Three hundred and fiftieth day - Personal

Adam Hillman via Colossal on December 11, 2017

"The best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them up"

Dorothy Day

My Year of No Shopping by Ann Patchett, NYTimes 2017 12 15

I'm NOT buying new craft items - stamps, dies, etc.  I may have to purchase inks or papers or other consumables, but nothing from new collections.

I don't create very much art/craft, but spend a lot of time organizing the items I have and looking for new items to buy.

I don't feel good about it. I have lovely items already - they excited me when I purchased them. 

I haven't used them and practically feel bored looking at them because they're old.

Obviously there's something else going on that I'm avoiding.

I suspect it's moving from methodical world to creativity world...it's not easy for me. 

This morning I've spent an hour adding items to wishlists on two art/craft websites.

I added items to the cart and deleted them at least twice.

I watched a DVR'd episode of The Middle last night.

A feature of the show is that they never have enough money for anything, but I've never seen a house with so much crap piled up all over the place.  Uh, yeah - it's a set, I get it.  

But, man - people pile things up so high in their garages and closets and shelves and then become used to seeing it so when they walk by they don't even notice how much stuff they have.

I don't have a garage. I have a storage closet.  I have too much stuff.

It's easy (and pleasurable) to want new things and get them. 

I don't enjoy researching so at least I don't have that added benefit to the shopping experience. 

I also don't prefer purchasing items online.

I purchase Kindle books, streaming music/movies/tv, and craft items online.

I've purchased some items online (a couple tunics, a duvet cover, some t-shirts), but for the most part I go to the brick and mortar stores.

MY WATCHWORD FOR 2018 IS MINDFUL

I've been experimenting with mindfulness as it relates to my eating and I think it's been successful.

Awareness and mindfulness in the last year has given me insight into my relationships with other people.

I can apply that same mindfulness to shopping.  

I've been tracking all my food and drink intake - all of it - on my phone.  

That's how I've become more mindful.

I keep track of how I FEEL and what I'm THINKING when I have an urge to reach for a cracker even though I recognize I'm not hungry.

2017 has been a difficult year, though not without its joys and insights and hope.

2018 has the potential to be expansive and fulfilling.

And, so does THIS VERY DAY!  I'll start right now - today will be expansive and fulfilling!!!!!

Yay!

Three hundred and forty-ninth day

No new official proclamations or announcements (tweets) from President of the United States Donald J Trump this morning.

Yesterday after I published my post he had a couple. Here they are in order from earliest to latest.

Ugh - the "tax cut bill".  It's the worst.  I'll see what I can document about it on another post.

The odd thing is that you barely have to scratch the surface to see the tax bill is for wealthy Americans and Corporations - especially corporations.  

The 'tax cuts' for the CORPORATIONS are permanent.  

The 'tax cuts' for PEOPLE expire after 2025...and in reconciliation negotiations the House and Senate are considering taking a year off that and making it 2024 instead...so they can give more money to the corporations/wealthy.

Calling this tax bill a "massive tax cut for the everyday, working Americans" is a lie - flat out.  

FYI - their belief is that when you give corporations a tax cut, they'll pass those benefits on to their workers in the form of higher wages and more jobs...the economy will expand.

Let's be real...the only reason workers have had to unionize and protest for 8 hour work days and weekends off is because Corporations are NOT PEOPLE and on their own a corporation does not have any Compassion - it's only goal is to make money for the Shareholders.  

We HOPE there are people who run the Corporation who have compassion...but for many people, living in fear, they take what they can for themselves (it's a dog eat dog world after all) and screw everyone else.  We've seen it time and again.

Back to the tweet..."if you make your voices heard this moment will forever be remembered as a great new beginning - the dawn of a brilliant American future shining with PATRIOTISM, PROSPERITY AND PRIDE!"

Isn't that a bit over the top?  And there's something about it that sounds like it's not supposed to be about fake tax cuts.  This is the kind of thing you say when we get to the moon maybe.

It sounds like a novice speechwriter who has ONE chance to write a presidential speech and he or she will add in every cliche possible hoping this will be the GREAT SPEECH.  Even the alliteration at the end...cliche.  It's the kind of thing I do at the end of my work e-mails..."questions, comments, and concerns"...and I'm not a writer.  

I'm weary of this kind of talk from this administration and that President especially.  Honestly, I'm weary of it from everyone...left, right, and center.  

This is the way some people WANT to think we are.

But, they're just words...blah, blah, blah...yada, yada, yada.

The part that annoys me especially is the idea that these are uniquely AMERICAN characteristics.  

There are HUMAN BEINGS all over the world who demonstrate every day that they can innovate and prosper. And let's be honest, many of the innovators in America came from somewhere else.

