Alive And Kicking Back

This seemed like a good time to remind everyone that I'm not dead, wounded, or imprisoned at Guantanamo, nor is this blog "gone." It is simply appearing very sporadically, much like coherent sentences coming out of Joe Biden's mouth.

My experiment with backing away from politics continues. Oh, I still read the Wall Street Journal and occasionally peek in to see what Tucker Carlson is rightfully angry about. But I'm not following myriad stories beat-by-beat, and I'm using all of that saved time to accomplish...well...not much yet. Hey, redefining yourself doesn't happen overnight (except for hungover people who discover the "morning after" that their sexual orientation wasn't what they thought it was).

So I'm mostly attacking chores with varying degrees of success:

• I mowed my lawn. Which sounds dull, but mowing a lawn in Texas in July is basically playing Russian roulette with heatstroke.

• Related to the Texas heat, there are reports that our state's electrical grid may get spotty in the coming days and weeks. Bringing my Covid-prepper mindset to the problem, I've purchased a number of rechargeable camp fans and a portable solar panel so that in case of a power outage, the Jarlsberg family (including dogs) can at least enjoy hot breezes until the air conditioning comes back or we just flat out die.

• Speaking of air conditioning, the unit has stopped working in daughter Jarlsberg's car. Fortunately, I found a Youtube video about how to fix the problem and was assured "you can do it in 15 minutes even if you've never done it before." I'd like to think that it's part of my charm that I'm still stupid enough to believe that sort of thing. My efforts came to naught and I'm taking the car in for repair tomorrow. And if they try to bill me for three hours of work, I'll refer them to the Youtube video as a negotiating tactic.

• I've started sorting through dusty boxes of paperwork and memorabilia to prepare for a possible interview which may go into a real, intended-for-broadcast documentary about an unusual business venture I was part of many years ago. The enterprise received national attention for a while and, despite allegations to the contrary, was not promoting Satanism. And that's really all I can say because I signed a non-disclosure agreement. Wait, am I allowed to say that? Well, it's too late now.

• And for no particular reason other than that it's Friday, let's enjoy a quick round of "O Caption, My Caption." And no, I don't know what the heck this thing really is other than it was a medical illustration...

Wham On Wry

To better explain why I'm taking some time off from politics, I wanted to create a graphic which would illustrate my current mindset. And I couldn't think of any better metaphor than a carnival "high striker" game in which a heavy mallet blow sends a weight soaring upwards, the goal being to ring the bell at the top. Now imagine that the game is my level of anger about the news. I'd reached a point (and I'm still there) in which every news item rang my bell every freaking time.

Cackling Kamala Harris going to a border (but not the problematic border) to address illegal immigration without ever mentioning border security? BANG - shwoop! - CLANG!

News that Ivermectin, when properly administered, reduces Covid deaths by 62% and transmission by 86% - but there's still nobody talking about it (and the millions who died unnecessarily)? CLANG!

The NFL running an ad that proclaims "Football is Gay. Football is Lesbian. Football is Beautiful. Football is Queer. Football is Life. Football is Transgender. Football is Tough. Football is Bisexual. Football is Accepting. Football is Everything. Football is for Everyone." CLANG!

A U.S. Olympic athlete (in the highly-regarded sport of "hammer throwing") turns her well-toned ebony back on the American flag at an event because it doesn't speak for her? CLANG!

A Biden administration member attempts to blame the Florida condo collapse on "climate change?" CLANG!

In the face of a growing wave of violent crime, Democrats claim that it's Republicans who are defunding the police? CLANG!

And so on and so on and so on. Each incident sends my temper skyrocketing and leaves a fresh dent in an already well-worn bell. Which is why I decided to take an extended time-out. And so far, it feels pretty darn good.

Have I given up hope that things can get better? Absolutely not! But they're not going to get better in the immediate future, so I'd like to use that immediate future to enjoy myself as much as possible. And part of that enjoyment will be continuing to communicate with you here, about whatever goofiness is on my mind, or whatever amusement I can cook up for you. And I can't commit to any kind of schedule, but just know that I'm not disappearing. 

Nor can I completely ignore politics.  As a case in point, I just found out that our family dentist - who we've used for decades - is closing his practice. He loves what he does, but just can't take the bureaucratic BS anymore. The straw that finally broke the camel's back: in order to keep his practice open, he was being required to take classes teaching him how to recognize and fight sex trafficking. Presumably so he could call Kamala Harris (ha!) if a decaying van overpacked with weeping children comes screeching to a halt outside his door and a dust-covered Latinx Coyote rushes in to ask, "How motch to make the cheeldren's mouths preety?"

CLANG!

And One More Thing....

Have a glorious Independence Day weekend and celebrate what is still the greatest nation on Earth!

Summer Breakation

Readers- I'm going to take a break for a bit and will be posting only sporadically (but if you're on the email list, you'll always be alerted to new material).

I'm glad to say that there's nothing sad, sinister, or even remotely depressing behind this decision. Rather, it's a case of there being some other fun things I want to accomplish and currently there just isn't enough time to squeeze everything in.

Plus, after doing this for 12+ years, it doesn't help that the news has become an unrelentingly negative slog. At this point, I think we can all agree that our country is on the receiving end of metaphorical (and perhaps literal) Chinese water torture without the need for me to opine on every new droplet as it splatters on our foreheads.

I'll definitely have more to say about all of this (probably on Friday) after doing some thought-gathering and navel-gazing (which I'd previously given up for Lint). For now, just know that all is well and I'm in a perfectly good mood, but change is in the air!