I Worry For You, President-Elect Trump

Dear Sir,

Honestly, I won't watch your inauguration in a couple of months.  I can't bear to look at you, truth be told.  For all your millions of billions of dollars, you don't represent my ideal of a classy, sophisticated leader of the highest office of our land.

That being said, I also have not participated in the slander and libel against you that many others in this country have.  I have not called you names, I have not protested your presidency, I have not posted links to questionable articles on Facebook that discuss how this country's now on a highway to Hell.  I assume that many other disappointed Americans like myself are asking the question of What now? How do we move forward?

You want to make America great again, and that sounds terrific.  But I want to know: great for who?  And what do you mean by great?  We all define that word differently.

So I read your plan for your first 100 days in office.  Trying to keep an open mind all the while, and I have some comments for you.

1. I realize how little I know about what the government does or has done.  I have no idea what the Offshoring Act or the American Energy & Infrastructure Act is...but it's probably time to find out, because you want to change those things.  And I need to know what that means.

2. Your very first idea in your list of concerns is "cleaning up Washington and special interest collusion in DC".  And right there, for the first time, I hear that little exultant voice in my head cry out "Yes! Please! Finally!"  Start with my long-standing state's senator who has obstructed the Supreme Court Justice selection process.  You want to impose term limits for Congressmen/women and Senators...and to that I say - YES!  Is it possible you have well-thought out plans that draws in someone like me, who has had a hard time stomaching everything you have been about this entire election?

3. There are a few items that distress me.  You propose to "cancel payments to UN climate change programs", using the money instead to "fix America's water and environmental infrastructure." That sounds okay to me, but please do not fall victim to that age-old Republican line of thinking that climate change, global warming IS NOT happening and if it is, it certainly is NOT man-created.  Keep an open mind on these things.

4. I voted against you, primarily because you will propose Supreme Court Justice nominees that will attempt to repeal amendments like Roe v. Wade.  And with three or so SCJs moving into their eighties, the likelihood that you may get to nominate more conservative justices over the next four years alarms me.  Enforce and uphold what is already there, please.

5. I read through your 100 day plan.  I can't tell you all the ramifications of the actions you propose, and that is because I'm the ignorant one in this case.  I hope to not be, though, in the future.  I do know that your one big priority (and that of the other Republicans) is to repeal Obamacare, a plan that my retired parents depend upon.  Do not let them down when you decide to replace it with a "Health Savings Account" plan.

6. And here is what distresses me, above everything else I read: Your fellow brother-in-arms and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has already gone on the record as saying the term-limits thing is not a priority for him nor the Senate.  In fact, he states that he believes there are already term limits now - it's called elections.  And when you rile people up about reforming Washington and "draining the swamp", this is the number one issue on their minds.  Getting the old guard out of the city.  It looks as though you've got a great battle ahead of you on that one.  I suspect it will fall by the wayside.  That is my lack of faith in the American political system speaking.

Mr. Trump, I think you are up against forces you cannot control, for all your bravado and tough talk.  You cannot just "bomb the shit out of them", as it were...even if the American people want that more than anything.  My question, really, then is: Will you rise above this?  Or will you become mired down in the good old boys' club mentality that has caused the political corruption and distrust in America?

Time will tell, indeed.

Oh, Yes...I Think It Might Be Time

I woke up this morning.

The sun was shining.  The birds were doing their bird-things.  The Earth had revolved.

It had, in fact, not ended...as I thought might happen after last night's election.

And, ultimately, the dishwasher still needed loading, laundry needed to be folded, and the family still needed to be fed.

My Facebook feed today was bursting with all kinds of vitriol...from those praising Trump to bashing Hillary to claiming God has a plan.  And I finally turned away from my computer, went into my kitchen, and made chicken noodle soup from scratch.

And I had a vodka soda and Oreos.

And I worked on my novel (because it is, after all, National Novel Writing Month).

Yep.  That's how I got through today.

And when the soup is made and the laundry is folded and the trash is taken out, and I have a moment of brain-quietness, the shock of last night's political upset creeps back in and I wonder...

How the hell did this happen?

