Greetings from the Polar Vortex

As we're halfway through day 2 of the Polar Vortex here in Chicagoland, I admit I've started to feel a little stir crazy. It's one thing to be indoors because you choose to be, but it's another to be indoors because you have to be. I did venture out today to pick up a package from the post office and, thankfully, my car started. I felt sorry for the folks I saw waiting for the bus although I was stuck behind the bus, so I was able to see the people actually get on the bus and, hopefully, get warm. If there's a silver lining in this cycle of coldness it's that the sun has been shining for the past few days and I'm glad to see it. It may not be bringing much warmth to the area, but it is nice to see. We get so much cloudy weather during the winter that it's nice to see the sunshine for a change.

The Good, The Bad, and Sit Down, Grandpa!

The Good: The government shutdown is over (at least for three weeks) and, hopefully, Donny and his minions will get paychecks out to those who have gone with two payless paydays tout suite. When you're forced to work and don't get paid, you're not a volunteer, you're a slave and slavery was outlawed many moons ago in this country.

The Bad: The Davises have suffered another loss of life and it's sad to report. I'm just waiting to find out the funeral arrangements to make yet another sad pilgrimage to Detroit. It seems like I see my extended family only for funerals these days and that's terrible.

Sit Down, Grandpa: When I saw the clip of millionaire Wilbur Ross expressing confusion over why federal workers were going to food banks to feed their families and suggesting that these folks take out loans (so they can go even further in the hole), I just thought, Sit down, Grandpa! You don't know what you're talking about! Seriously, when you hire people for government jobs who don't truly understand how the majority of Americans live, you're asking for trouble. If you've never lived hand to mouth or had to live paycheck to paycheck or work multiple jobs to try and make ends meet, then you don't need to be doling out advice to those who do.

Stay Strong, Wetumpka!

My ancestral hometown of Wetumpka, Alabama was hit by a series of tornadoes over the weekend and major damage was caused just across the bridge leading from the downtown area. I was watching the national news Saturday night when I heard about the storm. I don't hear Wetumpka mentioned much on the news, so I knew things were bad. Thankfully, no one was killed in the storm. I certainly hope the city is able to rebuild, get the bridge over the Coosa River back in operation, and get back to normal soon. Stay strong, Wetumpka!

Now More Than Ever

Now more than ever do we need the inspiring words and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As we look around and see what's going on in our country and in our world, it's hard sometimes to see a light at the end of the tunnel, but we must keep hope alive. If you're fortunate enough to have today off from work (with pay, I might add), take a moment to reflect on how fortunate you are. As I think about the thousands of government employees who are being forced to work without pay (that, for me, is worse than being furloughed), I hope our government leaders can come to some kind of agreement to get people back to work and end this ridiculous shutdown.

I Don't Get It

In my old(er) age, I have to admit I find myself wondering what's going on when I see certain things like the ones mentioned below:

1. Buying and wearing clothes with holes in them. I don't get this. Why would you buy pants with holes cut out in the knees? I keep seeing young women mainly wearing jeans with pre-ripped holes in the knees and on other parts of the leg. I don't understand why these women want to look like hobos. If you've got holes in your clothes, it's time for some new clothes and NOT new clothes that come with holes already in them.

2. Rodents of unusual size. I was watching a series on PBS the other night called "Rodents of Unusual Size" about the influx of nutria (huge rats) that have eaten up large parts of the Louisiana swamp lands. As someone who both hates and is fascinated with rodents, I found the series interesting. Apparently nutria were initially brought to Louisiana long ago from South America to help create a thriving fur trade, but that didn't really work out and now parts of the state are overrun with these huge rats. Sadly, I fell asleep before the show ended (because I'm old and tired), but I couldn't figure out why the state just can't poison these things and kill them off. There are people killing them with guns, but I didn't see an organized government effort to get rid of the rodents which I think is what's needed.

3. Is anyone really surprised that Donny T. served fast food at the White House to the Clemson football players? Just when you think he can't sink any lower, he does! I'm sure these guys eat fast food all the time. Why not give them a nice dinner that they maybe don't get all the time? I'm not talking about something weird and/or exotic, but why not some steak and chicken? Some seafood options? Food that you'd find at a nice restaurant? No, Donny had to go with burgers and nuggets. POTUS is a 70-something-year-old man baby who really needs to grow up.

Consequences and Repercussions

As I watch the on-going debate about reopening the government and the "wall" Donny wants, I feel like no one is really dealing with the consequences and repercussions suffered by this shutdown. There's been some news about TSA agents calling in sick so they can try to find paying employment elsewhere, but I don't think the media is as focused as it should be on the issue of people being forced to work without pay. Also, what about the air traffic controllers? What happens if they start calling in sick? Do flights get canceled? Do airports have to shut down? And, although the government spokespeople say tax returns will be processed as normal, how can this be done when the IRS workforce is largely furloughed? How can the government pay out refunds when money is frozen? If people don't get their tax refunds, you can bet heads will roll. I don't feel we're being given the whole story here and it's just a matter of time before this thing really implodes if the shutdown continues.

Silkwood Shower Needed!

I watched all six episodes of that R. Kelly documentary on Lifetime over the weekend (that was executive produced by a former high school classmate of mine) and felt like I needed a Silkwood shower afterward. (If you don't know what a Silkwood shower is, Google it, kids!) Oy! Of course I new about Kelly's pedo behavior, his "marriage" to 15-year-old singer Aaliyah, and his pee tape, but I had no idea that he was also brainwashing girls and women and I really had no idea his fan base (at one time anyway) was so large. I totally underestimated his appeal. Not that I don't listen to R&B (because I do), but I didn't know Kelly had so many defenders. That's frightening. Even after the Aaliyah thing, it amazed me how many people just turned a blind eye to his continued abusive behavior towards young black women. It also amazed me that so many young black women wanted to be with him or thought he could help them establish a career in the music business. This guy didn't help anyone but himself. Also, how does a guy who can barely read and write become such a Svengali? With a lot of help, I guess. The documentary episodes just went from bad to worse. Ugh. If Kelly had been doing these things to white girls, he would have been locked up. But his abuse of black girls and women was just ignored. It's a shame Kelly's still walking the streets. He should be in jail.

Belated New Year's Greetings

Happy (belated) New Year to everyone. It's been hard for me to get back into the swing of my day job since having some time off over the holidays, but I managed to pull through and work three days this week. Oy! I really hope 2019 brings some optimism my way because I felt like I lacked that in 2018. Even though 2018 for me personally wasn't a bad year, mainly because I finally bought my own place and no longer have to be a slave to a landlord, the process was stressful.

 As some of us make resolutions in this new year to lose weight or read more books, I'm going to try and maintain a more positive outlook in general and stop being so pessimistic. That's hard for me to do, but I am going to try and make an effort to stop being so critical of so many people and things. It's my own personal cross to bear.