politics

WHAT A WEEK

WHAT A WEEK

Calene had a CT scan on Thursday. You know your world is surreal when CT scans and PET scans are business as usual. I have become a waiting room connoisseur, knowing which have the best chairs and plugs for my laptop. We were running a little late so I dropped Calene off and went to park. By the time I got to the imaging center they'd already taken her back. I sat down and began to write. It was just me and some other guy across the room who was speaking loudly into his phone, using a foreign language I did not understand. I have been blessed with the ability to write anywhere, shutting out distractions as if they didn't exist. I credit being a detached introvert for this skill set.

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HOLIDAY HEAD SPACE

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HOLIDAY HEAD SPACE

A lazy morning on the couch, waiting for the Packers game to start. Cup of coffee, fireplace roaring (hey, it's almost 50 degrees), dogs sleeping on the floor. I don't particularly like the Patriots but I like that they're beating Buffalo, just because I still see them as the underdog. Obviously, I don't feel the same about the Bears beating the Browns. Or the Jets, for that matter.

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LONG WALK HOME

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LONG WALK HOME

I was going to write something political for Barack Obama Day but I just don't have the energy. I'm so sick and tired of being fearful. Tired of hearing the word "dystopian." So, with the words of "Long Walk Home" ringing in my ears ("that flag flying over the courthouse means certain things are set in stone; who we are and what we'll do and what we won't"), I think I'll just write about the signing I'm doing this afternoon. Because it gives me great joy, which is very much what I need right now.

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THE ESCAPIST

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THE ESCAPIST

In light of the shit show in the Oval Office the other day, the historian in me is tempted to write at length about Ronald Reagan rolling over in his grave. But that line is as close as I'll come. Instead, I'm watching Black Labrador reels on Insta, among them a very cute story about a dog who looks very much like my Sadie on her way to Starbucks for a pup cup. Just can't get enough of Black Labs. The algorithm knows this. I get constant Springsteen and Lab reels as I scroll, which lifts my spirits in these uncertain times.

Yes, it's escapist.

INAUGURATION DAY

INAUGURATION DAY

I'm the guy who writes books in his garage office in slippers and sweatpants, and very often little else. So I'm in no position to judge my neighbors, be it the mom next door banging on her keyboards while trying to teach herself music, her son with a passion for purchasing old police cars, or my other next door neighbor from China whose husband died suddenly two years ago and who has suddenly found fashion sense and purchased a stylish Mercedes.