Being Woke

So, it's 1 AM and I cannot sleep; ok, I could.. I think I nodded off at 8:30 and popped up at 11:30, and now the biorhythm is off.  Oi.

First, thanx to all my readers -- more than I know -- who asked about Mom.  She is...ok?  Released from hospital to rehab today.  We will see how this goes...  the big now for me is that... we can't see her; it's been a few weeks now, and with all the COVID-related quarantines... that's just tough.  Understandable, but tough.

Yesterday I was going to post when a friend called... he was bking to and from work (in Brecksville) but got lost and needed a ride home (to Ohio City).  This was fine, but he was in the CVNP and had no idea where he was.  Hell, neither did I, but finally he sent me an intersection, I told him to wait THERE, and off I went to God's green acre to get him and take him back.  Oi.  It was funny in its own way, as he was concerned about getting eaten by bears (means something different in his neck of the woods) and alligators, which made me laugh, as I am always concerned about those critters around here.  The bear thing came up so many times that I am now calling him the Revenant.  I guess I was glad to help him (and I really think I am the only person who cares enough to get him) but on the other hand... I guess this is one time in my life I was needed less. This does sound a bit selfish, but I am a Republican, so...

https://ricochet.com/774274/democratic-party-mount-rushmore-glorifies-white-supremacy/

Since I am a Republican...this is pretty funny...

Catching Up

Here am I trying not to backslide into old habits, though I have a good reason...namely, my Mom had a mild stroke yesterday...she is in the hospital now and is...stable?  Right now, not much they can do but get her back to normal.  There is speech issue, mental impairment, paralysis, that sort of thing... so we are lucky and blessed or both.  In the meantime, may we all live in interesting times...

In other news, I was the Eucharistic Minister at Mass today... Fr. Joe had it and asked for one, so I came running up (afterwards, I told him that if he has Mass, I will be his to-go-guy).  There were two minor changes... one, I ostentatiously hand-sanitized before distributing the Hosts, and two, there was no going to the pews to take Communion to those who can't walk (they aren't at Mass, anyways).  Other than that... it was good to be back in the swing of things.

https://www.intelligenteconomist.com/economics-blogs/

Some of these I have heard of it, most not, but as you can imagine... I intend to start checking them out...  I also noted that all of the libraries will be open soon and the book-order backlog that I've created for myself will be solved. Not that I mind reading old favorites again  -- I found myself reading "Silver Blaze" last week -- but much like I change the radio 300 times a day...

Food pantry duty yesterday, and it was...very quiet.  Not that many clients, no issues, and it was wonderful. One change now is that while the clothing room is not open, we've put a bunch of garments on racks and moved them outside, and people, if they want, can get out of their cars and search through them.  Some of the people on the Board are not fans -- and I am not really a fan -- but 1) we keep getting clothes and will be out of storage space and 2) we are being safe about it -- in addition to safety gear, once we are done we put the racks in the room and they sit for a week (if it takes 3 days for the COVID virus to die), so they are fine...It does have a flea market approach but we are getitng rid of clothes, so I can more than live with this.

Hmmmm

A blog hiatus but not, I assure you, a return to the old ways -- just busy and trying to sleep a bit more. To say nothing of the big news-- we WILL have baseball. As I say, enjoy it now, as the strike in 2021 is going to be immense.  And, not, like, in the slow and ongoing collapse of the Trump campaign, not that I will enjoy either.

Is it me or is the Bubba Wallace situation... well, ok?  I mean, after the Jussie Smollett thing, isn't this what yoy want?  I mean, yes, it is a noose, but... if it was there before he used the garage and there doesn't seem to be any ill intent, and all of NASCAR is rallying around him... fine?  Again, this isn't the worst thing in the world.  I will admit, I wonder how the Confederate flag ban will go.  If people really cared so much, they could just not attend the races/watch them/buy the crap.  I sort of wonder what NASCAR would do then; it's no secret the sport is... not exactly gaining fans lately, and if they lost a chunk more, what would they do then?  I am genuinely curious, much like I want some other big city getting rid of their police.

https://www.theringer.com/tv/2020/6/24/21301038/south-park-episodes-ranked

You know...this is mostly right?  I've always loved "Butt Out" and "Cripple Fight," but I really couldn't quibble with most of these selections, or, for that matter, where they were on the rankings...

