The Man and the Hour

 I realize I am a JD Vance fan in the first place, but I think it was a very solid choice by President Awesome.  Or, the once and future President Awesome.  He is young, sharp, a populist, media savvy; hell, he was even able to turn his past statements opposed to Trump into positives.  Very impressive, very disciplined, and let us hope this lasts...  More seriously, I think it was a good pivot, and it does show solid sense of what he has said in the past... and what he is saying now. 

Had dinner with one of my best friends from high school today; we selected Brew Wall -- never been -- and there we bumped into another HS friend and his wife, and hence the twosome became a foursome.  It was good to double catch up, and even though I spent more time than I should have... well, it will be fine.  My friend is getting divorced, and while it is fairly amenable...it is still no fun.  I guess I am a Mike Pence conservative at heart.  Anyways, the concept is interesting; you get a wristband/sensor when you arrive, and you can scan the sensor to activate it... such as when you want a beverage.  You just scan it, the choice is recorded, and you can pour as much of what you want from the dispenser of choice.  Ditto for food -- which is brought out to you.  I had a mango IPA (not very mango) and a beet and arugula salad, which was decent.  I think I would try it again...

Started Dineen's Why Liberalism Failed today; about 35 in, and while it is interesting, I am not sold yet.  It is not that long, and I am still in the intro, but... I expected a bit more so far.

This weekend I watched "Helen Keller:  In Her Own Words," a documentary about her and starring her.  It was quite interesting, a mix of biography, advocacy, and a look at how she navigated her life -- with a lot of help, for one, but also...well, impressively.  She used a special typewriter and had a walking path but it seemed the rest of her life she adjusted quite well.  Very surprising, and.... #836.