Poem

 Here goes

I wanted to sleep in

But my nightmares

had other ideas

Waking me

Screaming 

 into the pre-dawn darkness

heart pounding

mouth dry

I cannot remember the dream

only the terror.

and being afraid

to ever sleep again

Trying my hand at Haiku

 

I went to a poetry reading in my neighborhood.  The cool thing is all kinds of poets, reading all kinds of poetry and being supportive.  We talked about, among other things, Haiku

One woman said she loved Haiku because she was an accountant, and it was all about numbers.  I suppose that is one way to approach it.  Unlike the woman who tried to tell me how to write (which I , in my petty little mind equated with her telling me how to feel, which NEVER goes over well. Ask my Ex about THAT) I smiled and bit my tongue.  Who am I to tell anyone how or what to write?  Art is an extension of who YOU are and to try to cram that creativity into a box is just wrong.  I stopped painting when my second-grade teacher criticized my painting because it had words in it. Who KNEW I was a trendsetter in text art?  I could have had a career!  Thanks Mrs. Gnotta!

Anyway, the conversation sent me back to a book-talk by Mystery writer and haikuist (is that a word?) Dale Furutani.  He explained something like the first and second lines form one thought and the second and third, another.  Almost always, haiku has a reference to nature so

I cannot recall
what toppings he said he liked
to be on pizza

Follows the form but is not a traditional haiku.  Is it a poem?  Well anything can be a poem if you think it is, but you won't see this in Poetry Quarterly  any time soon.

I decided to try to write a poem, following what I seem to remember Mr. Furutani said about it.

 

the moon is hung low
in the early autumn sky
silver clouds drift past

 

It's a start.  I am going to try to write other haiku, and build that muscle.

 

Is there a "right" way to create?

 Last night, I stepped outside my comfort zone and went to a poetry reading that had an open mic.  I read two of my poems.  I will post one of them later in this blog.

At the end of the evening, I was approached by a woman who I am fairly certain was not in the room when I read.  She will be the feature reader next month and is an accomplished poet.  She overheard a conversation I was having with someone else and began to "school" me on the right way to write.  My process is my process.  I tried to be kind and thank her for her input ( she went as far to suggest I write using my feet- ok then, if that works for YOU, but that's a no from me.)  She sternly told me I should not use my mind when I write.  Well That maybe YOUR process, but mine is something I have been honing since I was seven and started writing.  I just open my mind and my heart and... go.

The conversation unnerved me to the point I am asking anyone who writes to answer this question:

Do you write with your head and heart  or  with your feet?

I honestly don't know if the woman were speaking in metaphor or she actually thought I could grip a pencil in my toes or type with them.

Most of my poetry is free verse, but I think I will play around with haiku ( there are serious format instructions and it's not just counting syllables, I have to revisit the format)  

Here's the poem I read.  It was well received, as far as I can tell ( I was nervous)

Grief Part 2

There are no more tears left

You want to scream

or drive

or slit your wrists

But you don't

Instead

You 

Cook a meal you don't eat

Play music you don't hear

Sit in the dark

Knees drawn to your chest

and wait for day to come

The poem is a reaction to a number of issues that have hit me and although I wrote  the base of it a while ago, recent events made it worth revisiting.   Poetry is healing, shared pain releases it to the ether.

I am going to keep writing, with my mind and my heart.  I think I will keep my feet out of the equation. 

Foot update

 FINALLY saw the podiatrist this week.  Nothing broken ( yeah it's been five weeks so probably healed!) but nerve damage.  She gave me a boot, crutches and an appointment in four weeks.

She also prescribed some over-the-counter meds to help with the pain, so I trouped over to the pharmacy to get them.  As is custom, they had me talk to the pharmacist.  She held up the lidocaine and started telling me I should have a bowel movement before I applied it.  I was understandably confused- what does my tush have to do with my foot.  She stopped, seeing the look on my face.  "It's my FOOT" I said  "oh" she said, turns out the pharmacy clerk had grabbed what they had which is usually for your tush.  She said it would work on my foot.

Ok then.

The foot hurts. Bending the toes hurts.  Time will heal it.  Nerve damage is slow, but I can deal with it.

Biden "crime" Family- or every accusation is a confession.

 I've been thinking about politics and the whole Biden impeachment thing over the past few days.   I do not worship at the alter of Joe Biden, I think he's doing a fairly good job, given all the bad behavior from Republicans ( I think if Joe said "breathing is good for you, the Free-dumb Caucus would hold their breath.)  It's stupid and pointless and like a group of toddlers are holding us hostage.

I love how the guy Kevin put in charge of the investigation says "We have nothing right now but we will keep digging toll we find something."  Maybe Joe eats his peas with honey ( Dudley Doo-right was drummed out the Mounties for that offense)  They are looking for something - ANYTHING- that will create a false equivalency to their God Trump being impeached twice.  It's the BENGHAZI BENGHAZI BEGHAZI tactic as well as "her emails"   Trump is calling the shots and they are licking his shoes.

Look, IF  and I say IF Biden did something illegal, like oh.. say.. withheld money that was appropriated to a foreign  government until they did him a "favor"  or  oh... I don't know.. had such a temper tantrum about losing that he called on his followers to overthrow the government, I would be down with whatever punishment was merited.  But they don't even KNOW what they are looking for.

Your tax dollars at work.

Instead of finding a common ground to keep our government running, those 15 or so people are holding us all hostage to their (really Trump's) whims.

Can someone explain to me how that idiot Tommy Tuberville can hold up military appointments because he doesn't like a policy?  I don't know if he is a Russian operative or just a dumbass.

I see Hunter is pushing back and suing the IRS.  Good for him.  He is being targeted because they can't find anything on Joe and they want to hurt Joe's re-election prospects.  It's a thing.  Remember Roger Clinton- Bill's Brother?  Remember Jimmy Carter's brother Billy ( Billy Beer anyone?) If you can't find anything on the President, you smear their family with a nudge-nudge-wink-wink.

Which leads me to the "Crime Family" moniker that Trump has going for Biden.  I dunno, but Biden's family hasn't been :

• Forbidden from running a charity in the State of New York
• Sued for false promises in a University Scam
• Committed felony tax fraud (Hunter's is a Misdemeanor, if I am reading this right)

There are other things.  Why aren't they crawling up Jared Kirschner's backside for the deal with the Saudis?  Tit for tat.  

In all of this, I am thinking about Beau Biden.  His death really changed everything. Bear with me:

If Beau does not die at the end of the Obama Presidency, then Joe runs for President, not Hillary.  He would have won handily- the reason a lot of people didn't vote for Hillary was simply that she was a woman.  The pandemic would have been addressed, not ignored because he "like his numbers the way that they were".  Perhaps Russia would not have felt emboldened enough to attack Ukraine.  But he did die and none of this came to pass.

