelvic region. This tissue continues to behave as it normally would inside the uterus, thickening, breaking down, and bleeding with each menstrual cycle. However, because this tissue is located outside of the uterus, it has no way to exit the body, leading to inflammation, pain, and the formation of scar tissue. Endometriosis can also cause infertility.

Then I asked: How do you cure endometriosis?

Endometriosis treatment options vary depending on the severity of the condition and the patient's individual needs. Some common treatment options include:

Medications: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help alleviate pain, and hormonal medications such as birth control pills can help slow the growth of endometrial tissue.

Surgery: Laparoscopic surgery can be used to remove endometrial tissue and scar tissue, and may also be used to preserve fertility.

Hormonal therapy: GnRH agonists can be used to reduce the symptoms of endometriosis by lowering the levels of estrogen in the body and putting the patient into temporary menopause.

Complementary therapy: Physical therapy, acupuncture, and dietary changes can help alleviate the pain associated with endometriosis.

It's worth noting that while there is no cure for endometriosis, these treatments can help alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life. It's important to work with your healthcare provider to find a treatment plan that works best for you.

Then I asked: Can adhesions or scar tissue cause pain?

Yes, adhesions or scar tissue can cause pain. Adhesions are bands of fibrous tissue that can form between tissues and organs, and they can cause pain by pulling on or restricting the movement of organs and other structures. Scar tissue can also cause pain, particularly if it forms around nerves or other sensitive structures.

In the case of endometriosis, adhesions or scar tissue can form as a result of the inflammation caused by the endometrial tissue growing outside the uterus. These adhesions or scar tissue can cause pain by pulling on or restricting the movement of organs and other structures in the pelvic region. They can also cause chronic pelvic pain and dysmenorrhea.

It's important to note that not everyone with endometriosis will experience adhesions or scar tissue, and not everyone with adhesions or scar tissue will experience pain. Additionally, pain caused by adhesions or scar tissue may be treated with surgery, physical therapy and/or medication.

Then I asked: How do you deal with the pain from scar tissue and adhesions?

Dealing with pain caused by scar tissue and adhesions can be challenging, but there are several treatment options available:

Medications: Over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help alleviate pain, and prescription medications such as muscle relaxants or nerve blockers may also be used.

Physical Therapy: Physical therapy can help relieve pain and improve mobility by stretching and strengthening the muscles and tissues affected by scar tissue and adhesions.

Surgery: Surgery may be necessary to remove scar tissue or adhesions that are causing pain or restricting movement. This may include laparoscopic surgery, which uses small incisions and a camera to remove the scar tissue or adhesions.

Complementary therapies: Acupuncture, massage, and other complementary therapies can help alleviate pain and improve mobility.

Lifestyle changes: Certain lifestyle changes such as avoiding certain positions, using heat or cold therapy, and reducing stress may also help alleviate pain.

Then I asked: Does a hysterectomy help with endometriosis?

A hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) may help alleviate symptoms of endometriosis, particularly if the endometriosis is concentrated in the uterus. However, it is not a guaranteed cure for endometriosis and it depends on the stage and location of the disease.

Removing the uterus and ovaries (oophorectomy) can be an effective way to stop the menstrual cycle and halt the growth of endometrial tissue, which can help alleviate pain and other symptoms. However, endometriosis can also occur on other organs such as the bladder, bowel, and even the lungs. If endometriosis is present in these areas, a hysterectomy alone may not be enough to alleviate symptoms.

Additionally, a hysterectomy is a major surgery and it carries risks and complications, it should be considered as a last resort after trying other treatment options.

It's important to work with your healthcare provider to find the best treatment plan for your individual needs, which may include a combination of medications, surgery, and/or other therapies.

There are no cites, and no case studies. But for a quick article and knowledge on this topic, this is as good as Wikipedia. I know enough about the condition, having had it, to see that the computer has the correct information. With a little tweaking, this could easily be turned into a student essay.

