Back from the Beach

I took this week off to relax at the beach and really enjoyed doing nothing during that time other than reading, sleeping, eating, and watching TV. I also went down to the beach and watched the sunset. (I couldn't get out of bed eary enough to see any sunrises during the week.) I enjoy my time at the beach in Gulf Shores, AL. It's very calming and soothing this time of year. I can't imagine what it's like in the height of summer, but in October/November when I usually visit, it's great: no crowds and very chill. I flew back to Chicago yesterday and I was glad to be back home too (albeit with a head cold). I hope I don't have Covid. I should probably take a test. (I really don't think it's Covid. When I had Covid, I felt like I had Covid!) Anyway, this was my last vacation for the year and it's back to the grind on Monday. I wish I could say I got some writing done while I was away but, alas, that didn't happen. Oh well. Tomorrow's another day!

I Love Music

I've been listening to CDs from my vast collection while I work my day job and I put on Sarah McLachlan's Fumbling Towards Ecstasy earlier today. I used to play this CD all the time. Sarah's songs are often sad, but she has such a beautiful voice that I can overlook the sadness. One of my favorite songs on the CD is "Elsewhere." Sarah's voice is so powerful when she sings, "I believe this is heaven to no one else but me." Hearbreaking and so beautiful. I remember someone I used to work with said attending a Sarah McLachlan concert was great and low-key because her music lulled everyone to sleep. I wasn't sure if she meant that as a compliment or an insult to the singer. Maybe both. Whatever. Sarah's great and she's a singer who can really sing, unlike a lot of artists out today who put on a good show, but can't really carry a tune. Speaking of not great singers, I recently saw a clip of a highly popular artist (whose name will not be mentioned here) doing a song with the great Stevie Nicks. This "artist" sounded so bad whenever she opened her mouth to "sing" and even Stevie looked like she wanted to run from the stage to get away from this woman's warbling. Terrible. Stevie deserves to share the stage with artists who can bring it as hard as she does, not some pop star who sounds awful live and is probably auto-tuned to death in the studio and in concert.

Another really good singer is Kelly Clarkson. I watched a clip of her singing Whitney Houston's song "I'm Your Baby Tonight" on her show and she was really great. I'm not even a fan of that particular song (because they played it too much when it was out), but I enjoyed Kelly's version of it. You can see it on YouTube (because that's where I watched it). Kelly Clarkson is the best performer to come out of the American Idol show. She's very talented and she's another singer who can really sing.

In other music news, I was surprised and saddened to hear that R&B singer D'Angelo died from cancer at age 51. He was so talented and really made some great songs. His song "Lady" is a particular favorite of mine. Why do we always lose the good ones? He's another singer who could really sing. He had a lot of personal struggles in his life, but he made some excellent music while he was around. RIP, D'Angelo.

New Month...Old Problems

Welcome, October! With each day that passes, I'm just grateful to be alive and not out my mind. And, with a new month, we have a government shutdown. Whatever. Shut it down. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't when you're dealing with Donny T. and his minions. You either cave and give them what they want or don't cave and they take what they want anyway. Donny and Friends control the House, the Senate, and the Executive Branch. If they can't pass legislation on their own with that much power, then they can kick rocks. I really hate to see the government shut down because I depend on government services like other folks (the TSA, etc.). But this current government is so ridiculous and hostile that it's not even worth trying to work with them. 

Speaking of work, I had a rough day myself with an annoying coworker who seems to think that his projects should be pushed to the head of the line before anyone else's. I had to try and set him straight about having reasonable expectations. I'm working with a very reduced workforce and I'm doing the best I can with what I have. That means I have to prioritize my work. This guy didn't want to hear it. I had to loop his manager in also, but they're such cronies that he probably just ignored the whole thing. My manager also was looped in but he's largely useless when stuff like this comes up also. I'm grateful to have a job, but working with annoying people is annoying. I need a vacation!

Bizarro World

Let me get this straight. Our POTUS is more concerned with what late-night comedians are saying about him rather than dealing with the on-going problems in this country (inflation, high food prices, unemployment, etc), right? And free speech is only free for some people? Huh? Are we living in Bizarro World? The alternate version of the USA? 