Still, I remain hopeful as some Republicans are slowly getting off the Trump Train to Nowhere.  Is Biden perfect?  No, heck no.  But he's a damn site better than the Orange Menace.

Coming home should not be an ordeal

 I was looking forward- well that might not be quite right- to going home.  I was NOT looking forward to the almost 11 hour flight, but figured we would have window seats and it should be a nice relaxing day.

There is a saying "if you want God to laugh, tell him your plans"  God was really cracking up

We left the hotel at 5:30 to get to Stuttgart by 6:30 to turn in the car.  They had a sign in the lobby that there was coffee anytime you wanted it, BUT they locked the lobby, so no coffee.  No problem, I figured we would get it at the airport- after all we had a 9:30 flight and PLENTY of time.  My plan was to get to Munich and buy my daughter a stein.  After all Munich IS the birthplace of Oktoberfest.  I did not get to buy chocolate in Switzerland, but I figured I could pick up a box or two in Munich.

God was rolling on the floor at this point.

When we got to the Lufthansa baggage counter, we were told they could not find us on the flight, neither with our confirmation number nor our names from our passports.  and sorry, the plane is oversold so the ONLY way to get to your connector flight is to rent a car and drive two hours to Munich. The counter people also told us to contact our travel agency but as it was ONE A.M. in Los Angeles I sincerely doubted they would answer.  

We told the counter people that we would rent a car and drive to Munich  This is important.

Hertz had us over a barrel and when we got a look at the bill, they had charged us almost 800 Euros to rent the car.  They CLAIM they told us that but if they did , they took advantage of two distraught people who were just trying to get home.

Chris drove and we made it- just.  They told us the electric car "should" have enough charge to make it and after figuring out economy mode, we had 40kilometers left in the "tank" when we dropped it off.

The line was long so we tried to sign in on the App.  It told us we had "voluntarily cancelled" our tickets.  We. Flipped. out

We looked for help and after a bit Chris found a woman at the Lufthansa counter who looked like a supervisor. By this time, I was sobbing hysterically and trying not to sob hysterically.  She took our passports and left us for an agonizing five minutes.  She told us she got us on the flight, but we would not be seated together,  She arranged for transport ( remember my foot is broken) and they brought one wheelchair.  Chris is also disabled and he struggled to keep up as they whisked us through passport check, TSA and whatever other gates we needed to cross.  We took twists and turns and elevators and the monorail across to the second terminal.  We were put in a golf cart and raced across the tarmac where the plane stood.  We were placed in a scissor lift and raised up to the side of the plane- the door was shut tight.  The driver banged on the door and it opened. One of the crew said "welcome aboard"  We were on!

Turns out the lighting storm had grounded the planes for a bit ( so maybe God wasn't really playing with my plans after all, or maybe, seeing my distress decided to help me)  We were seated across the aisle from one another, but after a few minutes we were moved to three seat in the bulkhead ( did I mention we had THREE seats?  I think that plays into what actually happened in Stuttgart- more on that in a bit)

The food on Lufthansa is inedible.  I reacted badly to the "pasta" a grease-bomb of mac and cheese and the "snack" they provided toward the end of the flight can only be described as a wet cardboard sandwich with acid sauce.  

Lufthansa DID arrange for us to be transported through LAX, which was a blessing.  I will always be thankful that my husband found that angel in the airport who got us home. I had a concert to go to the next day. I DID have an alternate plan.  Since the flights only went out once a day, I was going to be on the plane the next day, have my fellow concert-goer pick us up- luggage and all and take us there.  Before you get TOO mad at me, please know that the concert was at SoFi which is near the airport and I know my friend would have been there for me (I'd do the same for her in a heartbeat)

At the Concert, my favorite band in the world announced an "indefinite hiatus" I knew this which is why this show- which was amazing BTW- was so important to me.

We are in the process of trying to recoup any losses caused by the:

missing luggage

missed plane

emergency car rental.

We bought out tickets and insurance through AAA  I remain hopeful.

I think what happened in Stuttgart was they oversold the plane, and saw that we had three seats for two people and bumped us off without telling us.  Once they saw we had a connector flight it got hairy and someone had to cover their tushy.  We NEVER cancelled anything.  When Chris got home his phone, which did not work for messaging had a message from United, giving us the "new" code for the flight from Stuttgart.  I call BS.  They could not find us by name.   I think it was a case of oops we fouled up and trying to cover their tracks.

I don't care.  I want to be reimbursed for things that we did not cause.  I am still not sleeping properly, 

Our trip was "the best of times, the worst of times"  Now that we know what to do, next time- and we are planning to go back in two years-will be different!

Trains, planes and automobiles

 We got up at O'Dark hundred to catch the Eurostar aka the Chunnel Train.  Coffee and Croissants in the station as before boarding.

I wanted to ride it as it was supposed to be this superfast train, but either it wasn't as fast as advertised  or I was really out of it.  All in all it was a pleasant two hours to Belgium, through the French Countryside then on to Brussels (side note, I was thinking of my father and his love for the Belgian people who were at his side during the Bulge.  He had great admiration for the housewives who brought out their fine linens to help the Allies hide their large weapons.  When my father asked her, one woman said "If the Nazis win, linens won't matter")

We took a taxi to the airport.  The driver probably thought the bedraggled couple were going to stiff him, but we gave him a decent tip. He beamed at us.  He said he was having a bad day when he picked us up.  I hope the tip improved his day.

We ate a lackluster meal in the airport and bought some chocolate.  We went to board our plane.

We were sitting there when the board changed and the flight we were on was delayed for an hour.  No worries, we had time.

We got on the flight and landed, we got on the connecting flight.  The pilot announced that the baggage from the delayed flight was on the plane

Uh.

We shared the row with a nice guy who works in the car industry and we chatted about food and places to go, his trip to the US and his love for our wide open spaces.  It was a pleasant 90 minutes.

We waited at the baggage carrousel for  our bags that never came.  They assured us they would be on the next flight and we would see them that evening, just fill out this form...

The problem  AND YES I KNOW BETTER we packed Chris' c-pap in my bag. We HAD our meds and I had a change of clothes, sort of but Chris had nothing.

PRO TIP  PACK A COMPLETE change of clothes.  I was wearing my travel sweats and travel shoes. Since my foot was in a bad way I was going to need shoes and he was gonna need clothes.

Chris is bigger than the average German.  Finding clothes were  a problem.  Our European conversion plugs were in the suitcase.  