We DO have the foundation of a good government system that is more FREE than not.  

But, people who live in FEAR and feel they have to TAKE and PROTECT their piece of the pie rather than sharing the bounty...they're ruining our great country.

Donald J Trump and his Administration are destroying the great USA faster than anybody before.

Ya mean like the coal industry?

Too many regulations on coal?

That's because COAL IS NOT GOOD FOR THE PLANET AND SOME OF US WANT TO CONTINUE TO LIVE ON PLANET EARTH!!!!!

That's just one example.  What about the chemical companies that pollute the water and the air?  

I mean - don't you care about that? Didn't you watch Erin Brokovitch?

What about the food manufacturers who cut corners?  You LIKE getting food borne illness?

History is replete with examples of CORPORATIONS that for the lack of regulation will KILL people and decide the profits exceed the cost.  CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE AND THEY CAN'T HAVE COMPASSION.  

I mean...this is AMERICA 101 people!!!!

It's ridiculous to think that regulations come out of thin air.  They are here because corporations have proven themselves to be less than trustworthy.

Yes, some regulations are not helpful and seem kinda ridiculous.

Do I think the Trump Administration went through their list of regulations carefully and thoughtfully to decide which ones were helpful and which ones weren't?

No.

No I do Not.

This stupid photo opp is why I'm pretty sure they just wanted to gut a set number of regulations. This is Donald J Trump standing beside pieces of paper (somebody should be regulating that!) representing the amount of regulations in 1960 vs 2017. 
Ridiculous.

Well, listen - I'll see what kind of regulations they're cutting.
Given that Net Neutrality was gutted yesterday, and they recently decreased the size of National Monuments to make that land available for corporations and developers, and they are allowing drilling for oil in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge....yeah - given all that (off the top of my head), I'm not hopeful that the Trump Administration took any care or thought when they slashed regulations.

And here are a couple more tweets. 
"Paycheck President"...I bet he LOVES that.
The Republican National Committee put together the website.  Let's see what it says...
It says "Bigger Paychecks for All Americans", then it has a video of President Trump.
I won't bother listening to that.  It's probably of the same blather.
Contact your senator for an extra $2000 in your pocket.
(It doesn't have a link to explain where that $2000 comes from.  I believe its the higher personal exemption we get on our tax returns.  Isn't it offset by the many deductions a person can no longer take? I think they decreased the child deduction and took away the deductions for state income tax.  I don't have all the details - but this RNC website doesn't either).
Then they have a list of all the things you can do with $2000 - as if everyone is getting an extra $2000 handed to them.
I suppose some people will be getting a better refund? That might seem like cash in hand.
Generally, it means you will be PAYING less, not GETTING more. 

That reminds me that there were lots of people in America who didn't know that the ACA (which they liked) was the same as Obamacare (which they hated).

Anyway - the website wants people to call their Democratic Senators and tell them how much you want your $2000. 
They even have suggestions of how to use it:
INVEST in car repairs
NEVER MISS a mortgage payment
PLAN a family vacation
GIVE to charity
SAVE for college
GIVE family a Christmas to remember
SAVE for retirment
PAY OFF credit card bill

Yeah - those are the kinds of things they want people to do with their $2000.
They're appealing to people with crappy cars who sometimes can't pay their mortgage (live paycheck to paycheck probably), they might not even have enough money for Christmas (NEXT YEAR!!!) and they have credit card debt that is beyond their current means to pay off.
VERY CYNICAL.

Uhhh...why don't you make an America where people can earn a living wage doing something other than hedge fund investing or politician or real estate developer?
Maybe teachers and health care workers and service members...maybe they can earn a living wage, eh?  What about that?
$2000?
That's not going to change someone's life. It's going to make them temporarily happy.
And that's what you're going for, right RNC?



And the second tweet is about OPTIMISM. 
In a very particular group of people I guess. 
It's a Trade publication.
We DO need our manufacturing sector to come back again.
I'm all for that.
Of course the only reason we lost them is because so many CORPORATIONS moved their jobs OVERSEAS and outside the USA.
I guess someone will say the reason they left is because taxes and wages were too high.
Well you know - if you WANT the best ya gotta PAY for the best. 
If you don't think American workers are worth a little more and you think you can get the same value from workers overseas + shipping costs...well then you don't think too much of the AMERICAN WORKER do you?
You must not believe all those fancy words from DONALD J TRUMP about how innovative and amazing we could be if only we didn't have rules and regulations to stand in our way.
Or...maybe you only think SOME people are innovative and amazing - not the regular Joe and Jane on the street, but the entrepreneurs...THOSE are the innovators...we need to cater to the ENTREPRENEURS and CAPTAINS OF INDUSTRY.

