You Shall Not Pass!

 

Chingu and Mandu on guard duty.

Optimism?

Recent polls don't look good for Biden!  Then again, we all know 2024 is going to be close no matter what.

Here's two reasons I'm still optimistic that Biden will prevail though:

1) Trump taking over the RNC as his own piggy bank is going to really hurt GOP candidates all down the ballot, including himself.  That money is going to pay off bills, not buy advertising.

2) It's somewhat clear that Trump never expected to win in 2016, and maybe didn't want to.  Standard disclaimer -- we all have to vote, donate, and do our part.  That said, if I was Trump and now staring down the debt incurred with losing multiple lawsuits (not to mention paying lawyers), what would be better than losing closely this November, then spending yet another four years fund-raising off of that for a 2028 run?

Totally hypothetical I realize.  But to put it another way -- Trump makes a lot more money out of the White House than he does inside of it.

Who knows.

Poll Judge!

Last Tuesday I spent the day (6 am to 9:30 pm) as a poll judge for the Maryland primary election.  It was a great experience that I obviously can't say too much about, other than to say that the full-time elections board folks I was trained by and worked with are really dedicated public officials.  The idea that they would try and cheat any election is risible.

That said, there's a lot going into the security protocols to make sure every ballot cast is counted properly.  There's simply no easy way to count the vote of hundreds of thousands of people either perfectly or quickly.  Working as a very small cog in the machine made this beyond clear.

And yes, I was paid.  And I'd like to do it again depending on how my schedule shakes out for this November.

RIP Steve Albini

I'm late to the game, but a great musician and -- provocateur?  theorist?  righteous asshole? -- of creative independence is now gone.

To have worked on The Pixies' Surfer Rosa, PJ Harvey's Rid of Me, Songs: Ohia Magnolia Electric Company and, I don't know, Nirvana's In Utero is incredible, and just the tip of the iceberg really.

He's also a guy who managed to grow up a bit and reflect on past mistakes, and that's something we should all strive for even if we manage to never buy a Taylor Swift record.

Damascus, Maryland

 

Never Alone

Frederick has some charms that I'm discovering as they come.  The downtown area is swell, and the west side of town where I live, while not much to look at, has some good restaurants and shopping (H-Mart!).

I'm still looking for a full-time job.  It's tough.  Being a bedroom community for both DC and Baltimore, there are a lot of smart, well-educated cookies out here.  As far as I can tell, Frederick County is the largest employer in Frederick County.  Now, as a Biden-loving liberal, I'm all for taxation and quality government services.  But it sure would be nice if some more private companies moved into here.  (It's highly reminiscent of Bellingham, actually.)  I've interviewed for some good things though, but just haven't managed to seal the deal yet.

So I've been doing online tutoring, which could be worse.  Next week I'll be a poll judge for the Maryland primary, which should be fun as well (and it pays!).  And we're making good progress on my Dad's estate -- almost done, actually.  He took the time to set his finances up meticulously and safely, so that's another thing to be grateful for.

And here I was trying to write an upbeat post.

So things are fine as we enter summer.  The Orioles are playing brilliantly.  I'm killing lots of dandelions.  I have incredibly vivid, mostly good dreams about both my mom and dad.  I talk to them sometimes, if I'm being honest.

My cats remain the goofiest sentient beings on the East Coast.

I'll take Kendrick over Drake any day.

Princess In Repose

 

Princess Mandu is meditating right now, but please return later with Churu and skritches.