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/not-all-slopes-are-slippery/

Interesting.  I am not sure I agree -- and I have said this before, mainly because at the end of the day, you can find a reason to tear down any statue of any person, and I don't that would leave us anywhere better either as a society or for historical understanding...

Saturday musings

Today at the gym I felt that I was almost back to where I was back beforethe pandemic...maybe yesterday, too.  Just saying... I was able to lift where I usually lifted, did the weights and treadmill/stationary bike I wanted... that sort of thing.  And it is good.

https://spectator.us/juneteenth-trump-chance-win-november/

As I am fond of saying here... I think this is true, but I also don't think that President Trump can make such a speech...

https://pagetwo.completecolorado.com/2020/06/14/kopel-the-pro-slavery-origins-of-american-gun-control/

Interesting... I mean, I think we all knew this, but I don't recall something that spells it out so well, especially the part about the Second Amendment... no one ever seems to mention that, but maybe they should...

In other news, the books I ordered from the library have not arrived, which is bad, as I have read 6 of the 7 books I bought for free a while ago...  I have some time -- the last one is a chunky volume but on the other hand.  I could read some stuff I have read before, or I could spend my own money on books.. not that I am opposed to more additions to the economy, but 1) I am cheap and 2) it really calls to mind that I need more bookcases, to say nothing of the fact that I could probably use a book reorganization as well... not that I don't have the time, but I could spend it on something else..

A Return to Normalcy

Crashed hard -- and early -- last night, only to be woken up with low blood sugar, so here I am now... I don't know...I have been hitting the gym a bit harder, and I also have added (most nights) a daily walk, just to burn energy and maybe calories.  I always joke I feel the fatness, and maybe that is true, but... I think it is also just vanity.

So, we will have baseball, maybe?  I will watch every second of it, of course, but I can't just help but feel that so much time has been wasted... I made the comment to the remote coffee klatch today at work (funny how this seems to have survived the pandemic) that while I don't think they would, I would love for the players to say "Gee, we don't think Rob Manfred is doing his job, and he needs to go." Now, I realize of course that the employees can't pick their bosses (and in this case, they are picking the owners' bosses) ...but the Commissioner is supposed to act in the best interest of baseball, and the point could be made that he is not.  Let's face it, safety has been absent from the last month of discussions; it's all about the Benjamins now. More seriously, I see a strike -- and a long one -- in the future.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/15/trump-glide-reelection-republican-officials-316457

Much as I would wish this to be true, I do not think it is the case...

I made a comment to another coworker (yes, I do work sometimes) today that both versions of "Imitation of Life" would never pass muster today, which is ironic, as they barely passed muster when they came out...for different reasons.  In a related vein, up to 729 on the NFR list with the watching of "She's Gotta Have It," which I found interesting, but not something I liked, as I really did not identify with it...

Corpus Christi

So, today was the parish Corpus Christi procession... I was a little leery of joining in -- the pandemic, the Polish community does not exactly practice social distancing, etc., -- but I did and I was sort of glad. We didn't process around the neighborhood (the parish grounds) but all four altars were up (the one at St. Rocco's statue was a nice touch) and they were all nicely done.  Given the shortage of volunteers, I was asked to help carry the canopy... on the one hand it is an honor, on the other... well, it's fairly...nervewracking?  It's a lot of work, and with the wind, keeping everything just right was... phew.  But I survived.  Attendance was a bit off, but otherwise nice...

https://theathletic.com/1871679/2020/06/14/rosenthal-the-union-achieved-renewed-solidarity-but-whats-next/

I think this is largely right... unless they were shooting across the bow of Manfred and team -- and winning the PR war for next year -- I am not sure that they gained all that much; hell, the idea put forth -- the one about the stars saying that we will play due to the special circumstances -- was actually pretty brilliant, in my book; you would have had even more goodwill, not that I believe in that sort of thing all that much.   But now...we get to watch 80 games played by uninterested professionals.  Of course, it is baseball, so I will watch...

Democrat (sort of) Saturday

So, busy day today -- met a friend for coffee, cut the grass, did a spot of cleaning in the garage, a podcast about Negro League baseball, listened to hit the gym, did some errands, planned some for tomorrow, and did some other related to my favorite hobby, if you get my drift.  It was funny... got out of the gym and everything smelled so good... the Chipotle, the pizza place nearby... I of course went home and had a bowl of cheerios with a banana, mainly because those looked so good when I was shopping Friday.  I plan on making tuna steaks for dinner, so this will be an incredibly healthy day.  One hopes.  I also note that being off duty from the food pantry -- while I miss it some -- is not the worst thing in the world.  

