Well, here we are with a week of 2025 under our collective belts.
Big whoop.
Whole lot of nothing.
Etc.
Etc.
Not to disparage the new year, those who celebrate its arrival, or those who use it as a platform off which to dive into a choppy sea of resolution…for me, it’s just much ado about nothing…since we turned the calendar page it’s been just another regular old week.
So let’s get right to that monthly-ish time when I let my brain churn out thought after thought to the point of exhaustion:
Let’s start on a high note. We’re in the throes of winter here with frigid (so cold!) temps, but let’s talk about The Daylight! I noticed it last week when I got home from a late walk at 4:34 and it was very bright…last night it was still nice and light until 4:45 and it’s only gonna get lighter (until it doesn’t, of course). Summer is coming!
Fall to Winter in the Esker. Next up, Spring. And now let’s leap from that high and jump into the cesspool that is this week’s low. Might as well get it out of the way now so we can spend the rest of our time bridging the gap between the good and the bad. Break it down to build it back up, as it were. The cesspool of which I speak? The political climate in this country. I know I said I *might* talk about Election 2024 *if* I ever made sense of things, and my continued silence has been because I am not quite there yet. I have tangents of cohesive thought, but nothing connects—mainly because nothing adds up. Not words, not logic…nothing helps the math math, nothing holds the fabric together. But with that said, I do feel comfortable making a few comments right now, most of them a result of me spiraling after Tuesday’s debacle at Mar-a-Lago.
When I saw on LinkedIn (not verified/fact checked) that on NYE lightning struck the Capitol, The Washington Monument, and the Empire State building, that was one of those things that made me go “Hmmmm…” It felt sinister. Some sort of omen. Of what? Most interesting to me was how many people were touting it as a show of “power”, some inspiration about what we might expect in the coming years. 🤬
Anyhow, here we are and the guy who seemed to have incited a riot (insurrection) four years ago is about to get re-inaugurated while he fights to get his felony sentencing postponed…another thing that makes me go “hmmm…”
But Tuesday’s bat-shit crazy rambling presser forced my hand. Here are some of the things that have me fired up:
The Cheeto announced his plan to change the name of “the Gulf of Mexico” to “the Gulf of America” and also spoke of taking back the Panama Canal AND taking over Greenland. This says it better than I ever could:
He lies and uses hyperbole extensively.
Like when he said he only brought up the Panama Canal because he was asked a question about it. He didn’t want to ruin Jimmy Carter’s *special* day, lying in state in the US Capitol. But he did bring it up.
So we've done this all in two months of not being there. We haven't been there, and it's pretty amazing. And we think we're going to do some really great things, really great things. We're being respected again, all over the world. The Panama Canal is a disgrace. What took place at the Panama Canal. Jimmy Carter gave it to them for $1, and they were supposed to treat us well. I thought it was a terrible thing to do. It was the most expensive structure ever built in the history of our country relatively. It would be the equivalent of substantially over a trillion dollars today.
My very quick research indicates that the Canal cost $375M in 1914, which equals about $10.6B now. And Jimmy Carter did not give it to them for $1. You can Google that yourself for deets.
Or like when he said electric heaters make you itch. “The heat is much better. It's a much better heat as the expression goes. You don't itch.” What is the expression that goes like this, pray tell?
This guy loves electric. We're going to be ending the electric car mandate quickly, by the way.
Wonder how that will fly with his conjoined twin Elon?
Or when he said that windmills are driving whales to death (“…driving the whales crazy, obviously”).
Or when he said that the US and Canada are separated by an artificial line…it’s called a border.
And we are not treated well, as you know by Canada. Canada is subsidized to the tune of about $200 billion a year plus other things. They don't essentially have a military. They have a very small military. They rely on our military. It's all fine, but they got to pay for that. It's very unfair. I have so many great friends. One of them is the great one, Wayne Gretzky. I said, "Run for Prime Minister. You'll win. It'll take two seconds." But he said, "Well, am I going to run for Prime Minister or governor? You tell me." I said, "I don't know. Let's make it governor. I like it better.
(I’m using exact quotes because if I didn’t you might think I was lying. But I can assure you, I am not that creative.) Is becoming Governor of Canada Justin Trudeau’s big plan? Is that why he resigned as PM? 🤦🏼♀️ Also, I love Canada. They treat me fine. Speak for yourself, Donnie.