And that's the question that prompted me to resurrect this blog.  It has been dormant for over four years. 

But now, I got lots to say.  Lots.  And not just about politics.  About everything.  Let the rambling begin.

Welcome back to me.

 

Amid the Haste and Noise

Well.  I've just sent my kids off to their first day of school, and now there's a niggling little voice just behind my right shoulder that is trying to guilt me into updating this blog...so, here I sit.  But, I have nothing terribly groundbreaking or even interesting to say.

Tell them about your summer, then.  Recap, says the subconscious mouthpiece.

Cripes, I reply.  That'll sound trite.  Not to mention lame.

There's no response.  Just a insouciant shrug.

...........

I suppose now, after sharing the above psychologically unsettling conversation with you, I've lost all credibility.  And I suppose that further means that, really, I'm at liberty to talk about what I want.

A summer summary, then.

1. I did not anticipate wanting to get (and then getting) a part-time job.
2. I did not anticipate having to spend a small fortune on clothing for school (chef-related, that is).
3. I did not anticipate being so....so anxious for the start of my new career adventure.
4. I did not anticipate spending so much time this summer discussing my children, money, and jobs with my husband...which is what perhaps adds to the anxiety mentioned in #3.
5. I did not anticipate signing up to run a 5k in October.
6. I did not anticipate beginning to train for said 5k in July.
7. I did not anticipate feeling so weird to not be reporting to an educational institution for work.

Even though I did not anticipate any of these, they happened anyway...which just goes to show that no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should (Thanks, Mr. Ehrmann).  Doors are opening, doors are closing, decisions are being made, and things are working out as they should.

Little Earthquakes

For the record, one does not attend a major Midwestern US university in the mid-90s and NOT hear of the singer/songwriter Tori Amos.

As it was with me.  I even bought a few of her cds...one of my favorites being titled "Little Earthquakes".  However, today's blog post is not so much a review/rambling about that album, as it's about the reason why, today of all days, I am thinking of a indie musician's album title.

Geologically speaking, we know the earth changes daily.  It shifts, it spins, it elongates...this giant blue oval in space.  We can no more control it than we can control the sun (as much as we might try, however).  Every so often, our planet is rocked by cataclysmic movements...in the form of earthquakes.  People die, buildings topple, and lives change forever.

While these earthquakes can't really be prevented, many of the world's population choose to live in areas where they are less likely.  Less likely, but not impossible...and certainly not immune to "little earthquakes"...little tremors, little rumblings, little movements.  And while those little earthquakes don't completely upheave our lives...they leave their mark.  A tree dies, a hill crumbles, a landscape quivers.  Etc, etc, yes?

Two recent events in and around my neck of the woods turns this geological fact into a powerful metaphor.

Over a week ago, two young girls (roughly my youngest son's age) in a small town about two hours from here were riding their bikes from their grandmother's house...but they never reached their destination.  Family, volunteers, police, and even the FBI have been searching for these girls, to no avail.  Now classified as an "abduction", the search for the girls now involves questioning of suspects and alibis.  And as it goes with missing child cases, the more time that elapses, the more unlikely it is the girls will remain alive.

And of course, the second event, the one receiving an enormous amount of media right now, is the Aurora, CO movie theater shootings.

To me, these events are "little earthquakes".  Because of where I live, my involvement in these events is merely that of removed bystander.  However, despite that, they will certainly leave their mark on me.

The two occurrences provide a nearly imperceptible shift in my landscape.  I hang on to my children a little tighter these days (how can I not?).  I grow a shade more cynical about people and their motives (how can I not?).  I ponder the scary possibility that no matter how "right" I try to live, I can't prevent harm from befalling the people I love.

And suddenly the question of how then, shall I live? seems to have an unnerving urgency that wasn't there before.

How then, indeed?

Vacation...and Now I Need Another One

Vacations are crazy little things, you know?  I've spent weeks and weeks preparing for vacation, reserving hotels, checking driving routes, buying toiletries, doing laundry, packing suitcases, gathering books, games, toys, and snacks for the kiddos...

And then, just like that...our week-long vacation is over.  And time to get back to the "real world".  But first, I think I need a vacation from the vacation. :-)  However, I don't think I'll be lucking out.

