The Legacy of Monday Musings

A brief return to a legacy feature of The Strait Line - Monday Musings. 

I usually have one show that I watch before I go to bed. Currently, that is Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. I have seen some Godzilla and Associates movies over the years, but I would not describe myself as a huge fan, nor would I say I thoroughly dislike them.

This one has its pluses and minuses. The biggest plus is that it has one of my favorite actors, Kurt Russell, and his son, Wayne Russell. Wayne plays the same part as his Dad at an earlier point in history. He does not have quite the skills and charms as his father, but he doesn't miss by much. The biggest minus is that there is a lot of focus on a trio of young adults whose storylines are not that interesting - suggestive of a CW show or a less-funny Scooby gang.

The monsters in it are huge, but somehow they don't seem too threatening.

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Generally, by this time of year, I am completely done with American football. But Michigan went all the way to the National Collegiate Championship (and WINNING it!), and even more incredibly, the Detroit Lions are in the NFL playoffs, and they WON their first game (first playoff win since 1992).

Could the Lions win the Super Bowl? Oh, my Lord, I can't believe I just wrote those words. Take it a game at a time, Son. A game at a time.

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The low-turn-out Iowa Caucus was held last night. There was terrible weather, and that helped diminish attendance. Only the most dedicated and crazed showed up. And guess who benefits from that? The Orange Insurrectionist got a bare majority, 51%, earning about 56,000 votes from fellow fascists; that represents roughly 1.75% of Iowa's population.

None of this gives me any comfort whatsoever. The fact that anyone is so far removed from American Democracy that they would consider voting for this misogynist racist chills me to the bone and keeps me up at night.

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I made good progress on my lifestyle changes last week. My weight edged down, and my blood pressure improved. Then the weekend came. Oh, well. I'll get the hang of this yet.

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Please keep checking out your public libraries. Besides wonderful books, many are always doing special programs and events that are fun to participate in.  And the price? FREE!

Musingly Yours,

T. M. Strait

Sleepy Monday Musings

Oh, what a frabjous Monday morning! Welcome to another week of the retired life?  And what would you like to do today, Boss-A-Man?

 OK, so I'll check with you later.

What about you, Ellie?  What exciting activities do you have planned today?

Well, Ellie, I see you have an exciting day planned out?  Don't let me interrupt it.

Surely Pixie, our most hyper dog has something going on.

She is busy in slumber land, trying to squeeze between the blankets and couch cushion.

What about ol' Cocoa Bear?  She loves to follow me around and be near me all day long.

Oh, well.  So much for an exciting Monday morning.

Guess I'll write out this blog and then maybe

take a nap.

Until nest time,

T. M. Strait

Sunshiney Monday Musings

 This is a picture of my church.  Grace Episcopal in downtown Waycross.  We are undergoing a transition as our Reverand of 11 years has retired.

I'm happy to report that our attendance has remained high, and many are pitching in to help the church continue to function and thrive.  It may be a while before we have a new priest, but our faith and people keep us strong.

Speaking of witch, we are having one of our major events of the year, Holy Ghost Weenie Roast.  It's a church celebration, including a service and plenty of fun!  All are invited!

Two of my friends, Julianna Leverett (painting) and Cathy Dee Janes (photography), had entries in the Annual Okefenokee Heritage Center Arts Contest.  I went to the Heritage Center Thursday and saw the fantastic local art.  The winners were announced Sunday (I think), but I don't know who they were.

I've been looking for a focus for this coming second year of my retirement (in addition to writing), and I have set the far-fetched goal of learning enough about drawing to enter next year's contest.  I would not anticipate winning, but I would like to become good enough to enter.  Wish me luck!

Although plans to see my Grandaughter this Thanksgiving have fallen through, we are now planning a major trip this Spring.  When one door falls shut, another one springs open!

Musingly Yours,

T. M. Strait

Podlicious Monday Musings

 

That is the top of a pod cup. I use it to make an individual cup of coffee in the afternoons.

I don't know about you, but I find the picture a little scary and disturbing. At first, I thought it was a clown, but on closer inspection, I think it's a picture of a woman holding a coffee cup up in front of her. It's either a smile or getting ready to gulp or something. I feel like coffee's a little too hot to gulp like that, but what do I know? 

Our area is a little unsettled today. Hurricane Ian's current projected path would take it over us on Friday and Saturday. These paths weeble and wobble as they get closer, so it's a guess at this point.

But some scheduled events are not taking a chance. They are already canceling and moving to other dates. Is this panic or prudence? I don't know. Better safe than sorry.

So far, Harvey is holding steady to open this weekend. That means Hell Week is still a go. Dress rehearsals tonight, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and then performances Thursday-Friday-Saturday night, topped with a matinee Sunday afternoon. I'm gonna be one tired old man! I'm unsure how I would do it all if I was still working. I used to do it all the time, but now I look back with amazement that I could pull it off.

I'll guess I'll know how serious it is if they start to cancel high school football games. Those events are pretty sacred.

MEANWHILE...

The Michigan Wolverines had their first close game, beating Maryland 34-27. So either Michigan is not as good as I hoped, or Maryland is a lot better than people think. Either way, this season does not look like the runaway I was hoping for.

I thought the Detroit Lions might be turning around, but they lost another heartbreaker, with Minnesota coming from behind to beat them. They're good enough to compete but not good enough (or lucky enough) to win.

My expectations for the Detroit Tigers have constantly adjusted through the season. Going from ...this year they'll make the playoffs...to...this year they'll finish over .500...to...this year they won't finish last...to..this year they won't lose 100 games! Still crossing my fingers on that last one!

ALSO...

