Sunday, February 3, 2019

The Trump Silver Lining




The Trump Silver Lining

Donald Trump, asshole that he is, is kinda bringing us together as a nation.  That’s just my private belief, not based on any scientific proof (something that the Don never did believe in anyway).  The Trumpster may be in the dumpster according to approval ratings, opinion makers or all that’s holy, but by God, he is causing us to reach out to each other as never before.  We are all huddling together for comfort – kinda like our ancestors did when we had to share space with feral cavemen.   And it’s forcing us to deal with each other, even relate.

I can only use a parable to illustrate my belief.  It’s loosely based on my personal interpretation of what I heard on the radio this morning.    Wil Shorts, National Public Radio’s (NPR), exalted Puzzle Master, picks this week’s winner to be a constant on the show and ‘solve this week’s puzzle’   

 I’m biking in the rain, not really a puzzle fan, and praying for music to start on my earphones.     I’m trying to ignore this week’s puzzle as Know-it-All Will attempts to solve all the world problems with wordplay.  (Chinese Ping-pong anyone?) Usually thr NPR contestants are REI types out of the mid-west, or librarians in New York City or retired government worker in Portland, Ore.  But no, not today.  Today it’s an old white guy in Clearwater, Florida – not a place that supported Hillary. 

The contestant starts off horribly by revealing all of his personal financial, career and marital mistakes in his first reply, but things change for the better when he gets into the actual puzzle stuff.  He’s really good a solving puzzles.  Even ends his last reply with a song that helps to solve the last piece of the puzzle.

And in that on the radio moment of joy and mutual appreciation, I begin to have like a Gestalt - Wow!  That’s it.  If Wil hadn’t been cool after the old white guys first spoke (misspoke)  just BECAUSE the guy was not one of many of the ‘downtrodden’ that NPR is always broadcasting about  - you know, the victims of violence, war and pastilles, LBGTers, under counted persons of color or Reform Temple Jews - it could have gone in a wrong direction.  I could see where the guy was fixing to use a bad pronoun, call somebody sweetheart or light a cigarette.  And it could have triggered Will and you’re in the soup lickety-split.  

You could tell this contestant was no liberal.    The contestant  was not a PC kinda guy; but it all worked fine because they pulled together for the sake of the SHOW. 

And that’s what’s happening.  The expression I keep hearing is:  “If things don’t change and we don’t wake the fuck up, we’re gonna have 4 more years of Trump.”  That means bury the hatchet, forget the past, and look beyond the stupid boundaries and barriers that seem like walls right now.  Shoulder to the wheel to push this rock up the hill together to get this guy out of office the best way – vote him out.   Let’s not have mission drift – let’s get rid of Donald Trump first; then go back to quibbling over all the other stuff; AFTER we’re out of danger.

And there is the ‘silver lining’.  Even a straight, white male from the red-neck part of Florida would rather help his son pick out a dress; and even go so far as to wear a matching one himself, if that’s what it takes to pull together to get rid of Trump.   

Whatever it takes to get rid of this guy and make things right in America again.             ( They were never all that great.)   We gotta pull in the same direction now and not even contemplate the horrors that may occur if we don’t.  The stakes are too high not to.   


Monday, January 14, 2019

Eskimo Brothers



Kinda shocking. 

Lance had no idea it was my ex-wife he was seeing.  We had only been friends for a couple of 3 years and just rode bikes and shared weed at liquoor store stops.  I mean, he knew I had an ex-wife; but like, he was all of maybe 40 years old and she had been my ex about that long a period of time.  So it seemed; until I relized that Lance was sleeping with her - and that he had no idea.

It happened like this; I was going by my favorite brewery in the Arts District on Alameda and just as I pulled up on my bike, Lance was sharing a glass of wine with Isabella.  Sweet, sweet Bella, Bella - my ex-wife and then some.  We hadn't spoke directly to one another for 12 years and then BAM - Bella Bella wants to be my friend on Facebook.  I chalked it off to starting a new account, but still, why now?

Lance and I traded all kinds of sex stories.   His were far more interesting; he could still have plain old vanilla sex 'cause he had that old drive for a kid.  Not me.  I had a kid, thank you and all the stuff that goes with it; including Bella, Bella.  It was swell; for a time until the kid got old enough talk back and I realized that home decorating, conspicuous consumption and first class travel matter not to me.  I just wanted to play with a six year old, bike the beach and phone in my work assignments as a feature writer for the LA Times. 

We sure did have this great kid - Dani - who liked to work just as hard as his mother and most of all - wanted to make money.  None of that was me; but I never did complain.  It simply ended, very rocky and with no need for an explaination.  Bella, Bella and I had made our contribution to mankind with Dani and it was good.  No need to make the patheons of long lived marriages.  We both had other things in mind.

So that was 14 years ago and except for an occasional pleasantry during a family encounter; there was no need to explain.  Kinda like an old Cole Porter slogan; "Never complain and never explain".  (Or was that an old Katherine Hepburn movie?)  We were adult who could live with our mistakes - at least that's what I thought.

So you can imagine my suprise at the random encounter of Bella, Bella messaging Lance groin as toasted each other and kissed.   It was a tender moment - the sort that she'd love to share; sun godess that she was.