Awake and alive

A slight delay in blogging due to:

1)  I went away for a long weekend last week for the Bourbon tour;

2)  Busy-ness at night; and

3)  I forgot my password.

One was awesome...not only because it was interested to see how bourbon is made, but I got to hang out with cool people, and, well, I think I need to take more vacations, as it is good to get away.

Two was ok -- nothing pressing.  Three, like the failure to repeal Obamacare, was a disaster that should not have happened.  Alas.  I wonder if five weeks of ire from GOP voters will change their minds...

Am up to 573 on the film list -- "To Be Or Not To Be" was the latest..  fairly funny, actually, and a Lubitch.  I can see how people at the time would have found it to be slightly inappropriate, but I think that is exactly why the film succeeds -- basically, it's a comedy about mistaken identity and impressions -- set in Nazi-occupied Poland.  Also, Carole Lombard's last film...

Still waiting on a Tribe move;teams are buying, and while they may not be making the moves we would make, it only drives the price up and creates less palatable trade options.  The thought could be a healthy Kipnis and Chisenhall are enough, but I don't really see that.  Of course, Santana is pitching well...for now.

Links

https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/7/18/15958214/age-of-white-christian-america-over

I found this to be timely, as I finished up The Evangelicals over the weekend.  I mean, in some ways the book is dated, as the dreams of Evangelical supremacy (in a conservative sense) are over; except for perhaps school choice (which, per the book, seemed to agitate much of the movement) is gone forever.  Part of the problem -- in retrospect it seems obvious -- is that the politics shifted so quickly to the GOP and only in the South; it delivered a block of votes in one part of the US at the cost of another.  Not sure anyone on their side knows what to do or how to solve it.  I've always said a full withdrawl is an idea, but everything -- schools, charity, funding of crap, you name it, to say...well, we've done our fair share, now it is your turn...

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/dont-blame-trump-for-republican-healthcare-woes/article/2628671

I disagree; the President HAD to be out there on this -- mobilizing his voters, pressuring recalcitrants, etc.  I mean, that is ONE big problem with the man; the general disengagement from politics.  I know he was not a politician, but he is one now, and this is a huge hit to the GOP everywhere, no doubt about it.  I think the RINO wing will suffer more -- getting primaried is an effective way to solve the problem -- but it also means people may lose in the general.  I suspect, though, that a lot of GOPers would say it is the same thing, and they would not often be wrong.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/jeff-sessions-wants-police-to-take-more-cash-from-american-citizens/ar-BBECcJm?li=BBnb7Kz
This hardly sounds...Republican; I mean, yes, it is good to take cash from real criminals, but most people on the GOP are coming to the conclusion that real criminals are seldom affected...

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/catholic-nuns-in-pa-build-a-chapel-to-block-the-path-of-a-gas-pipeline-planned-for-their-property/ar-BBEyPAt?li=BBnbcA1

This could be me, but isn't forcing people to use heating oil or coal, instead of clean natural gas, a sin against the environment?  I think a big dump of heating oil on their front lawn would be wondrous..

Watching the Tribe blow today's game was extremely impressive -- a total collapse by the pen and the defense.  Seeing other teams make moves...well, I always say the team that goes first gets the best deals, and so far...we are not exactly making a move at all...

Old and new

One thing I enjoy when reading is the relevance of the stuff on the page to the here and now...Jay Sekulow is getting mentioned for his legal work with the Christian Coalition and such...I was like, interesting...  I mean, I read it, but here it is...

Hit 570 on the film list yesterday.  "Show People" was the first -- late silent, fairly humorous, about a star who has to rediscover her roots to find happiness.  Lots of cameos from the stars of the day -- sort of an insider piece, if you will.  The other thing I liked is how it showed the randomness of an acting career...people literally made a couple of favorable impressions and got jobs somewhere.  The other film was the Spanish version of "Dracula" from 1931... I listened to some of the commentary -- same set, they filmed AFTER the English people left...pretty cool.  Different actors -- the Lugosi replacement was a different scary, and I did like how the actress they had on mentioned that -- in addition to Latin people being more emotive -- they put the female actresses in low-cut dresses that Anglo audiences couldn't see.  Lest the telenovelas are a new phenomenon...