How can I like politics so much but hate ads so much? I mean all of them, even many from my side. Anyone who votes based on ads needs to retake Civics.  

I don't enjoy politics as much as I used to. People voting for Trump makes no sense to me. It never has. I can't wrap my head around it. He's a grifter/con man, a narcissist who's not very bright, and a racist. Republican vs. Democrats, conservative vs. liberal - these are battles I understand. But authoritarian vs. democracy? It's too scary to be fun anymore.

Anyhoo, my desk setup is still not ergonomically sound, and I don't want to wreck my knees and feet for the upcoming play. I'm old in Harvey, but I'm not decrepit,

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Monday Musing Greetings!

 Greetings, y'all!

Hope everyone is well this fine Monday morning.

Alison and I had a good weekend. Any weekend where Atlanta United wins and I don't have to mow the yard is a good weekend. Church had its monthly luncheon, the only time I normally eat fried chicken. The buffet style encourages overindulgence (it doesn't take much encouragement in my case), as I want to sample everything and then go back and get seconds on my favorites. And then there is the dessert table - oy vey!

Tomorrow we pick up Benjamin from the airport. He will be coming back from his month in Sweden. He'll only be home a few days, and then we have to take him to Milledgeville to start his last year at Georgia College. The smell of independence is becoming strong in that one - yes, it is!

There have been hopeful indicators in the battle between democracy and fascism. Red state Kansas voted to preserve women's rights to reproductive health. The price of gas continues to decline. Senate Democrats passed a highly compromised climate and health care bill (the Inflation Reduction Act) - it's not much, but it is something. I pray that it's not the end game but something we can build on for the future. Job growth is fantastic, and unemployment is very low. And it looks like the Trump prosecution is a tiny bit more of a real possibility. OMG, so many of us are looking forward to that perp walk!

Not all things were positive. I lost a very special classmate, Dona Bow Kilbourn. I dedicated my first book to her, and reconnecting with her may have been the best thing to come out of my rocky relationship on Facebook. I will miss her.

We lost an important member of our Grace Episcopal family with the passing of Judge Clarence Blount yesterday. I did not know him well, but he was a community pillar and a faithful parishioner. I always looked forward to his lector readings - no one in our church brought the bible to life as much as he did.

Musingly yours,

T. M. Strait

Thoughts from a Reflective Monday

 

This is a photo that Alison took on her phone as part of a walking tour that was teaching how to best use a phone camera. I like it.

The building is where the Waycross Journal Herald used to be published. It was a daily paper owned by a far-right extremist, sort of a Fox News amplifier.

That owner sold out, and it is now a weekly (or semi-weekly - I'm not sure. I don't get the paper) that is headquartered in a different building.

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It is Tuesday as I write this, but I am reflecting back on Monday. It was a tough day in that I did a lot of studying for a class I am taking concerning racism in the United States. It can be depressing stuff.

One article clarified how the old feudal system was adapted to fit capitalism and how the elite used division and work ethic philosophy to keep control. How they eliminated the roots of European immigrants and replaced it with a kind of Calvinistic, capitalistic outlook - work was primary, rest and festivity were devilish. 

Another article discussed how we were really 11 countries in one, how distinctive in approach different sections of the country are, and how it makes it difficult to decide things together. Some areas are Yankeedom, the Deep South, Tideland, and more. I was already familiar with this and use it to write my Kingdom short stories. They're on this blog. Check it out.

Another article talks about white fragility. This is a significant problem in this country. Many whites get riled up if anyone brings up racism. This can be seen in all the censorship efforts of our schools to make sure that no teacher is allowed to teach our nation's complex racial history. Nothing burns me up more than this. The same people who make fun of college students and millennials needing "safe spaces" and canceling culture are the same people who want to CANCEL American History!

There's more, including a story about a little girl asking her mother what happened to all the Indians and her mother answering, "They drank too much."  All of our genocidal massacre of Indians summed up as instead being a native American drinking problem. Sometimes this country makes me so sad.

Outside of the class assignments, I also finished the book The Lost Eleven, about a group of black soldiers in WW2. They were left behind during the Battle of the Bulge, only to be eventually found by the Nazis. Instead of taking them prisoner, they tortured and killed them. It took almost fifty years for this incident to be recognized by the military and the American people.

I also watched an episode of one of my favorite TV programs, DC's Legends of Tomorrow. In this episode, the Legends found themselves in 1943, near an aircraft factory staffed mainly by females. They needed parts for their broken time machine, so the female members tried to get jobs there. The two white blondes got jobs on the assembly line, the white brunette became a secretary, and the two that were people of color had to be janitors. As TV is wont to do, the black female Legend, Astra, somehow gained control of the factory, using work orders to make the factory more efficient. Everything was humming along when she decided to issue an integration order for the assembly line. That caused the few males there to quit and almost all the white females to walk off the job rather than work alongside people of color. I know it was fiction, but it was plausible, and it made me sad, along with everything else I was reading. So sad. So very, very sad.

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And then, I saw a poll that showed only a minority of people believed that Trump was responsible for the incitement and insurrection of January 6th. WHHHHHAAATTT?  How is that possible? What the hell kind of bubble do you have to live in to not know that Trump was knee-deep in trying to overturn the election?

Then I see that Fox News will not show this Thursday night's 1/6 Committee hearings, and I know where that blissful ignorance comes from.

I am down on my hands and knees, begging, BEGGING my Trump-leaning friends, please, PLEASE do not miss these hearings.

Sigh.

They're not going to do it, are they?

I try to remain optimistic, but things look dimmer and dimmer for the home pro-democracy team.

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One overwhelming, sad lesson I'm learning from history -

when it appears things may be getting better, and it looks like positive change is taking hold, remember this...