I get it. 

Yeah - on another day I might feel less cynical and I will remember that there are at least half of the American people who aren't like this.  I'll feel their power rising and feel more confident about the STATE OF OUR UNION.  We will indeed rise because...

"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

An interesting article about that quote from The Daily Beast.

Now - off to my day with a note to my future self who may read this again one day...
LIVE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT, BE AWARE, DO GOOD WORK, and LOVE EVERYONE BECAUSE THEY ARE PART OF YOU.
Love with the understanding that we're all on a journey and doing the best we can with our current understanding. Every day any of us is here is a miracle and a triumph even if it's difficult - especially when it's difficult.  Take a moment to FEEL THIS MOMENT and LIVE IN THIS MOMENT - listen, feel, touch, see, taste, THIS MOMENT.  Get to that place where you will realize - even for a split second - that only this moment is REAL.  And then, feel the LOVE.

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Three hundred and forty-eighth day

Tweets since last time from @RealDonaldTrump:

Mild day for our President.  But - comments from me, nonetheless!

1. Another reference to the record high Stock Market.  What's he going to do if the Stock Market goes down on his watch?
Of course the Stock Market is higher...people who make their living moving money around (middlemen for middlemen) are getting a good deal from the Republican Tax Bill.
If you believe American ideals are best exemplified by financial services corporations making more money, then Donald J Trump is your kind of President.
Too bad for the rest of us.

To consider, though: many of us without wealth, make our living from people who have wealth.  We serve them, sell to them, cater to them, get funding from them, try to be like them, dress like them, dream their dreams.  We sell out to them without a second thought.  It's ingrained in us.
It's one of the unconscious rules we live by.
Somehow, all our attention goes to the wealthy, our kings/lords/landowners.
We make that choice.
We don't have to serve the wealthy.  There are many people without means we can choose to serve.

Here's a tweet I was copying for one reason, but it became something else as I read replies to the tweet and thought about it a little more.

That tweet was a shocking story about a family we love to hate.
I believe it and I bet it's true.
As noted in many replies - at that age, he's a reflection of his parents.
Okay.

Many of the comments, were in sympathy and support for having to deal with the arrogance and entitlement of wealthy people.

This was in the reply as well:

The thing that struck me was...Yeah - we're all in service roles to the rich and it takes a toll.

Many of us are serfs to aristocratic masters.  We think we've evolved beyond that - especially in America - but clearly, our economy is geared toward service to the rich.  Maybe that's why we relate to movies about medieval times so easily...economically that's still our way of life.

I read some more of the replies - especially the part about the friend quitting teaching forever.  Now, the tweet is just a tweet so we don't know exactly why the person quit teaching forever.  Was it because of this one experience?  I don't think so - there were probably a lot of factors involved in the decision. 

But, this being Twitter, the replies were based on the idea that the only reason she quit was because a three year old swore at her.  So, there was some mocking thrown about.  

Among the mockery, I found this:

Oh yeah - we CHOOSE to service the rich.  

We CHOOSE to pay attention to them.

Why do we blame them when we give them all our attention and focus?

There are plenty of poor people we could focus on.

We give our attention to the things we value.

Many of us prove every day that we value wealth above many other things.

Thank goodness many of us DO make choices to pay attention to the things we value: compassion, service, kindness, collaboration, and community.

And, don't forget, there are plenty of wealthy people who use their money to make the world a better place. They aren't rude and entitled.  

The bottom line is:

a. we create our own reality

b. some people can't maintain their sense of right and wrong when it comes to money and power.

c. we are often subconsciously/mindlessly following and railing against our own economic beliefs.

How's that for going down a rabbit hole?

Back to Trump Tweets.

2. Omarosa.  Wow - that lady is cuh-ray-z.  Or not, I don't know.  I'm using that word in the colloquial sense, which is hopefully made clear by the spelling.
I was introduced to Omarosa via her first foray into Trumpworld - The Apprentice.  Let's just say she did not present a pleasing personality in that series.
Her life has been sad and strange ever since.
In her capacity at the White House she was some kind of community outreach person.  She was supposed to prove to people that Donald Trump knew black people, or something like that.
And coincidentally she's "fired" the night after Black Women helped put Doug Jones over the top in the Alabama special election.
On the one hand, I'm glad Omarosa's not on the taxpayer payroll anymore.
On the other hand, this is another example of Trump's ridiculous view of racial politics.

Apparently, it's a reality show episode as well.  She may have tried to get in the residence and the secret service kicked her out and took her to Chief of Staff Kelly who said get rid of her and she was escorted off the property.
That's Donald Trump's Administration.


