Slow Down Mate

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If you want to be more observant and thoughtful, but can’t press pause altogether, at least slow down.

Following a surgical procedure a month ago, I have substituted walking for swimming, running, and cycling. It’s been a great break, because I see so much more than when I’m running at 6.5mph or cycling at 16.5mph.

I walk two times slower than I run, but because of some sort of exponential magic, I see at least four times as much.

I see the sale prices for the furniture in Seldens. The original exorbitant prices and the still shockingly high 30% off prices. I see the homeless guy sleeping on the sidewalk, is in fact, alive. I see the blossoming of the now more natural Capital Lake as a bofo bird sanctuary. And I see the growing grass in the lake near the Marathon Park bridge and wonder if it’s going to gum up the tidal flow.

I see political slogans on telephone poles and political graffiti on just about everything. I see other walkers and their dogs. I see intensely political cars in the food coop parking lot. While walking on WestBay Drive, I see an entrance into the woods for the first time despite having cycled and ran by it a hundred times. Then I’m deep in a forest uber close to my crib digging trails carpeted in leaves for the first, but not last time. I see restaurants repeatedly and speculate on their financial well-being based upon how full they are or aren’t.

Best of all, I see just how beautiful my tiny upper left-hand corner of the world is and I have even more gratitude for living here. Even when the 10-day forecasts look like shite this time of year.

Today I will walk to the library to pick up this book. Then I’ll pop over to the Plum Street Y where I will lift mad weights.* One of the coolest byproducts of my forced slowing down is that I’m able to take pictures in ways that I can’t or don’t while running and cycling**.

Here is some of the bounty that’s resulted from my forced slowing down. Let’s call this gallery, most simply, Olympia, Washington.

*Remember, everyone fibs at least once a day.

**Facial recognition with my cycling sunglasses on is way better with my new iPhone, so maybe my cycling photog game will improve next season. That was my main excuse for my underwhelming picture taking–Belgium aside.

Postscript: The new header, Mount Rainier waking up, was taken this morning from the kitchen.

The Gerontocracy Is (Still) Real

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85-year-old Bernie Sanders with zero self awareness.

“‘I personally have known Chuck Schumer for over 30 years, and I like Chuck. Nobody who works harder than Chuck Schumer,’ Sanders (I-Vt.) said. ‘But in my view, the time is now for change, and I will not be supporting Chuck to be reelected as the Democratic leader.’”

I would not support Schumer either, but an 85-year-old taking the first shot is some funny shit.

Solid ‘D Minus’

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Sixty percent correct. To quote Adam Sandler in the Hanukah song, “Not too shabby.”

1A. I will get a lot of texts today from politicians asking for money. 1B. I will grow increasingly annoyed. [I was right. And Colom, knock it off.]

2. That is not a Blue Wave forming on the horizon, it’s a Blue Tsunami. [Right again.]

3A. The Minnesota Gophers will beat the UCLA Bruins Saturday. 3B. Afterwards, following a failed attempt to center himself at Saint Mike’s Adoration Friday morning, DDTTM will send me a snarky, no make that mean text, relishing my misfortune. [Wrong, on both accounts. Such a shellacking, DDTRTM was speechless, or rather, textless. Turns out, DDTRTM, the game is won in the secondary.]

4. Luka will lead the league in scoring this year. [Looking good, putting this in the “right again” column.]

5. The President will graciously accept having lost the House and Senate. He’ll talk smartly about working with Democrats to do right by the American people. [Shockingly, wrong again. No words for him elevating SMiller and now returning to his pathological rigged elections delusion. The next two years are going to leave us seeing a lot more blue in Congress, but also feeling even more blue as his admin spirals downward. Where, one can’t help but wonder, is the bottom?]

Yowza

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Women’s basketball has come a long ways in recent decades with the WNBA’s positive momentum as one poignant example. But there’s still a ways to go in terms of parity in Division 1 college bball as evidenced by this nail biter from last night. Check the quarter-by-quarter scores below. Texas Southern did their best Midterm Republican impersonation in the second quarter.

Screenshot

It’s Hard

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I imagine. When you start to think of yourself as a trillionaire, then your net worth plummets to under $800 billion.*

Musk spent $500 million on the midterms to get not just get his ass handed to him, but his companies as well.

On Wednesday, his personal Tesla and Space X holdings declined $33.5 billon. Today, they declined another $71-80 billion.

Could, I suppose, make a guy try ketamine.

*As of today, it’s estimated to be between $789-793 biillion.

One Person Is Not Getting The Credit He Deserves For The Blue Tsunami

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There are numerous correct answers to the question, “Why the Blue Tsunami?” A more pointed question is why did so damn many Hispanic and under 30 year-old voters flip? Especially Hispanics in the Southwest.

I’m not sure why so many young voters came to their senses, but I do have a theory on why so many Hispanics did. Steven Miller.

Miller’s anti-immigrant fever dream, or nightmare rather, was at least two-fold. The first, ICE’s shooting and killing of some people in the light of day got most of the media spotlight. However, I suspect the second, ICE’s targeting and removing of longstanding, hard working, law-abiding, community-minded undocumented workers, had an even more profound effect on all voters, but especially Hispanics in the Southwest.

Ninety-five percent of citizens support improved border security and eighty-five percent want their longstanding, hard working, law-abiding, community-minded undocumented worker neighbors to have a path to citizenship.

No one wants ICE agents killing anyone, but what went less reported is that no one, except Steven Miller, wants violent, extra-legal, hate-fueled deportations of longstanding, hard working, law-abiding, community-minded undocumented workers.

Watching a foaming at the mouth Miller continuously ramp up unAmerican anti-immigrant hatred while bemoaning ICE wasn’t doing enough to create a United States in his image, caused a large swath of the “tighten border security” citizenry to throw a switch on the way to the ballot box.

In a weird, round about way, maybe we should thank all of Miller’s Santa Monica High School classmates who found him so insufferable that they stuffed him in lockers. Because Miller’s ensuing rage helped fuel a truly historic political shift.

I’m In Love

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You know this already. With Canada. British Columbia more specifically. But she’s playing very hard-to-get, meaning I have not received an offer of citizenship yet. After all I’ve done for her, not to mention my charming personality, it’s an outrage.

So, ponder this from The New York Times by way of WalletHub.

I would like to invite the city managers of Orlando, Miami, Tampa, Scottsdale, and Casper to pitch me. By which I mean send me a proposal that I can’t refuse. To assist, here are my priorities. Strict gun laws, a progressive/liberal majority, clean open water exclusively for swimmers, state-of-the-art bike infrastructure, four seasons with one being a mild/sunny winter, vegetarian restaurants, and low enough housing costs so that I can more easily bolt if and when Canada comes to her senses.

Thank you in advance.

I Predict

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1A. I will get a lot of texts today from politicians asking for money. 1B. I will grow increasingly annoyed.

2. That is not a Blue Wave forming on the horizon, it’s a Blue Tsunami.

3A. The Minnesota Gophers will beat the UCLA Bruins Saturday. 3B. Afterwards, following a failed attempt to center himself at Saint Mike’s Adoration Friday morning, DDTTM will send me a snarky, no make that mean text, relishing my misfortune.

4. Luka will lead the league in scoring this year.

5. The President will graciously accept having lost the House and Senate. He’ll talk smartly about working with Democrats to do right by the American people.