The Empire Always Strikes Back

May Monday Musings

 "What chu' gonna write about today, Daddy?"

I don't know, Boss-A-Man.  But I need to get back into the habit of writing.  Although I am really enjoying retirement, I still like to feel a sense of accomplishment, and contributing to my blog helps with that.

I would love it if my blog experienced growth, even if it was slow and steady, but after ten years, that doesn't seem to be in the cards.

I am looking forward to seeing my granddaughter in July.  She will be a little over three months old when I see her.  I am unable to share pictures of her, so you will have to trust me.  She is beautiful and growing up healthy and strong.

Other than New York, Alison and I have no major trips planned. Maybe we'll go to St. Augustine in the late Fall.  Something like that.

We're hoping to pay off the house in the next year or so and then concentrate on building up resources to travel more. It looks like our major vacation destination is going to be New York.

I have sent information about my comic collection to a couple of interested parties, but I have not heard back yet.  If I could get that sold for a fair price, it could help accelerate our paying off the house.

I've tried to pay more attention to my health this last month, with mixed results.  My weight is going down, I'm not too worried about my blood pressure, but I'm not making much of a dent in my blood glucose readings.  I'll get tested at a lab in June, and then we'll see whether or not I have to go on some medication.  Right now, odds favor that, but I'm going to try as hard as I can to get it as straightened out as I can.

I have been exercising more, most days with three walks.  I should add strength exercises, but I find them hard to do with my weak concept of coordination and they are boring beyond belief.

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I went out to see a play put on by my friend Kimberly Beck.  Sher directs plays for Southside Christian School, and they put on a play about the Winnie the Pooh characters.  It was charming and entertaining to see young children perform and learn about theater.  

We used to have a group called Flying Dragon Arts Center, a great children's theater, mainly through the efforts of the Jeffords family.  It's where I acted in and later directed the Wizard of Oz.  It gave Benjamin many great acting opportunities, including performing with me. In addition, I co-wrote and co-directed my own musical, The Adventures of Young Robin Hood. It was a significant positive learning experience for my family and many other families in the area.

More than any of us former Flying Dragoneers, Kimberly Beck is doing the most to keep that spirit alive. I applaud and respect her efforts.

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The world continues to spin in dangerous directions.  Russian aggression threatens the stability and peace of the world as a whole.  Ukrainian efforts to stay free have been awe-inspiring, but the capacity of the Russians to keep striking in bloody ways is frightening.

We are also faced with the threat of global warming.  Our weather is becoming more and more destabilized, creating crisis conditions all around the planet. However, we don't have to wait thirty years to see the effects of climate change.  They are happening RIGHT NOW.

Sure, inflation is worldwide and is a problem of 1) demand exceeding a weakened supply chain, 2) other COVID recovery-related issues - seriously, did anyone think we wouldn't have inflation as the economy struggled to return to normal as COVID concerns receded? 3) the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its resultant effect on energy prices - seriously, you don't want to stand up to Russian aggression?  You're not willing to pay a little more at the pump to help that happen?  If not, you really need to shut up about being a patriot or pro-democracy; 4) corporate greed as they use minor cost increases as an excuse to hike major price increases.  Yes, they're increasing prices greater than they need to cover costs. They don't have to worry about competition because most of our businesses are monopolies or oligarchies. 

Given all that, it seems like blaming Biden, and the Democrats for it is a useless and stupid gesture.  But that is actually what's going to happen.  People will turn to an anti-democratic party with exactly ZERO plans to combat inflation.

The cost of America's hissy fit will be - accelerated climate change, complete loss of women's reproductive rights and essential health, yet even more tax breaks for the wealthy and mega-corporations, further reductions in wages and unionization, persecution of the LBGTQ+ community, many public schools becoming Christian academies, the truth no longer being taught in History (Florida is censoring Math texts, fer cryin' out loud!), voter suppression, state election officials overruling the votes in counties with large populations of people of color, reduction of access and affordability of health care, and that's the just the tip of the crapberg!

Inflation?  Odds are that's gonna dissipate over time anyways. If it happens under a Democratic President, he won't get any credit for it.  If it happens under a Republican President - TICKER TAPE PARADES AND JUBILATION!

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Anyhoo, how's your Monday going?

Musingly Yours, 

T. M. Strait

Monday Morning Ketchup

 Hello!

It's time for me to "Ketch" You "Up" with what I have been doing.

#1: Boxing Up Comic Books

I continue to process and catalog my comic books for a potential mass sale.  It takes a better part of a day to process a box, with anywhere from 140 to 200 comics. Then, I have to examine each comic's condition and price them fairly according to the most recent coming price guidebook. So far, I have 17 boxes done, with an estimated 25 to 30 boxes to go.

I'm keeping some, but most are going.  I hope this raises some money for my family and fills in the gap of me not working. 

When this is done, I will concentrate more on some other projects.  Some may have a money-making angle, some maybe just because I've always wanted to do them.

This project takes anywhere from 20 to 30 hours a week.

#2: Church Treasury Position

Whee!  It's the only accounting/bookkeeping I have left.  It's taking a bit more time than normal as I look at year-end stuff and budget preparations.

This takes me 5 to 7 hours a week right now.  By February, it will be more like 3 to 5 hours.

#3: Household Chores

I am trying to help more with household chores.  Some I'm doing myself.  Others I'm doing in conjunction with Alison.

This also is about 5 to 7 hours a week.  Maybe a little more.  Some of it I'm multi-tasking, like vacuuming, while Password is on the Buzzer channel.  It generally has almost as many minutes of commercials as show.

#4: Writing

At this point, most of my writing is on the blog.  Hopefully, that will change once I'm done cataloging comic books.  This is taking  3 to 5 hours a week.