Not much sleep last nite -- for a bunch of reasons, none of them good or exciting -- and the weekend caffeine deficit means I am dragging.  I suspect cutting the grass didn't help (rain is coming, I guess) since I got a nice hour (give or take) in the sun.  Alas.  Should try to sleep today, as winter is coming this week...

Fatigue

Work was interesting, and it will be more so next week...alas.  I am about half-way through The Evangelicals, and it is quite good.  I didn't know that the Bakkers did puppet shows, of all things...right now I am in Reagan's second term, and the rise of Pat Robertson and the relative decline of Jerry Falwell... interesting, in many ways, the various sects and how each of them reacted to the change in American society in the 60s and 70s.

As for myself, I am ok...just very tired.  I can feel it all over me.  Not sure why, though I suspect it is just a lack of caffeine and the cumulative effects of poor sleep quality.


http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/sandwich-david-brooks-culture-class/
There's been a lot of talk about this, and while it is easy to mock Brooks, and I think he should get a bit here... I am not sure he is all that wrong, either; I think his point that much of the US has NOT seen an improvement in their economic situation - and hence feels left behind - is correct, and that is why you see Trump, amid other things.  How shall I say this...in the 90s you saw a mass entrance of Starbucks onto the American scene, and times were such that people had the money to spend $5 on coffee...and broaden their palates, if you will.  Now... well, it just isn't there.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/7/12/15956742/colorado-marijuana-taxes-schools

I've always thought this is the one reason for legalizing it; not that it wouldn't cause a host of other issues, but this increase in taxes/decrease of cash in the underground economy could be put to some use, even though with all government spending, it goes to the teats, and not the milk...

Catching up

Weekend was interesting...and busy.  More work around the house, some reading, some chores, some bank stuff...also a meeting, a training session, and two wakes (Friday).  The meeting and training session got me out of wisdom-of-Solomon-style decision on the funerals, for better or worse.  Rah.

Two films came off the list.  "Seventh Heaven" and "Serene Velocity."  The second was a short -- an experimental film about...well, camera work.  Rah.  The first -- 1927 silent -- was sort of charming; man and woman fall in love despite their hangups and WWI.  Also a completely ridiculous depiction of combat.  But the story was cute, and the acting fairly good.  I listened to the commentary while watching, and I think this line sums it up -- just when they had perfected the genre, talkies came along and blew it up.

I started reading The Evangelicals:  The Struggle to Shape America, by Frances Fitzgerald.  Quite interesting, even if 750 pages.  I am 200 in, and am just in the 1960s.  The background was useful; one point made was that the geographical differences between denominations wasn't just about slavery (not that it wasn't unimportant), but also that due to geography/population backgrounds/the theological training of the ministers, the parts of the nation (in the beginning) ended up with varying Protestant theologies.  Later on this became important due to urbanization, but in the beginning... the circuit riders and the role of say, lay people, were as much a shaper of theology as slavery.  Didn't think about it quite like that.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-07-10/who-cares-about-health-care-not-republicans
Note quite true; GOPers do care, but the bills aren't conservative, they know it, and there is no point in defending the undefendable.  I wonder what will happen to some of the people who supported it -- how many will be primaried, and how many not...I would say...a few.  Not enough to make a difference; the redder the state, of course...the more likely.

https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/the-conservative-resistance-is-futile-1499296694?mg=prod/accounts-wsj

Quite right, but look at the bright side...the next time we have a Democratic president...all bets will be off.

Peppered

I know I've said this before, but Trevor Bauer would get more strikes if he threw more strikes; I mean, he really isn't a bad pitcher, but he isn't very consistent in the strike zone -- alone among the starting staff, except for Clevinger.  It's a problem, as the other guys are in the zone, and thus get the borderline calls.  In contrast, of course, Bauer is not, has to come into the plate....and gets hit.  You'd think someone would mention this to Mr. BABIP.

