Category: News

  • After Thanksgiving

    So… I over did it. Yup, we made too much food, and I have been eating leftovers for four days now. I don’t want to step on a scale, as I know it will only tell me a story that I don’t want to hear. I know, I know. I’ll get back to working out in… January.

    This year, as everything has gone to hell, and we had to rethink everything, and we had a bubble Thanksgiving. We got Covid tests, and quarantined for a week so we could spend time with friends and their kid. We all had a great time together, and it was nice to spend time around people again.

    Now, we did what we thought was the right thing, and tried to be as responsible and cautious as possible. But, there still was a little nagging thought in the back of my mind that we shouldn’t be doing this. That the “right” thing to do was to not see anybody. New York’s positivity rate is closing in on 4%, which compared to other parts of the country is nothing. Then again, I remember April and May in this City, when people were moving out and ambulances were running day and night.

    I am very confidant that we all behaved correctly with our given situation. And sadly, I can admit that, we are all getting tired of living in a lock down. The right thing to do is never easy.

  • The Doom Anxiety is Back

    Who else is still feeling the same level of anxiety you had before the election?

    That would be me.

    And most of my friends as well.

    Just about two hours ago, the Chancellor of the NYC Public schools announced that in-person classes will be cancelled due to the test infection rate is now above 3% in the city. Well… crap.

    There has been 100,000+ daily Covid infections for over the past week, as well as over 1,000 deaths.

    And we shouldn’t gather for The Holidays, but people are clearly going to gather for The Holidays

     We are clearly in a Second Wave, and for some of you, it might be a Third.

    And Trump won’t concede the election, which has the very high probability of make things worse as his administration is refusing to working with the incoming administration.

    2020 ain’t over yet, so I know it can still get worse.

    Like I said, I’m not feeling better.

    I haven’t really written anything other than these blogs, and that is due to my nonstop Doomscrolling. I keep checking to see if it is getting worse. This is clearly now a habit I have created for myself that I am not able to break, as my phone is connected to me constantly.

    Deep breath…

    Deep breath…

    We can get through this.

  • What Have I Learned This Week?

    This has been a very political week for me, blog wise. I woke up this morning with the intention of not writing about anything political, and then I saw that Trump and the First Lady have tested positive for Covid.

    Proving that 2020 is the year when anything and everything will happen.

    But as it is Friday, maybe some self-reflection is needed.

    What have I learned this week?

    First, school teachers do not get the credit and pay that they deserve. I have said that many times before, but two weeks of home school/video chat has proved that to me, in a very crystal clear manner. I will commit now, and for the rest of my life, to ensure that teachers get the respect, pay and resources they need and deserve to do their jobs.

    Second, if doing the home school thing is my lot for the next eight months, then I have to come to terms that I will only have about an hour a day to write during the school week. And if I want more time, that will have to occur on nights and weekend. Just a fact.

    Third, as we enter October, I also have to come to terms that I will not being able to relax until the year 2020 is over. I thought 2016 was bad (except for the Cubs winning the World Series) and 2018 wasn’t a good year either. But, 2020 just won’t let up. The anxiety I have every day is relentless, and I don’t think I will be able to relax until the election is over, and a vaccine is out. I know there are a million other issues that 2020 has brought us, but I need those two things to happen.

    Here is to trying to have a good weekend…

  • A Crack in Trump’s Support?

    I am still having trouble coming to terms with how awful that debate was on Tuesday. I keep rereading articles, looking at polling data, and watching clips of the awful performance by Trump. Even on Wednesday, Trump still couldn’t find a way to come out and denounce white supremacist groups during “Chopper Talk.”

    I have observed that most hardcore Conservatives and Republicans have no issue with how Trump behaved, and even in some comments, they even have applauded it. That, I sort of expected. The other thing I noticed on social media, which might be more telling, was that my Conservative and Republican friends have gone silent about the debate. I would refer to them as moderate conservatives; taxes and abortion are their biggest issues but they don’t delve into conspiracy theories. They are posting about issues, and not posting about Trump as a leader. Such as, “We got to get people back to work to save the economy,” rather than, “Trump is the only person who can save this economy…”

    I admit that this observation is completely anecdotal, and not supported by scientific polling or any data. It’s just a feeling. And my gut tells me moderate conservatives are beginning to rethink Trump. Maybe not voting for Biden, but maybe thinking about not voting.

  • Post-Debate: This is bad…

    This is bad folks. Really bad. Such as, I am very nervous that the United States might not survive this election.

    It wasn’t just one moment of Trump’s shit show. And there were some really awful moments. The interrupting, the conspiracy theories, the environment forest management thing, the doubting of a fair election. Then Trump told his supporters that they should go to the polls and intimidate voters, and that the Proud Boys should stand by to be called into action. It is just horrifying that. I never thought that an American politician would behave like that, in public.

    But taken as a whole, what I was left feeling is that Trump doesn’t care who he has to hurt, or what he has to destroy, to win. For Trump, it’s win or nothing. And even if he does win, I don’t think that will be enough. I think he will go after his political opponents, and try to put them in jail.

    I joked after the Republican convention that I left feeling like I was a hunted creature for being liberal. After last night, I think Trump will call on his supporters and white supremacists to go and riot in the streets. That open conflict will follow on November 3rd.

    Even if Trump comes to his senses, and agrees to a peaceful transfer, he has already put the thought out there, and you cannot take it back.