#5: Reading

I'm reading a bit more than I was.  I currently am reading Wise Man's Fears by Patrick Rothfuss, part 2 of a fantasy series that covers the university career of someone who becomes the greatest wizard in their world.  The book is over 1,100 pages.

I am also reading a book by the future Governor of Georgia, Stacey Abrams, While Justice Sleeps, a thriller set in the Supreme Court.

I read one hard copy comic book a day and up to six online comic books using the Marvel Unlimited and DC Universe Infinite apps.  Although I don't like reading books online, I very much enjoy reading comic books.  I can make them as big as I need and go panel to panel.

All of this is taking 10 to 15 hours a week.  Maybe more.  

#6: Slow Bingeing TV

This is referring only to when I am devoted solely to the TV and am not multi-tasking.  

I watch an hour or less when I eat lunch.  I catch up on new seasons of shows I like.  I finished getting up-to-date with DC's Legends of Tomorrow (a really clever and kicky time travel show) and am now getting up to date with Supergirl.  

At night, I watch an hour or two with Alison.  We are currently watching Yellowjackets from Showtime, The Rookie and Big Sky from ABC, the reality shows Survivor and The Masked Singer from CBS, and Ghosts from the same network.  Ghosts is one of the funniest shows I have seen in a long time.

I also watch an hour or so after Alison goes to bed.  I am watching Dexter: New Blood from Showtime and Invasion from Apple +.  Dexter: New Blood is a good show, but I really don't like Dexter and do not find him any kind of hero.  Invasion is a show where the audience ratings have been less than stellar, but I have really been enjoying it.  It's a bit of a slow burn, but that's okay with me.

Benjamin sometimes watches something with us, now that he is on Christmas break.  He likes the Hawkeye series on Disney Plus.

Yeah, I admit it.  I am a TVholic. All this is on the line of about 20 to 25 hours a week.  Sue me.

There are other activities:  Shopping, eating out (or taking out) about once a week, talking with family, crossword puzzles, exercise, bonding with the dogs.

The key takeaway?  I'm far from bored in retirement, and I have little understanding of those who are.  In some ways, this is what I've been practicing for my whole life.

I have other projects to come, especially once the comic books are cataloged and sold.  I would like to get back to History of the Trap and other stories.  I would like to promote The Extra Credit Club, either published or self-published.

Don't laugh, but I would like to learn how to draw.  It would be awesome to learn enough to illustrate my own books.

And voice work is always in the back of my mind.  Maybe someday, it will be in the forefront.

Thanks for reading my little "ketch-up"!

T. M. Strait

Post-Pandemic (?????) Monday Musings

 Is it over?

I don't know.  

But everyone around here is acting like it is.

And I don't just mean those who never acted like there was a pandemic.  I mean EVERYONE.

Stores may have around 10% masked.  In some stores, the employees are unmasked.

There are no crowd size limits.  The picture above is symbolic of the crowds to come.  Georgia and Florida already have held crowded sporting events.

Even my church, which had been super cautious, creating one of the safest environments in the area, has now gone unmasked.

And I don't even know what to say.  The CDC is indicating that vaccinated people are safe from getting or giving COVID-19.  So, it is logical that vaccinated people would not have to wear a mask. It is also logical that unvaccinated people would continue to need to wear a mask, particularly in areas with low vaccination rates (South Georgia - I'm looking at YOU).

That's great, but there is no way to distinguish who should be wearing a mask in public settings and who no longer has to.  And, for the most part, if you're so irresponsible as to not be vaccinated*, you probably haven't been wearing a mask anyway (unless forced to).

The numbers do indicate a downward trajectory.  This is across the entire nation and even Georgia.  But it is not gone.  Georgia COVID deaths remain well above 100 each week.  Ware County jogged down a month ago but now has stabilized at about 15 to 20 new cases a week.  Pierce County has dropped more, to only a handful of reported new cases each week.  There is a possibility that Pierce County just stopped counting.  I really feel like only the more serious cases were ever reported out in Pierce, that the numbers have been at least partially repressed.  

It's not only church.  I've had more organizational meetings start back up. I've looked at the social calendar for June that Alison is keeping, and it's busier than it's been in more than a year. It's making this introvert very queasy.

I've had nightmares about attending church with no restrictions, and those dreams have come true. The actuality was not quite a nightmare, but it did take some getting used to.

I've had nightmares that I tried to get back into the theater, but nobody wanted me there.

It's hard on a social introvert like me.  It takes me weeks and months to feel secure around people.  I now have to start over with that process of re-engaging with people.

People have to be patient with me.  I have to think hard about how much and how intensely I want to re-engage.

And I also have to think about whether it is really over.

I don't know.

Please continue to be as careful as you can out there.

And if you haven't gotten vaccinated yet, please do so.

*there may be a small number of people who have valid medical reasons not to take the vaccine.  I don't know what those reasons might be, but there may be a few who fall into this category.

Stewing Monday Musings

 

With only eleventy minutes to write, it's hard to explore too much in-depth.

I only have time to let some concepts stew.  Maybe later they will turn into a full-fledged, well-thought-out post...but maybe not.

I know something's going on with the British Royals, and Meghan and Harry are upset about something.  Maybe more than one somethings.  I can't tell yet, because I've only read on the surface about their interview with Oprah.

There sounds like there is racism involved, most inexplicably directed at concerns of their child's skin color? They also seemed to be shunned in part or whole.

Quickie takes, that may be borne partly of ignorance -

Did they not know what they were getting into?  Would it not be better to stay and fight and try to change things from within?