Is water an inexhaustible resource? And does anybody bump up against this with their dishwasher? “They want very, very little water to go into your dishwasher, almost none. And you know what people do? They just keep pressing, pressing, pressing, keep it going.” Or washing machine? “Likewise, washing machines, they want in your washing machine to have very little water coming out of the washing machine, so when you wash your clothing, you have to wash your four times instead of once, you end up using more water.” And don’t get me started about when he said rain comes from Heaven. Jesus H. Christ,
Do we really have plenty of cars, milk, and everything else?
He uses the word “stupid” a lot. In my opinion, it’s a derogatory word but without meaning. He does that a lot—says things that say nothing.
Don’t believe me? Watch for yourself. Or read the transcript.
The wildfires raging in California should not be a political issue, but here we are. Policy should be bipartisan, and it used to be, but now policy has kind of gone out the window—it’s all “politics” and battle lines are drawn everywhere. And if *anyone* still thinks that wildfires are a thing of the wilderness, think again. They’ve wiped out entire suburban neighborhoods. Hit urban areas. We’ve had them in MA, New Jersey, and NY—hardly the wilderness It’s called the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and it’s deadly for a number of reasons, many of them preventable if the right actions and considerations are made in developing areas and maintaining properties. This did not happen because CA has a democratic governor or because he’s withholding water. (If it’s an endless supply from heaven, then…but it isn’t FFS.) If people want to solve problems they need to stop pointing fingers, start looking at systems, and get to root problems, without ego or financial agenda. Sound familiar?
And make no mistake, if what Trump said about regulations in his presser is true, we should be concerned that his administration might be proactively putting people at risk. Scary, no? In addition to bragging that in his previous administration slashed regulations, cutting the most in the history of our country, he also said:
If you invest over a billion dollars in the United States, we're going to give expedited reviews to everybody because everyone's afraid they're going to come in and get caught in the quagmire, which is very prevalent in the United States, unfortunately, the quagmire of environmental and various other regulations and rules. And I made it a point of telling people, if you invest a billion dollars or more, and we'll do this for people with far less too, but we guarantee it, we are going to move them quickly through the environmental process. Sometimes people held up 12, 13, 14, 15 years. I saw it with plants in Louisiana where I got it approved in literally a week. They were through the review and one week after spending 14 and a half years trying to get it and they were going nowhere, it was a terrible thing. I've been a victim of that myself over the years and I think I know all the games and all the tricks that are played and much of it is just done to stop progress. We're going to be helping you and everybody else that comes to the United States and wants to invest their money that you don't get tied up for the rest of your life and you can't do anything.
Here are some of the issues with this that I am wound up about (and please believe me here—we *all* need to be aware of if not concerned about this stuff):
Environmental safeguards. Permitting is usually the first step in a process to ensure that environmental concerns, such as air and water quality, habitat preservation, and waste management, are adequately addressed before construction or industrial projects begin. If permitting is reduced or bypassed, it could lead to inadequate environmental protection measures, which may increase the risk of fires, accidents, spills, or long-term environmental damage that could harm public health.
Workplace safety. Permitting and requirements to construction, industrial, or other projects typically include safety guidelines to protect workers from hazardous conditions. A reduction in permitting requirements might lead to fewer safety inspections, oversight, or risk assessments, raising the likelihood of workplace accidents, injuries, or fatalities.
Public safety. Reducing permitting requirements or removing regulations can have direct impact on public safety. Insufficient oversight of projects like oil pipelines, dams, or chemical plants could lead to unsafe designs or failure to identify potential risks (e.g., flooding, contamination). As a result, such projects might pose serious threats to nearby communities, wildlife, and the environment.
Infrastructure integrity. Permitting processes for large-scale projects, such as infrastructure development, help ensure that the designs meet structural safety codes and that construction follows industry safety standards. If permitting is streamlined or simplified too much, it could result in subpar construction practices, which may undermine the safety and stability of the finished infrastructure (e.g., bridges, dams, buildings), introducing unnecessary (and potentially deadly) short- and long-term risks.
Failure to connect the dots. Unplanned and unforeseen consequences always bubble up as a general problem when people are so focused on a certain path they fail to consider all possibilities, often resulting in unintended (negative) consequences. General regulation and permitting requirements often include public hearings, stakeholder consultations, and expert reviews that can bring attention to potential risks that may not have been initially considered. They engage other agencies in developing comprehensive safety plans, including incident action plans. In bypassing or weakening these steps, critical safety issues might be overlooked, which can increase the chances of accidents, injury, death, and destruction down the line.
While I’m still not sure what to say about the election in general, clearly I have plenty to say in response to what’s unfolding in front of me. Today I’m presenting some troubling facts to wake some people up and hopefully make them pay attention. Anyhow, I will close with this bottom line: the people spoke and chose Trump over Harris. Fair enough. Can we please all take a step back, set party aside, and think about both how all of this reflects on all of us and how it will impact all of us? Before it’s too late. Because the only thing worse than a sore loser is a sore winner.