This is a bit scary, but also exciting.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. What is your favorite accent?

A. Aye Captain, I'm givin' her all she's got! She won't hold together much longer. (Whatever that was that Scotty in Star Trek had. I also like Sean Connery's accent.)

2. What is your favorite animal?

A. Deer, I suppose.

3. What is your favorite band?

A. Gosh, there are so many. I will go with Fleetwood Mac.

4. What is your favorite childhood book?

A. I have two: Miss Osborne the Mop and Anne of Green Gables.

5. What is your favorite color?

A. Blue.

6. What is your favorite drink?

A. I love root beer, although I haven't had any in years.

7. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

A. I haven't had ice cream since I was 12. I imagine it would be chocolate.

8. What is your favorite place on the planet?

A. Home.

9. What is your favorite sandwich?

A. A good egg salad sandwich hits the spot.

10. What is your favorite swear word?

A. F*ck, F*ck, F*ck, F*ck, etc.

11. What is your favorite thing to wear?

A. Jeans and a t-shirt.

12. What is your favorite food to eat on a rainy day?

A. I don't know that I have one, but I'll go with soup.

13. What is your favorite food to eat on a sunny day?

A. Watermelon, if it's hot.

14. What is your favorite number?

A. Eight. If you turn it on its side, it's the infinity sign.

15. What is your favorite snack?

A. Lately I've been eating these rice cakes with a little covering of milk chocolate. They're pretty good.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Hurting Each Other

Saturday 9: Hurting Each Other (1972)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This week's song was written by Gary Geld and Peter Udell, who also wrote 1962's "Sealed with a Kiss." What was in the last envelope you sealed?

A. A letter to my cousin. No, wait, I mailed a check in an envelope after that. 

2) In "Hurting Each Other," Karen Carpenter sings she wishes she and her lover could stop making each other cry. Have you most recently shed a tear in the last week, the last month, or longer ago than that?

A. I have shed lots of tears, as recent as yesterday. Over the Christmas weekend, I cried a lot.

3) One of the Carpenters' first records was a cover of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride." Both Karen and Richard were huge fans and nervous about how the Beatles would react to their version. They were thrilled to learn that Paul McCartney responded by saying Karen had "one of the best female voices in the world." Tell us some news you received recently that brightened your day.

A. I easily found someone to rent the house I inherited from my mother after my tenant gave notice.

4) Karen died in 1983, but her musical partner and big brother Richard is still with us. He has said he grew up a big fan Top 40 radio, listening every morning as he got ready for school and every afternoon while doing homework. When you were a kid, did you like to study with music or the TV on? Or would you prefer quiet?

A. I used to do my homework on the hour-long bus ride home. Otherwise, I did it in my room with music on. I still usually have music on in the background when I'm working. It's either music or quiet. I am not much on having the TV blaring all the time.

5) Karen and Richard spent their teen years in Downey, California. It has the distinction of being home to the nation's oldest, still-operating McDonald's. It's been on the same site on Lakewood Blvd. since 1953. Tell us about a business in your neighborhood that seems to have always been right there, in that spot.

A. The bank in town had been around since 1875 and moved to its current location in 1910. It was called The Bank of Fincastle, but about 18 months ago it sold out to a larger regional bank and now it's called First Bank. I liked it better when it was a local bank.

6) The siblings may have had a squeaky-clean public image, but Richard did have a brush with the law while in Downey. The Carpenter family lived for a time in an apartment complex, and one of their neighbors -- a policeman -- objected to Richard "banging on the piano" at all hours. When did you most recently interact with an officer of the law?

A. The last time would have been when a cow got out in the road, and someone called the Sheriff's Office. A patrol car came out and the police officer (maybe it was animal control) informed me a cow was out. This would have been prior to 2019 because my husband was at work. Together the police officer and I corralled the wayward cow and put her back in the field.