And why exactly do we care so much about royalty anyways?  I don't understand this instinct of human nature.  Even though they are not OUR ROYALS, we pay a heck of a lot of attention to them.  And then, if that wasn't enough, we create our own royalty out of celebrities - movie stars, singers, sports figures.  And what the hell are the Kardashians, anyways?

I've spent a lot of time stewing over ideas concerning so-called cancel culture.

It seems to me that most culture disappears over time regardless.

Do you realize how many silent movies have vanished?  Sources I looked at (Wikipedia, Variety, The Atlantic) say over 75% of silent films are just gone, all prints destroyed.

And how many of you have watched ANY silent movie?

I recently watched Rosita, a silent movie starring Mary Pickford.  It was pretty good, but a synopsis falls out of my eleventy-minute scope.  Maybe in another post.  For whatever reason, in this case, Mary Pickford turned against the picture and ordered all prints destroyed.  

Recently, a degraded print was found in Russia.  The Museum of Moden Art worked to restore it, and I saw it in the last month on TCM, Turner Classic Movies.

And speaking of Dr. Suess, do you how many books from that time period are "out-of-print" and no longer being published?  Many, many more than are being published now, I daresay.

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Also stewing about cultural appropriation, but I need to think that one out more lest I say it wrong and offend people.

Bottom line...culture is much more fluid and temporary than most people think.

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Also, something about wanting the MLS (Major League Soccer) to leave Sinclair Fox Sports regionals and be shown elsewhere where we may be able to get their games.

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Also...

CRAP!  My eleventy minutes is way past!

...

Stay safe!

T. M. Strait

March Times In

 

There I am.  Standing at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland.

To be clear, that wasn't today.  That was a picture from three years ago (May 2018).

But time MARCHes, eh?

Last year, we went nowhere - no major trips.  You may not have heard of it, but there's this little thing called....COVID.

The year before that, it was Ontario (Niagra Falls, Toronto, Stratford).

When things sufficiently clear up, we hope to go to Michigan.  It has been a while since we've been back there.

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The case numbers have been slowly diminishing in my area - but the change is very slow, not dramatic.

I have had one of two vaccination shots (Moderna).  Alison has had none.  But they may start vaccinating school personnel in a few weeks.  

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I am starting to keep track of health-related numbers, including my food chart, to help control the intake of sugar, carbohydrates, and calories.  It worked when I did it before.  I just have to make it a habit and stick with it.

I weighed myself this morning, the first time in months.  It was much higher than I wanted it to be but not as high as I feared it would be.

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Well, speaking of the March of Time, I already have used up my eleventy minutes.  Facing another tax season, I am.  No, it's not as involved as it used to be for me, but still...it takes far more of my brain wattage than I care to give.

Stay safe!

T. M. Strait

Return of the Monday Musings

This is only my seventh blog entry of the month. 

It is a-fixin' to be my lowest production month in many a'year.

It's a struggle to reshape my schedule to restore a consistent time that I can write.

I can't guarantee every morning, but I think I've created a pocket of about 11 minutes where I can write.

There is a writing exercise where you just try to churn out as many words as possible in a set period of time.

Yeah, although I admit I've been more quantity than quality, that's not really something I'm good at.  I type too slow, and my mind processes are fragmented at best, especially in the early morning.

I have some ideas churning, but I have to muse on them more.

There's always stuff I want to say about COVID.  We may be finally turning a corner, but we're not out of the maze yet.  Conditions have improved, but now is no time to take our foot off the pedal.  Aww, who am I kidding?  People in my area have barely had their foot on the pedal to begin with. This has been a genuinely scary place to live.

I've had my first shot (Moderna) but won't get my second shot until March 15th. Alison has not had the first shot.  She works at a school system, so hopefully, it won't be much longer.

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There's always stuff I want to say about politics.  I would rather begin concentrating on the issues, particularly health care, climate change, and economic equity concerns.  Unfortunately, Trump still looms over us all, and if not him directly, certainly his tragic and villainous efforts to divide us all.

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I'm churning an idea in my head about film directors (movie and TV) and why so many of them turn out to be such rotten human beings.  Is there something innate about the job that brings out the worst in people, or does the job just attract the worst people?  

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My strongest current effort on FaceBook is the group Polls R Us.  Some polls are political, but most are just for fun.  Right now, I've started a series of polls designed to select the greatest TV comedy of all time.  If you're not a part of it and would like to be, let me know, and I'll send you an invite.

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I would like to write more, but I've already smashed through my self-allotted time.

Stay tuned!

T. M. Strait

Laid Low Monday Musings

 

I am laid low.  No,  Not COVID.  At least, I don't think so.  It's just the usual foot/leg arthritis-related thing I get once a year or so.  I'd actually been on a pretty good streak - usually get in May/June, around the time we try to take a trip.  

Well, I fooled my body by not having a vacation, but it eventually caught up with me. Hopefully, a day home with the dogs will be the rest I need.

It is difficult to write with the pain sensors firing, but I'll do my best.

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As with anybody who is not on the right-wing fringes, I am much disturbed and stressed by the news of the passing of RBG. It's not fair to her, but the truth is that she was the one with her finger plugging the damn of right-wing nonsense that we are now going to be flooded with.

We've had two Republican Senators, Murkowski and Collins, commit to not voting for a nominee until the inauguration of the next President.  Is that significant, or is that just the usual Hall Pass he gives out to one or two Senators who need to pretend they're independent in order to cater to their home state?

Does anyone know of any other Republican Senators who have publicly committed to delaying until there's a new President?  This would have to be commitments they made after RBG passed.

Most of the Republicans have no shame in contradicting the stance they took on delay in 2016. Republicans, thy middle name is HYPOCRISY.