We got the rental car and drove on the autobahn, which MOSTLY has a speed limit except in some places.  Chris did a great job driving in Germany.  

We got to the hotel and the people were really nice.  It was this weird Best Western in a warehouse district and parking was a bit of a clusterf..k  but we were only there a few days.

we wound up asking the clerk, a nice guy named Valentine, about electronics AND a place to get food.  The restaurant in the hotel was closed but we got some burgers and soda delivered.   The next day was spent in the electronics store and TJ Maxx ( yay TJ MAXX) getting clothes.  Not much fit Chris butr what I found him helped.

We went to a cemetery that we thought might be where some of the Zorns were buried. Looking at the headstones, I realized they were all too new and we waited until the services were over and had a long lovely chat with the caretaker.  He told us the old cemetery had been closed ,but suggested we got to the Rathaus ( City Hall) to look at old records.  Next time.  

Looking for things to do, Chris found a museum that was in a castle- there were two but a CASTLE?? YES!!!!

I sat on a stone bench outside the castle and thought of my mom and cried.  She so wanted to be there, in that place where her father was born. The bench overlooked the Neckar River and was just like I pictured it to be. 

I said "Look Mom, we made it"  I was wearing her sweater.

We went into the  castle only to find a very modern vestibule.  A woman came down the stairs and introduced herself as the Mayor!  She asked where we were from and was thrilled to hear we were from California.  Until recently, Laufen am Neckar was a Sister City to El Cajon and she had visited it many times.  Why were we there, she wanted to know.  I explained that my grandfather had been born there.  Her face lit uh  "HERE? in Laufen?" i assured her that yes that was true.  She went back upstairs, and asked a staff member to bring us some literature, including a vey cool book of 750years of the City's history.  We took photos.  I think we will be part of her monthly report!

The museum was a small part of the castle with a brief overview of how the people lived in the area.  The castle itself was the home of the Graf ( Count or Earl)  It had some quirky dungeon-y things in it.

Laufen is like the Napa Valley with Estate wineries and we wandered into one.  We had some wine and I bought a bottle of it, but we were leaving the next day and I could not bring it back.  I did drink a bit of it.

We had a lovely lunch in the sunshine at another winery.

At this point, if you are keeping score, we still don't have our bags.  Chris was working the phones like mad to get them to catch up to us.  We could not go to any of the nice places that had been recommended to us because we were woefully underdressed.  We had dinner at a nice outdoor place in the rain.  

Chris got an email saying our bags had been delivered and I ran downstairs to find BOTH BAGS   I could have cried.  Maybe I did.

We had to get up super early to get to the Stuttgart airport to catch our flight home and this is where it gets real.

More tomorrow.

Cornwall- the best part of the trip

 There is a line from a Gerry Beckley song on the  Harbor Album called "Sargent Darkness" that has been running through my brain as I think about this part of the trip " I think my dreaming brought you here:  and while it is about finding love, the line stuck in my brain.  Did my dreaming- all those years- bring me to this place and this family.

As a little girl, I dreamed of England and finding my grandmother's family. Really it was something I often wished when I was little and wondered about when I was older.  Were there still people who were related and would they like to meet.. ME?

Enter Ancestry.  I searched my grandmother's maiden name and came up with a match.  We began an internet correspondence. The connection was strong.  This trip to Cornwall, to be in each other's presence, was the culmination of a long cherished dream.

We met our Cousin Andrew outside the hotel. He had his adorable daughter, Little J with him  OOOHH is she a cutie pie. Andrew and his husband had visited with us in Los Angeles about ten years ago and it was WONDERFUL to see him again.  We met the rest of the family at a cute little café that overlooked a lake. It was gorgeous, the food was lovely and we caught up. It felt like I had known my Cousin John and his wife June a long time.  My cousin Lynda and I talk online a lot but it was a special pleasure to be able to give her that hug I had "threatened" her with.  We went back to Andrew's House where we met ( finally!) Natalie and her husband James.  Natalie is another cousin I talk to online and it was wonderful to see her ( she did NOT bring her dog, Brinkley with her, so NEXT TIME!!!)  What a joyful afternoon.

On my "wish list" was  A Proper Tea.  Andrew's husband works at a gorgeous hotel on the bluffs above the sea and we were seated in a beautiful booth with an amazing panoramic view of the sea.  Tea was everything I hoped it would be.  There was a small mishap with a very delicate wine glass but there were no injuries and all was well.

We went back to our hotel and went to the bar for a snack.  It was inedible.  The barman was nice and the service was good, but I was glad we had in invite for breakfast the following day.  We had included breakfast in our reservation but never got there. I am kind of glad we didn't based on the "food" that we encountered there,

We went to another cute café across the road from John's house.  Breakfast was lovely and we went across to John's house to watch the football( aka soccer) match.  John and I looked over his extensive database of family history.  We need to link it!   I gave him the updates I could from my memory, but there are a whole group of my Great-Aunt Gracie's family.  I'll be reaching out to my cousin Robert for more information

We went to a marvelous restaurant/bar for drinks and the view.  What a lovely way to spend an afternoon.  We went back to Andrew's house and ordered take-away Indian food.  it took FOREVER to get there and I hope they gave them a discount!  The food was good ( I DO love Sag Aloo) and the company was wonderful.  We were sad to leave, but we had to get back to get ready to take the train in the morning.  

This trip was lovely and without incident. we DID see the White Horse that Chef Tommy Banks from the Great British Menu talks about.  Lots of cows and sheep and corn. The architecture of the homes was very British to my mind.  Not like we would see at home. It was just a lovely ride.  We were back at the Doubletree

THIS TIME we did NOT put the insulin in the fridge.

Part 2 Cornwall, Missed trains and "the Knight Bus"

 I am breaking this into multiple parts.  We went to London for three days, then three days on the beautiful Cornish coast  and three days in Germany.

I was really looking forward to the Cornwall trip. We found family via Ancestry on my Grandmother's Seckerson line.  This was part of my cherished childhood dream that actually came to pass! We opted NOT to rent a car and to take the train across the countryside to the coast.  There is ONE train that goes directly to Newquay and we bought first class tickets- which means that you get free food!

After a hurried breakfast in the hotel, we packed out and headed off in a taxi. I guess I was really rushed as I did not do my usual two sweeps around the room.

