My 19th Annual Thanks/No Thanks List

Late November already? Fall is more than halfway over, and I'm in my usual denial stage; I insist on wearing a fleece jacket when a winter coat would probably suffice. It's also time to reflect, and as I have for nearly two decades I give thanks (and no thanks) to the things that affect my life. This hasn't been an easy year for me or most of my closest and dearest, but sometimes it's the little things. 

Thanks: an end to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes (and those who fought and directly benefitted), reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances, reinforcing my existing friendships, and that after 13 years my Keurig still works every morning. 

No Thanks: inflation, misinformation, miscommunication, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and the ongoing GOP clown car.

Enjoy your Turkey Day, friends. 

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Random Notes, October 2018

I can't seem to focus on more than one topic:

+ I'm still trying to make heads or tails of the Saudi Arabia situation. Some pieces of the puzzle are certain: Saudi Arabia has some serious human rights issues, Mohammad bin Salman is a weasel, President Trump is too fawning and trusting of tyrants and dictators (and vice versa), and above all Jamal Khashoggi shouldn't be dead. This fiasco is subtext becoming context, a revelatory moment for those who wrongly assumed Saudi Arabia was more progressive than its Middle Eastern neighbors.

+ If the president is sincerely concerned about political violence, it might be best if everything he said wasn't some sort of call to arms.

+ Two weekends ago, Flower Shop Bangers played the Compass Improv Festival in St. Louis. It was the culmination of my year of travel, as I visited 10 states (including Illinois) since November 1st of last year. In order: Michigan, Wisconsin (several times), Texas, Maryland (twice), Iowa, Nebraska, New York, and Indiana (several times). I have tentative plans to visit Scotland in 2019, and I'm still submitting to improv festivals. Stay tuned.

Next Week: a death in the family, ten years later.

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