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Benjamin is back at college in Milledgeville.  THeir COVID numbers have been high, but Benjamin has used an abundance of caution, and at least ON CAMPUS, most students are cooperating.

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Big Brother 22 is having its worse season ever.  The assault on minority players, including one with a mild form of autism, has been shocking and repulsive.  Will I keep watching it?  Probably as long as Kevin, Day'Vonne, and David are still playing, but I am fast-forwarding through chunks.

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The Emmys were awsome.  More Emmys went to shows Alison and I watch and like more than any other year than I can remember.  Schitt's Creek is phenomenal, and we watched ALL the seasons this last year.  Now Alison wants to see them again.  Watchmen was brilliant, and I was glad to see it win.  And Succesion is a favorite of ours as well.  Oh, and can't forget Last Week with John Oliver.  I like HBO.  It's my favorite premium service.  I just wish ROKU and HBO MAX would get their Shitt's Creek together so I can watch all the HBO MAX shows on our big TV.

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Sports is...discouraging.  Atlanta United (MLS) is having the franchise's worst season, the Detroit Tigers are not showing a playoff quality level of play, and don't get me started on the Falcons and the Lions.

Maybe I should drop my favorites and just pick whoever's winning, become a fair-weather fan.

Nah.  Can't do it.  Just not in my DNA.

I haven't decided about college football yet.  I don't think they should be playing - the risk is too significant.  But I seem to be in the minority on this.

At least keep the stadiums empty.  For God's sake, money is not as important as human lives.  I know that is a radical philosophy to hold in the Age of Trump, but hold to it I do.

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I have achieved all I can in my semi-coherent state.

Musingly Yours,

T. M. Strait

Advent Falls Monday Musings

Now we are at Advent.

Advent time of year!

The first Sunday of Advent was yesterday.  Advent covers four Sundays.  Above is one version of the four candle display used in our church to represent each Sunday. An additional candle is lighted each Sunday until all four are lit on the last Sunday of Advent.

It is a season of reflection and preparation for the arrival of Jesus and Christmas.

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This year, the day after Advent, Fall finally Falls!  The projected high today is a very pleasant 56, well within the range of temps that make me feel like it is Fall.  It will not last.  Low to mid-70s will return by the weekend.  That might not sound too high to you, nut it is enough to make the gnats dance again, and enough to make going outside unpleasant.  But we may finally be headed to where Fall-like days outnumber the late Summer-like days.

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My expectations were too high.  Once again, OSU crushes Michigan.  There were moments where it looked like it might be competitive, but they did not last, and eventually turned into just another old-fashioned beat down.

The Bulldogs have done very well this season, and only have to win the SEC championship against LSU to ensure their place in the college championships.  A simple task, I am sure.

I sm pulling for Wisconsin to upset Ohio State.  I'd rather the Big Ten not have a representative in the college championship than it be OSU.

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What am I watching?  A lot of stuff.  Castle Rock (shades of Misery and Salem's Lot!), The Dublin Murders (since we spent a ten-day vacation in Ireland we know think of it as our second home), The Purge, Servant (an Apple + series by M. Night Shamallayn), and, of course, the best current program available, the show with best editorial coloring in the business, For All Mankind.

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What am I reading?  Testaments by Margaret Atwood, the follow-up to The Handmaid's Tale.  End the mystery about what a Pence administration would be like and read it today!

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We had Benjamin with us from Tuesday night until Sunday afternoon.  It was a great visit, and it won't be long before he is back home for Christmas bock - only about two weeks!

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Hell Week Complete: Monday Musings

My character, Constantine Bouc, tries desperately to absorb information from the highly intelligent superstar detective, Hercule Poirot, played with superb flair and confidence by Eli Varnadore.

Hell Week!

It's the pleasant little nickname that community theatre people have for the week when dress rehearsals blend into performances.  Dress rehearsals Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday nights, followed by performances Thursday-Friday-Saturday nights, topped with a Sunday matinee.  Whew!  Since many of those involved have busy day jobs, it can be quite exhausting to follow up daily work with busy late nights at the theatre.

Why do we do it?  The love of putting together something special for the whole community, of sharing our creative talents of spending time in another time and place, transported from our everyday lives. That, and the craft table*.

Some are old hams like myself, addicted to performing.  It's been a delightful contrast to my accounting work, and yes, the applause is a large part of it.  Some love the backstage aspect - getting the train to run on time, and keeping everything on track.  Some are brand new, getting involved in the theatre experience for the first time.  In this play, all the newcomers (or relative newcomers) are doing extraordinarily well.  I hope we will see them all back again soon!

As outstanding production as this is, and as good as many recent productions have been from different theaters in the area, it is getting where fewer and fewer people attend.  Times are changing, and theatre attendance is fading.  I don't know what can be done about it.  I pray that it revives. I cannot imagine community life without local theatre.

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Atlanta United finished second and will be in the MLS playoffs!  For their last game, they had Josef Martinez back (who scored) and beat the New England Revolution 3 to 1.  First team they face in the playoffs?  The New England Revolution.  Sometimes it just works out that way.

I guess the Atlanta Braves are in the MLB playoffs.  I think they're playing the St; Louis Cardinals.  Sadly, I've sort of lost track of baseball.  

The Atlanta Falcons scored 32 points...and lost, the other team scoring 53.

The Michigan Wolverines beat Iowa 10-3.  Iowa was ranked ahead of Michigan, so I guess that was a good outcome.  I'm not sure how I feel.  They won't be National Champions.  They won't get in even if they win out and beat Ohio State.  They'll put in three SEC teams before they put in Michigan.

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Not much to say on the Trump mess.  If you're still on the Trump trail, you need to check your moral compass.  It's broken and needs repairing.

