I've given my blog a new look, one that's hopefully a little easier on the eyes (less contrast between the background and the text) and one that's mobile-friendly—something missing from my last layout.
I've also given our garage a bit of a new look. I bought some wall mounts to get our bikes off the floor and free up some space. I don't know why I didn't do this years ago. Only my fat-bike remains grounded.
We just finished a week of unseasonably warm temps and I made the most of it, golfing 4 days in a row last week. I don't know that I've ever done that. Steve joined me for 3 of them. But alas, I believe that as of today, our golf season has come to an end. I'm okay with that. I was able to play 56 rounds and that's with a late start to the season due to being more focused on my riding than golfing. Steve and I finished out our golf season by playing the Mt. Frontenac course south of Red Wing. It's a beautiful course with some fantastic vistas sprinkled throughout. It's a bit of a drive to get there (around 70 minutes for me) but well worth it. We plan to add that to our mix of courses we'll routinely play next year.
And then there's the 2020 election. It's been a week since we went to the polls. It took a few days of processing the votes but Joe Biden was declared the winner on Saturday morning after Pennsylvania called their state's election for him, giving Biden their 21 Electoral College votes. Trump is having none of it and claiming that Democrats are stealing the election—a claim he lacks any evidence of. I've said all along, as have millions of others, that Trump is either re-elected or he's indicted. He knows he has to remain in office (for the immunity from prosecution afforded by the presidency) or he'll quite possibly find himself behind bars. What an enormous fall to go from the White House to a prison cell. It's a very real possibility and he knows it.
Republicans had no problem with Trump putting Louis DeJoy in charge of the USPS to try and undermine their operation, and thus sabotage the mail-in ballots that in the end were Trump's undoing. He really did that. He actually tried to gum up the works of the USPS by removing mail sorting machines and reducing employees' hours thereby hampering mail delivery, with the intention of causing millions of ballots to not be delivered on time as a means to try and secure his win. Let that sink in! But Republicans are the ones crying foul and claiming voter fraud. It's so disheartening.
Many of us are rightly concerned about what Trump will do to hang on to power. He's rid his administration of most everyone who could be counted on to try and rein him in from his darkest impulses, or blow the whistle on his abuses. He continues to spew his lies on Twitter only to have them censored or marked as misleading. And many of us are also concerned about the prospect of him trying to profit off of the knowledge he has of highly classified intelligence information, to the certain detriment of our country. It's just another concern to add to the list of concerns we never had to trouble ourselves with until this guy.
But most disturbing to me in all of this is the fact that half of the country is okay with his lies and sheer incompetency. They're not the least bit troubled by the fascist and authoritarian drift we've been witnessing the past 4 years. What should've been a singular blue wave of overwhelming support for Biden was met by a red wave of solid support for Trump. I was one of those who honestly felt there would be a strong repudiation of his presidency, enough to make it clear that what we've just been through with Trump is not okay. Sadly, I couldn't have been more wrong.
How do we move forward as a nation when there's this sort of divide between us? The propaganda in this country has never been more unrelenting and obvious to those who aren't part of the cult of Trump and see it for what it is. I don't know how to counter that other than to continue to do my own little thing here and on Facebook, calling out the lies and the hypocrisy, for what it's worth. I feel for Joe Biden and the job that lies ahead of him.
There was some humor in all of this. Trump's crack legal team held a press conference on Saturday in front of what was supposed to be a Four Seasons Hotel, except it was actually in front of Four Seasons Total Landscaping, located next to a porn shop and across from a crematorium. This script truly writes itself.
When the inevitable movie about the past 5 years is finally made, I can't imagine a more fitting background photo to close out the film as the credits roll than a photo of Rudy Giuliani and his team in front of the landscaping business. A fitting end to a pathetic presidency.
I got up from laying down after the all-night shift Thursday morning and figured I'd better get a ride in while I could because the forecast wasn't looking so good. The temp was just above 40 with a northeast wind steady at 15 mph under overcast skies. 40 degrees is very reasonable cycling weather but the key is to be somewhat chilled when you start out. Being warm and toasty at the beginning leads to being sweaty, cold and clammy before the ride is over. While putting air in my tires before leaving I could tell that I needed a lighter top layer. I'm glad I made the switch. I loved the ride ( Strava link ) and would like to have gone further but David Crowder was playing at our church and I didn't want to be late getting in line for some good seats as it was general admission. I considered a quick detour by Hosanna on the way home to get a pic of their tour bus but I figured I should really act my age. The concert was worth every penny and better than any of the o
I skipped out of work a couple hours early today to take advantage of some mild weather. I took the pups for a walk then headed west on my bike putting my heart, lungs, and quads through some paces. It felt so nice to be out there. I'd have stayed out longer but I had to be back to take Rachel to dance class for 5:00. It's possible that today will be the last time I'll have to take her to class if she passes her road test this Thursday. I'd like to have taken some time to hose down my bike. It's full of road salt and that can't be a good thing. Every large vehicle that went past me had a cloud of salt dust trailing in its wake and settling on me. I'll spend some time cleaning it tomorrow and have it ready for a ride on Wednesday after work. Speaking of work—I've been kicking around the idea of bidding on a staff job. Believe me, it's not something I want to do. It's about self-preservation. I want to work another five years to get Rachel thr
I received a phone call from my sister-in-law two weeks ago this morning. Tracee was sobbing heavily but I could make out that she had some terrible news to tell me. For a moment, I imagined that my brother Keith had passed away and she was letting me know. It wasn't that. Their grandson Madden had died the night before after a fall off his bike. I didn't press her for details and we soon ended the call. I was so stunned by what I'd just heard. Madden had just turned 13 and he meant the world to Keith and Tracee as well as to his mother and father and so many others who were part of his life. Madden's life cut so short is nothing less than a tragic loss. Here's a news report from one of our local stations. I didn't know Madden well but I was able to spend time on the golf course with him last summer and fall with Joe (his father) and Keith. He was an exceptional golfer for his age, that was clear, but he also had a talent for basketball and football. I feel t
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I'll have to check it out on my phone.