The Difficulty of Pursuit

What do you do when the person you would like to be closer to -- doesn't really want to be "close" to anyone?  And this discussion is long before any carnal insinuations. Long before any desire rears its ugly/beautiful head. Long before any planning takes place.

And time, life's time, is very short. And while the afternoon whiles away the night approaches like a cold wind.

Putin and Trump

I am sorry to say that the American President, who shouldn't have become President, is sorely outmatched in the battle of egos, thought processes, strategies, intelligence quotients, and yes even ruthlessness --- versus the Russian President.  Both these men think of themselves as powerful and iconic leaders. But only one truly is.

I don't particularly like dictators -- but Putin at least has held his nation together, in spite of many moral, political, and human shortcomings. Trump has shown himself as a failure on many counts. As a human being he lacks: compassion, good sense, a sense of community, and nearly every other characteristic that has kept the US in world prominence for the past 70 years. Trump is a President who selfishly signals the decline of America in the world -- and that is perhaps a good thing for the world.

Noel

Seems crazy --- it's nowhere near Christmas time. Yet I feel in the Christmas spirit: as the heat builds, as the red birds fight for territory in the morning "fog," as the day winds up and then slowly, every more slowly, winds down.

I am in the "giving" mood because of many things; the least of which is the sale of my house. I am also in the regretting mood; the guilty mood; the unsatisfied; the troubled mode.

Why?

Life is -- and is not -- all we have. We have love; and friendship; and concern; and joy that comes from giving. We have "Noel."

Chicago and Milwaukee

My trip to visit my sister was a "nightmare" for an automobile trip -- taking nearly twice as long as necessary. Every state, every major highway, every crowded route was "under repair" or "delay" due to: working on bridges, lanes, exits, entrances, and every other part of the damn highways.

And this on Saturday and Sunday as well!

Once in Milwaukee -- things calmed down and my adniL seemed to be working on rehab very, very strongly. Her body continues to heal steadily but still has a long way to go. I hope that my financial and moral help will help in some way. Please let it be helpful.

Saw Arlene yesterday as well -- she "low keyed" her immediate response to the sale of my house, a life-changing  event for me. How typical. Tomorrow I see Chicago, Tosha, and her play. Am looking forward to seeing her and her "beau" together if not tomorrow then in August.

Got a response from Chloe -- all is well with her and her trip to Valdosta. Good for her.

And now all the "details" of my "closing" are "closing in" on me. Details of investments and upcoming events and duties are now becoming new deadlines. Ah, that is life.

June 23, 2017

Still don't have internet access at my home -- but am writing this from my office at STC.  All is well -- the closing went well; the account transfers (gas, light/power, city services, etc) are all completed -- and my various other chores are mostly done.

I leave for Milwaukee/Waukesha on Saturday. Then Chicago -- then home again to Savannah. Hope my "grass" gets cut while I am gone.  All is well in my world -- as far as it goes. I still need redbirds and geckoes to survive.

Resist Trump -- always.  

Consider the Character of the Man

Who is lying: President Trump or former FBI Director Comey? Trump. Who is abusing his position to rake the government for: travel costs for himself, travel and housing costs for his family, pricing procedures and appointments to force lobbyists and other governments to use his hotel facilities (probably at inflated prices), who is billing the government in a thousand myriad ways to support his own partially-divested businesses? Trump.

Who is the crook: Comey of Trump? Trump. Who is wrecking the Departments of Education, Energy,
Housing, the Interior, etc. to further business interests generally -- stiffing the "taxpayers" generally?
Trump and his Cabinet. Who is vilifying the very term "government" by using Twitter and the Drudge Report to create uninformed and ridiculous American policy? Trump. Who has undone the "climate accords" just to fulfill a campaign pledge to his uninformed coal constituency?  Trump.

Who deserves to be impeached -- Trump. Who needs to have charges filed against him for "obstruction of justice," "conflict of interest," "financial embezzlement," and all-around lack of humanity, common sense, and decorum:  Trump.

The Curse of Online Commerce

Attempting to cash in on: "social media," everyone's purported desire to belong (to a rewards program, a support club, a savings group, or what-have-you); businesses working online are cluttering the airwaves (the Internet is radio, after all) and making normal "business" nearly impossible, Recently I tried to get my AT&T U-verse account moved from one address to another -- online I needed my account access numbers, my hidden login, and lots of other crap to just get my service moved. Needless to say all that "info" is boxed and halfway between one address and another.

My first instinct is to drop this "system-cluttered" company for another one; a saner one; a simpler one.  Hasn't the lesson of Apple computing made its way to AT&T yet --- user friendly, user friendly, user friendly. Technology is not God and it is not "dope," if put in the corporate hands of "dopes" like the online jerks at big companies.

There are multiple reasons why AT&T gets the incredibly BAD ratings it does get for customer service -- they suck at it.