Part seven of my ongoing journal entries about life in the time of the 2020 Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. Part One (Jan-Mar, 2020) is here. Part Two (April 2020) is here. Part Three (May 2020) is here. Part Four (June 2020) is here. Part Five (July 2020) is here. Part Six (August 2020) is here.
September 5
Reading the Washington Post does not always (rarely does) help my frame of mind. There were two articles in today’s paper that cause me special anxiety. One is about a new forecast of up to 400,000 deaths from the virus in the U.S. by the end of the year. The IHME forecast ranges from just under 300,000 to over 600,000 depending on what levels of social distancing and community practices occur. IHME has been one of the most widely quoted forecast sources over the past six months and is one of the few that offers forecasts beyond the next 4-6 weeks. Granted, there’s a huge range of variability and unknowns in a longer-range forecast, but it speaks to the increasing likelihood of a large “second wave” coming in the fall and winter.
The second article was about the clear connection between obesity and Covid complications. This was not news, really, but it reinforced the dangers of being obese which I’ve become increasingly worried about. Covid compounds the dangers but there are plenty of other reasons I ought to lose some weight. I’ve started eating a little better in the past couple of weeks and have lost something close to 10 pounds which is a start. I’m glad that I’m finding less of a need or desire to snack between meals and I’m trying to do better with portion control and some of the easy steps. I doubtless should go on a more rigorous diet, stop drinking and exercise more, but I’m not eager to do any of those things. I will see if I can manage to get below 240 in September and see how things go.
The Body-Mass Index says I should get under 210 pounds to get out of the obese range and be merely overweight. Evidently I should be under 180 to be “normal.” Those seem like absurd numbers to me at the moment. But I know that carrying around so much extra weight is bad for me in many ways. It’s the result of years of poor habits and questionable food choices. I’m now definitely more aware and hope to make incremental improvements to forestall being forced to make more drastic changes.
All that said, we are embarked on a Labor Day weekend where we’re planning a cookout tonight with one of Barb’s work friends that I don’t know yet, Christine, I think. Barb has made potato salad and baked beans. I’ll be grilling a steak and some BBQ ribs. That’s a fine start for a diet, don’t you think? I’ll try to temper it through portion control, I guess. And then tomorrow Barb and I have reservations for Medium Rare where we will get steak frites. Two helpings. Sigh. Habits are very hard to change.
At least the weather is very nice. The forecast is for three days of sunny skies, mild temperatures and low humidity. It’s Barb’s last weekend at the Cattail pool and she’s trying to squeeze every last drop of it.
We had a good chat with Allie yesterday with Allie. She’s very excited to get her kitten later this week. She showed us all the goodies she has set up for her. Perry will be a very lucky kitty. I’m optimistic that we may squeeze in a visit to Boston in the coming weeks. We’d very much like to see her before the presumptive second wave. Massachusetts has lowered travel restrictions for a number of states including most of those around Maryland. If they lift restrictions for us we won’t have to worry about getting a Covid test and things will be easier. Maryland itself has moved into “Phase Three” according to Gov. Hogan with looser restrictions on theaters, indoor entertainment and churches. CovidExitStrategy, however, still has Maryland trending poorly and their numbers actually got a little worse in the past week or two. We will see what the Labor Day weekend brings.
- Global cases: 26,600,000; Daily average: 250K; Total Deaths: 875,000
- USA cases: 6,220,000; Daily average: 42K; Total Deaths: 188,000
- Maryland cases: 111,000 Deaths: 3,789; “trending poorly” per CovidExitStrategy.org
- (The NY Times changed its tracking report format so I can’t do the state counts the same way. Probably just as well…)
September 7 – Happy Labor Day!
We have some good news to report: Sara and Tylor (I’ve been misspelling his name) are expecting! She called on Saturday with the news and we spoke in more depth yesterday. The baby is due at the end of March. We set up a group chat yesterday with Allie and Sara shared this photo. We decided the child’s working title will be “Bei Bei” because early in-utero photos look like panda babies, plus Bei Bei has a fine lineage having been the name chosen by Michelle Obama. Everyone is very excited, especially Allie. Sara is already planning a gender reveal party on October 24. I doubt we will make it but Sara plans to livestream it. Allie was tentatively making plans to go to Denver then anyway so maybe she can represent us. All very exciting.