7) In 1972, when this song was popular, Mark Spitz was America's premier Olympian, winning seven Gold Medals. A poster of Spitz wearing his red, white and blue swim trunks and all seven medals was a top seller. Can you recall a poster that decorated your bedroom wall when you were a kid?

A. I used to have this poster on my wall:

8) Also in 1972, Liza Minnelli was encouraging us to "come to the cabaret." Without looking it up, do you know who Liza's famous parents were?

A. Isn't she Judy Garland's daughter? Now I have to go look it up . . . Yes, I'm correct. And director Vincente Minnelli was her father.

9) Random question: Are you a better student or teacher?

A. I am a better student, unless you want to count my efforts at writing so that people understand as an educational endeavor. I always considered it as such, anyway.

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.  

Thursday Thirteen #790

Some years I pick a word to be my word for the year. So far, nothing has really struck me. Here are 13 I am considering.

1. Imagine/Imagination

2. Breathe (Inhale/Exhale?)

3. Calm

4. Focus

5. Balance

6.  Achieve

7. Mindful/Mindfulness

8. Move/Movement

9. Persevere/Persist

10. Purpose

11. Dedication/Deliberate

12. Thoughtful/Thoughtfulness

13. Well/Wellness (Healthy?)

How about you? Do you have a word for the year? Or the month? Or the day?

__________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 790th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Too Cute To Eat

My friend T. brought me one of these for Christmas (before the power went out). It was (almost) too cute to eat.

Hard to resist the chocolate, though! Yum.

Cardinal

 

It Takes Just a Little While

Change does not happen overnight.

Not generally, anyway.

I've heard of folks who go to bed and wake up in the morning with white hair. Canities subita is the medical term for hair turning white overnight. The phenomenon is almost universally acknowledged as myth—but not entirely. There have been 84 verified instances of it happening since 1800.

My hair often looks much grayer (soft white is the term I prefer) after a cut. I accuse the beautician of using her scissors to ferret out the color and leave the gray, but the gray was already there. With each cut, my hair grows whiter. (I have a friend whose hair was totally white by the time she was 45, if not younger, so I consider myself lucky to still have my natural brownish color at all.)

Weight does not fall off in 10-pound increments. No, it comes off a half-pound at a time. Some days one may wake up and find the scale indicates one weighs two or three pounds less, but it is a change that happened over a period of days, unless one is quite ill. Even so, the most weight I've ever lost at one time is 8 pounds in a week, and that was a week of barely eating because my gallbladder was giving me a fit.

So, I could starve myself and lose 8 pounds a week. Maybe.

And then there's the world. How much has the world changed in my lifetime? And how much has it stayed the same?

The truth is the change has been minimal. Oh sure, there are advances in technology, changes in the way we raise children, a loss of morals and civility. But this has happened before, maybe just clothed in different colors.

In the past, I have spent much time reading old local newspapers. What struck me the most was the similarity of stories from the past to today. The concerns were the same: how to spend tax dollars. How to train children. How to make the most of agriculture products. How to keep private what should be public, and vice versa. Racism, sexism, money.

The only difference between then and now were the sums and the civility. The chairperson yelling in 1922 about money going toward public schools did so with decorum and manners. We've lost that, but it's taken my entire lifetime for the moral character of society to degrade itself as it does now. That's 60 years before that kind of corrupt change became more apparent. Personally, I think it's as it always has been, only now it has a megaphone in the form of social media and 24/7 television news. When we have things blaring at us constantly, we tend to feel it more, or feel that it is a more immediate change than it truly is.

That's not to say we haven't made strides of change - we have. But they have been imposed upon the external elements of society. Government edicts in the form of the Civil Rights Law, for example, or Title IX, or other legislation.

Legislation doesn't change the hearts of people. Legislation doesn't make a racist any less a racist, or a misogynist any less a woman-hater. It may make some hearts more accepting or may force the hatred to turn - as today it turns toward those who profess a difference in gender pronouns, for example. And legislation can't make attitudes such as fascism go away, nor make hearts any more open.

