Knees and Pluto and Pascal

Scientists react to images from Pluto

I flipped through my emails early this morning, the ritual of deletion and clicks. I read a horrifying beginning of an article about Tinder in this month's Vanity Fair -- was relieved when I couldn't go further as a non-subscriber. I scrolled through a few tweets about last night's Republican "debate" and resolved, again, to not pay attention to anything having to do with those men and women -- did you hear me say ANYTHING? -- until September of 2016. I read somewhere that this is how they do it in France, so barring any demands to re-read Proust, I'm French for a year. Little threads of despair, hovering. My knee hurts, and I bet it's osteoarthritis, and I bet it's because I haven't exercised enough -- well, let's be honest -- my entire life. There's also the age factor and the curious, horrible way things happen when you get older -- not gradually, but all       of          a              sudden. Hairs sprouting from chins, a big toe that crackles, jowls and a front tooth that appears to be hearkening back to pre-orthodontia buck tooth days. Then I saw that photo, and tears streamed down my face (there's no original way to write that) because, really, we're all just hanging out here for a short time and the universe is vast and unknowable. As my compatriot Blaise Pascal said in the 17th century (remember I'm French for a year), vous admirez toujours ce que vous ne comprenez vraiment pas.*













*You always admire what you really don't understand.

Darwinian Twitter Talk

Someone told me the other day that Oliver appeared on Twitter, dressed in his Halloween costume of Jake from State Farm. I think I set up a Twitter account a while back, but I haven't ever twittered, and today as I traversed the highways and byways of this great and insane city, Twitter-like thoughts were really the only thoughts that I had. Other than those thoughts, I spent a bit of time shedding tears, but I can't really tell you about all of that, so here's the diversion. Twitter thoughts. You know the kind, I think. Sentences or groups of words that are less than 140 characters. Is that right?

Anyhoo.

That's Darwin up there, and his wise old lined face and weird pancake index finger, his shushing motion, gives me comfort.

I gaze at him in response to the agita I feel reading about the new Repubs in town, and the old Repubs with new power.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Evidently, the estimable Republican senator from Oklahoma, Jim Inhofe, uses verses from the Old Testament to deny climate change as a human problem. He is poised to become the head of the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Here's what he told a group of Christian youth:

“[T]he Genesis 8:22 that I use in there is that ‘as long as the earth remains there will be seed time and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night.’ My point is, God’s still up there. The arrogance of people to think that we, human beings, would be able to change what He is doing in the climate is to me outrageous.”

I think that was too long for a proper Twitter, but it gives me the shivers.

Holy shit.

Let go and let God, at best.

I wish Darwin would appear to Inhofe in a dream with his finger against his lips like the photo. I imagine Inhofe would think it was God Himself and perhaps shut up.

I don't even feel bullied into voting anymore by those who rattle on about who died or was chained to give us the privilege to vote. I vote, but purely on principle.

I don't believe that my vote counts for a bean, to tell you the truth. Or yours.

I vote so I can visit the Korean church down the street or the Lawrence of La Brea Morroccan rug store.

Kids in Florida with epilepsy won't be able to legally try cannabis to stop their seizures, but their older brothers and fathers can stand their ground and protect themselves with assault rifles if they feel threatened.

Shhhhhhhhhhhh.

Evidently a few red states whose residents have benefitted the most from the Affordable Care Act, insured for the first time, voted for conservative governors who want to repeal the reforms.

I think that was too long for a proper Twitter, but it gives me the shivers.

I try not to think some people are stupid, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say it.

Some people are stupid.

That Inhofe keeps his smarts in a leaky bucket, someone said today.

Twitter, twitter, twitter, twitter, twitter, twitter.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Political Colors

Los Angeles, after rain

All I'm going to say today is that I'm so grateful to live under these blue skies and not in the sea of red that appears to cover much of the rest of this country.

Idle Thought of the Evening to Cheer You Up

If that old photo of me on the board with that cute man riding the waves doesn't cheer you up, then maybe this idle thought that I just had as I lay on Sophie's bed in her room will. I know everyone is feeling incredibly glum. Nervous, Anxious. Nauseous. Filled with anger. Overflowing with lassitude. A deep sense of futility.

I'll remind you, though, of that time Bush won the presidential election the second time.

Remember that? Remember that morning, especially those of you in Los Angeles who walked into the preschool parking lot with me and had to look at the folks who'd been sporting big Ws on their Range Rovers?

Remember how you felt?

Do you feel worse now or better?

I'm feeling so much better that I hauled my old doddering ass off of Sophie's bed, scanned that old photo of myself on the surfboard with the cute man riding the waves and typed out this post.

Come on! Don't you feel a bit better?