Our Labor Day weekend continues in fine form with some of the best weather possible. Bright, clear skies, low humidity, highs just scraping 80 and lows around 60. Perfect sleeping, pool and sitting on the deck weather. We had Barb’s work colleague Christine over for BBQ and steak on Saturday. I missed out on a Zoom Scattergories session with Laurie, Sue, Maggie and Susanna but it seems like they had fun; I’ll get an update from Laurie at some point. Last night Barb and I went to Medium Rare in Bethesda for steak frites. Today we plan to finish off the leftovers. Barb will enjoy her last day at the pool, commemorating it with a hot dog and possibly an ice cream sandwich. It’s a big day.
I’m not eager to ruin this good mood by plunging into virus news and numbers, but here we go. India passed Brazil with the second highest number of cases after the good old U.S.A. Things are otherwise not much changed from a couple of days ago, but the better test will be how things look in another week or two after Labor Day. We had significant spikes after Memorial Day and July 4; one suspects the same will be true of Labor Day.
- Global cases: 27,000,000; Daily average: 250K; Total Deaths: 881,000
- USA cases: 6,290,000; Daily average: 42K; Total Deaths: 189,000
- Maryland cases: 113,000 Deaths: 3,799; “trending poorly” per CovidExitStrategy.org
One minorly bright thought I saw expressed in one of the many articles I’ve read lately is that if everyone (or most everyone) adheres to masks, social distancing and handwashing through the fall and winter, the regular flu season may not be as bad as in other years. That would be good, if it pans out.
My annual doctor checkup would normally be in late October but I’m thinking of getting it done in September. I’m still waiting to get the weeding scheduled for our yard. Our guy called me back last week to say he’d been in the hospital and would get right back to me. Still waiting. I’m sorry he was in the hospital but maybe he or I shouldn’t rely on a single point of failure. Seems a little harsh. I’ll wait a bit longer. Meanwhile, the weeds are going to seed and will be worse next near. Maybe that’s his plan.
September 10
Allie got Perri (or is it Peri?) yesterday and we’ve been getting frequent updates ever since which is very cute. Allie is very excited and a little nervous about everything, but Perri seems to be taking things in stride. She was very playful, lovable and eventually sleepy yesterday, then woke Allie up at 4am. She didn’t seem interested in eating the dry kitten chow Allie had for her, but then Allie found out that Perri had been used to eating wet food so Allie ran out to the store. Perri then wolfed down a bowl of Fancy Feast and took a long nap. Allie has already sent many pictures so I will start a page for Perri. She is family, after all. We’re all glad that Allie has her new quarantine buddy. We hope they will be very happy together.
Perri on the ride home 
In her new bed
Perri raises the stakes for us wanting to go to Boston. I checked with my doctor about getting a Covid test but found that they can’t do Barb since she is not a patient there. They pointed me to the Maryland Covid Testing website. I tried to get an appointment at a local CVS pharmacy but didn’t qualify. I then tried to schedule a test at the DMV and was only offered one option to come in today for a test — it doesn’t seem like you can really schedule a test when you want it. Plus the test results are promised within 4-5 days but Massachusetts needs the test to have been performed within 72 hours of entering the state. It’s all a series of Catch-22 situations. I’ll have to talk it over with Barb. If possible, we’d like to go within the next few weeks, but we haven’t decided on an actual date. We were hoping that Massachusetts would loosen its restrictions to include Maryland but I doubt that’s going to happen now that Maryland’s numbers are inching up. I think we were close to the threshold but I’m not sure we’re going to get there.
- Global cases: 27,900,000; Daily average: 250K; Total Deaths: 904,000
- USA cases: 6,380,000; Daily average: 40K; Total Deaths: 191,000
- Maryland cases: 114,000 Deaths: 3,816; “trending poorly” per CovidExitStrategy.org
It seems likely that by the end of September we will pass 30 million cases and 1 million deaths worldwide and 200,000 deaths in the United States. The tempests continue to churn in Washington’s teapots but nothing much seems to actually be getting done. There is outrage over Trump’s remarks recorded in Bob Woodward’s book, outrage over Barr’s DOJ taking over defense of Trump in a rape/defamation case, outrage over a DHS whistleblower’s charge that negative reports about Russia and black protesters were suppressed, outrage that the Senate is trying to pass a “skinny” relief bill without Democratic support or any negotiations…and so on. Polls show Biden leading in the Presidential race but no one is sure how much is enough since the race will come down to Electoral College votes. The entire West Coast seems to be burning in an ungodly series of fires…and it’s not even fire season yet. Uncertainty, anxiety and outrage abound. Welcome to the U.S.A. The news is hardly better around the globe. For the sake of my blood pressure I won’t try to recount it all.