That takes a change that occurs over centuries. Maybe a millennium, maybe longer. It's certainly not going to change in my lifetime into anything good, particularly now when we see a return of a bent toward authoritarianism, when antisemitism is again on the rise, when dislike and disloyalty are applauded, and loyalty dismissed, unless it's loyalty to a personality.

Change takes a while. Sometimes it takes a long while, and sometimes it feels like we are changing for the worse or going backwards. In those moments, what we're really seeing is the rise of the realness of the human heart, which for better or worse, does not often lend itself to love of our fellow human beings and all of their diversity and uniqueness.

If I could snap my fingers, and like a snowy day turn the darkness of winter into something glittering and lovely, I would. If I could eat something bitter and turn my hair back to brown or make myself stop aging, I would. But none of us can do that. We cannot legislate away the calamities of the human heart.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing

1. If you could change the ending to one movie you have seen, which one would it be, and how would you reshoot it?

A. It has always bothered me that Thelma and Louise chose to drive their car off a cliff. Instead, I would end the shot with them driving down a long, lonely road, with a sign that said "Canada" or "Mexico" on it in the distance.

2. If you were to select a food that best describes your character, what food would it be?

A. Jello. Or Timid Little Mouse Stew, which I don't think is really a thing.

3. If you could cure any disease, which would it be?

A. Cancer in all its forms.

4. If you had to describe the single worst thing a friend could do to you, what would it be?

A. Lie to me, if we're not counting something like shooting me or hitting me in the head with a rock.

5. If you could be a contestant on any game show, which would you like to be on?

A. Jeopardy! But I would never go on a game show.

6. If you could choose the music at your own funeral, what would it be, and who would play it?

A. Oh, I already have that picked out. It would be this:

7. If you had to spend all of your vacations for the rest of your life in the same place, where would you go?

A. I may as well just stay home. That's where I am all the time, anyway, and I like the mountains.

8. If you could ask God a single question, what would it be?

A. Why do good people suffer?

9. If you could eat one food in any quantity for the rest of your life with no ill effects whatsoever, what food would you choose?

A. A salad. Lots of good stuff in salads.

10. If you could have a year any place in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go?

A. Ireland, Scotland, and England.

11. If you could forever eliminate one specific type of prejudice from the earth, which would it be?

A. I don't know why we have to have any prejudices. But if I must only choose one, then I would go with sexism.

12. If you could own one painting from any collection in the world but were not allowed to sell it, which work of art would you select?

A. The Persistence of Memory, by Salvador Dali

13. If you could ask a single question of a dead relative, what would it be and of whom would you ask it?

A. I would ask my mother why she didn't want me.

14. If you had to choose the best television show ever made, which one would you pick?

A. M*A*S*H.

15. If you could write letters to only one person for the rest of your life, who would receive them?

A. I think I'd just send them out into the world without an address, and they'd end up in the dead letter office.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: What's New, Pussycat?

Saturday 9: What's New, Pussycat? (1965)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

Welcome to the first Saturday 9 of 2023.

1) In this song, Tom Jones wants to know what's new in his girl's life. Here at Saturday 9, we're concentrating on the new year. What do you hope will be new and different in your life during 2023?

A. It would be nice to feel like I could go out in public without worry. That's a hope, though, and probably not a reality. I'm not really feeling the hope right at the moment.

2) He sings that he has flowers for his special girl. Are there fresh flowers in your home right now?

A. No. I'm allergic. There is a Christmas cactus out in the garage. It never bloomed. I need to repot it.

3) He also wants to spend hours with her. What is something you'd like to spend more time doing in 2023?

A. Writing.

4) Before his music career took off, Tom Jones supported himself by selling vacuum cleaners. Could your home benefit from a once-over with a vacuum right now?

A. It could always benefit from a once-over with a vacuum. I live on a farm, my husband tracks in dirt. Plus, I live in between the two largest polluters in my county.