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Until next time,

T. M. Strait

The Selfie Master's Monday Musings

Oh, yeah!

Ain't nobody can do selfies the way I can do selfies.

It was our annual trip to watch our favorite team, Atlanta United, at Mercedes Benz Stadium (don't get me started about how disgusted I am to have stadiums named after corporations - I'm just going to overlook it this time).

It was a great game, although it took the full ninety minutes for United to kick it into high gear, finally winning 3 - 1.  Our star player, Josef Martinez, was hurt, and we await word on the extent of his injury but are praying for the best outcome.

The best thing about Atlanta United games is that it is not just a game, it's like being invited to a big party.  A large, diverse crowd, watches a diverse group of talented players engage in non-stop action from beginning to end.  We are on our feet, virtually the entire game.  There are no breaks in the action, no commercials, just movement, and excitement.

We started the weekend by picking up Benjamin from Georgia College.  I can't begin to tell you enough good things about how well Benjamin fits into college there.  Multiple organizations, achieving in his classes, many friends, loving the dorm and the Maxx (college cafeteria).  Alison and I couldn't be prouder of him. 

We spent time with Doug & Paige.  They are working hard at a sustainable home.  They have solar panels and an extensive home garden.  They have bees for honey, and chickens for eggs, and bunnies for...uh...poop (fertilizer) and hair (clothing?).  All this in a suburban Atlanta neighborhood.

The food was awesome over the weekend, including greek food from Milledgeville's Metropolitan Cafe, and burgers/sandwiches.salads from Brookhaven's best burger place, Lucky Dog.  But the best was delicious homemade meals from Paige, including pancakes, banana muffins, and three different kinds of calzone!

We also got to a new antique mall, where I picked up nine new record albums (new to me), from great artists including Linda Ronstadt, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Olivia Newton-John!  The mall was fun but somewhat spoiled by a prominent rack of Trump 2020 hats.  I wanted to ask when they would be getting in the Warren 2020 hats, but alas, I lacked courage.

Our bestiary was well-covered, thanks to our friend, Trent Dixon, coming in and watching our pets for us.  He did an excellent job, and we much appreciate it!  It helped ensure that our trip away was stress-free for our dogs.  Our kitty, Skitty, barely noticed.

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Now I'm back, and I am taking advantage of my semi-retired status and staying home.  I have to re-review lines from the play (starting Double Hell weeks with a rehearsal almost every night for the next two weeks - performances begin on Thursday, October 3rd!).

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With so much good news, don't get me started on the Wolverines. Michigan is not mighty this year.  Maybe they'll improve as the year progresses, but right now?  They look terrible.  Rutgers might be a challenge.

I miss Brady Hoke.  There.  I said it.

Seriously, I have no idea where Michigan goes from here.

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Yeah.  As usual, there are a lot of terrible things going on with Trump.  Encouraging foreign interference in our election?  "Oops!  I did it again!"

Alison, ready to watch her favorite team!

Go United!

Post #2004 Monday Musing

Who's ready to party?

Ellie and Pixie are!

Their favorite kind of party?  Cheerios party!  Cheerios are thrown on the floor, and the dogs go to town celebrating.  To them, food is celebration.

Come to think of it, it kinda is for me too.

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Speaking of celebration, I recently blew by a significant milestone - I now have over 2,000 posts on my blog.  If nothing else, an impressive display of endurance and persistence.  A decade of effort.  Ten years of hard work trying to make this blog a household name.  And if you narrow it to just the Strait household, I have succeeded. 

Traffic to the site has remained relatively steady at between 2,000 to 3,000 views a month.  I had hoped there would be at least an incremental rise over time, but you can't always get what you want, I guess.

There are a lot of interesting sub-numbers under that.  This is my 180th Monday Musing.  I have posted 221 Saturday Politval Soap Boxes.  I have hundreds of fiction pieces and even 115 fake poems.

Quantity over quality.  It's my middle name.

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Football was in full roar this weekend, and it is remarkable our level of disinterest, even with our favorite teams winning.  I don't think we watched a single complete game. 

Michigan remains unbeaten, probably helped by the fact that they did not play this weekend.

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The media and others seem to be discovering something that I thought we already knew - that Brett Kavanaugh is a lying pervert.  One of the more repulsive claims against him has proved out to be true - based on independent verification and research done by journalists for the New York Times.

Democrats and anyone with at least half a consciousness and functioning moral compass want him impeached.  Good luck with that.

Spoiler alert: Republicans and their evangelical allies already know that Kavanaugh is scum in a bucket.  THEY DON"T CARE.  They only care about dominating the Supreme Court for the next generation.  They don't care how they got there.

Thank you, Susan Collins.  Maine, please let her insensitive decision be her career-ender.

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So, the Saudis have been killing hundreds in Yemen, leaving tens of thousands on the verge of starvation, and the USA does not care?

But the Saudi Oil fields get attacked, and we are ready to go to war to defend the killer of Khashoggi?

Oil over people.  Oil over people.  Oil over people.

Is that our new mantra?

Until next time (Monday Musing #181),

T. M. Strait

New Roads Monday Musings

I am trying to cope with the change.  I am trying to deal with my three sons now all away from home.  My oldest is all the way to Calfornia, where he is a successful film editor, specializing in coloring and bringing to life the flat tones of the original filming. Look for his credited work this Fall in the new CBS drama All Rise!

My middle son lives in metro Atlanta, and is a successful Professional Engineer working in the environmental field.  He is married to the beautiful and talented Paige, and they have a home together in a wonderful house where they have solar panels and gardens and bees. 

And now, my youngest son is away at college.  He is starting his post-secondary academic career at Georgia College & State University in Milledgeville.  I'm proud of the way he's taken to it so far.  He has gotten out of the dorm room and met new people.  He has joined the choir.  He attended church and has started up with the Episcopal Youth Group.

