Random Thoughts: Close to the End of the Pandemic

Tweets from April, 2021:

• 2021-04-02: Using my metric, "we're getting close to the end of the pandemic." (link)
• 2021-04-02: The Father (2020): Woman deals with her aging father. Characters come and go, scenes repeat, each time slightly differently, until you aren't sure if you are seeing reality or the world through the father's dementia. Deserved Oscar noms for Olivia Coleman and Anthony Hopkins. B+
• 2021-04-02: It seems only right. Georgians are taking the state back to a time when baseball didn't yet exist.
• 2021-04-03: Now 65+, another step closer to the end of the pandemic, by my metric. (link)
• 2021-04-03: Great quote about Richardson Pearce's Drew Timme:

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: 43,909. A Stake in the Ground.

Tweets from March, 2021:

• 2021-03-02: 516,346. In Texas, 43,909. Might as well put a stake in the ground to mark where we were when Abbott declared the pandemic was over in Texas.
• 2021-03-02: With this action, Texas GOP forfeits any claim to be pro-life.
• 2021-03-03: GOP cancel culture strikes a blow against mean tweets, unironically.
• 2021-03-03: North Texas GOP didn't want her for Texas House. Now north Texas GOP doesn't want her for US House. Katrina Pierson is failing at a higher level now.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: Myanmar loses, no matter who wins.

Tweets from February, 2021:

• 2021-02-01: On one side, there's a coup by people claiming election fraud. Sound familiar? On the other, there's Myanmar's detained leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who defended Burmese military against allegations of genocide against the Rohingya people. Myanmar loses, no matter who wins.
• 2021-02-01: Headline: "10 GOP senators want deal." Assuming they are sincere, this still implies 40 GOP senators don't want any deal. What does that say about our democracy's legislative process? Without deal-making, there is no unity, which is what the GOP professes to want.
• 2021-02-02: Big Little Lies - Seasons 1-2 (TV 2017-2019): Five women with kids in a wealthy Monterrey private school deal with bullying, spousal abuse, infidelity, bankruptcy, rape. At heart it's a dark soap opera, but it's fun watching these great actresses work with each other. A-
• 2021-02-05: QOP: not all of them are anti-democracy, but on balance, it's now the party of QAnon.
• 2021-02-05: No longer needing to woo the GOP's base is freeing. "Mitt Romney Has a Child Allowance Plan (and It's Better Than Biden's)"

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: Hawley/Gohmert 2024

Tweets from January, 2021:

• 2021-01-01: Hawley/Gohmert 2024.
• 2021-01-02: About time. Only 155 years late to do the right thing.
• 2021-01-03: There's always a tweet. These two from Ted Cruz and Donald Trump from the 2016 GOP primary. They haven't aged well.
• 2021-01-04: Bridgerton (TV 2020): 1800s costume drama. Pouts and swoons. No racism in this England, but lots of sexism. Too many singles looking for proper matches. All prigs. A vow of revenge made by the Duke to his dying father proves a barrier to happiness. Who cares? Only the prig. C-

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: A Collision of Two Dump Trucks

Tweets from December, 2020:

• 2020-12-01: When H-P and Compaq merged years ago, someone described it as a collision of two dump trucks. The wreck is being towed back to Houston.
• 2020-12-02: Watching PBS series "The Rise of the Nazis" with this shit happening in Washington is like watching annotations to current events in the US. Enlightening and frightening.
• 2020-12-02: Profile in courage. Not.
• 2020-12-03: Germany wasn't special. America isn't somehow immune. "If [Hitler's] life and career teaches us anything, it is how quickly democracy can be prised from its hinges when political institutions fail."

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: Ballsy Move by Linda Koop

Tweets from November, 2020:

• 2020-11-01: Ballsy move by Linda Koop.
• 2020-11-01: Linda Koop throws Trump under the bus (but with plausible deniability).
• 2020-11-01: Tonight's the night to set our clocks back. I just realized that because of coronavirus we don't use our cars enough for it to matter. Wait six months and hope it'll be under control
• 2020-11-01: "Boris Johnson accused of 'giving in to scientific advisers' as England heads for lockdown." Sounds like something a medieval cardinal might warn the Pope against concerning Galileo. "Giving in to science." Let that sink in.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: Alexa, Change the President

Tweets from October, 2020:

• 2020-10-01: Me: "Alexa, change the President."
  Alexa: "Sorry, I'm not sure."
  Alexa must be the last undecided person in America.
• 2020-10-01: "Insects have been around for 480 million years, solving nearly every problem nature has dealt them. Maybe it's worth listening to what they have to say." -- Natalie Angier
• 2020-10-01: "Stand back. Stand by." -- Donald Trump.
  "Bigotry or white supremacy in any form is blasphemy against the American creed." -- George W Bush, after Charlottesville in 2017.
  There. That's not hard, is it, Mr. President?