In a slight divergence from the daily headlines, I watched a very good episode of NOVA last night dealing with CRISPR technology. I’d heard of CRISPR but didn’t really know much about it. The episode did a good job of explaining the science (though it still seems largely magical) and some of the ethical implications. I didn’t realize CRISPR is a natural process that labs have basically learned to control within the last few years for specific genetic modifications. It opens a bunch of ethical cans of worms that society is barely beginning to deal with. More stuff to worry about but also potential for great benefits. Perhaps the most troubling clip was one of Putin discussing the technology with students in his best slimily provocative manner. What if we use this cool technology to make soldiers who feel no pain and are impervious to torture? Who thinks like that? Putin, of course.
In the realm of things getting slowly to a sense of normal, Barb went to her dentist yesterday to get her new implant tooth installed but it didn’t fit, so she will have to go back another time. I called my own doctor to see about changing the date of my next physical, scheduled for the end of October. I figured I’d like to get it done sooner rather than later. But no, they can’t change the date because of my insurance. That sounds stupidly normal.
In a spasm of optimism, I bought a ticket for a concert in March, 2021 with Rhiannon Giddens and Our Native Daughters. It will be at the Strathmore in Bethesda where I last saw Jake Shimabukro and Sierra Hull, a beautiful concert hall. Other than my doctor’s appointment at the end of October it’s the next actual event on my calendar. That says as much as anything else I can come up with about life in Coronavirusland. I, the inveterate planner, have only two things scheduled for the next six months. That, and surviving.
September 16
It’s been a few days between posts as I’ve actually been moderately busy. Yesterday the landscapers finally came to work on our weeds which involved a tiny bit of supervision on my part. I went to my proctologist to check out some minor concerns — no real problem, I’m happy to say — and I picked up a new fan for our bedroom ceiling since the existing one crapped out on Sunday. That’s three actual events in one day, a big deal for me. I celebrated by stopping by Popeye’s for lunch. Screw you, diet.
The day before I took our screen door to Kendall’s Hardware store to get repaired, per the recommendation of our neighbor Ron who works there. (I guess I didn’t report that Manny poked through the screen one evening about 10 days ago to get at something outside. He couldn’t figure out how to get back in until I discovered him around midnight. Since then, he hasn’t been allowed on the porch on his own and we had to wait a while to fix the screen since Barb had guests over for the past two weekends and we didn’t want to not have a door — we can’t have the outdoors coming in our screened-in porch. It’s had a big impact on our household lifestyle.) Anyway, Ron very kindly got my repair bumped up on their schedule and it’s ready to pick up today, rather than the three weeks they quoted. So I have to go get that and re-install it today. I also have to get a special light bulb to replace the one in our shower that has also crapped out and will replace it later today. Ron promises to install my new ceiling fan this week. Many thanks to Ron. I will be getting him some wine today. Once all that’s done, I need to work on the yard some more now that the landscapers have pulled the weeds. I have to try to keep up my end of the bargain to see if I can maintain the yard for the next few months until winter.
This litany of a few small repairs and chores around the house are what have distracted me from writing for the past few days. It’s just as well to have some distractions, I suppose. Otherwise the real world would just continue to drive me crazy.
In that real world, the virus continues to moderate slightly in the U.S. (but not enough) while it accelerates around the world, especially in India which is daily setting records for the number of new cases (nearly 90,000 per day lately).
- Global cases: 29,600,000; Daily average: 270K; Total Deaths: 936,000
- USA cases: 6,610,000; Daily average: 38K; Total Deaths: 196,000
- Maryland cases: 118,000 Deaths: 3,849; “trending poorly” per CovidExitStrategy.org
- 2 states “Trending Better”
- 11 states “Caution Warranted”
- 19 states “Trending Poorly”
- 20 states “Uncontrolled Spread”
And don’t get me started on the political races, news outrages and environmental disasters coming faster than anyone can process. It’s the daily panic that we may as well get used to between now and November and probably beyond.
The last couple of days we’ve had a dull matte of smoke from the west coast fires wafting overhead in the jet stream. It’s not enough to actually affect our air quality in Maryland but it does do interesting things to the sun. Here it was this morning. Just a little reminder that we’re all going to hell.
