And So It Begins
It's been difficult to tune out the news of the first 5 days of Trump's* Presidency, mostly because it's concerning to me and so many others the way in which it feels like we're watching the early stages of a dictator, drunk on power and cheered on by his minions who have sold their souls for a U.S. Supreme Court justice to champion their narrow view of the world. That's how I see it. It did not matter what the man said or did along the way to his coronation and I worry that the initial assaults on our basic institutions of government will matter none to these same supporters.
We've already seen a muzzling of governmental departments and a gutting of the Environmental Protection Agency. This is especially worrying when you consider Trump's* and republicans' intent on abolishing regulations wherever they can. This is a vast overreach we're witnessing and although I'd like to think I'm not surprised by it, I am. This won't be good for the country but neither will it be good for the Republican Party. When the party is over and we survey the land that their scorched earth approach to governing has left behind, I can only hope that these same people will humble themselves enough to chip in and help rebuild what they're now in the process of tearing down.
I've never been more concerned for our country.
But all the news isn't bad. Millions of (mostly) women and some men from around the globe marched last Saturday, the day after Trump's* inauguration in protest of his presidency and the fear it is causing for those of us who support diversity, our schools, our environment, healthcare for those who until recently couldn't afford it, regulations to help prevent another economic disaster as well as regulations for a whole host of issues that lose out to man when greed is allowed to flourish unabated. And I proudly stand with them.
Tammy went with some friends. I wish I'd have gone with them but I didn't feel right tagging along. Rachel was also there among the 80,000+ strong at the capital in St Paul.
The asterisk I'm using after Trump's* name is something I decided on after seeing the controversial way in which he won. Recordkeepers in baseball began using an asterisk years ago to denote a record that is somehow tainted by circumstances. I intend to keep using it to signify his tainted win at the hands of a republican congress and their endless investigations of Hillary Clinton, the FBI and the way they inserted themselves into the election in its final weeks, and Russian intervention in our election.
I hope others will follow suit.
I'm getting in some nice rides on my indoor trainer using my connection with the online program Zwift. In the Watopia course there's a 7 mile climb 3 miles into the ride that increases in elevation 1670 feet for an average grade of 4.5%. I love the challenge! I was riding it two days ago and racing another rider to the top. We were both putting in strong pushes to try and shake each other but I had to finally let him go. I was gassed! Fun stuff!
I still can't get over how cool the graphics are in this program. I hope to splice together some video to show you in a future blog post.
A friend recently posted on Facebook his favorite song by The Replacements. It got me pondering my favorite from them as well. After not a whole lot of thought, I remembered this song, Unsatisfied. It's full of raw emotion and I like that. It's been in my head for two straight days. It also reminds me of my brother Tim and how this was his favorite band. I have a memory of the two of us driving up to Cheapo Records on Snelling Ave in St Paul in my green '82 Mazda 626 some 25 years ago listening to their recent release, Don't Tell a Soul. Tim told me how he used to be at their concerts before they ever became well known and how he'd occasionally talk with the band members. He even wondered if their album, Tim was named after him. I told him "no way" but I was actually fine with him hanging onto his belief or dream because, why not?
Here's to you, Tim.
We've already seen a muzzling of governmental departments and a gutting of the Environmental Protection Agency. This is especially worrying when you consider Trump's* and republicans' intent on abolishing regulations wherever they can. This is a vast overreach we're witnessing and although I'd like to think I'm not surprised by it, I am. This won't be good for the country but neither will it be good for the Republican Party. When the party is over and we survey the land that their scorched earth approach to governing has left behind, I can only hope that these same people will humble themselves enough to chip in and help rebuild what they're now in the process of tearing down.
I've never been more concerned for our country.
But all the news isn't bad. Millions of (mostly) women and some men from around the globe marched last Saturday, the day after Trump's* inauguration in protest of his presidency and the fear it is causing for those of us who support diversity, our schools, our environment, healthcare for those who until recently couldn't afford it, regulations to help prevent another economic disaster as well as regulations for a whole host of issues that lose out to man when greed is allowed to flourish unabated. And I proudly stand with them.Tammy went with some friends. I wish I'd have gone with them but I didn't feel right tagging along. Rachel was also there among the 80,000+ strong at the capital in St Paul.
The asterisk I'm using after Trump's* name is something I decided on after seeing the controversial way in which he won. Recordkeepers in baseball began using an asterisk years ago to denote a record that is somehow tainted by circumstances. I intend to keep using it to signify his tainted win at the hands of a republican congress and their endless investigations of Hillary Clinton, the FBI and the way they inserted themselves into the election in its final weeks, and Russian intervention in our election.
I hope others will follow suit.I'm getting in some nice rides on my indoor trainer using my connection with the online program Zwift. In the Watopia course there's a 7 mile climb 3 miles into the ride that increases in elevation 1670 feet for an average grade of 4.5%. I love the challenge! I was riding it two days ago and racing another rider to the top. We were both putting in strong pushes to try and shake each other but I had to finally let him go. I was gassed! Fun stuff!
I still can't get over how cool the graphics are in this program. I hope to splice together some video to show you in a future blog post.
A friend recently posted on Facebook his favorite song by The Replacements. It got me pondering my favorite from them as well. After not a whole lot of thought, I remembered this song, Unsatisfied. It's full of raw emotion and I like that. It's been in my head for two straight days. It also reminds me of my brother Tim and how this was his favorite band. I have a memory of the two of us driving up to Cheapo Records on Snelling Ave in St Paul in my green '82 Mazda 626 some 25 years ago listening to their recent release, Don't Tell a Soul. Tim told me how he used to be at their concerts before they ever became well known and how he'd occasionally talk with the band members. He even wondered if their album, Tim was named after him. I told him "no way" but I was actually fine with him hanging onto his belief or dream because, why not?
Here's to you, Tim.
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