3. This one is odd to me.  Donald Trump is NOT a Republican and yet he ran as a Republican and he is considered (though it's not an official position) to be the leader of the Republican Party.  But, he ran AGAINST the establishment Republican Party.  And his former chief political strategist is AGAINST the establishment Republican Party.
If the Republicans were really going to get great Republican candidates they might not follow all of Trump's policies.
Trump's base call themselves Republicans but they're former Tea Party people and Freedom Caucus people who don't believe in Federal government to the point of being willing to shut it down.

Maybe that's the difference between establishment Republicans and Bannnon Republicans - neither of them like a large Federal Government, but establishment Republicans are willing to work within the system to change it.  Unfortunately, they often BECOME part of the system and start to preserve their own sphere of influence rather than continue the work of shrinking the Federal government.  And that's when the Bannon side of the Republicans come in to say they can't work within the system - it has to be blown up!

The Republican Party has to figure out who they are before committing to "GREAT" Republican candidates.

Same can be said of Democrats at this point.  Except by the very nature of their end goal, even the most progressive of Democrats wants the federal government to stay viable.  So, they're not going to blow it up.  But, we do have our two sides:  work within the system (Obama) and agitate the system (Sanders).

***

So, this turned out longer than I anticipated given the fairly mild nature of Trump's tweets.

I wanted to note that Trump alone is not the problem with our current state of affairs - it's the Congress (ready to pass a HORRIBLE tax bill - for many reasons I'd like to review) and Trump's Administration (net neutrality, environment, regulations, etc).
It's also the appointment and congressional approval of unqualified candidates to the judiciary... that one's pretty huge.

It's all huge.

More on another day.

Three hundred and forty-seventh day

Doug Jones wins Alabama special election to replace Jeff Sessions in the US Senate!

Phew!

I don't know much about Alabama politics or about Doug Jones. People I read seem to think he's a good man; a solid liberal Democrat.

That's good for me and my side.

Beyond that - it's good for America.

Roy Moore, the Republican candidate opposing Doug Jones, is not the kind of man any American should want to represent them, or deliberate for them on important policy issues of the day.

Many people do - which we still have to reckon with.

Why was Roy Moore a problem?

In 2001 he was elected to be the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.

While in office he installed a marble monument to the 10 Commandments in the Justice Building.

A federal court ruled he must remove it, but he refused.

Instead, he was removed from his position.

Good riddance.

Too bad that wasn't the last we'd hear from Roy Moore

In 2013 he was again elected Chief Justice to the Alabama Supreme Court.

While in office he instructed probate judges to continue enforcing the state's same-sex marriage ban even though the Supreme Court had ruled it unconstitutional.

After losing an appeal of his suspension, Moore resigned this year.

Those two things alone are enough for me to say he's unfit for office.

He's said and done a lot of other things that were really horrifying.

The worst part is lots and lots of people agree with him.

I was afraid he'd win the election.

I am grateful for all the people who took time to work for Doug Jones so we don't have to deal with Roy Moore.

There's a lot about this election that makes it interesting.

Religion over state (he's evangelical and they love him)

Party over country (Republican Party supported him)

Relations between men and women (he was accused of sexual harrassment - and most of his supporters didn't believe the accusers and assumed they were being paid to do it. Additionally, a couple women spoke out about Roy Moore's attempts to date them when they were only 14 or 16 and he was 30 - 35)

He said in an interview with The Guardian that America wasn't so great and maybe Putin has it right about same sex marriage. And then he spoke Russian.  Odd.  That was from a couple years ago, I think.

He's racist.  Even his wife, just two days ago tried to defend him by saying "one of our lawyers is a Jew".  I mean, come ON. That's crazy.

I was afraid he'd win because as crazy as those things are, a LOT of people voted for him and a LOT of people voted for Donald Trump. 

If that kind of anti-American behavior wins any more than they already have then the America I've felt comfortable in all my life will be gone.

***

Donald Trump tweets:

A perfectly normal Presidential tweet from yesterday afternoon. Most likely tweeted pro forma by his staff.  Nothing to see here.

This morning:

This morning I'll comment in chronological order:

1. Perfectly reasonable tweet. I do not believe he wrote it himself.  Not one bit. 

2. Once again, everything is about him and proclaiming himself right. What an ego on this one!

3. According to Donald Trump "Fake News Media" is any media corporation who doesn't say what he says is true.  He says everything is great.  If a media outlet comments on the ways in which things are NOT great for everyone, Donald Trump calls it "Fake Media".  He assumes if people disagree with him or have a different interpretation of the success or failure of a policy that they're lying - and that means they're 'FAKE'.  

