Get the spirit

Enjoying Thomas Marriott - Winter Solace on the Holiday Jazz channel by JAZZRADIO.com
http://www.jazzradio.com/holidayjazz

Today's best

Pressure

Pope Francis says climate situation is 'borderline suicide'; deal 'now or never' - @AFP https://twitter.com/AFP/status/671404482174042112

New world

Home from the airport ... and for the first time in over a year, my focus is not caring for H. Maybe I can learn how to relax other than in the wee morning hours.

First up, a couple of home projects I couldn't do with her constant Monday morning quarterbacking. Downsizing!

Health concerns I play close to the vest. Doing no new projects helping anyone. Not sure if I have more to write, not fretting about it.

The 6-day wonder is timely, needs to be done everywhere. Needs a visionary director who sees this. Need a last bit of good fortune.

This will be a revealing two weeks, I bet.

Heroic work

No teacher lets them suffer: inside the German schools taking in refugees

http://gu.com/p/4efd6?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Bloggeroid

Intelligence, which is in short supply

What will it take to stop Donald Trump?

http://gu.com/p/4eh8z?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Bloggeroid

Downsizing

Discontinued a couple of "luxury" expenses, including belonging to Ukulele Underground. Wonderful group! But I'm not using the resources enough. Tightening the belt for winter.

Expect a very stressful day as H prepares to leave tomorrow. Her packing anxiety will be major.

Bought week of online access from other carrier just to do necessary chores without driving to hotspot. Only good for one device, no other hardware online. New modem due Tuesday.

Actually, alone, I might go this route. Sports not as interesting to me as it once was ... character of jocks different, corporate bullshit everywhere. Leisure could use downsizing, too.

No present energy to return to novel project. May change. No further idea about Ukulele man. May be done or inactive for a while.

The 6-day wonder sitting well. Damn good work ... deserves fine tuning in rehearsal. Not counting on it. If nothing happening by summer, will put together book. Probably my last hurrah. I've said that before.

I do look forward to two weeks without stress of H's crises. Though she can get in trouble east as well as here ... ah me. Maybe it never ends.

Nerd nation!

No. 9 Stanford drills 45-yard field goal as time expires to defeat No. 6 Notre Dame, 38-36 - @SportsCenter https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/670813616174735361

Bah humbug

USC defeats No. 22 UCLA, 40-21 - @myfoxla https://twitter.com/myfoxla/status/670753515069767680

Crashed

Modem at home crashed ... astounding what an Internet household we have ... TV, music streamed from online ... replacement won't arrive until Tuesday. Slumming until then.

Dum de dum dum

I thought you might like this story from The Washington Post.
The Great Thaw: As temperatures rise, the melting of glaciers is accelerating
http://wapo.st/1PQw8SB

The day after

A good low key Thanksgiving ... Meal in a chain restaurant, watched a few movies at home, calls from kids and grandkids cheered up Harriet ... Much better holiday than I feared.

Post turkey evening

An old strategy

Spike Lee urges women to go on sex strike to protest campus rape and harassment: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/sl-ppeXM1gA/

Good question

Can Trump do ANYTHING that would alienate his supporters?

(And I naively thought Palin was as stupid as politicians get.)

A new low for Trump - but no surprise

I thought you might like this story from The Washington Post.
Trump blasted by New York Times after mocking reporter with disability
http://wapo.st/1Yv9tN6

Worse than Trump ...

... are his many supporters. Living evidence of what James Baldwin called the unadmitted failure of the American experiment. Very depressing so many back him.

Thanksgiving

No plans tomorrow ... I'd like to hang out, reflect, give thanks, maybe a movie, maybe turkey somewhere not requiring reservations ... but how the day goes depends on how H goes ... I can't predict that. But a mellow day would be so nice!

Perspective

Good thing Native Americans didn't treat the Pilgrims like we treat Syrian refugees

http://gu.com/p/4ed7j?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Bloggeroid

Vacation

H goes east Monday for 2 weeks. I'm sure it will feel like a vacation without the daily crisis.