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: I Can't Wait for the Presidential Debates

Tweets from September, 2020:

• 2020-09-03: I can't wait for the Presidential debates so I'll finally know who to vote for.
• 2020-09-03: Radioactive (2020): Biopic of Marie Curie. Rosamund Pike plays an unlikable character, a prickly genius. It crams 60 years into one movie, as well as peeks at future benefits and ills of nuclear energy. You'll learn a lot about history, an amazing scientist and kickass woman. B-
• 2020-09-07: An American Pickle (2020): Immigrant falls into a vat of pickle brine in 1919 and is rescued in 2019. Just accept the premise. Seth Rogan plays the immigrant and his great grandson. Touching story of reconnecting with family and culture. Not what I expected from Seth Rogan. B-
• 2020-09-07: When I "hide" an ad on Facebook (hoping FB will quit serving ads of this type to me), it asks me why I wanted to hide the ad, offering choices like "already purchased," "irrelevant," and "repetitive." Why doesn't it offer as a choice, "Insults my intelligence"?
• 2020-09-08: Neighborhood yard sign poll: 3 Colin Allred signs, 2 Genevieve Collins signs. So with 55 days to go, it's 60%-40% Allred.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: How to Wear a Face Mask

Tweets from August, 2020:

• 2020-08-01: During all that bus time, maybe the Marlins could work on how to wear a face mask.
• 2020-08-03: @JohnCornyn in other words: "Who are you gonna believe, me or your own lying eyes?"
• 2020-08-04: Crip Camp (2020): Documentary about a 1970s camp in the Catskills for disabled youth run by hippies. Fun, games, brotherhood and independence. What they learned at Camp Jened prepared them to fight the government for rights for the disabled, culminating in the ADA. Inspiring. B+"
• 2020-08-04: @jonathanvswan: "Oh, you're doing death as a proportion of cases. I'm talking about death as a proportion of population. That's where the U.S. is really bad. Much worse than South Korea, Germany, etc.?
  @realdonaldtrump: "You can't do that."
  Swan: "Why can't I do that?"

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: 200,000 Oklahomans Get Health Insurance

Tweets from July, 2020:

• 2020-07-01: 200,000 Oklahomans get health insurance...by ballot initiative. That means they overruled the Republican politicians who don't want the near-poor who can't afford health insurance to get it. Next, Oklahomans ought to elect representatives who share their values.
• 2020-07-01: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is the guy who said senior citizens would voluntarily lay down their lives to COVID-19 to prop up business profits. Patrick is a one-man death panel.
• 2020-07-01: One day closer to the election and there's no sign of a Trump pivot yet. Will he ride "White Power" all the way to November?
• 2020-07-01: Americans could learn from Bulgarians. "Russia Wants Bulgarians to Stop Painting Soviet Monuments To Look Like American Superheroes."

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: I Never Had a Black Teacher

Tweets from June, 2020:

• 2020-06-01: Wow. I'm embarrassed to say I don't remember *ever* having a black teacher. And being blithely unaware of that fact until just now. :-(
• 2020-06-01: Irony. Many of the 2A crowd who insist on arming themselves to defend liberty from government oppression are now calling on that same government to impose martial law to put down protests against the government.
• 2020-06-01: I admit, when Trump was elected, I feared he would start a war, but I never would have guessed the war would be against American citizens in our own country.
• 2020-06-01: Trump is still pissed he didn't get his military parade in Washington, DC.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: Former Mayor Gets New Bribery Trial

Tweets from May, 2020:

• 2020-05-02: Former Mayor Laura Maczka of Richardson Gets New Bribery Trial After Court Officer Spoke to Juror
• 2020-05-02: Trump cares more about Kim Jong Un's health than Mitt Romney's. "Romney's in isolation? Gee, that's too bad," the president said. Asked if there was any sarcasm in his remarks, Trump said, "None whatsoever." Which suggests Trump *doesn't* understand sarcasm.
• 2020-05-04: Cold War (2018): Poland. Three Oscar noms. Arty. Ill-fated love story set in post-war Europe, mostly Poland and Paris. Beautiful B&W cinematography evocative of the times. Characters can find passion but can't find happiness with each other. Why not is a recurring mystery. A-
• 2020-05-05: Pete Sessions has spent $80,000 on legal fees to a criminal defense attorney, and they began in October, the same month his name surfaced in the Ukraine scandal that led to President Donald Trump's impeachment. Why would Waco want to buy this trouble?
• 2020-05-05: Irony is dead: "Trump does not wear coronavirus mask at Honeywell factory that makes masks"

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: Trump is a Snake Whisperer

Tweets from April, 2020:

• 2020-04-01: "Trump is a snake whisperer." -- Edward Countryman.
  What a great addition to the political dictionary, alongside "dog whistle."
• 2020-04-01: A tradition in American journalism is that the reporter must not become the story. It's impossible to live up to that at a televised Presidential press conference. Trump thrives on his insulting interactions. One solution? Stay away. Don't let Trump make you a part of his shtick.
• 2020-04-02: Yesterday was Census Day. Forgot to fill it out for your household? Not to worry. Do it today. It still counts. You still get credit. And so does your community.
• 2020-04-02: Those toilet paper shortages probably are caused less by panic buying and hoarding than by our economy's fine-tuned supply chains being unable to rapidly adjust to the new normal.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: After South Carolina

