Author: tallthinman72

Richness and Contentment

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Daily writing prompt
Describe your ideal week.
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Decent weather, an ambitious To Do list that gets accomplished, fun visits with the kids, some well-written blog posts that reflect progress in my ability to put pen to paper, so to speak. Discovering a couple or a few new recipes that we actually try.

My ideal week would go by at just the right speed– not too fast, not too slow. It would be a week in which I wasn’t as pre-occupied with and weighed down by the state of affairs in this country, where I wasn’t as cognizant of the usual spinning of wheels, feeling like I’m wasting my days stuck in neutral, twiddling my thumbs in idleness.

It would be a week in which certain things are made clear, like finding part-time work that I could actually see myself doing.

Kicking The Habit Is Hard

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Daily writing prompt
If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be?
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When put on the spot, I’m finding it difficult to think of a word that fits the bill. I mutter the F-word with some regularity, mostly under my breath but occasionally out loud– when the neighbors next door decide to take a ride on their motorcycles and sit in the yard revving up the engines, making a ridiculous and inconsiderate amount of noise. I think this one would be tough to give up, though. As jarring as it may hit one’s ears, it’s one of the few truly versatile and cathartic exclamations.

In general, I guess it would be any word that ends up serving as a convenient place filler, used due to the lack of imagination or knowing other more interesting ones. Maybe “jeez,” or any that come close to taking the name of the Lord in vain.

That Other Shoe

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What are we supposed to think when we see a military parade? I assume that, at least in part, it serves the purpose of intimidation, muscle-flexing, maybe assurance. The bailiwick of authoritarians, in any event.

To me, it’s just evidence that humanity continues to be a species with skewed priorities and debilitating distrust. It’s an indication that, rather than spending the trillions on tending to actual needs, investing in education and infrastructure and medicine and the arts and goodwill, we default to preparing for Armageddon, because the rest of the world appears to be doing the same thing—always ready to pounce, storing up armaments for that seemingly inevitable, awful day when suspicion and irrational hatred precipitate some final battle.

What a sad fucking way to live. We should be ashamed of ourselves.

Hastening the End

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It’s no surprise that a judge lambasted Trump’s solo effort at instituting legislation through Executive Order. Donald long ago decided that a judicious use of the power would not be for him. Or maybe Russell Vought and Stephen Miller and others decided for him.

Trump has abused the privilege, thinking that every matter is under his jurisdiction, just willy-nilly denying funds, stopping research, assuming chairmanship of the Kennedy Center, trying to kill green energy while aiding and abetting his fossil fuel buddies, sending troops to places that don’t need them, handing down mindless edicts that distract, edicts that enrich his enablers while jeopardizing the well-being of people who voted for him but otherwise don’t matter.

He’s been playing games all along, testing limits. Pushback must commence and never let up. This’ll drive him crazy.

He’s always been a pretender, an impostor. It’s way past time to expose this needy, worthless fake, and his hate-fueled, ridiculously long-lasting ruse.

A Few Time Zones

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Daily writing prompt
Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home.
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About twelve years ago, I made a trip to Israel, with a small group of pilgrims and seekers, which, according to AI, is about 5500 miles, as the crow flies, from where I lived at the time. We flew from Boston to Frankfurt, Germany, then from there to Tel Aviv, where we took a shuttle to Jerusalem. I used the same airports on the way back. One day early on, I called my wife from a coffee shop in the Christian Quarter, Old City, at around 2pm, and she had just gotten up at around 7am, starting her day in southeastern PA.

Dream On

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Daily writing prompt
What does your ideal home look like?
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Modest but functional ranch, well insulated, metal roof. Four bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths. One main level, with a finished basement, including entertainment room with large screen 8k TV, top-of-the-line sound system, strong wifi connectivity; separate sewing and embroidery room with all necessary equipment and storage space. Detached garage/workshop; maybe 2 acres of land, mostly open, tastefully and functionally landscaped, with a bit of woods. Flat, though properly drained, and above the effects of any flood plain. Solar power generation, passive solar, and geothermal heating/cooling. Spacious kitchen, able to accomodate food prep and gatherings of family and friends. Sunken living room, baby grand piano, gas fireplace, space for 14 at a large dining table. Back patio and pergola, opening to a spacious lawn with a good mix of sun and shade.

Other than that, just a roof over our heads.

Can’t Wait

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So, what will this week bring? The first casualties? The first deaths in the streets?

I know—I’m such a ray of sunshine. But who among us hasn’t at least gone there once or twice, to that place where we resign ourselves to the fact that confrontations are inevitable? Trump’s motives are as obvious as the empty-eyed stare on Stephen Miller’s face.

Troops aren’t needed in Chicago or Boston or anywhere else. They’re only needed in the mind of Trump and others who just can’t handle the possibility of losses in the next election, or any subsequent elections. Elections are anathema to the movement, they don’t fit with the “vision,” such as it is.

It will be interesting to see what happens if Trump sends troops to Chicago. JB Pritzker will be challenged to walk the walk. If he’s as much of a boss as previous public figures in Illinois, maybe he’s got an ace up his sleeve. Maybe law enforcement will back him, which may cause one to worry about the above confrontations.

Kinda makes one wonder what’s going through the minds of the troops being assigned. Might they be muttering, at least to themselves, “This is bullshit”?

Floodgates

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Daily writing prompt
What brings a tear of joy to your eye?
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The tears start welling up at certain points in a song or classical piece, in certain scenes in TV shows or movies, like that whole scene in The Sixth Sense where Cole finally shares his secret with his Mom; when something is so funny that the eyes start watering and the nose is running.

In general, those moments when I’m feeling particularly fortunate and blessed by knowing and having certain people in my life– my wife, our kids and grandkids, other family and friends.