He doesn't seem to understand that many people are writing negative news stories about him because a LOT OF PEOPLE think he's a negative person.  He brings toxicity and chaos and division and hatred into our government.  He's NOT a good President.

There have been a couple retractions from newspaper people when they've made a factual error.  The thing that has him up in arms right now is that one NYT reporter tweeted a photo of his rally before it started so it looked like not many people were there.  Of course Donald Trump took offense to comments about his crowd size.

The thing is Donald Trump has said MANY MANY MANY things that were wrong and he won't even apologize for them or even acknowledge he was wrong.  

The truth is he's the eff'n joke, but nobody's laughing anymore because he's a stupid eff'n joke.

***

A follow-up to yesterday's tweet in which Donald Trump said Senator Gillibrand would do anything.  

Many reporters in yesterday's White House Briefing asked Sarah Huckabee-Sanders (WH spokesperson) what the President meant by his implication.

I'm not the only one who took it the way he meant it.

But, per their strategy, she feigned ignorance and claimed anybody who took it that way had their minds in the gutter.

I wish I knew the strategy to put a humiliating stop to all the nonsense that comes from the current White House.

Three hundred and forty-sixth day

FYI: using the number day of the year as my Post Title was not ideal for me, but I'm compelled to follow it through for the year. I'm not used to deriving context for the post using the day of the year as quickly and easily as I can make assumptions and have a feel for what might be going on based on either a description of the post or the actual date.  Next year, I'll switch back.

FYI: I don't always have a picture to share, but I think it's nice to have one. There's a website called Colossal that sells art and craft and design things. They share the work of artists and I often enjoy those.  I will add art photos at the top of the post where nothing else is available.  As long as I include the links and give proper credit I think it's okay.  This blog is not a money-making project (let's be honest, my readers currently include bots and spammers).

Donald Trump official portrait from whitehouse.gov

This morning's tweets from the President of the United States

Yesterday I wrote that Donald Trump is the worst President this country has ever known.  I don't know that's true. There are people who talk about the nastiness of politics since the beginning of politics. Maybe there were other times when Presidents behaved in disappointing ways.

When I grew up and learned about the government I had the idea that President of the United States was a job people would aspire to be worthy of.  It's a job that requires decorum and compassion and introspection and intelligence and the ability to see the big picture.  People who are President of the United States understand the impact their words and actions have. The President sends young men and women to war where they might be sacrificing their lives for their country. The President should have respect and humility for that power.

The President of the United States is responsible for making our federal government serve the citizens effectively.

Those are the ideals I start out with. That's what I expect.  I don't expect to always agree with the President's policies.  I do expect they'll treat all Americans with respect.

I don't think President Donald J Trump has those qualities.

(Which brings up a different topic - the constitution does not describe how we should judge whether a person is 'worthy' or qualified for the office, so it's up to voters all the time to make those decisions.  It's individual and it changes.)

In the tweets above - I took the screenshot from the @realDonaldTrump Twitter page at about 6:45 am PST on December 12, 2017 - the President of the United States shows what kind of man he is. From top to bottom the tweets are in reverse chronological order.  So are my comments.

1. The stock market is not an indication of the overall health of he US economy.  It's a view of how shareholders are faring.  Although many middle class Americans have assets in the stock market via their 401Ks or pensions, that money is not available to them for day to day living.  This doesn't tell us how many people are living paycheck to paycheck or how the "gig economy" changes things for young people.

I've long thought the deference paid to shareholders is not good for our overall economy and I think it's bearing out.  Companies aren't making money because they're "good" companies that investors believe in - they're making money because investors think they can make money using the company. The goal of investing isn't to support the work of a company, but rather how the company can be used to make more money.  I hope I'm making sense.

I also think Republicans don't spend their money unless a Republican is President. Those corporations had plenty of cash on hand years ago, but wouldn't start putting it into the economy until a "Republican" was in office.  Obama begged them to start using their money, but they sat on it.

That's one example of why corporations can't be trusted to 'do the right thing'.  Again - paying attention to the well-being of SHAREHOLDERS even over the long term solvency of the company has been a shift in focus that I don't think benefits us as a country or as an economy. 

Bottom Line - I think Trump is taking credit for things that have nothing to do with him.

a. Is Consumer Confidence at an all time high?  I don't know. I'll let that one go for now.

b. Record high stock market. Yes - but not the only gauge of how good our economy is.

c. Unemployment is at a 17 year low. Is it?  I don't know, but I know that in the last 17 years we've had 9/11 and the financial meltdown so the fact that less than one year into his term he's taking credit for the unemployment rate is unreasonable. He is standing on the shoulders of others and taking all the credit.  That reminds me of his speech at the Republican convention in summer 2016 when he said "I alone can fix it".