5) Memorabilia from Tom's 1990 world tour was available eBay and the bids went up to $599 a jacket worn by the stage crew. Have you ever bought anything at an auction (online or otherwise)?

A. I have bought things at real auctions, live auctions. But not online auctions. 

6) Tom's adult grandson, Alex, represented Wales in rifle shooting in the Commonwealth Games. Is there a sport you'd like to try, or get better at, in 2023?

A. Not really. I've never been a sporty kind of girl.

7) In 1965, when this song was popular, Tom Jones made a new friend, Elvis Presley. Tom had a meeting at Paramount Studios to discuss recording a song for a movie soundtrack and Elvis was finishing a film. It was the beginning of a friendship that would continue for the rest of Elvis' life. Did you make any new friends in 2022?

A. Only if you count new players in my video game fellowship.

8) Also in 1965, The Sound of Music premiered and became one of the most successful movies of all time. Have you seen it?

A. I've seen it many times. It's a favorite of mine, but my husband doesn't like it.

9) Random question: Were you like those shoppers we saw on TV, in line at a retailer after the holidays to exchange a gift that wasn't quite right?

A. We had to return a gift my husband gave me, as it was broken when it came out of the box. We would have exchanged it, but none were available, so we received a refund.

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however.  

Don't Wanna Smile

This is a somber day, the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection. As the January 6th Committee proved, this was a staged coup by an ousted president, who wished to maintain power and bring the USA under authoritarian rule.

It wasn't just a break-in, or a tourist visit. It was a damaging, demeaning effort to toss the U.S. Constitution into a trash can and light it afire.

It's also a somber day because the U.S. House of Representative has yet to be seated as I write this. The 118th Congress is not in session, is not doing the people's business, or overseeing all that it oversees because the Republicans, who hold a thin majority, cannot come together to vote for a Speaker of the House. Kevin McCarthy is on his 13th vote as I listen to the roll call. (My own representative, Ben Cline, apparently went to the bathroom and didn't vote yet this round, but he's been voting for McCarthy. I guess they'll get him when they go back for those they missed in the first run-through.)

It's the first time in 100 years the House did not elect a Speaker on the first try. The last time it went this many votes was back in 1851 or thereabouts.

To see this disarray in the House is disheartening. Even if McCarthy wins, and I expect he will eventually, he will be a weak Speaker. This not the way to lead. A man of integrity would have stepped aside, but I don't see too much integrity when it comes to politics.

Having spent 35 years covering local government, and being one of those persons who love history, seeing the government fail before my eyes is a bit like watching a ghoul suck out my soul. I have held the local courthouse in reverence and considered it sacred. I have walked the halls of government buildings awed that I could do so, that I didn't have to fear being challenged, that I had every right to be there, simply because I was a citizen, and not solely because I was working for a news outlet.

The law is as sacred to me as the Bible is to others. To violate the law is to break the societal contract, the one we all must live by if we are to get along. When the laws go by the wayside, so too does the Republic. We cannot live in peace if we choose to ignore the laws, no matter how moral our religious beliefs may be. I have not found the morals of religion to be strong enough to keep society in check, unless one wants to live under a strict religious rule such as the Taliban. That is not my idea of freedom, though. Those who want it have no idea what they're requesting. Looking forward is not the strong suit of those who seek those types of changes.

No, this is not a day for celebrating. This is one of those dates that will stay with me, like 9/11, or 01/28/86, when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. Or my own wedding date, or my husband's birthday. The dates one cannot forget.

I do want to call out someone though - The Honorable Cheryl L. Johnson, Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. I've been watching her and her deputy clerks deal with this rowdy bunch of elected fools (which in and of itself makes me frustrated, it's not a party and that goes for both sides of the aisle), and she deserves praise and a raise.

The count for the 13th time continues . . . 

Thursday Thirteen

I don't do New Year's resolutions. But I do have some goals or wishes that I hope to manage in 2023.