I see the Juneteenth speech is off. This is prolly good, given even my doubts as to how the man can pull it off, besides poorly, of course.

In the meantime, I have very little to do the rest of the day, and this is good -- the Netflix movie came in, there are a few things to watch online....hell, even the prospect of the attempt at seven or eight hours of sleep... not sayng this will happen, and there are a few intellectual things I could be doing, but I think I know at this point I probably will not...

Friday Night Links

So, my alma mater is running a series of lectures related to COVID-19, and I am listening/watching on Yourube.  Mostly, they are pretty informative, but the yoga one... well, one, I can't believe that they have a staffer teaching this, and two...I haven't heard anything that would remotely be described as... stress-relieving, if you get my drift.

For all the jokes about the Tribe drafting every SS available... one thing I did read -- which I hadn't thought of and is completely true -- is that most of the guys will not be SS over the long term; if anything, it is because they are athletic enough to be SSs that they can play anywhere else, provided the bat sticks.  

https://pjmedia.com/culture/tyler-o-neil/2020/06/12/tom-cotton-eviscerates-cancel-culture-in-obelisk-of-wokeness-speech-n518979

This is hilarious, and I think -- in the interest of social justice, of cours -- that GOPers and others need to start confronting liberals about this.  I mean, everything is offensive to someone, so... if they really believe in this , they need to start now.

https://pjmedia.com/columns/stephen-kruiser/2020/06/12/the-morning-briefing-its-time-for-trump-to-really-start-going-after-biden-n519048

This is probably wise, given that he has nothing else to lose...more seriously, if you think Joe is a blitering idiot way past his prime... you need to define him as such.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/06/case-for-liberalism-tom-cotton-new-york-times-james-bennet.html

Snicker, snicker.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/why-would-anyone-distrust-anthony-fauci/

Oh, I don't know... part of the issue that the guidance itself has changed -- no masks but gloves, then masks, don't go out and avoid crowds, no go out with 10,000 and jam yourselves together... I guess it's sort of like nutrition science; twenty years ago it was fat, fat, fat, and now it is all carbs... without exactly cutting down of the stridency of the earlier and now spurious argument...

900

So, my 900th blog here...very exciting. I had tried to set it up for my birthday, but it was not to be... rather, last night, I watched "Slumdog Millionaire." I liked it -- a bit cheesy, if you will -- but good enough.  Not sure it was Best Picture-worthy, but...there have been worse choices.

https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/everyone-takes-the-wrong-lesson-from-jackie-robinson

Interesting read, especially nowadays...

Speaking of... I think that for any other President, it would be an excellent idea to speak in Tulsa on Juneteenth; you could speak about the legacy of racism (there and in general), recent events, and then,maybe, just maybe, offer up something to try and put a stop to it, or at least some political idea.  I mean, I the bar for Trump is so low that if he did -- even half of this -- he would hit a home run, and while I doubt anyone in the mainstream press would give him props, it would get some press; hell, the man has Kanye on his side, you know.  Mind you, this isn't that hard to do, but I think it is just beyond President Trump now (and at any time).

Connectivity problems with the computer -- which had disappeared for a bit -- are creeping back. Sigh...

Return of the Mortmain

So yesterday was my birthday -- 42, or as we said in my family, Jackie Robinson Day.  I realize some libtard will accuse me of cultural appropriation, or something, and,well, I think we all know what I think of that.  We did the family meal Saturday; I went to Rincon Criollo because I had never eaten Puerto Rican food... it was good, not great -- I guess I expected something with a bit more flavor, or kick.  Anyways, then Sunday I mainly read...I finished a book about WWI and the AEF and them started This Vast Southern Empire, which is an interesting read about the role of slavery in US foreign policy. Should finish it tomorrow and on to the next... yes, I have been trying to read more, for a bunch of reasons...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/06/06/george-floyd-brutality-systemic-racism-questions-go-unanswered-honesty-opinion/3146773001/

First rate.  If GOPers had any brains, they would be using this approach at EVERY opportunity.  The best defense is a good offense, and, as President Awesome likes to say, what do you have to lose?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/cleveland-is-a-house-flipping-hot-spot-and-covid-is-helping-11591629995?mod=hp_lead_pos10

On the one hand, this is good...on the other, I have mentioned before -- and will doso again -- that the idea of turning over our housing stock to rental companies is NOT good, for many reasons, key among being the fact that it shuts out increasing numbers of people out of home ownership, which is a primary way of boosting credit, providing retirement security, even equity... to say nothing of trapping people in rent and, let's face it, the hands of people who may be...unscrupulous.  To use one of my favorite historical phrases... it is the mortmain all over again.

https://pjmedia.com/election/tyler-o-neil/2020/05/21/joe-biden-in-1987-we-delawareans-were-on-the-souths-side-in-the-civil-war-n416005

This is....good.