Because my foot is damaged ( it's BROKEN I don't care what Kaiser says) Chris arranged Mobility Assistance.  We were sitting in their office when we realized that we had LEFT HIS INSULIN in the room.  I was panic stricken, the officers tried to get the hotel to get it to us- we had an hour and if they had sent it by taxi we could have made out train.  The desk person said they could not, so we took a taxi BACK to the hotel and retrieved it.  The Mobility Officers could NOT have been more helpful  They got someone to make sure we could get on the next train and explained how to do it.  Because we had missed the direct train , we had to get off in Plymouth, take a train to Par and take another to Newquay.  Ok then.  Easy Peasy

The train has fixed tables that could not accommodate Chris and he sat in one by himself where the table folded up.  I sat across from a man who had worked for the British government and we agreed not to talk about politics.  We chatted about his time in the US and our trip so far.  It was nice to see the countryside whizzing by and they brought us food  I was HUNGRY!

When he left the train, the man who was sitting next to me asked to move to that seat.  He was getting off soon.  Turns out he was a Rugby player, somewhat well known (I looked him up after he left the train) I know spit about Rugby, except it looks like a cross between soccer and American Football to me. We chatted about trips and how long it took him to get "home" He is from Australia.  Nice Nice guy. I wished him a good season, not knowing he was one of their star players (if the press release is any indication.)

We got off in Plymouth and got on the next train.  This is where the fun starts.  We told the conductor where we needed to get off.  She came back a few minutes later (it was pouring down rain at this point) and told us we should NOT get off at Par as they had closed the station due to lack of staff and there was no shelter AND the next train wasn't due for TWO HOURS.  We went on to St Austell at her suggestion and Chris went into the station to ask when the next train would come.  When he explained the predicament, the ticket agent said we should just take the #25 bus that would be here in ten minutes.  The train, she said wouldn't even be here until after we were in Newquay if we just took the bus.  A nice young woman helped us get on the bus.  It was raining.  Hard.

Now, I have taken buses in many cities. The thing about THIS bus was they don't announce stops.  You have to guess. The driver seemed amused that the bedraggled American tourists were lost.  Chris, being Chris, looked up a website on his phone to try to find out where we were and where we should get off.  Other tourists got on and suffered the same confusion.

A word of two about this bus.  The driver was not helpful  You don't need to be friendly but he seemed to take perverse pleasure in taunting us.   He drove like he was qualifying for the Grand Prix.  Ever see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban?  This was like riding on the Knight Bus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5U3viSBXzE

I was glad it was raining and the windows were fogged, but I could see the vine covered walls of the tiny county lanes whizzing by, dangerously close to the windows.

Chris was studying the app and declared that we would be getting off at the next stop.  We staggered off the bus in a driving, bitterly cold storm and looked across the street and saw the hotel.  Chris dragged our bags ( yes they are on wheels but the streets are uneven in spots.)  We were wet and cold when we got into the lobby of the hotel at long last.

The Travel Lodge in Newquay is a VEY BASIC hotel- like a Motel 6.  There were NO electrical outlets near the bed- they DID have USB ports, but Chris needed an outlet for his c-pap. They found us an extension cord and all was well. The VIEW was spectacular!  All I ever need is a clean comfortable room and this was that.  The bed was small but we fit ok.

We talked to our cousin and made plans to meet the next day.

To be continued....

We are back and I know you've been dying for the "deets" Three days in London story

 Since I was a little girl and started to look into family history I have dreamed of a trip to England, to find family and a trip to the village in Germany, where my grandfather was born.

This trip was all that and more.

We took off in the evening and landed in the morning in London, I have to say that while the "food" on the airplane was meh, the service was great, they came down the aisles offering water and snacks a lot.  I did get about an hour sleep on the plane, but the best part was the tracker that tells you where you are and how long till you land ( I can make a joke about  how many times the Cabin Crew must have been asked "are we there yet")  It was cool and I really need to up my geography game.

We landed in Heathrow and this is where the "fun" starts.  I pulled Chris's 45-lb. bag off the carousel and it flew out of my hands and landed squarely on my left foot. Broken?  Yep I believe it was, as it turned purple from toes to heel almost immediately.  No we did not go to the NHS as the cabbie explained how hard it was to get in. I just iced it and dealt with it as best I could   I think I broke at least two toes and the top of my foot is still swollen and tender.   We went to Kaiser when we got home, but they said it wasn't broken.   I've broken toes before.  This felt like that.

The hotel was nice and centrally located across from Victoria Station ( does anyone remember the steak house called Victoria Station?  I LOVED that place)  We took a taxi from Heathrow and while it was pricy, it was really the best option.  I can't imagine dragging bags and me onto the Tube.  We took taxis everywhere, got to ride in some of those iconic black taxis and met some cool drivers.

We saw the Changing of the Guard.  I was so happy to have timed it so we could do that, it was on my "bucket" list for London  It was a really warm day and I felt sorry for the Beefeaters in their red coats and tall hats.  The Welsh Guard marched in playing some marching music and I expected , you know, patriotic tunes or iconic British music to be played.  At some point, Chris turned to me and said "isn't that 'Sweet Caroline'?"  It was   They also played "Part of your World" from the Little Mermaid and something from "Frozen" ( I think it was "let it Go" but I can't be sure)

The portable stool that Chris bought that advertised it would hold 600 pounds collapsed within about a minute of him sitting on it.  We had two.  We tossed the broken one in the trash and left the other on the bus for someone else to find. I was NOT dragging that crap all over Europe. It freed up room in the suitcases.

We rode the Double-decker "hop on hop off bus- although given my foot we did NOT hop off, but rode around on a glorious Summer day.  Chris got a bit of a sunburn.  I almost cried when I saw Big Ben ( yes I KNOW that's the name of the bell and it's called the Elizabeth Tower) it was one of the things I really looked forward to seeing- it was BEAUTIFUL;  the gold around the clock-face sparkled in the late afternoon sunshine. I gasped "THERE IT IS!"  and took about a million pictures to be sure I got a good ONE!

The next day, we took a cruise up (down?) the Thames and it was marvelous.  We rode on the London Eye ( we did NOT buy the souvenir photo as Chris was wearing a teal shirt and half of him disappeared, except for a floating head. In retrospect we probably should have bought the darn thing.)

Food in London was meh- NEXT TIME ( and there WILL be a next time) I am going to really research places to eat.  Our Concierge sent us to a place that was terrible ICECREAM MASEHD POTATOES anyone?  Colder than a well-digger's butt. The salmon managed to be greasy and dried out, that takes talent.

We DID get good fish and Chips in the hotel the first day and the service at the Doubletree was top notch.  The Italian Place near the London Eye made me ask aloud what Tony from Palermo's would have said about the bland orange-y sauce I was served on my pasta. it was worse than Chef Boyardee.

The adventure continues as we made our way to Cornwall and FAMILY!