The one positive note I can find is that Trump seems to be flailing as much or more than anyone with all these troubles, many of them self-inflicted. He doesn’t seem to be gaining any traction in the polls for whatever they’re worth. Unfortunately it puts me in the mode of rooting for bad things to continue happening until the election, while knowing that people are dying and many are having their lives uprooted in the meantime. It’s not a psychologically healthy position.
So, for the moment, I tend to my garden and my household chores. It doesn’t help solve any of the world’s larger problems but it keeps me occupied. It’s the least I can do. I’m frustrated by this attitude but I can’t quite kick myself out of it.
September 22
This infuriating year just got even more furious. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away last Friday evening. Within two hours, Senate Majority Leader and Dark Lord Mitch McConnell announced he would make sure any Trump nominee would get a Senate vote regardless of being so close to the election (with voting actually underway in 20 states). This flies in complete contradiction of the rationale McConnell used to block Merrick Garland’s confirmation hearings in 2016, fully nine months in advance of the election. But hypocrisy is not McConnell’s concern, nor Trump’s. I held some hope that four Republican Senators might show some level of conscience and come out against this move, but so far only two have and the next most likely candidate, Mitt Romney, just announced he is in favor of moving ahead. That pretty well seals the deal. And probably seals in a conservative Supreme Court and Federal judiciary (thanks to McConnell’s gamesmanship over judge positions for the last 10 years) for a couple of decades.
There is probably very little that Democrats or anyone else can do to prevent this over the next six weeks. Even large scale protests and agitation in the streets will not likely thwart this Republican dream. What it might do is inspire an even greater Democratic/progressive turnout and give Democrats the White House and majorities in the House and Senate. One can hope. That seems about all one can do at the moment.
What might the Democrats do if they indeed win control of the legislative and executive branches? Several propositions that would have been radical a few months ago are being openly discussed. One would be to add several states, perhaps the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and maybe split Northern and Southern California. These could be accomplished with majority votes in the House and Senate, and presumably in the California and Puerto Rico legislatures. It would add six Senators and bring some balance to the Electoral College which today is tilted toward Republican/rural states, diminishing the voting power of large urban populations. I rather like this prospect of gerrymandering at the national level. The Republicans might try to do the same whenever they come back in power, but so be it. This move shifts the balance of power but maintains some reasonable integrity with the Constitution and has precedent in history (looking at you, North and South Dakota).
Another proposition is to stack the Supreme Court by adding new slots, which can also evidently be accomplished with a majority vote. This feels like a more risky strategy that could quickly get out of hand as succeeding Congresses fiddle with the court structure. Seems like a can of worms but I haven’t really studied the matter in any detail.
A third proposal is to abolish the winner-take-all tradition in the Electoral College. Today, all but two states operate this way, effectively erasing large numbers of votes. Doing away with this method of apportionment would largely eliminate the structural bias of the Electoral College toward rural, less populated states. The problem is, I think the decision is in the hands of each state legislature and no one is prepared to discuss unilateral disarmament. I think for Congress to mandate it might require a Constitutional amendment which is unlikely. Too bad, because I think this might be the most straightforward structural solution to the inequality that has become baked into the Electoral College. If you have to do a Constitutional amendment then you may as well go ahead and abolish the Electoral College. Good luck.
Another proposal is to abolish the filibuster rule and requirement for 60 votes for major Senate legislation. This has some appeal to me though it is fraught with potential to make the political climate even more antagonistic. Still, a majority is a majority. Why do we really need supermajorities but only in certain circumstances?
It’s been clear to me for a while that some level of structural change is needed in our government. I’ve kicked around the concept of Constitution 2.0 and wondered why there isn’t more of a groundswell of discussion. Maybe some of these measures move us in that direction, and maybe they would lessen the need for a complete overhaul. It’s increasingly obvious, though, that the current system is broken and moving in the wrong direction. The most crucial step is overwhelmingly winning the November elections. If Democrats and progressives can’t muster that, then the country is consigned to sink further along the current path.
And on that happy note, let’s talk about the coronavirus! We’ve crossed several miserable milestones: 30 million cases worldwide, 200,000 deaths in the U.S., and we’re within a few days of crossing one million deaths worldwide.