Links of Amusement

Here it is, midnight, and a guy who complains about not being able to get enough sleep...is up and blogging away.  Funny... it was just a long day for me -- work, chores, friend issues -- so while I am tired, I am still wakeful.  I do not have OC duty tomorrow, nor do I have anywhere I really have to be tomorrow morning, so I guess I can not set the clock and in theory get some rest, though I think we all know what will happen?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/cities-ask-if-its-time-to-defund-police-and-reimagine-public-safety/ar-BB156BUO?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout

I think this is interesting...genuinely so.  On the one hand, I think the one comment is correct -- she wants them to do it so people can say "Gee, we need them back." I mean,I would love nothing more than the Old West spirit to creep up and people starting to string up their neighbors -- especially in all these Democrat-led, woke cities....More seriously, though, I do find it interesting that people are trying to figure how you replace the police... some of this might work in part.  More funding for mental health issues is good, but you also have house these people, and most cities have been poor at putting up the needed housing.  Do you really want nurses and such going into crack houses?  

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/04/public-health-protests-301534

Umm....yeah.  Let's just say that if this is now ok, don't expect to start wearing one the next time I head to the grocery store.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/melissasegura/police-unions-history-minneapolis-reform-george-floyd

I get a kick out of these articles, because 1)Most police unions have traditionally supported Democrats, like every other union, and 2) I would think this is true with every union, no matter the role... if someone said "Gee, I wonder if this works for AFSCME as well" I don't think Joe Biden or anyone will cheer them on...

https://babylonbee.com/news/episcopalians-confused-by-strange-book-trump-brought-to-church

Funny; the day before this posted, I had joked with some friends that Episcopalians complaining about the Bible is like me complaining about someone else's messy handwriting....

Social Commentary

Since everyone is commenting about social unrest, I guess I will as well...

Cops: Please stop killing minorities for trivial reasons.  This is not hard.  No one would have said a word if someone had put a knee into Ariel Castro, for instance.

Protestors:  Peaceful protest is fine.  Looting is not.  This is not hard.  You are erasing the message you are trying to send and replacing it with something far worse.

Anyways, I found this article, and the commentary, to be both trenchant and timely:

https://theathletic.com/1846283/2020/05/31/60-moments-no-31-pee-wee-reese-puts-his-arm-around-jackie-robinson/

In the meantime, I watched "A Beautiful Mind" last night.  Did I like it? Not really...I mean, I thought the acting was impressive, but the story and the plot... I guess I do not do mental illness all the well.

Not only is the library, but you can order books (and movies) as well, so I figured I would... I need to return the ones I have ordered and now that I am trying to read more, it is probably good to get back into the habit...

The ants seem to be bad this year; every springish I get them in waves until I kill them or they go away... I have liberally applied cornstarch, and it seems to have helped, but they are now coming singly, instead of waves... sigh.

The Spirit is Among Us

So, Mass is back on and it was...glorious?  Yes, it was!  Attendance was a little sparse, to be sure, and there was no Eucharistic Minister (not sure if this is by accident or design, but rest assured, I will answer the call if needed) but other than that it was...good.  I have my own personal Missal, music was at a minimum, and as far as I could tell, no one tried to "make change" from the collection basket... the neighborhood is full of Hope and Changers, as you know.

The library is also open -- sort of -- and I am for now heeding the advice and not rushing to dump all my books back. I also need to order some new ones -- the rush of reading lately has spurred me to do a bit more. Yes, I finished Hamilton last night.  It was good -- and informative -- though it did seem like the duel didn't have to be fought. I sort of want to read more about Burr now, as he was certainly an interesting figure in his own right...

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/donald-trump-the-most-unmanly-president/612031/

This is largely correct, but people don't vote for politicians because they are like them; they vote for them because they support their interests (and these can be varied), and for the more-likely-than-not culturally conservative blue collar worker, Trump --vis-a-vis HRC -- was the more obvious choice. Similarly, for the white suburban woman, he's not.