Tweets from March, 2020:

• 2020-03-01: Expect Trump to suddenly get interested in Hunter Biden again after South Carolina.
• 2020-03-02: Anyone notice how Biden, Klobuchar, and Buttigieg are all going to be in Texas today, the day before Super Tuesday? With so many states to choose from, Texas is the big prize. Quite a turnaround from the usual flyover status candidates give the state in campaigns.
• 2020-03-04: The Souvenir (2019): Student filmmaker and her sketchy boyfriend. He exploits her and she apologizes too much. Instead, run away! Movie has an arty look and feel. Lots of long takes with mirrors and windows and reflections. See the movie poster. It all feels pretentious. C-
• 2020-03-05: The state of American politics in five words: "Democracy is not a meritocracy." -- Jennifer Rubin

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Conventional Wisdom Gets Whiplash

Conventional wisdom is getting whipped around by this pandemic. Remember in January, when China was first getting locked down because of coronavirus? Conventional wisdom (and by conventional wisdom I mean the Trump administration) said China's loss would be America's gain. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said, "I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America." Could coronavirus hurt America in any way? In the same interview, Ross said, "I think it’s almost physically impossible for there to be a recession this year." When you put an out-of-touch grifter in a responsible government position, you get what you should expect, political hackery, not expertise. Unless you live under a rock, you know where this goes next.

Fist Bumps

It's too early to predict what permanent changes COVID-19 will bring to life in America. Personally, I don't think I'll be shaking hands ever again. For years already, I've substituted fist bumps for hand shakes, but going forward I don't think even fist bumps are a good practice in a world of infectious disease. Right now, my favorite is the Namaste prayer hands with a head bow.

Glitter

Do you know how glitter can be annoyingly hard to get rid of? Attend a wedding where glitter is thrown on the bride and you'll be finding glitter yourself, in your hair, in your clothes, in your carpet at home far from the church. It doesn't matter if you weren't in the wedding party and weren't throwing the glitter yourself. If you attend the wedding, chances are that you will go home with glitter. That's how I like to think viruses behave. They just aren't as visible as glitter. Treat social distancing like you don't want to go home with glitter.

Random Thoughts: Parasite's Oscar is Deserved

Tweets from February, 2020:

• 2020-02-10: Parasite's Oscar is deserved, but it's going to set a lot of people up for disappointment. People who now go see it for first time and come away thinking, "OK it's good, but it doesn't live up to the hype." It's rare for any movie to live up to the hype of winning "Best Picture."
• 2020-02-12: Expect Trump to lose interest in Hunter Biden after New Hampshire results.
• 2020-02-14: Men Without Women: Stories: Collection by magical realism author Haruki Murakami. Only this collection, with one exception, is mostly based in realism. Tales of men and women, men with women, and in a deeper way, the impact on men being without women. B-
• 2020-02-15: Richardson Eagles knock off #1 Duncanville in overtime. #txhshoops

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: Two Very Different Men

Tweets from January, 2020:

• 2020-01-02: The Two Popes (2019): Conversations between Benedict and Francis when Benedict decided to retire. Two very different men, with different philosophies, portrayed by two great actors. Only action comes from flashbacks to Francis's early career, which deserve their own movie. B+
• 2020-01-03: If you ever want to know what Trump is guilty of, look at what he accuses others of.
• 2020-01-03: Cats (2019): The costumes/makeup/CGI is distracting. The comic relief doesn't work (dancing cockroaches?). The plot is thin. But so? Cats is what it is, a musical made from a book of poetry about cats. It's always been about the singing and dancing. Critics hate it. I like it. B+
• 2020-01-05: Headline: "Iranian state TV reports Iran will no longer abide by any limits of its 2015 nuclear deal."
  I'm old enough to remember when tensions in the Persian Gulf were down. There were no rocket attacks against U.S. forces. No attacks on Saudi oil facilities. Iran's nuclear program was verifiably locked down. And, oh yeah, Obama was President.

After the jump, more random thoughts.

Random Thoughts: Big Ten Football in the Snow

Tweets from December, 2019:

• 2019-12-01: Big Ten football in the snow. Wisconsin gets Paul Bunyan's Axe, clinches Big Ten West championship and a place in the Big Ten title game.
• 2019-12-01: The Irishman (2019): Scorsese directs De Niro, Pacino, Pesci (that's all you need) in a 3.5 hour intimate epic (there can be such a thing) about the mob and the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. A disapproving look from De Niro's daughter, just a look, supplies the morality. A-
• 2019-12-03: Ford v Ferrari (2019): A sports movie. A good one, but still. Predictable plot. Two-dimensional characters. Clichéd dialog. The guys from Ford are supposed to be the good guys, but I found myself cheering for the "wops" from Ferrari. Good performance by Christian Bale. B-
• 2019-12-06: The Sixth Extinction: Global warming, ocean acidification, crop and animal disease, poor land use patterns, all are involved in extinctions rivaling the death of the dinosaurs. Why don't we act? If anything, this book is not alarmist enough. B-

After the jump, more idle thoughts.