Texas, Guns and the NRA Party

 Another mass shooting in Texas.  Surprise Surprise Surprise.  The whole cowboy mentality of that state is beginning to wear thin.  How many COWBOYS carried AR-15s?  

I'll answer that.  None.

So why does Texas have so many people who think they need to carry weapons of mass murder- because let's face it that's what those guns are made to do, kill people.  I think the NRA is somewhat to blame along with years of the Ultra right telling us we should be afraid, as white people, that we will no longer be "in charge" and we should make damn certain that people of color don't get the upper hand.  The fear mongering of the right is disgusting.

The whole "the way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun thing plays to the White Superhero myth that is prevalent in a lot of these states with Open Carry laws.  It never quite works out.  The staff at that school in Tennessee were reportedly armed, but six people died.  When someone bursts into the room carrying a weapon that can shoot multiple rounds before you can even reach for your weapon it does not matter if you are a good guy or a good shot.  

It looks like this person was also one of Trump's "patriots"  There is a whole scare tactic being put out that  masses of immigrants will be flooding the border (which is related to the expiration of a Trump era law) so expect more shoot-em-ups to take place in Texas,

I suspect the NRA is behind quite a bit of the legislation, filling the coffers of politicians with dirty money from gun makers. The NRA used to be about gun safety and proper use of firearms.  NOW it's about their misinterpretation of the Second Amendment and fear mongering that the Democrats are somehow "coming for your guns', something they have been putting out there since Clinton was President.   They are serving up fear and the Right is eating it with both hands. 

I have a lot of family and friend who live in Texas, but I would not move there if you gave me the deed to Southfork.  Not while Abbott and his ilk are in charge.

I pray for the people who were impacted by this latest rampage.  But I believe it's pray THAN ACT.  I'm just not sure what to do.  

I'll have to think about that and get back to you. 

Tiny things

 I am not inspired, so I went to a book of Tiny things to write about that I had purchased some years ago at the Library Store a fun giftshop located in Central Library.

Here is the question:

Starbucks, the global coffee chain was almost dubbed Pequod for the sailing ship from the novel Moby Dick and was instead named after the Pequod's chief mate, to evoke the seafaring traditions of early coffee traders.  Invent another brand name taken from a classic novel.

ok here goes:

Manderley. Escape while you can

Visit Manderley.  Have tea in the charming garden before visiting one of the many "escape rooms" located around the property.  Please stay away from the windows.

Try not to burn the place down.

Probably not as inspired as Starbuck's where a minor character becomes a major force in commerce, but I gave it a go.

I should probably re-read Rebecca.

LAPL celebrates 150 years of being.

 I wrote this for an event but it didn't make the cut, so I post it here for your amusement:

As we start to celebrate the next 150 years of LAPL, I was thinking of things that I know that would be lost to history if I don’t put them on virtual paper.  So here, in no particular order is

 

Betcha didn’t know that:

 

The old Westchester branch (1950) was SO SMALL it did not have a building address.  Everyone just knew where it was.

 

 

The oldest building is the Vermont Square Branch.  The branch was the first one built by the City of Los Angeles with a grant from the Carnegie Foundation.  Built in 1913, the Grand Old Lady of the Library remains spry and vital at the ripe old age of nearly 110.

 

The largest branch is the Mid Valley Regional which houses a Regional Branch, an area Office and the Shipping hub.  Originally designed to be the home base for the Valley Mobile Unit, the department created a shipping hub to better serve Valley Branches when the bookmobiles were phased out.

 

 There were originally ten Carnegie Branches in the City of Los Angeles:

 

·        Arroyo Seco which was torn down to build a new branch in 1960 on the same site. THAT building was torn down in 2001 and a new building built on the same site.

 

·        Benjamin Franklin was destroyed in the 1971 Sylmar Quake. The new branch was built on the same site.  It was a twin to the Exposition Park Branch, 

 

·        Eagle Rock The building is still there, now serving the community as the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, BUT before it became an arts center, it starred in a few low budget horror films as the “Creepy Library”

 

·        Goldwyn-Hollywood burned down in 1983 due to an arson fire. It was rebuilt in 1986 on the same site.

 

·        San Pedro was torn down to rebuild the new branch.  The old building remained in service to the community while the new branch was being built on the same grounds.  Where the branch stood is now the parking lot.

 

·        Vernon was destroyed in the 1971 Sylmar quake.  A new branch was built on the same site.

 

·        Watts. There is no documentation as to what happened to the branch at 9901 S. Grandee when they relocated to a larger branch built as part of the 1957 Bond, at 1501 E. 103^rd St.

 

There are three that remain in service:

 

·        Cahuenga. It was expanded and renovated as a result of the 1989 Bond.

·        Lincoln Heights. It was expanded and renovated as a result of the 1989 Bond.

·        Vermont Square. It was expanded and renovated as a result of the 1989 Bond.

 

 

 

North Hollywood Library was originally named after an obscure poet named Sidney Lanier.  The Board of Library Commissioners at the time felt it was important to name branches after historical figures who had a connection to California or libraries.  The library collection began with a donation of books stamped “SL” Staff searched and found Sidney Lanier, although he had no local affiliation, he was the best they could find.  Years later, the branch was renamed after Amelia Earhart. Over the mantlepiece in the reading room, there is a quote “I am but a small, winged bird, but I would conquer the world”.  The quote is NOT, as assumed, from Amelia.  It’s Sidney.

 

In 1957, LAPL built 28 branches. It was a massive undertaking, but they did save money on design.  Many of the branches had the exact same floor plan. For instance, Fairfax, Studio City and El Sereno were “triplets”, Pacoima and Sylmar were mirror images.  A sub who worked at both places remarked once that they kept going the wrong way to get to the workroom.

 

 

 After the 1986 fire, the original “Light of Learning “Torch was removed from the roof during construction.  The torch was considered to be too fragile to return to the roof, but as a valued artifact, it was installed and can still be seen in an alcove off the Rotunda on the second floor of Central Library.  The architect also repurposed some of the walls of the old children’s courtyard as the entrance to the Taper Auditorium.

 

 

Who Ya gonna Call? Ghostbusters! The interior shots in the opening sequence of the classic 1984 film were in the basement of the Central Library, in an area called Toad Hall and Rat Alley (a nod to The Wind in the Willows as well as probably acknowledging the other residents of the room)

 

 

Reasons NOT to stay at the Las Vegas Flamingo Hotel

 ugh

We were meeting a friend and as we are members of Caesars' Rewards Club, we had an offer for a "free" room.

We had never stayed at the Flamingo and as it smacked of Old Vegas - you know BUGSY  Segal and all that 40's mob cache- I thought it might be fun to stay there.

