Postmortem on the Blog

Having a blog is something I kind of *want* to have, but I also do not have the time or energy to really devote to it the way I had.  Back when I was posting pretty regularly, it was because I needed an outlet for my intellectual interests and a place to vent about what I didn't like in my life.  But now, I find myself in a non-dead-end job with a baby, so I have plenty of opportunity to exercise my brain and the happiest, smiliest baby on the planet (since the acid reflux and skin issues were solved by the end of June... hard to be happy and smiley when you are in pain 24/7). 

I've been really fortunate.  When I haven't liked my life, I've had the resources to change it.  Not all people do, but totally leaning into that white privilege hard here.  I had a fabulous public school education financed by antiquated school funding laws, and the knowledge that if everything failed, my parents had a basement I could move into.  I can see where previous generations would get to this point - good career, kid, money in the bank - and turn Republican.  But I see every place where a government program made my life possible, and I wonder why we can't expand these to bring more people into the middle class.  That might be a new focus for me - generally looking at these issues that should have made my husband and I into some Goldwater Republicans, but instead have us firmly in the Bring Back Obama camp.

Life changes and old blogs

Welp, I had a baby, and now I will never sleep again.  At least not continuously.  And the advice that you sleep when the baby sleeps is bullshit, because you still have to do laundry and do the dishes and try to feed yourself and deal with the depression that makes it impossible to do any of this.  And floss, because you always have to tell yourself to floss.

2017 Oscars-Nominated Movies. All of them.

I came across an old Marketplace Story on how long it would take to see all of the movies that were nominated for an Academy Award.  Sure, this was 2013, but I assume the 2017 nominees would be in the same ballpark.  Back then, it was 99 hours.  So, less than a week, right?

I've heard it a number of times that nobody sees the movies that are nominated for Best Picture. They never play these films outside of New York and Los Angeles and a couple of film festivals.  I've never bought into this.  Sure, it helps to live near a major city, but even in small college towns, all you need is a cinema department with a projector, and you can find these films if you search beyond the 18 screen megaplex.

Before the Oscars, I managed to see 5 of the 9 Best Picture Nominees, all in the Washington suburbs. Moonlight and Hidden Figures were at the American Film Institute Silver Theater for an African-American film festival, La La Land at a 1930s renovated movie theater in Greenbelt (retro theater for retro musical), Fences was at the MegaPlex in the theater with the reclining seats - very nice, and Hell or High Water was a DVD I checked out of the local library.  I remember thinking for each film that rather than needing to go to impressive lengths to find them, that I had multiple options for watching them.  That same Greenbelt Theater also was showing Hidden Figures, but with talks by NASA scientists before the film since NASA has a space center in the town.  Moonlight was showing at a handful of art theaters in addition to the film festival.  And La La Land could be watched by anyone anywhere with a screen.  I assume.

So, I'm on my way to try to watch every movie that was nominated. Library DVDs have been a real help, but Amazon Prime and HBO have had some available at my leisure. Should be a fun couple of months to get me through the rest of our non-winter.

Introverting and Reading

I made two New Years Resolutions this year, and somehow, they seem to be reinforcing each other.  The first was to go to the gym 15 times a month.  The second was to read 2 books a month.  Since I read on the treadmill or elliptical, I've managed to read quite a bit more than that.  2 months in, and I've read 13 books so far.  And been to the gym 38 times. Feeling pretty good about this, and kind of psyched to see how these goals have reinforced each other.

Figured it might not be a bad idea to write up my impressions of these books, if not so much to have non-Trump things to write about, but also record my thoughts in case I want to recommend books to people. So, I'll be posting a bit in the coming weeks.

Feeling broken

Turns out that Sally Yates openly defying the Trump Administration did not come out of nowhere.

The Washington Post reports that she and her office briefed the White House on Jan. 26 about the conversations between Michael Flynn and the Russian ambassador. Why was nothing done?  Well:

The White House Counsel's Office conducted a “review” of the legal issues and determined that “there was not a legal issue but rather a trust issue,” Spicer said.

So, Donald Trump, having been briefed by the Acting Attorney General that Flynn had engaged in illegal activity, determined that this wasn't a legal issue.  It's a trust issue.  Can he really trust Flynn after misleading Mike Pence?  Oh, come now, we've all mislead Mike Pence at some point.  Why do women keep trying to tell me what I can and cannot do?

