As the last days until the election loom ahead, I’m feeling kind of hopeful. I feel this way, even though Germany has now ordered a new partial lockdown for the next month. Supposedly, this is being done to “save” Christmas. Christmas is a big deal in Deutschland. Unfortunately, this year most of the markets have been cancelled. Or, at least I haven’t heard of any going on.
The news of the partial lockdown means that our 18th wedding anniversary will not be spent in a hotel. Hotels and restaurants will be closed to anyone traveling for leisure purposes. Shops, schools, and churches will remain open, but no one can get their nails done. I guess I’ll have to clip Bill’s hair for him again. Good thing I got plenty of practice over the spring. He’ll be teleworking again, too.
All in all, I can’t complain too much. I don’t mind being locked down with Bill. At least we like being together. Thank God we managed to get down to Slovenia to get Noyzi, too. He’s a welcome addition to our home. Every day, I get to see his progress. He’s not the same dog he was on October 4th, when we picked him up in Kranjska Gora. He can now walk on the leash like a gentleman (most of the time, anyway). He does his business outside and often sits on command. He’s learned that the leash and harness aren’t torture devices, and he even had his very first bath in his whole life. He’s still a bit scared of Bill, but he’s getting better.
I don’t know what the results of the election will be, but I did my part. Weeks ago, Bill and I both sent in straight blue tickets for Democrats. I’ve gotten some shitty comments from infantile men who are angry about my choices. I’ve gladly advised them to go fuck themselves. It’s been a lot of fun. Maybe Trump will win again, but I have hope that he won’t. I don’t love everything about Biden, but I think he’s got to be a better leader than Trump is. So I have hope that he will win…
I have to admit that I really enjoyed this op-ed in The Washington Post. Political analyst Philip Bump introduced me to the term “Trumpsplained”. Bump made me laugh as he wrote about how Trump hopes to appeal to suburban White women by telling them that he’s going to get their husbands back to work. Trump obviously isn’t living in the real world. He thinks it’s the 1950s. It’s been entertaining, infuriating, and downright scary to watch Trump’s increasing desperation to appeal to people he so obviously disdains. Some people still support him as rabidly as ever, but a whole lot of people are jumping ship.
And finally, it looks like a big pain in the ass that we have been dealing with for about two years is about to be resolved at long last. Justice was done. We learned a lot of valuable lessons. And now it looks like we will be able to close the book on this chapter very soon.
So I’m feeling alright today… hopeful for the future. Even if “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is a cynical song, the energy of it resonates with me today, even though it’s Thursday and that is when I do my least favorite chore. Got to get the vacuum cleaner out and suck up all the dog hair on the rugs…
And since we can’t go somewhere for our anniversary, maybe I’ll spend some money on something frivolous, like a lightweight cordless vacuum that I don’t have to haul up and down the steps. Or maybe I’ll buy an electric guitar. Or two… Why not? Since we’re going to be locked down, I’ll have more time to become a better guitar player. So will Bill.
I voted [straight blue]. I Fedexed my ballot to my parents so that they could submit it in person.
Do you like electric guitar? I don’t play guitar at all, but I’m less fond of the sound of electric guitar than of acoustic. My dad’s about 50/50 in terms of his preference even though his music degree was primarily in classical guitar. I cannot remember if I ever told you this, but at least as recently as the mid-80’s at BYU, one could not earn a free-standing degree in guitar performance or even music education with emphasis in guitar. They refused to grant a degree solely in guitar emphasis whether playing or teaching. My dad had his microbiology degree for pre-med, but it didn’t matter. If he wanted a degree from the music department, be had to combine guitar performance with another music program. Combined instrumental/choral conducting required the fewest number of additional courses for him, so he took it. BYU’s rationale was never presented as such on paper, but the real reason they wouldn’t grant a music degree solely in guitar was because they considered it to be a “hippie degree.” This was considerably after the heyday of hippies, but BYU has always excelled at being behind the times.
I like electric guitar, but I prefer the sound of acoustic. However, some skills aren’t as easy to develop on an acoustic guitar. Power chords come to mind.
I made a music video today. It was a cover of a religious song by Ricky Skaggs. It was so pretty, I had to try it, even though I am not much into God.
It is still my mission to get better at guitar which isn’t much of a goal, but it’s something. I have been voting by mail for many years, but now I only live two blocks from the local courthouse so I’ll do it there. We’re a small town so the crowds don’t exist. Love the sensitivity meme!
Incidentally… ex landlady has to pay. 😉