Not

First- FINDING the room we were assigned to was hard.  The layout is like a labyrinth and we kept turning this way and that until we found the room

It was dirty

The A/C would not turn on

The soap dispenser in the bathroom was missing

We had to hike all the way back to the front desk and were given a room nearer the elevator that was fine, but

The walls are paper thin and the aging frat boys in the rom next to us YELLED all night long like their conversation was some sort of sporting event.  On the second night we turned up the TV to FULL volume, but it did not deter them

Sleeping in our room was difficult to say the least

Don't ask why we didn't complain.  When we called the front desk about the first room, we were told ewe had to come down and talk to someone in person. It was late and I was in my jammies.

Valet parking is $40 a NIGHT. 

The valet service was ok, but the bell desk people we had to deal with when we were leaving were incredibly rude.  Chris overheard one of them castigating a woman the "you are not in LA and you need to tip me"  They ignored me until I started waving my ticket in the air and even then the one guy snapped at me that he was busy and the two of them both said they were too busy to help me, even though I had followed the original instructions and waited until my car was there to ask for my bags.

The valet service is on one side of the hotel.  The taxis are on the other.  The layout of the hotel is poorly executed.

Oh  you want FOOD?

HA!

We had dinner at Carlos and Charlies. It was meh.

There is no place that has a decent breakfast, The  Starbucks model coffee places- there are two of them- have the same horrible "Breakfast sandwich things" that look like cardboard.  They are only open until 9 pm. The "food court has a burger place and a Chinese place.

We had been told that they gave us a $30 food credit but that was not to be found anywhere.

Around 8 pm I wanted a piece of cake and a coffee and Chris wanted a snack.  Neither was readily available.  We wound up getting a coffee from the kiosk- NO PLACE TO SIT and a piece of cake from the Cake Boss vending machine.  It was NOT worth 9 bucks.

I will NOT be returning to that hotel.  Frankly Vegas is not as much fun as it once was and everything costs an arm and a leg.  We did go on a fun self guided tour for old Vegas sites and found a very cool museum that we need to go back to at some point when we can walk - the initial hike at the hotel killed Chris' back and he was in pain, it also triggered my new knee and I was glad we still had a cane in the car.

I am glad to be home

Abortion medication and what this means

 I see the bought-and-paid for Texas judge has demanded the removal of a safe and effective abortion drug, used to great success for 23 years.

Since WHEN is a judge a doctor?

Since WHEN do they get to demand the removal because it upsets a minority of people who are also not doctors?

We need to stop this right now.  We need to stand in the fire of this moment because THIS is only the beginning of a small minority taking control of what you can and cannot do because THEY object to it.

Insulin?  Made, I believe with human DNA so they are probably going to be screaming about aborted babies next

Cancer Medication?  MARIJUANA is the Devil's Lettuce  We can't have THAT can we?

Thankfully, a judge in Washington state issues another opinion and now it is fast tracking to the Supreme Court, which is probably bad news, since they are bought and paid for by the Christian Right.  I wonder if they will have the spine to oppose this.  Probably not and we are in for a fight.

My country scares me.

I say this all the time Making abortion illegal does not make it go away, it just makes it more dangerous. IF you think you win by outlawing it, you are either blind or naïve.  Women have always sough abortions, It is not a simple thing to decide, but it has always been there.  

The Christian Right who seem to run the legal system in our county, claiming to be "pro-life' just tick me off.  YOU are NOT pro life, if all you want is a child born, but not cared for after they clear the womb.  Admit it, you are pro BIRTH.

Women will be taking to the streets next weekend.  We are in for a long battle.

 

Good Friday Musings

 We are in the home stretch of Holy Week.  Today is "good" Friday.  I always think, well, it wasn't so "good" for Jesus, was it?  To be crucified has to be probably one of the most horrific ways to be killed.  I believe the word "excruciating" has the same root.  But, as usual I digress.

As I often do on Good Friday and Easter in general, I think about my childhood exposure to Christianity and the problems I have with it.  I gave up going to church when I realized that 

A:  The Baptists were trying to scare you into being good

B:  The hypocrisy was overwhelming.  They would pray piously in the chapel and gossip mean-girl style the minute they cleared the threshold. 

I consider myself a Christian, but I don't follow any set path ( I incorporate a good deal of Eastern Philosophy in my beliefs)

But here is what I posted on FB yesterday:

 Here, on Maundy Thursday, I wonder if the Christian Nationalists will be reading and internalizing the commandment of Jesus to his followers:

"A new commandment I give to you,

that you love one another:

just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.”

Jesus

New Testament - John 13:34

Probably not- they seem to interpret Jesus command as selective- Love people ONLY if they look like you, think like you, vote like you, worship like you.

As we approach the most sacred of our holidays- honestly "The War on Christmas" and all that blather from Fox News really irks me, because while Christmas is nice and all it is really EASTER that defines the faith- I wonder what Jesus himself would have thought about all of this. Since I recall him flipping tables at the Temple, I can't imagine he would be pleased about the current state of American Christianity.

It's one reason that I don't actually GO to church, but still follow a moderate form of Christianity ( basically I try to love people and understand them as best I can. I suppose that is what the commandment meant to me)

As we approach Easter, if you think of yourself as a Christian, ask yourself if you have let hate creep in to your day-to-day and maybe re-evaluate what Jesus asked that we do.

A post from my niece about Judas got me thinking about Judas.

Why are we taught to hate him, to be angry about him?

Think about it.

IF as we are taught in Sunday School, Jesus was sent here by God to redeem our sins by dying and rising again ( and yeah I have some issues with that) then wasn't Judas just doing his part in God's plan? How can you be angry when the whole thing needed to happen and Judas was just the catalyst? I read somewhere in my rather eclectic biblical travels, that Jesus and Judas worked it out between them and Jesus asked Judas to do it. He was thought to be Jesus' best friend. He could not take the guilt that was laid on him by the rest of the Crew and killed himself. Maybe Jesus should have let them ALL in on the plan.

As the saying goes "I ain't mad at ya"

AS we approach our most holy time, I find it interesting that the Christian Nationals are doubling down on hate and racism. I think Jesus' command to us is being ignored

More murdered Children More Republican excuses

 I am not mincing words.

WHAT will it take for our representatives in Congress to BAN assault style weapons? Apparently murdered children is not enough for them to say ENOUGH to the NRA and the gunmakers who apparently line THEIR pockets and support them so they can make laws protecting the Gun lobby.

You will not I say OUR REPRESENTIVES Somewhere along the way, we forgot and they let us forget , that they represent OUR desires for laws that will make our lives better, not special interest groups with piles of money.  US.