Not that things have been tear-free.  Church was particularly hard yesterday, especially the singing.  We were very conscious that his voice was not there next to ours.  There were some more tears during a phone call on Sunday afternoon.

Alison and I are trying to fill our lives with some new roads.  I am once again in theatre, joining the cast of WACT's Murder on the Orient Express.  That's not only practice time, but time taken to learn lines - the older I get, the greater the struggle that is.

Readers of this blog may have noticed that some blog entries are now audio.  Thanks to Benjamin's help, I have finally begun to take baby steps towards a potential audio career.  Hopefully, I will get more polished as time goes on.

We've completed some series binge-watching, recently completing Legion (intriguing but weird - I hate to say it - may be almost too weird), and the first season of You (intense by Lifetime standards).  We're now moving on to the last season of Preacher.

Some familiar roads have also been left behind.  I am moving away from the Writer's Guild.  Five plus years of trying to sustain it have been wearing to me, and I have to take a break from it.  There are some ideas to move forward, but I have to backburn for awhile.  It has to grow to exist without my consistent involvement. 

Right now, I'm still involved in a summer audit at work, so that should keep me occupied this month. 

And Labor Day Weekend is coming soon.  And that hopefully means a visit from Benjamin!

The roads are winding.  The roads are new.

But they're still there.  And they can be traveled.

Quickie Monday Musings

Charging ahead to change it up one more time.

Switching from no general Facebook postings to a minimum of three per day.  I will try my best to not post much else except the song of the day.  So those who view my feed will pretty much only have blog stuff to view from.  I will continue to post non-political blog stuff to my author's page, T. M. Strait, and post political stuff to the group Resistance.   This is in addition to the general postings.  I will also continue to post to Twitter.

During the experiment, traffic declined by about 10 to 15 views per post.  I'm still not sure the general postings are worth the effort, but we'll have to see over the next two weeks.

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Medical Weekend!

Well, not really the weekend, but weekend adjacent.

Alison's mother, Rose, needed some adjustments done to her recently installed port (for use with as yet unscheduled kidney dialysis).  On Thursday, they went to a hospital in Coffee County.  Rose was sent back to a prep room around 10:30.  Alison joined her in the room just after 11.  It wasn't until almost 7 PM until the corrective procedure began.  Yes.  They had to wait in the prep room for over eight hours.  Unconscionable,  but I guess that's the way it is sometimes.

I ent with Alison for her own surgical procedure on Friday.  We didn't get there until 4, but we were out by 6:30.  She took it easy briefly, but now she is back to full schedule.

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We are now in the final weeks before Benjamin starts college, less than three weeks.  We have commenced the tour of his favorite home meals and favorite restaurants.  We will see Doug and Paige soon, and he will be spending valuable time with his Meemaw and PaPa.

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We watched the movie Shazam from home.  Benjamin thought it was the best DC Superhero movie, and all of us wondered why we didn't see it when it came out in theatres.  It showed the best of the Captain Marvel universe without being too melodramatic or cartoony.

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Heading into a busy season at my work.  Not looking forward to it, but it has to be done.  Wish it wasn't coming at a time when Benjamin will be leaving soon.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait

Experimental Monday Musings

The Grand Experiment continues.  My withdrawal from general Facebook posting is starting its second week.  So far, the effect seems to be a reduction in page views of about 10 to 15 per post.  It's a decline, but not quite as severe as I thought.

I'll probably do this for another week and then reverse experiment, where I only use Facebook for The Strait Line and Song of the Day.  No posting of memes or other commentaries.  That might be tough because, with the wicked stuff Trump and his Trumpeteers do, it seems like a dereliction of civic duty not to react.

The result may be to abandon my ten-year experiment with the Google platform and move to Wordpress or something else, something that will hopefully let me advertise or otherwise earn some tiny bit of cash.


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Benjamin is back after a week interning at Honey Creek (Episcopalian Youth Camps).  It gave us a little taste of what life at home may be like with Benjamin away.  In 24 days,  he leaves for college in Milledgeville.   We are encouraging him to stay there at least for a few weeks, so he can get used to campus life.  We don't anticipate him coming home as frequently as some students do, particularly those who live closer to home than Benjamin does.

Milledgeville is about three hours away.  It's not impossibly far, but it makes coming home more of an event than a regularity.

Anyhoo, he did enjoy his intern experience and is in a good place to come back next summer as a paid counselor if he so chooses.

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My own work will intensify soon, as I close in on audit that takes about five weeks to complete.  It'll mean more hours towards my social security limit, but it will also mean less writing time for that time period.

I do have a little while for that starts, and I hope I can complete the first draft of The Extra Credit Club.  I am in the middle of the second-to-last chapter.

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What are we watching?  Alison and I are watching True Detective Season 3, and find it very captivating.  It's a great whodunit and wherearethey, as good or better than most of the true-life crime stories that seem to dominate television now.  We are watching a new Handmaid's Tale each week, as it becomes disturbingly closer to what we experience in reality.

What am I reading?  The House of Daniel by Harry Turtledove, an alternate history that focuses on a semi-pro baseball team during a version of the Great Depression where magic is real.  I am also reading The River by Ryen Lesli, a novel about superpowers and witchcraft, written by one of my twitter writing community friends.

Will I ever be in another play?  I am considering trying out for WACT's Murder on the Orient Express if I can lose a bit more weight.  I am tired of performing while I'm carrying a basketball in front of me.  Also, even with my successful theater background, at my age and weight, parts are limited, and I'm still terrified of rejection. 

Until next time,

T. M. Strait