1. Take a vacation. We haven't had one since 2019. That will depend on Covid and the general state of things, though.

2. Manage my health better. This encompasses everything from eating well to moving more.

3. Do the 2022 taxes. Blah.

4. Keep up with the bookkeeping better for 2023. I did better at this in 2022 than I usually do, so if I can keep that up, I'll be ok. (This is stuff for the farm and my husband's septic installation business.)

5. Declutter.

6. Learn new songs on the guitar.

7. Set aside one hour every day for writing.

8. Be present.

9. Consider finding a job.

10. Read more.

11. Play video games less.

12. Listen to music.

13. Improve my photography

__________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 789th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

If You Wake Up

One of the leftovers from last year (and previous years) was the use of the word "woke" as some kind of belligerent belittling of people, particularly people who are "on the left," if one must use such terms to describe a group. It seems we must do that these days.

For the longest time, I did not know what the word "woke" meant. Did it mean I had my eyes open? Did it mean I understood things? Did it mean I had been to college?

Merriam-Webster defines it thusly: "Woke is now defined in this dictionary as “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice),” and identified as U.S. slang. It originated in African American English and gained more widespread use beginning in 2014 as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. By the end of that same decade, it was also being applied by some as a general pejorative for anyone who is or appears to be politically left-leaning."

The origin of the word goes back decades, with no one quite sure where it originated with this use.

Given that it means to be aware of facts and issues, the word "woke" could have been used to describe me for my entire life. I've always been aware of social issues, racial injustice, the ineptitudes of capitalism, and the difference in classes, culture, and religion. I may not understand them all in great depth, but I have been aware of them.

I see nothing wrong with being able to acknowledge sexism, racism, misogyny, the dire restraints of the patriarchal system, and the crushing weight of religions of all shapes and sizes upon society. These are things we all live with. Most people, I have found, do not spend time thinking about them. They don't care, for example, if women make 30 cents less than men. They were raised to think that this was normal, and they see it as normal.

For me, it's an injustice that needs to be corrected.

Things become weird when people get stuff mixed up with their emotions - or with their pocketbook. For whatever reason, gender issues trigger many people. I strongly suspect this is because almost everyone is bisexual to some degree, and people are raised via their religions to beat this aspect of themselves into submission. Allowing gender issues to become open and part of society mixes up them up because the things they were taught are being challenged.

If it hits the pocketbook, as in, "my taxes shouldn't pay for the welfare queen's kid," then it triggers a different kind of angry emotion. To this I say, let your taxes pay for the military jets that I abhor; my taxes can pay for the child and mother to have something to eat.

Why being "woke" is an insult is beyond me, but the insult comes from people I tend to perceive as not very smart in the first place, and here is where the trouble comes in.

When we start lumping folks into categories, we begin to have problems. If thinking I'm woke also means I think the "unwoke" are idiots, or vice versa, well, of course dialogue breaks down. Nobody wants to talk to an idiot, whether they're awake or not.

I can't cancel people who don't want to accept my acceptance (which is what being "woke" is - a form of acceptance), simply because they disagree with it. I can, however, object to individuals who may want to argue with me or make my life miserable because they find me disagreeable. I don't have to allow myself to be harmed.

Being "woke" is a non-starter for me. I don't see it as insult. I see it as an acknowledgement that I understand that societal problems are many, and some of them can and should be changed, corrected, fixed, or improved. The world is not stagnant, and neither is society. Change is the one constant we can always count on.

Being "woke" means I know that things are wrong in the world, and they need to be changed. 

I don't know what's so bad about that.

They Come This Close

Who needs binoculars when they look in the window?

This Was Christmas

My brother and his girlfriend came over Thursday evening. We had a cheeseball, chips, and fudge.

We exchanged gifts.

That was Christmas.

For a few hours there, I was calm and relaxed.

The decorations came down Friday. I couldn't wait for it to be over with.