Call your senator and your  representative and make your voice heard.  BAN ASSAULT STYLE WEAPONS.  Enact sensible laws pertaining to gun ownership.  Do something about the mental health crisis in this country.

I am particularly incensed by Tennessee Rep Tim Burchett a "proud NRA member" who , according to Rolling Stone has passed legislation to improve gun ownership rights. He is not concerned about HIS child being in the crosshairs when he sends her to school- he homeschools her.  He then called for a return to Christian values.  The IRONY of that surely is missed by Rep Burchett, as THIS particular shooting was at a Christian school.  He says that we can't fix it.  The guy is less than useless, he is an NRA blockade to anything that might stop the flow of money to him and his campaign. He knows who is master is and it AIN'T us!

There will be people out there who think this request to look at sensible gun laws is a move "by the libs" to take away their guns  Cue the mass production of bumper stickers, t-shirts and hats that say something like "You can take my guns when you pry them from my cold dead hand"  

What about the cold dead hands of the nine year-olds who were murdered in school this week.  Collateral Damage?

On a side note, if you are upset about what is happening in Israel with the government attempting to take control of the judiciary, but NOT seeing what is happening in GEORGIA USA as the same thing, pay attention.  The court system was set up to be independent of politics, to abide the rule of law.  But when the Republicans don't like losing the game they change the rules.  So NOW they can remove anyone who does not do their bidding.  I hope Fani Willis has her ducks in a row before this latest travesty of law can be enacted.  

At least he can't go after Jack Smith, who really has the goods.

I am gobsmacked at people who watched the events of January 6 in real time who now deny what they see.  The worst are the Congress people whose lives were saved by those brave officers who now say it was "no big deal."  I know they won't but I would be a wee bit slower in responding to an emergency in the offices of those representatives.

I will be calling Ms. Feinstein and Mr. Schiff in a moment.  I urge you to make similar calls or emails.

Defining Woke

 Recently a right wing author was asked on live television to define "woke" as she was railing against it, promoting her book which has an entire chapter dedicated to the word woke.  Bethany Mandel had ever excuse in the world why she was suddenly flustered by it,  "The host said something rude during the break"  "I was unprepared for the question"   As my mother would have said ( when she wasn't buying it) "a poor excuse is better than none"  She could not answer the question.

Here is a helpful definition  " A word the ultra right use to scare their base into thinking that they are somehow under attack by the very notion that people other than Christian White Males might have a seat at the table and have been "endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights"

I want someone to explain to me how letting others in to the room makes it worse for them.  I imagine this:

Imagine if you will, a world where homosexuality is the norm and a hetero lifestyle is abhorrent.  Can you change who you are attracted to?  Or do you live a life that you do not love just to exists in a society that thinks you need to be jailed or killed.  

Imagine a world where your skin color defines your opportunity, that due to YOUR skin color, you are denied jobs or education,  You cannot change your skin.  How do you improve your situation.  Do you try to work with others in the system or do you try to burn the system down?

I recently read somewhere- and I will have to do a lot more research on the veracity of the statement- that freed slaves were less likely to attack or kill former slaveholders. Slaveholders were afraid of it because that is what THEY would do.

People are afraid of a "woke agenda" because they think it means that their privilege will be taken from them and THAT scares the pants off of them.  They seem to enjoy the unrealistic feeling that by an accident of birth, they are somehow better than their neighbor.

I was talking to a woman yesterday who was concerned that her church was not attracting new members.  we talked a bit about outreach, but since I didn't know her, I did not share my thoughts on the matter.  People, young people are not drawn to religion. My husband says it is probably because we used to go as a family unit and it was part of a scheduled day.  Now, we need to work or rest from the long hours we work.  Sunday used to be a "day of rest" but we were expected to go and hear a sermon .  When I was a kid, the Southern Baptist Minister would try to SCARE you into compliance.  I see that the God of the Christian Nationalists bears a striking resemblance to this vengeful Overlord of my childhood.  People have changed and religion is stuck in the 14th Century.  I know not ALL churches and religions are like that but I think people who profess to be Christian  need to read what Jesus said, not Paul ( who was a Johnny-Come-lately to the party and a misogynistic git to boot.) 

Still a small minority of closed minded frightened people are out there making laws for the rest of us.  Did you vote in the last election?  I did and will be out there again, this time I may need to get loud.  It's what the "anti woke" crowd are doing, making it seem like they are what the people want.  Let's get our Woke tails out there and stop the madness.

political musings part 3 Million

 Can someone PLEASE buy Gym Jordan a suit-coat?  Poor man, he looks underdressed in those Senate Hearings. I wonder if he practices "looking angry" in his bathroom mirror.  I get it, his Schtick is that he is a common man, one of the people and he won't wear a "monkey suit" when doing his job.  The problem is he has no idea what he can and can't do and his letter to Alvin Bragg is a glaring example of what he does not understand about the law.

Speaking of Mr. Bragg, isn't it illegal to publicly threaten a public official to try to prevent them from doing their job?  Trump and the rest of the Hitler Youth who follow him are busy making threats.  Trump no longer controls the DOJ- which NO PRESIDENT EVER SHOULD- so he is terrified that he will actually have to go to court and face justice for his crimes.  His past abuse of the legal system has allowed him to delay, threaten and force the people who sued him to settle for pennies because HE had a huge legal network of shysters willing to file numerous delaying motions until people gave up.  He does not realize that the US courts are willing to wait him out and he is throwing legal spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks.  He looks like an idiot to anyone who understands what the charges are, but his base, the uneducated people he claims to adores, think  there is nothing there.  He is not being charged with having sex with a porn star ( one night does not an "affair" make in my book- and he just wanted to have another notch in his proverbial bedpost- sleaze-weasel.)  The charge is illegal campaign contributions and I think the charge can stick.  Michael Cohen, who took the fall for Trump and realized he had been had when Trump did not pardon him , has the receipts.

I eagerly await the Georgia case- although the Rethuglicans who run that state are doing their best to throw a monkey wrench in that one.  I hope Fani Willis gets out ahead of them and indicts him before they remove her for prosecuting him.  HOW do you justify that?  If it were the Democrats doing this, I would be equally horrified.  It smacks of what Netanyahu is trying to do in Israel, but the Israelis are protesting it in droves.  Here, it seems to be a nothing burger in Georgia.  It is the first goose-step toward Fascism .