Film list to 566 with "Salt of the Earth."  It was ok; it gets points for its cast -- mainly amateurs and Latinos -- and its subject matter, but it was a little (more than a little!) maudlin and predictable.  I will concede the historical nature of the film... in the meantime, I ordered a bunch more from the library, and we will keep pounding the route to 600.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/poland-prepares-absolutely-huge-welcome-for-trump/ar-BBDMRAE?li=BBnb7Kz

This is from the popular series of Trump the Russian stooge; ok, I am a little leery of the upcoming summit, but if the guy was really a Russian stooge...you'd think they would be more worried.  

https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/7/4/15913590/muscular-christianity-make-america-great-again-trump-hymn

Listen to the song in the link...it is beyond awesome.

Reflection

Hard to believe that the long weekend is almost over...I wouldn't say it was restful, though I did get to bed somewhat earlier each nite...I think I am now just overtired, and while I may have picked up on some repose, I am still behind...I may do some more cleaning today -- basement -- just to finish up and add to the fatigue.

Two more films came off the list yesterday...  "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and "Shaft."  The first was a musical, and while some parts of it at times were charming...it was still awfully maudlin for me, and I suspect now that the rape origins of the original tale would..not fly.  "Shaft" I actually liked -- quite a bit.  I mean, the story on its holds up, and the tale itself -- with the mainly black cast and storyline -- added to the...well, humor of it?  I mean, I suspected there was certainly a sense of that in the flick.  In the meantime, 565 down...  going to the library and ordering a stack for the weekend was pretty smart on my part.  I should do it again -- I had wondered if I could make it to 600 by the year's end, but now... I mean, between Netflix and a regular viewing of 2 a week, I should be well past that.

Another good thing this weekend was that I had a series of solid -- hard, even -- workouts at the gym.  I am still at 80 to 90% of where I was before the bedfall, and I suspect that a full week of solid sleep and proper nutrition would help.  But I have been adding to the speed of the treadmill, and even pushing myself to put some extra weight on the machines.  Funny; a couple of weeks ago one of the Fun Runners said I used to have man boobs, but now I do not...and while that is not quite true, there is a bit less fat overall on the trunk and it looks a little more...well, not chiseled, but leaner, and we all know how I feel about that.

The power of clean

One thing I've been doing over the past two days is to clean my house -- I cleaned the hell out of the two spare bedrooms, dusting and moving stuff and consolidating boxes yesterday, and today was the bathroom. Prolly will do the basement over the weekend as well, though I am tempted to actually clean out or organize a closet or two...  I did one a while back and it has retained its neatness.

Listening to the Tribe on the radio on the way home after Mom's, and one thing I was surprised at was that -- at the time -- Verlander was 20-22 in his career versus the Tribe, and the ERA wasn't anything special.  I mean, maybe I shouldn't have been -- you see the guy a lot, and you get a sense of his stuff -- but given his career overall, I would have expected something else. Today is most impressive, and after the split... well, I think I am a little relieved about the direction of the team, at least for now.

The move to Allen to the 8th -- to protect Miller's arm -- amuses me, since the obvious answer is to pitch Miller less...I mean, I think the move to a reliever going 2IP every two or three days is the best one, but not using him so much so close together....which is what they have had a tendency to do.

May watch a film today; am working on some reading now... Adams' Fighting For Defeat:  Union Military Failure in the East, 1861- 1865 is the choice for now, and I rather like it, though, that really shouldn't surprise anyone here...

awaken

The long weekend is here, and I am...well, ready for it.  Didn't sleep in this AM -- 6:30 -- but I did watch a documentary, pay some bills, do a little cleaning...so, it wasn't a total loss.  Still, I do feel as if a nap may be in order sometime...

Two films off the list -- "Pinocchio" and "Samsara."  "Pinocchio" was actually...pretty good.  The plot twists were a little out there, but I liked it...cute, good story, moved fast...  The second was a short documentary about life in Cambodia after the fall of the Khmer Rouge.  Very...sad, poignant.  And, of course, a telling commentary on what happens when you put liberals in charge of anything.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/06/ohio_councilman_suggests_letti.html#incart_river_home

You know what?  I agree with the guy....yes, it is tragic, but there are two societal costs here -- one for the people affected, and one for the rest of us, the ones who are paying for it, and in this day of Paying Your Fair Share...