Four days later, Yates said that she could not defend the Muslim ban.  Openly.  Since her previous attempt to work the chain of command failed.  She was fired.

This story has broken me.  I think I hit my limit.

Thank the Resistance: Members of the New England Patriots

At least five members of the New England Patriots have decided to skip the celebratory White House visit because of Donald Trump:

• Martellus Bennett
• Devin McCourty
• Dont'a Hightower
• LeGarette Blount
• Chris Long

Hell, if you win the Super Bowl, you can celebrate however the hell you want to.  I know I wouldn't want to celebrate professional achievement with Donald Trump.  

Gov. Hogan Doesn't Like Mean People on Facebook

As this is posting this morning, I am dropping copies of this letter in the mail to the Governor of Maryland and the Chair of the Maryland Republican Party, because, DAMN, this is the best way to kill the GOP in Maryland... piss off every educated woman in the state.

I am writing in response to the article published on the Washington Post website entitled “Gov. Hogan’s office has blocked 450 people from his Facebook page in two years”, that refers to your spokesman, Doug Mayer, trivializing the comments of women who criticized you for not speaking about the ban on Muslims because he believed they were “part of an organized campaign.” Whether or not they were organized, you (or your agents acting on your behalf) still refused to allow residents of the State of Maryland to voice their concern over your inaction.

                I am one of the estimated 925,000 women in Maryland who has at least one college degree. Between Mr. Mayer’s statement, and statements from White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer that protesters are being paid, the message I am receiving from the Republican Party is that women are too stupid to formulate their own opinions and to take action on their own volition to make these opinions known.  Your silence appears to confirm that you agree that women lack, or should lack, the agency to make up their own minds, and cannot process information without being told what to do by outside actors.

                I attended the Women’s March on Washington on January 21^st with 5 million Americans across the country to put politicians on notice that we would watch what you were doing with regards to civil rights, environmental protections, sexism, racism, ethics, and your willingness to uphold the Constitution and the separation of powers. [No one paid me. Between Metro fares and Starbucks purchases, it cost about $20 for me to attend.] As each Executive Order and Presidential Memo was signed that undermined these issues, you said nothing. Silence is consent. By not speaking out after three weeks, how can we not assume that you agree with President Trump’s agenda?

                The people of Maryland are noticing your silence. What you say, or do not say, in the next few weeks will be remembered at the ballot box in 2018, not just in the governor’s race, but in every race on the ballot that involves a Republican candidate. It is already late to speak up. You have a number of angry people in the state, and you owe us an explanation of your political priorities.

Thank the Resistance: Gov. Jay Inslee and Gov. Mark Dayton

Props to the governors of Minnesota and Washington.  Thanks for being behind the suit to stop the Muslim ban.

(Mad Midwestern love going out to Minnesota.)

Thank you notes being sent to Olympia and St. Paul.

Dumb Presidential Memo #1: STOP DOING GOVERNMENT!!!!!

First Presidential memo: Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, signed January 20th.

Just in case you missed it, or forgot it, or have blocked this from your mind, just three weeks ago (seriously, three weeks?), President Trump signed his first stupid Presidential Memo, the "Stop Doing Government" Memo.

Reince Priebus appears to have drafted it, telling everyone in government - no new regulations, no putting into effect any approved new regulation, and you know, maybe everyone in the White House just needs 60 days or so to figure out what we're doing before you guys all do stuff?  Cool?

This isn't so much of a demand, more like a request. And, of course, the language that walks this back in case the courts or the Congress is making you take action because we forgot to hire lawyers in the transition and dear God, what is that pain in my chest?

Screw it, OMB will tell you when you can do government again. 

Feminism and Gender Stereotypes

Remember after the September 11th attacks when everyone wanted to drop everything and go off and do something, and President Bush told us all to go shopping?

President Trump is now telling us to boycott Nordstrom in a Tweet, because they shouldn't drop the clothing line of his daughter, who is a great person, and as you know, bad things never happen to good people in business.  Business always rewards people who are nice people, right?  (Coffee is for closers.)

So, if you want to be part of the feminist resistance to Trump, go shopping at Nordstrom.  Okay... but I'm a little ambivalent that my action of protest against a sexist man who tries to perpetuate outdated gender stereotypes is to do the most. stereotypical. activity. ever.