Can this madness end?

Stupidly, I glanced at the headlines of New York Times online tonight and almost threw my laptop out the window. The asshole in charge declares that a great deal of the US is corona free.  The asshole in charge laments the fact that Dr. Fauci is getting more press time than he is and whining about why he isn't more popular. The asshole in charge continues to divide the country on every level.

It can't be more depressing. Well, yes it can. Come the winter months, when flu season kicks in, and covid is still running around like a flea on steroids,  it might be even worse. 

But right now, this is the low point for me. I do not speak for anyone else, just me. In the more than 4 months that we have been in this Pandemic Situation, this is the low point for me and I am guessing it will get lower before Labor Day.  I wish Governor Newsom would just shut California down, shut the entire state down, much as he did on March 17th.  Close everything that is not essential and we can halt the virus to some extent. Many of us have been living in the SIP bubble since then and many of us are happy to continue to do so if it means ending the infections that are now taking place in California. 

But that isn't going to happen.  Infections will continue. Deaths will continue. The fear we have following us around constantly will not go away. I feel like there is a dragon in the room, all the time, breathing on me, waiting to snatch me up in its jaws. This dragon is not going away, and I fear it will only get bigger and bigger, more dangerous, more insidious in its digging into my everyday life. 

Watch this video, all the way through

Finally, an articulate woman stands up to harassment from men in power.  This is powerful, passionate and very important.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is now more of a hero to me than she was before.  Check it out.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/us/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-sexism-congress.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

If for some reason the link doesn't work, you can find this video online, just google AOC video. It will come up, titled Condemnation of Sexism in Congress.

Stay healthy.

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Worse toilet paper ever

When we go to the grocery store these days, it isn't the same as it was seemingly a year ago, meaning February. Then you could take your time, check out sale items, sort of plan your meals and think about what your pantry needed while you ambled down the grocery aisles. Now we go to the market with a list, a list that we follow so we can get out of the market as quickly as possible and rip the mask off our faces.  Today when we amble rush down the aisles, we still pick up a few things for the pantry, items not on the list, because we are all a bit nervous about the grocery supply chain failing in the next few months. (Be honest, we all worry a little that shelves will be empty come November 1st.) So we grab things we know we will need in the future: tuna, shampoo, canned tomatoes, peanut butter, flour, toilet paper, etc.

When I was in the grocery store five days ago I picked up a six-pack of toilet paper. It looked fine, looked nice and soft and cushy.  But surprise!  Worse. Toilet. Paper. EVER!

This stuff is thinner than tissue paper. It's thinner than a baby's eyelash. If you want to blow your nose with this stuff, it takes about six layers and even a small sneeze will blow a hole in those six layers. I don't even want to talk about using it in serious toilet maneuvers.  It's like air disguised as a paper product. Thank goodness no one other than me has to use it because its mere existence embarrasses me.  But I have it, so I need to use it, and use it up as quickly as possible. 

Thank goodness there aren't too many products that are as disappointing as this stupid TP.  Even if one buys an off-brand jar of peanut butter, it's never going to be as weak and lame as this stuff. And if it is, you can make cookies out of it. There ain't nothing to do with this four-molecule toilet paper junk.  Just saying..... buyer beware.  Or buyer be not fooled by price.  Go for the good stuff, your tush will thank you.

Happy shopping!

July 4: We need our independence from this.

A very short post. I know I am not the only one who is experiencing a kind of cognitive dissonance this holiday.  July 4 is usually full of beer, BBQ, friends. Sometimes a pig roast was part of the mix, sometimes just great camaraderie and laughter, warnings of drinking enough water to counteract the wine, bringing salads or cookies to the party..... in other words, socialization. This year we have our fucking POTUS (Person Of The Utmost Stupidity) deliberately creating more unrest and a larger divide in our country instead of trying to unite everyone to fight the war against Covid-19 and the war against racial injustice.  This quote from NYT says it all:  ... he signaled even more clearly that he would exploit race and cultural flash points to stoke fear among his base of white supporters in an effort to win the election.

We certainly live in unprecedented times. At this moment, when people are dying because of the virus, when people of color are not safe in their homes and on their streets, we have a so-called leader who will stop at nothing to denigrate non-white citizens and will stop at nothing to defile this nation with his incendiary rhetoric.

We need independence from this asshole. In a few months, make sure you and everyone you know votes. We need to be free of such evil.