Numbers:
- Global cases: 31,400,000; Daily average: 270K; Total Deaths: 966,000
- USA cases: 6,880,000; Daily average: 38K; Total Deaths: 200,000
- Maryland cases: 121,000 Deaths: 3,883; “trending poorly” per CovidExitStrategy.org
- 3 states “Trending Better”
- 9 states “Caution Warranted”
- 17 states “Trending Poorly”
- 23 states “Uncontrolled Spread”
I was dismayed to learn that 90% of the dead in the U.S. have been age 55 or older, a stark reminder of our vulnerability. That said, the actual rate of death is declining a little as more young people get infected and medical treatments improve somewhat. The virus is not a death sentence, but it can be severe and there is still great concern that our medical resources could get overwhelmed by a true surge. The NY Times today confirmed that “the fall surge is here” based on recent growth in case loads in the U.S. and Europe. Makes sense: it’s about two weeks after Labor Day, just as predicted.
Laurie reported yesterday that she had a fever and was feeling a little sick. She’s trying to get a Covid test today. I hope it turns out to be nothing major. Barb and I are still planning to go up to Boston in two weeks to see Allie and Perri. I’ve found a clinic that will do Covid tests for us on a same day appointment, so I think we will aim to take them on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning next week before we drive up on Friday. Massachusetts wants the tests to be taken within 72 hours of arrival; the lab is currently promising results in 3-5 days, so there’s a chance we won’t even have results until we are about ready to come home the following Tuesday. I don’t know how else we can do it; just hope that Massachusetts has no way to enforce quarantining us until the results arrive.
September 25
A day after letting myself ruminate on what might happen if the Democrats sweep into office, I read a big new article in The Atlantic, The Election That Could Break America, which lays out various ways Trump plans to dispute election results and disrupt any outcome that doesn’t have him winning. The article frightened me, many other readers and commentators, and reportedly the author, Barton Gellman. The article builds off a premise at once inconceivable and entirely credible given Trump’s track record: Trump will simply never concede that he has lost.
Let us not hedge about one thing. Donald Trump may win or lose, but he will never concede. Not under any circumstance. Not during the Interregnum and not afterward. If compelled in the end to vacate his office, Trump will insist from exile, as long as he draws breath, that the contest was rigged.
He will keep fighting, denigrating and questioning any unfavorable result, hoping to run out the clock. At which point state legislatures can ignore actual votes cast and ultimately designate Electoral College delegates the way they want. If enough Republican-held legislatures to that, Trump wins. If the dispute continues, as Fareed Zakaria points out in today’s Washington Post, the vote goes to the House of Representatives but the vote is by state and guess what, more states are currently Republican.
The article has caused a stir, amplified greatly by Trump’s recent, repeated statements that he will not commit to a peaceful transfer of power. “We will see”, he says, before ranting about the supposed (only by him) illegitimacy of mail-in ballots. The strategy is wholly consistent with Trump’s appalling habit of engaging in impeachable activity in plain sight. And the rest of the Republican party is going along with it just as before. Meanwhile, Trump and the Republicans are rushing to fill Justice Ginsburg’s seat so there will be a stronger Republican-leaning Supreme Court to take care of any decisions that reach that far.
What defense is there against Trump’s strategy? The most straightforward would seem to be a landslide, but even that won’t keep Trump from claiming the results illegitimate. Beyond that, I suspect we are in the realm of hoping some number of Republican leaders and legislatures have some level of shame or conscience. How has that gone so far?
One possibility may be that Democrats win enough Congressional seats to change the state-by-state numbers. The crucial House vote would come January 6, three days after the new House is sworn in. Still, that path is only one of many possible ones, a number of which appear to end with Trump still in power.
Smarter people than me need to come up with some concrete steps to prevent things from advancing/devolving that far. That’s small reassurance. In fact, it’s even more grist for nightmares. I expect to see more discussions on this topic in coming weeks. I hope there are better answers.
We’re now in the run-up to the first Trump-Biden debate next Tuesday which will be next week’s distraction. All of which serves to take our attention away from the pandemic which is back on the upswing. The fact that we’ve just passed 7 million cases has gone almost unnoticed.
In slightly happier news, Maryland was just upgraded to yellow “caution warranted” status, per CovidExitStrategy. Yay. Maybe by next week, Massachusetts will accept us without having to get a test. It also means I can play tennis, per the criteria I laid out for myself. I’m supposed to play next Monday but yesterday I told Deb I will hold off because we are heading to Boston and need to get tested next week. I told her I’d be willing to start October 18. We’ll see how that goes.