Every single day, it's something else. Every single day. It's only been, what, nine months into this administration, yet it feels like nine years. It's hard to try and block out the noise when it's all noise. 

All Aboard the Crazy Train!

After a really nice Labor Day weekend in my home state of Michigan, I returned home this week to chaos again. I have more electrical work scheduled for tomorrow to, hopefully, fix things the crazy wiring in my apartment. I am optimistic that tomorrow's work will wrap things up for good.

However, I'm not as optimistic about the nutjob running the US Department of Health and Human Services. For everyone who voted to confirm RFK, Jr. (especially the physicians who voted for him), I say, "You have no one to blame but yourselves for this disaster!" To all of the people who voted to confirm him, you chose to let this guy drive the crazy train and we're all going to pay for that decision. How do you let a guy, who's not a doctor, has no medical or scientific education or training, and who's, clearly, a few cans short of a six-pack, run Health and Human Services? I bet Donny T wouldn't rely on RFK, Jr. for advice on his own medical care, so why should we? 

Every week (almost every day) there's more ridiculousness from this administration and its cronies. I try (I do) to avoid the hot mess that is the US government right now, but it's hard to block it out when so much of it impacts my life and the lives of others. Just when you think the shit show can't get any shittier, it does! 

Old Stuff

Here in Chicagoland, it looks like summer is finally winding down. The kids are back in school (or going back soon) and the weather has cooled off. We've had a hot and muggy summer here this year and I hated it. A few weeks ago, whenever I turned my air conditioner on in my bedroom, the power went out in my bedrooms and bathrooms. After fipping the breakers in the basement, the power still didn't come back on and I ended up having to call an electrician to come out. I live in an older building and the wiring isn't great here. The electrician did some work earlier this week and things were fine (at first) but after he left, I noticed an outlet behind my bed wasn't working, so I had to call and have the electrician come back out. He said he'd have to come back with a helper and try to figure out what the problem is. Great. In the meantime, while I'm awaiting his return, I'm living with bedroom walls that are lined with blue electrical tape (see the photo below) until I can have them patched and painted, but I can't do that until the electrical work is totally done (whenever the electrician can come back and finish the work he started). I knew when I bought my place back in 2018 that the electrical system was janky. Most of the rooms in my apartment only have two outlets. It's not ideal, but I make it work and I had not had any problems until a few weeks ago. The next place I live (and there will be a next place, I'm sure) will have to be more modern and have in-unit laundry. I'm so over sharing washers and dryers with others, but that's another story for another time.

In other news, I also found out I have to have a tooth pulled. The tooth I had a root canal on back in 2020 is cracked and has an infection at the root. My dentist advised me to have it removed and replaced with an implant. Great. I've been reading up on implants ever since I got the news and you can't get one put in right after the extraction, so I'll have to wait several months for my gums to heal. That means walking around for months with no tooth! At least the tooth in question is in the back of my mouth, but I'm still not happy about it. This is what happens when you get old! My tooth, like my apartment's electrical wiring, is breaking down.  

Hamilton!

I just read a couple of articles online in the NY Times about the musical Hamilton and that it's the show's 10th anniversary. Wow. (It's also Leslie Odom, Jr.'s birthday today!) 

While I was in Alabama a few weeks ago visiting family, my sister insisted I watch Hamilton on Hulu, so I did. (Well, I watched most of it.) My sister is a big Hamilton fan and loved the soundtrack before she even saw the play. I, on the other hand, heard some of soundtrack songs and was underwhelmed with a lot of the music and, ultimately, wasn't interested in seeing the play. No offense to Lin-Manuel Miranda, but hip hop and history just are not my bag, baby. While I enjoy some of Hamilton's music (the Schuyler Sisters, the King George bits, The Room Where It Happens, in particular), I'm not crazy about most of the tracks. I also didn't think Miranda had a strong enough voice to play Alexander Hamilton, especially when he was sharing the stage with much better singers like Leslie Odom, Jr., Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Jonathan Groff and watching the production on Hulu made that painfully obvious.

Clearly, my opinion is in the minority given the acclaim, awards, and money that Hamilton has made over the years, so what do I know? I'm glad so many folks enjoyed the show, the music, the cast, and the message of Hamilton.