Coming soon

Chi-Raq review: Spike Lee's urgent, angry – and very sexy – midlife masterpiece

http://gu.com/p/4eg48?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Bloggeroid

Traditions

Broken treaties, cultural genocide and murder: Here are 5 ways the US has ‘given thanks’ to Native Americans: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/pRuEz0ljUEU/

Clarity

hobbling to the bathroom at 4 a.m.
I see Sketch stretched out on the divan
and envy him the clarity of his life

if I had more instincts, fewer ideas
my life might have great clarity, too
(right after I win the lottery etc.)

the villain of my old age is Socrates
convincing me the unexamined life is bankrupt
forgetting to add that the examined life is hell

End of an era

"Dear Charles,

As you requested, we have cancelled your "orelitrev"
account. As of today, all Web site files and e-mail addresses
associated with the account have been taken offline and no 
further charges will be processed."

The archive is now managed by the Eng Dept at PSU. Direct questions to them.

Our history

I thought you might like this story from The Washington Post.
Anne Frank and her family were also denied entry as refugees to the U.S.
http://wapo.st/1TcIGlR

Anniversary

I thought you might like this story from The Washington Post.
Einstein’s General Relativity at 100: Put that in your pipe and smoke it
http://wapo.st/1XbTaYk

Thanksgiving

My best Thanksgivings were from the mid 1960s to mid 1970s, when the Deemers, the Crooks, the Bradleys, the Fuquas and the Richardsons would gather at an alternating host household. These were 3 day affairs with great food and drink, great homemade music, and non stop laughter. Incredible celebration of friendship! I was the hub, Crooks and Richardson were Army buddies, Bradley and Fuqua I met at the Ash Grove, fellow folk musicians. Man, could we throw a feast!

Nothing close since.

Idea

No sooner the last post than a theatrical character enters my brain: a street musician, ukulele, political songs of his own composition ... title, Ukulele Man ...

Marvels

Still glowing with an appreciation of good manners in drama profession: thanks for sending this, look forward to reading it! Almost never get this courtesy in the film industry unless at small powerless indie level. Power embraces rudeness, I suppose.

What will I be writing next, if anything? A return to Dancing on the Titanic (an image used in the play)? Reworking another old play? Something new?

I think nothing for a while.

Hear, hear!

I thought you might like this story from The Washington Post.
Republicans need to stand up to Trump’s bullying
http://wapo.st/1MNU1nU

"Just in the past few days, Mr. Trump has repeated the lie that President Obama intends to admit 200,000 Syrian refugees; the correct number is 10,000. He spreads the lie that thousands of American Muslims openly celebrated the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center; in fact, there were no such celebrations. He tweeted a false statistic that blacks are responsible for 81 percent of murders of white victims; in fact, 82 percent of whites are killed by whites."

Ugly in America

I thought you might like this story from The Washington Post.
Attacks on American Muslims are growing uglier by the day. It must stop.
http://wapo.st/1P4Kq1P

"Why are we degenerating so quickly and so far from our country’s founding values? Because it’s an election year. And political leaders — egged on by the grandstanding and lies of Donald Trump — are peddling fear like it’s a miracle drug.

In communities across America, we are turning on each other, on the very neighbors who have been part of the fabric of our country for decades."

Trends

I thought you might like this story from The Washington Post.
NPR is graying, and public radio is worried about it
http://wapo.st/1X7uY9r

Orwell understated our nightmare

...I.e. candidate Trump. Lies are now "facts."

An old play of mine ends ...

What the people expect, they deserve.
What they deserve, they get.
Always.

Manners

I'm reminded (sending out a play) what better manners you find in the theater profession than in the film industry. I'd forgotten.

Hump the blanket

Not bad for an old man!

Zzzz

Wish I could go back to bed.

So long ...

Report: Mariners second-baseman Robinson Cano is reportedly not happy in Seattle and would love to return to New York - @SNYtv https://www.sny.tv/mets/news/robinson-cano-would-love-to-return-to-new-york/157974166

Cartoon

Texas Textbooks: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Truthdig/~3/JmWYNglY6eU/

We have one ... Helps H's memory loss

Goodbye privacy, hello 'Alexa': Amazon Echo, the home robot who hears it all

http://gu.com/p/4ed3j?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Bloggeroid

Bohemian Pdx died in the 90s ... Hip sucked

Is hip Portland over? How the rent crisis is displacing the city's creative soul

http://gu.com/p/4eejn?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Bloggeroid