I can't wait to see what special investigator Jack Smith  does with the DOJ case.  since the Mango Mussolini lied to his own legal team and got them in all sorts of legal trouble, I wonder if they will turn State's Evidence?  I sure as heck would  "Your Honor, my client assured me that he had followed the law and had done his due diligence in searching for all the records that were requests.  How was I to know the slob  had them stashed under his greasy Big Mac wrappers in his desk?"  Why ANY self-respecting lawyer would work for the Former Guy is beyond my ken.  He has a history of ruining their careers ( see Sidney Powel and  Rudy Giuliani, to name two) or not paying them (" it's an HONOR just to work with me and you should be able to get more clients because of that")

Speaking of fascism- How about the not-so-great state of Florida?  The principal showed a statue of Michelangelo's' David  and was forced to resign, because it was porn????  ok Michelangelo= porn but Melania showing he hoo-ha in a photoshoot is "art"  Got it.

Banning books. I have to point out the obvious Nazi connection here ( wanna bet the horrors of Nazism are one of the things the Neocon governor does NOT want taught in public schools?)  You want to limit what YOUR child can read?  I'm cool with that.  You want to limit what MINE can read  NO WAY  and it's a battle.  I loved the 100 year old woman, taking on her local school board about banned book.  YOU GO Grace Linn!!!.

I think Democrats need to play the same dirty game as the Republicans.  We are too nice. and we let them get away with stuff we should be challenging. I am tired, but I will be joining protests as best I can- PEACEFUL ONES  I will not show up in tactical gear with zip ties.

This nonsense has got to stop.  The news media has to stop giving him air on every tweet on his failing Social media network.  As Paul Simon sings "I don't find this stuff amusing anymore."

Poem in progress

 I wrote this a while ago, I think   but it needs an update.  The grief is incredible

Life is not fair

you want to scream

or drive

or slit your wrists

But you don't

Instead

you

Cook a meal you don't eat

Play music you don't hear

Stare into the cupboard with unseeing eyes

Lie in your bed

curled in a ball

waiting for sleep 

or the day

to come

Dr King

 I know I am a few days late in my thoughts about Martin Luther King and the day we celebrate his contributions to America and the world.  Here goes:

I have been told that people of my ethnic background "cherry pick" when it comes to Dr. King.  Was he radical in his ideas that African Americans in particular or people of color got the short end of the stick.  I think a lot of people were made uncomfortable by those words and choose to pick only the ones that encourage peace and understanding, as they are much easier to swallow.  That being said, since I was ten when he was murdered, I find that I was -and still am- motivated by his wish that his children be judged by the content of their character.  It is my wish as well, that ALL of us be judged that way.  Bigotry and racism is not exclusive to white people.  I am often judged by the color of my skin and while it has much less  socio-economic impact on me, it is still there.   Can we learn to look past what we are taught about people of other races?  Probably not, but we can dream can't we?

I need to visit Dr. King's speeches as an adult, 50 years later.  My understanding of the Civil Rights movement is limited, as we were living in it and not really learning about the intricacies of it.  As with everything these days, there is a lot I do not know.

I will start with the speeches.

Kevin McCarthy's Flying Circus

 If, as the saying goes, insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, then the Republicans in the 118th Congress are full-tilt bozo.

We watch as Kevin McCarthy parade's his naked ambition on a national- or international- stage.  At what point does he realize they just don't like him.

He needs to give up, hand off to a likely successor and be done with it. He has been chasing this dream since 2015 when he lost famously to Paul Ryan.  

It does not look good and even the Former Guy ordering his people to vote for Kevin isn't working.

Here's what I think about the whole batch of shenanigans

• They knew this was something they needed  to work on BACK IN NOVEMBER , after they won the House.
• if THIS is an example of his "leadership abilities" then they are in serious trouble.  
• Kevin couldn't organize a sandwich, let alone herd the cats that are the current not-yet-seated members of the House.
• They are trying to blame the Democrats for not voting for a Republican.   Right. Like THAT should happen.  You can't get your own House in order and are whining about the opposition party not riding to the rescue to save the mess.

This does not look to end well for the American People.

There is a whole faction of the Republican Party who exist to create chaos.  They are there for sound-bite, to get their name in the paper and their moments on Fox "news" shows.  They got elected by people who knew their names and had seen them on their tv screens. They sell fear and distrust of your neighbor, not improving things that need attention in this country and the world.

In his raw quest to be the #3 person in American Government, Kevin McCarthy is promising them EVERYTHING they want.  I am particularly amused that he has promised to change the way a speaker can be removed.  Do you think for one nanosecond that the minute he gives them all their plum assignments and whatever else they want, once the House is seated, that whack-job from Colorado won't rise to remove Kevin?  I swear the goal here is to STOP the Government (apparently, she believes we are saving money buy NOT having the Congress operating,  Maybe her business acumen is why her restaurant failed)

So we wait.  We are into ten votes and ten losses.  This beats the record set in 1923.  The last time we went without a functioning House, the Country was at War.  It has to be tiring and frustrating for people who actually want to do their jobs, but are being held hostage by a small but unhinged faction of the right who did not learn anything in 12th grade Government class.

Tuesday Morning

 Politics.  Again.  Today, the Congress will convene and Kevin McCarthy- the man so completely OWNED by Trump, he famously calls him "My Kevin" ( and if THAT doesn't make your skin crawl, check your pulse, you may be dead) Kevin will try to sell what is left of his soul to try to become Speaker of the House.  

May you have the luck you deserve, Kevin.

Politics is a hornets nest, IMHO.  I admire people who can work in the political world and still be human ( I'm looking at YOU Adam Schiff)  I wonder why people get into politics?  Probably one of two reasons, to make a difference or to wield power. The bulk of the current Republican Party DEFINATELY leans toward the latter.  I suspect they are being paid handsomely by whatever master they serve for selling both their souls and their constituents to the highest bidder.

Lying seems to be the norm and when you are caught you simply cite.. oh.. "alternate facts" or whatever freaking excuse that George Santos from New York is spouting.  I hope his community mounts a recall.  NOW.  I see now that they know where he IS, Brazil is reopening his fraud case.

Still, I hope they broadcast the disarray in the House today.  I hope the Democrats sit by and observe, like well-behaved spectators at Wimbledon.  I hope the good people who elected these buffoons on the Republican side of the Aisle get to see what Junior High School Student Council they have making laws for them.  

And I hope whoever they elect receives the same lovely treatment from their own party that was given to Nancy Pelosi.  It give me no joy to see people eat each other ( except maybe former BFF's Marge and Pistol packin' Lauren. I think I'd pay cash-money to see that smackdown)  I hope we are seeing something like growth and change.  I hope, but am fairly sure this is a vain hope, that we are seeing the end of Trumpism ( politics of name-calling and lying and division instead of unity for a common goal)  I often wonder what Eisenhower would have thought of the party he once led?