Speaking of the political climate of the country, what is up with these terrorist servicemen acting in deadly protest? One in a Tesla and one in a Ford, both EVs. Coincidence? I think not. But what kind of message were they sending? (And I read the messages they left behind and still I need to ask. I guess they don’t call them extremists for nothing.)
Meta is no longer fact checking, because apparently free speech is more important than truth. I don’t really see it as an either/or. And I can’t believe we’ve reached a point where a large portion of our population believes that what makes something true is someone the “like” saying something. That’s all it takes. That’s so scary. Like when did “validation” become an infringement on constitutional rights???
If the political climate in this country instills a fear that inspires dreams of traveling to faraway places, the 52 places to go in 2025 list was just released by the NYT. For me, every year it sparks a wanderlust whose flames I am afraid to fan…and the place on the list I am most likely to visit (again) and happily so is Detroit (#39), even though “Lexington and Concord” (#23) is (are?) closer geographically. (And aren’t one place, but…)
Speaking of fear in general, I am fighting hard not to foreclose on my identity, an expression I learned from the great Adam Grant in his remarkable book Think Again and wrote about here. I’m in limbo in life. I either need a job or a need to embrace semi-retirement. I feel like now is the time to chase the proverbaial *dream* because it’s probably my last viable chance to do that. And then all the while I am angst-y and somewhat resentful because I feel like I "*should* somehow be in a bit better of a professional situation. I really don’t want to foreclose on an identity of “nothing.”
Last week we took my mom and Kerri’s aunt to dinner. When we left the restaurant I thanked the hostess and told her to have a good night. She said “you too ma’am.” She called me “ma’am” even though I was with two 80+ year olds. Can we band together to cancel “ma’am”???
There have been a lot of sweeping generalizations in political rhetoric lately and that’s unfortunate, not to mention unfair. That said, in other instances there is some comfort in naming and labeling things—it makes us feel less alone.
While I hate the expression, “There are three sides to every story: mine, yours, and the truth,” the situation with the striking ski patrollers in Park City, Utah did call it to mind. Ski patrollers want a living wage. Management wants to optimize cash flow and profits. The COO said, in part, “By choosing to strike during the peak holiday, the union hurt their fellow employees, skiers and snowboarders, and their neighbors.” The other side of that could be “By choosing to take advantage of labor, workers had no choice but to strike during the peak holiday.” Interesting how valuable they are during the high-value season. Remember who the essential workers were during COVID. That’s all I’m saying.
This story about the tutu-wearing monkey on the lam made me laugh. There’s gotta be a children’s book in there somewhere.
How long ago did Al Gore invent the internet? A long time ago, anyway…yet it took all this time for me to finally get scammed…out of $25…by a company called “Good Energy” no less. I bit on the Instagram ad, because I needed some good energy, so I bought the hoodie. Needless to say, I still could use some good energy. 🤦🏼♀️
With all the talk of shrinkflation and the rising price of eggs why is everyone focused on bird flu and its impact on supply while no one is talking about the fact that a large egg is now looking more like a white robin’s egg? I paid $8.99 for 2 dozen micro-mini eggs at BJ’s the other day. I want scrambled eggs but feel like I should ration them.
And speaking of eggs, or rather the chickens who lay them, anyone else struggling with the quality of chicken breasts lately? (Sorry to all the folks who swear by chicken thighs…I just can’t.) The chicken is so chewy—a condition called being “woody” that describes when it grows too big too fast. Anyhow, I bought a package of two Perdue chicken breasts with the intention of making a dinner for my niece who was arriving Sunday night to start Spring Semester on Monday. I cooked the two pieces and one was fine. The other turned grey and had a texture that resisted the tines of a fork. Clearly an implant popped in one of the two breasts. In “there’s a first for everything…” I went straight back to Shaw’s, receipt in hand, and kindly requested they honor the “100% guaranteed” as per the label. They did. I bought some more chicken (store brand) and successfully handed dinner take 2 off to my niece when I picked her up at the airport.
Speaking of food, I saw a story on the news the other day about rising food prices, and they noted that bread and cereal prices are down. The universe is forcing carbs on us. No fair. (But so delicious.)
Sticking with food, when you make a cheesecake and then put it in a water bath, is there anything more stressful than sweating out the entire cooking time, willing the aluminum foil to withstand a boiling breach? (I did learn (too late) that Cook’s Illustrated approved an approach where you set the springform pan inside a slightly larger baking pan and then place it in the water bath. I may get myself an 11” round cake pan and try it next time. Might save me hours of trying not to hyperventilate.)