2. Isn't it unusual for a President to wade into these kinds of elections?  I don't know.  I don't have as much issue with that part of it.  I don't even have an issue with his description of what the 'right thing' is (thought I disagree vehemently).  I don't believe he believes those things, but it's his political platform so go ahead.

I don't like that he called Doug Jones a puppet of Schumer/Pelosi.  

I don't like the name-calling. The President of the United States should always rise above the fray. 

And the fact that his big reason to vote FOR Roy Moore is that he'll always vote with the Republicans.  

That sounds like the puppet calling another puppet a puppet.

Takes a puppet to know a puppet, Donald Trump!!!!

Is there nothing that 'Trumps' the Republican Party?

Does not even the honor of our country come before the Republican Party?

(Special election in Alabama is today where Democrat Doug Jones is facing off against Republican Roy Moore.)

3. More name-calling.  Lightweight, total flunky.  

He makes no sense when he calls out other people for being puppets and flunkies when HE said in the very next tweet he sent that the reason to vote FOR Roy Moore is because he'll be a 'total flunky' for Donald Trump.  What a hypocrite!

One thing we know about Donald Trump is that he doesn't believe hypocrisy is anything to be ashamed of.

What did he mean by "and would do anything for them"?  What is he trying to imply?  That's another common Donald Trump tactic - IMPLY things and then feign ignorance if someone presses him on it.

Considering his sexual attitude toward women has become very clear via his own words and tweets, and given the fact that someone who IMPLIES something is expecting the person who hears to make his own assumptions about what the person meant (the words between the words) then I can say that I believe Donald Trump was suggesting she would do things of a sexual nature to/for him.  'Cause that's the kind of person Donald Trump has shown himself to be.  He believes all women will do sexual things to get things from him.  And, he's made a point of talking about how great at sex he is...small hands.  It shocks and amazes me that I don't even have to make any great leaps of logic or make huge assumptions to come up with these ideas...he tweets about it, writes about it, speaks about it.  These are his own words!!!!!  As Maya Angelou said - when someone tells you who they are - believe them!!!! 

It's depressing to me that given all his SHOWING of who he is, enough people were more concerned about their fear that they voted for him.  And they call themselves Patriots.  Grrrr...

4. The investigation is not over and just because nothing has been announced doesn't mean there was no collusion.

I hope there IS collusion.  But, I kinda think if Mueller had found something that bad he would have said something earlier.  Right?  I mean, if we have evidence that the President colluded with Russia Mueller would need to take action right away. Wouldn't he?  Wouldn't we need to immediately get rid of that person who would be holding office illegitimately?

For that reason, I don't think there will be any collusion charge.  Apparently its a pretty difficult charge to make anyway.

"False accusations and fabricated stories".  Hmph.  I don't believe it.  As I noted above, he's made clear exactly the type of man he is - in his own eff'n words!!!!! - so I don't believe any of the accusations are false or fabricated.

Here's a tweet, that seems perfectly plausible to me given what Donald Trump has said about himself.

Donald Trump is an arrogant, self-aggrandizing, person who believes women will offer their sexuality to him in exchange for his money.  That's why he likes having and flaunting his money. And he doesn't mind when he goes bankrupt because he still has the trappings of wealth and he can still trade that for sex.  

I don't know what should be the result of any investigation though. This would not be new information.  As Sarah Huckabee Sanders (White House Spokesperson) said the American people knew he was like this before they elected him and decided it didn't matter.

Sad, but true.  

I don't get it.  

We've come full circle back to where I started...I was taught to believe the President should have special qualities as I described above.  

Donald J Trump does not have those qualities and a good percentage of the country didn't care.

That shakes the very foundation of my belief in what the United States of America is about - but that's for another post.

Have a wonderful day!!!

Three hundred and forty-fourth day

A text message from a wife to her husband.

Comments on the instagram post (Tracy Wigfield posted it) indicate opposing viewpoints.
Lazy, or thrifty (there are a couple squares left!)

It made me laugh - I've been both thrifty AND lazy.

***

Insanity is knowing what love is and not passing it on...

That's a thought from the first man speaking in Series 1, Episode 1 of Humans of New York: The Series on Facebook.

His opening speech had other interesting things to say (see below), but this is the part that stuck out to me this morning.
If we've been given the gift of love at any point in our lives and know how much it changes our hearts and our souls, why would we not want to share that with everyone we encounter.
It's part of the experience of love to want to share it.
I'm speaking of the love that is unconditional and includes every part of our being, especially the part that makes mistakes.
You are more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel.
I've experienced that feeling in brief moments over the course of my lifetime.  Sometimes when looking at the stars, mostly in private moments.
Knowing that it often brought me to tears because I felt accepted and part of a larger whole, I wish that I did a better job of sharing that feeling with people I interact with - including myself and the people who know how to push my buttons.