The bulk of the week was spent in Ohio, at Cedar Point amusement park.  The roller coaster capital of the world, there was plenty of thrills available to all of our children.  And while amusement parks are all fine and well, I'll admit that they are extremely child-centered...which, frankly, can be unfairly exhausting.


We also pit-stopped in South Bend, Indiana to visit the College Football Hall of Fame, the campus of the University of Notre Dame, and South Bend Chocolate Company on the way to Cedar Point.  Then, on the way home, we jetted an extra two hours down to Indianapolis to the Children's Museum...which touts itself as the World's Largest Children's Museum.

All in all, it was a great vacation.  Things went smoothly and the kids had fun.  But, I can't help wishing a little bit that I could spend a day or two in a bed and breakfast somewhere with my Kindle and my husband.

How's This for a Fourth of July Celebration?

In honor of our nation's birthday, the family and I decided to watch History Channel's "The Revolution".   We actually wanted to know about the Declaration of Independence, but upon finding this episodic documentary on Netflix streaming.

And well, I know there's two sides of every documentary, but this one presented some new, interesting information that I recall reading in no history textbook.

The Boston Massacre of 1770?  Not really a massacre, per se.  A group of rowdy Bostonians were heckling and harassing a couple of British sentry guards, and chaos broke out when rocks were chucked by the mob...which then led to a willy-nilly firing of British muskets.  Eventually, five colonists were killed.  However, if you Google Images "Boston Massacre", you'll see the famous Paul Revere engraving of a line of disciplined Redcoats firing, at exactly the same moment, into a bedraggled crowd, who seem to be in the process of retreat.  It doesn't take long to research and find contradicting testimonies of what exactly happened that night.

But, it goes to show that even then, the media spin machine was at work.  Patriots in Boston took this event (referred to by British as the "Incident on King Street") and spun it in a way so that it appears that the British were looking for any reason to oppress and open fire on rebel colonials.  A means to an end, as it were. 

Washington’s complex character?  Through excerpts from letters written by the newly appointed Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, we learned Washington often questioned his appointment and ability to fulfill it.  That might come off as humble...a noble quality.  But, he also then declares in an Order written in November 1775, that for his army, "neither Negroes, boys unable to bear arms, and old men unfit to endure the fatigues of the campaign are to be enlisted [in the army].  That's...not so noble.  On the other hand, he acts with tremendous poise and grace after unwittingly discovering his junior officers are plotting against him after his military defeats of 1776.  Will the real George Washington stand up please?  And not in the head boat that crossed the Delaware River (because, really, that didn't happen).

British reasoning?  As it turns out, the British have spent a terrible amount of money on defending us from French raids and Indian attacks.  To recover some of that lost fundage, the tax its colony, America.  Not a terrible thing or reason to want it, really.  But that's a side of the story I don't remember hearing in high school.

Often throughout the documentary, the British are referred to as the best army in the world.  That an untrained, ragtag group of colonists managed to unseat that army's power in this country....well, that's just freaking amazing.  And especially since there were a lot of close calls too.

Ultimately, maybe the truth doesn't matter.  Maybe what really happened is somewhere in between what the history books say and what the TV shows says.  Those really were the times that tried men's souls.

Facebook Did Not Miss Me

This past weekend, despite sweltering 90-plus degree temperatures, my family (and in-laws) went on our first camping outing of the season.

I did not take my laptop, because a.) the whole point of camping is to detach myself (if only temporarily) from all social networking sites (read: Facebook). And b.) the campground has no WiFi anyway, so the point was moot.

This would also be a good time to mention that in the last two weeks, our family has switched cellular device service.  My husband dropped his Blackberry and its Internet, and so, that last bastion of technological connectedness was gone. 

And as it turns out, we're bearing the deprivation quite well.

Brent got through several hundred pages of his Stephen King novel, "Under the Dome", and I finished Jeffrey Eugenides's "The Marriage Plot and Debra Ollivier's "Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl".  And when we were outdoors in the crazy heat, we were talking, golfing, walking, eating, or refereeing kids' badminton games.

Now that's what I call face book.