Continuing with food and beverage, I’ve cut (way?) back on drinking (relatively speaking?) in general so I did not consider doing dry January, not for a millisecond. That said, if anyone else has eschewed the trend and is looking for drinking buddies this month, hit me up.
Subject change, but looping back to Detroit. I was watching the Lions-Vikings game Sunday night (sis lives in Detroit, so that’s my only dog in the fight now) to see who would be the #1 seed. The loser would be the #5 seed. I know I was an English major but that math is beyond me—two teams with the same record go head-to-head and the winner is #1 while the loser is a #5…riddle me that.
Speaking of winning vs losing, the Patriots won on Sunday and in doing so went from receiving the top draft pick to the 4th. Lots of lively discussion about that around here. Teams should *always* play to win. Sometimes losing the battle means winning the war. Sometimes losing the short game means winning the long game. In this case, I think they should have played to win for the future—and lost the game. Yet here we are celebrating a win against an opponent who had dialed in on priorities other than winning (like helping players reach incentive targets). It’s an interesting debate for sure. I see both sides of it, but I am firmly on only one side.
Speaking of the Pats, I think Jerod Mayo got fired before the parking lot at Gillette Stadium had even cleared out. Do I think he should have been fired? Hard to say. Because I don’t think he ever should have been hired. It’s a complex arrangement, the one between ownership and executive leadership, coach and team. Like all systemic problems, you need to look at the whole system—there’s rarely a silver bullet. Just look at the Bruins and their season pre- and post-firing of the coach.
Tomorrow is Hoda Kotb’s last day on the Today show. Starting Monday we’ll be getting even more of Craig Melvin (not a huge fan). I’ll give it and him a chance, but can somebody please tell him to clear his throat? Maybe his voice is “just” raspy but more often than not it sounds like he’s got phlegm phlapping around his tonsils. And it grosses me out.
Speaking of the Today show, and this is not me having it in for Al Roker (for once 😂). When they are planning the hands-on segments, I feel like they should think who does what through more. I’ve noticed Al struggling in some of the “get fit” segments, but this was next level. Why did they make him do the thrusters??? He could neither squat nor lift the weights over his head, so…why? Just why? (Do the segment producers loathe him like I do and this is how they get back at him?)
Top to bottom: squat, thrust, squat, thrust. (And no, I didn’t edit it to make it look worse than it was.) I really need to de-Christmas the house, but it’s so depressing. So much buildup, then…done. The holiday season can be, as my dear departed dad used to say, “all windup, no pitch.” But yesterday I forced myself to get all the Christmas stuff storage boxes from the frigid attic during a break between spraying the over door and scrubbing it. So now I have a new project for the next few days. The two-day oven window cleaning project was well worth it, even though it had me working furiously like an extra in a key scene from The Bear. After reporting my limited progress scrubbing my fingers to the bone on Day 1, I took my sister’s suggestion to get some Easy-Off *with the blue cap* and after two rounds of scrubbing, I’m happy. My fingertips kill and are in desperate need of moisturizer, but see for yourself:
Top: After scrubbing yesterday with baking soda, vinegar, and Dawn. Middle: After one round of Easy Off with the Blue Cap. Bottom: After Easy Off Round Two. Done. Every year when I drop my mom for her snowbird winter travels south, a piece of my heart goes with her. The older she gets, the bigger the piece. When I said goodbye to her on Monday, the hole it left behind was so big the winter wind whipped right through it, making it hard for me to breathe for a bit. Circumstances were such that this year we spent even more time together than we typically do between Thanksgiving and Monday, making this year’s departure slightly more jarring. I enjoyed every second of my time with her; I appreciated her love, strength and resolve (aka stoicism); and I will miss her, very much.
As hoped, my thoughts unfolded in such a way that I bridged the gap between the bad and the good, so I’ll close with an even two dozen, and on a high note. Getting these very different gifts in the mail over the last two weeks has made my heart so happy. Put simply, they remind me of how much love I have in my life. They also highlight the nature of the different kinds of love I have in my life, and how much richer my experience on this earth is as a result. Thanks, friends. ❤️
If these aren’t the best motivation to organize my writing implements on my desk I don’t know what is…best pencil holders eva! 
Capturing the magic of my favorite week of the year, in my favorite place, with some of my favorite people. And painted by one of the amazing women on board that boat with me, no less.
Speaking of having love in my life, I love our time together, and I appreciate your commitment to me, and to this.
Love you too.