Insanity is being young and wanting to grow up too fast.
Insanity would be knowing where the gold is and not going to get it...knowing where the diamonds are and not going to get them...
Insanity would be knowing what love is and not passing it on to the next friend or family member or loved one.
Insanity would be having a gift and saying 'oh - it's not worth anything'.  And then when you find out the gift was worth something you spend the rest of your life trying to get it back. And then you find out that the gift that was given to you is life. And once you've kinda given your life away it's not easy trying to get it back and nine times out of ten you probably won't.

***

This recap of all the Star War movies prior to the release of The Last Jedi (coming soon) makes me not care at all about Star Wars.  Sheesh - this is what happens when there are too many sequels and prequels. 
Or, maybe this is history.  I guess if someone were making a movie about our current world there would be lots and lots of prequels and sequels that had the same essential story.
We're living now in the rise of authoritarianism that we've seen many times in the past. 

Three Hundred and Forty- third day

Donald J Trump is the worst President The United States has ever experienced.
People who voted for him sacrificed the best values of America to satisfy their anger and fear.
There are people who write more eloquently than I can about why Donald J Trump is the worst President.
Leonard Pitts, Jr is one of them

I've stopped using Twitter because it doesn't change anything.
Donald J Trump doesn’t care about truth or doing the right thing or being kind or trying to elevate himself above the fray. He wants us all in the gutter with him. He purposefully twists reality - sometimes to distract from his crimes, and sometimes for no reason at all.

I don't think anyone in his administration is making choices in the best interest of the planet or the majority of the citizens.
Donald J Trump only cares about money and people who have money. He doesn’t care what he has to do to get more or curry favor with people who have more.

That's all I want to say today.

Three Hundred and Thirty-sixth Day

Shame, Shame, Shame 

Last night, the Republican controlled Senate passed their version of a Tax "Reform" bill by a vote of 51-49.

The House passed their version of the bill last week.
Next, the House and Senate will conference to meld the two versions to send to the President for signature.

Those smiling happy faces in the picture make me cringe.

This is a fragment of the bill that was passed...handwritten and in the dead of night.

The Republican Party is ruining our country.

Some Twitter entries from this morning re the state of our union and the tax bill

I did see this nice tweet though...

Three hundred and thirty-first day

Yay - Harry looks happy!
It's wonderful to see those boys grow up to be fine men.  At least that what it looks like from where I sit.  I don't pay 100% attention to their lives, but they seem happy and are poised and humble and involved in all kind of good deeds.
I'm a sucker for their happiness.

Today, Harry announced his engagement to Megan Markle. 

Megan seems like a lovely woman.  I base that on the interview they did with the BBC after their engagement. 

In other royal news that I've missed:

William and Katherine are having a third child!  

I can't get enough of this threesome.  They seem like great friends all of them!

And the family:

I wish them real and true happiness...:)

Two hundred and eightieth day

Wow - my gratitude month was a bust.
I was grateful all month, but I didn't write anything more about it.



I'm writing today, just to note that for the first time in a few years my assets are greater than my liabilities!  By $512!!!!
Next week it'll be less because I scheduled a couple credit card payments today.

But for this day???   YAY!!!  YAY ME!!!! :)

Two hundred and twenty-second day

Today I'm grateful for my job.
I'm not so cocky to believe I'm the only one who can do my job. In fact, I suspect there's someone out there who can do my job better than I do.
For that reason I'm grateful I was in the right place at the right time.
Also, it's a common human trait that if you have something (or someone) that's acceptable and doesn't cause trouble, you're more likely to keep what you have rather than look for something else. I'm grateful for that as well.
Now that the humble part is out of the way, honestly, I do a good job for my company.
I do wish they'd listen to me more though. I think I could revolutionize how our company works.
And that leads to the other thing I'm grateful for...I have lots to learn!!!!
I'm not a person who likes to take the lead on things. I'm a better cheerleader. I will be supportive and root you on...but I don't want to be responsible or obligated any more than I am!
Which is why I can't complain too much that people don't listen to me.
That's what makes me an 'acceptable' employee, rather than an exceptional employee. At least for my job.

Two hundred and twenty-first day

Yesterday's gratitude: Other people's imagination + my own imagination. I like stories.

Today's gratitude: Other people's curiosity + my own curiosity. People have developed some amazing things and I experience awe thinking about the type of person who discovers or develops things - computers, science, space et al.