Numbers:
- Global cases: 32,400,000; Daily average: 270K; Total Deaths: 985,000
- USA cases: 7,020,000; Daily average: 40K; Total Deaths: 203,000
- Maryland cases: 123,000 Deaths: 3,917; “caution warranted” per CovidExitStrategy.org
- 3 states “Trending Better”
- 10 states “Caution Warranted”
- 16 states “Trending Poorly”
- 23 states “Uncontrolled Spread”
September 28
We’re in the final week of September, week number 28 or halfway through month 6 of the virus. Also five weeks before the election.
The headline news of the day is a NY Times detailed examination of Trump’s tax returns which it evidently finally got its hands on. The revelations are startling but not surprising at the same time. He has paid very little income tax which he’s already bragged about (“Makes me smart” he said in the 2016 debates), his companies gush out losses which muffle the tax liability on his personal income, he’s been in a nearly $100 million dispute with the IRS for more than 10 years, he employs many questionable tax strategies including consulting payments to his family members, and he has hundreds of millions of personal loans coming due in the next few years. There are no great revelations about financial ties to Russia or anyone else blatantly nefarious, though there is evidence of foreign states potentially currying favor through use of his properties. It remains to be seen how big a scandal or what other revelations come of the Times analysis — they promise more in coming weeks — but I suspect it will do little to shake the faithful but may incrementally help Biden move a few more voters to doubt Trump’s character and financial acumen.
A secondary headline is the world topping one million deaths from the virus today. Seems like that ought to be the top headline, but at least it made the front page.
Numbers:
- Global cases: 33,100,000; Daily average: 270K; Total Deaths: 998,000
- USA cases: 7,140,000; Daily average: 42K; Total Deaths: 205,000
- Maryland cases: 124,000 Deaths: 3,935; “caution warranted” per CovidExitStrategy.org
- 3 states “Trending Better”
- 13 states “Caution Warranted”
- 10 states “Trending Poorly”
- 26 states “Uncontrolled Spread”
I figured I’d grab a picture of the map showing Maryland in yellow. Not sure how long it will stay that way. I’m holding out hope that our yellow status will mean that Massachusetts will lift travel restrictions for Maryland residents this week. That would mean we don’t need a test before leaving on Friday.
We’re greatly looking forward to seeing Allie and Perri. We have meals mostly planned out, we’ve got bags of goodies to bring up for both Allie and Perri, including baked goods that Barb is happily working on. Barb did her apple cake baking this weekend and Allie has requested white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. The replacement tire for Barb’s car has come in at Costco so I’m on my way there today to get it installed. We’ve got Mark lined up to take care of the cats. All systems are go, relatively speaking.
We had dinner with the Harders at Baltimore’s Rye Street Tavern on Saturday. We ate under a tent outdoors, socially distant from other tables. Bab took a walk with Leslie on Sunday and Barb’s colleague Betsy came over for an afternoon chat on the porch in the afternoon. It was a reasonable facsimile of normal. We can settle into this groove well enough. We feel like we can manage risks by wearing masks, avoiding crowds and avoiding indoor activities other than relatively quick shopping trips. We’re not ready for movies or some of the small music events that are starting to pop up, but we don’t feel especially isolated, just a little hamstrung in day-to-day activities. We know we still have it far better than most.
That said, it still seems obvious that significant sectors of the economy are atrophying, especially travel, dining and entertainment. Our own spending is way down, and it’s clearly true locally and around the world. Staying at this level of normal for another 6-12 months will see many more businesses fail and lives uprooted. Further assistance packages from the government are clearly needed but not forthcoming. Negotiations between Pelosi and the White House may have restarted after being dormant for weeks, but there’s little promise of an imminent agreement. Most likely it will have to wait until after the election, but with the election results threatening to drag out long after November 3, who knows what will happen?
I feel like I’ve written all this before, but it’s a function of the stasis or time loop that we’re in. Things are really not so bad on a local, personal level. We can deal with this but I know we’re in much better shape than most. I’ve assuaged a little of my guilt by upping my charitable giving, mainly to PBS stations and the like in hopes they can survive and spread useful news, documentaries and entertainment. I can do more, however, and will see about finding some more socially and politically active organizations to support. Right after I get that new tire from Costco.
How, you might ask, is that weight loss going that I promised I’d work on a few weeks ago? The best I can report is that I haven’t gained much lately, but haven’t lost much either. Lifelong habits and behaviors are very hard to break. I’m a work in progress. Or not.
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