Note: I was thrown off yesterday when our President (ugh) threatened North Korea with a fire and fury the likes of which this world has never seen before (if they continue to threaten us)
I hope in some time I am embarrassed that I was so upset because it turned out to be lots of bluster.
But for yesterday (and today so far), it's upsetting to me.

Two hundred and nineteenth day

Today I am grateful for my health and my brain and my body.
One of my weaknesses in life is that I don't try very hard.
If something comes easy for me, great. If not, I move on.
For that reason, I'm lucky for what I was born with.
I'm not especially attractive, or fit, or smart. But I'm healthy and can move and think.
This is the great tragedy of my life as well...if only I tried harder who knows where I'd be.
Honestly, I feel I haven't given my best to this world for all the joys I've received.
Today, I am grateful for what I have. Seriously - thank you to my body from the top of my head to the soles of my feet.

Two hundred and eighteenth day

Today I'm grateful that I ate some different foods yesterday and happily - so far - have had NO digestion issues!!! YAY!!!!
I'm also grateful I have a car that gets me from here to there with no issues. Sometimes I think of my car as my best friend.  Yeah, that's kinda weird, but the car is what gives me independence.
I'm additionally grateful that I live in an area where I don't have to drive everyday - I can walk.
And finally, today, I'm grateful for our rule of law.  It seems the only thing keeping our United States united.

Two hundred and seventeenth day

Day 5 of gratitude:

I'm grateful my Mom's having her birthday today.

She drives me batty quite often (she would be quick to point out I drive her batty too). 

We have issues.

But, she's healthy and independent. 

Good for her and good for me.

Two hundred and sixteenth day

Day Four - Today, I'm grateful that I get to work from home.  I don't have a commute, my boss trusts me, I don't have to figure out what to wear everyday, I rarely get interrupted, I'm exposed to less germs during cold and flu season, and I'm comfortable.  I'm also grateful that I have an opportunity to learn how to be self-motivating.  
I'm very lucky.

Eek - I notice the year is more than half over already.  What the hey?

Two hundred and fifteenth day

No picture today. I saw a website (Paperlicious) that is using August to document her gratitude. I'll try to do the same.
Day 01 - I'm grateful to be ALIVE
Day 02 - I'm grateful that JK and I were able to have an honest conversation about our tiff from the day before.
Day 03 - I'm grateful that I was able to experience a few hours at the beach. I love being in the water.

P.S. JK and I worked and worked a lot last week trying to get our Scope financial statement project done. We worked late on Friday, which was my 40th reunion. I wasn't planning to go, but it was on my mind. Saturday SGM visited overnight. We went to the arts and crafts fair - or a small amount of it anyway. She helped me hang a couple things on my wall. Sunday was a wedding for LJB niece.
And I have today and tomorrow off from work. Yay!

One hundred and eighty-third day

Doctor Who Season 10

Last night's finale episode.
It didn't make sense to me.
Everyone gave up.

The Doctor didn't even TRY to figure out how to save Bill Potts.
He just decided to die killing the cybermen.
And I'll never accept that a nearly immortal person would care about what he looks like on the outside. I don't buy that Doctor Who would balk at regenerating.

Bill's last line to the Doctor about knowing she likes girls and people her own age seemed more appropriate for earlier companions when they inevitably fell in love with The Doctor.
There was never any flirtatious banter between The Doctor and Bill.

I thought Peter Capaldi was wonderful as The Doctor.  All of his seasons he embodied the Doctor in a way I appreciated.  He acted the hell out of the part!!!!
Pearl Mackie was an authentic, fun, and enthusiastic companion.
The problem with the pairing is that they weren't written with the intensity that other Doctor/Companion relationships have been since 2005.
Since 2005 people are more used to a flirty, romantic story for the companions and maybe people don't know how to write outside of that and still make it seem like it matters.
Or, maybe a year isn't long enough to build up that feeling.
I don't know.

This year's stories didn't interest me very much.  I'll watch them again later because I've noticed that if I watch something a second time I enjoy it more.
At this moment...Season 10 had excellent wonderful fabulous characters and actors (Doctor, Bill, Missy, and Nardole) and the writing for each character was excellent, but the situations they found themselves in didn't interest me.  
I hope I'm wrong and just didn't give them enough attention to appreciate them.
I think it's because this year they decided to focus on the horror side of the show a little more.
That's never been the part I liked, so it could be that.
I like stuff that blows my mind, not creepy, scary stories.

I loved, loved, loved Michelle Gomez as Missy.  I am absolutely heartbroken that I can't see more stories of her.
And Nardole.  He was funny and interesting.

Series 10 - A mixed bag for me.
However, I do look forward to watching them again sometime to see how wrong my initial thoughts are!!!!