If you look like your passport picture,

you probably need the trip.

I think a lot of people are feeling the need to get out and about because they've been cooped up with the pandemic. I'm lucky. I don't feel that way 90% of the time.

I've never enjoyed travel. I enjoy *arriving* but I dislike getting there, especially if it involves an airplane. Road trips are okay as long as there's some fun things to do along the way. Almost all the time I do the driving, and I view driving as a chance to think about whatever book I'm writing.

It never fails -- I'll be driving along and I'll get a great idea for a scene or a bit of dialog or the way a plot should go. I grab my trusty digital recorder and get the idea saved. I've taken road trip and had 20 or 30 entries by the time I get to where I'm going. It's great. It's like the act of driving frees my mind and allows me to think about other things, even though I am paying attention to the road.

I sure hope I never lose that ability because it makes road trips palatable. Speaking of which ... I'm stuck on a plot point. Maybe I need to hop in the car and go for a drive.

So many stupid people --

 -- so few comets (yes, I just watched Don't Look Up. A lot of Sad Laughter there)

Have you heard the latest? Drinking pee to cure Covid? I have two hopes for this latest insanity:

1. That the people who believe it have not had children so the Stupid will die out with them.

2. That the people who believe this try it and help clean up the gene pool.

Does that sound angry or bitter? No, I'm neither of those. I am just tired of reading about gullible idiots who don't trust medical science. Believe me, I know that the medical establishment isn't perfect. But it's the best we've got and there is NO comparing someone who went to YEARS of training with a TV hack or failed politician.

End of rant. Back to your regularly scheduled insanity.

Some people age like wine.

Others age like milk.

Heh -- no kidding, right?

I'm reworking some books that were published previously (publisher folded). All of the characters, as are most of mine, are in their 50s pushing 60 and all are fun and feisty. They've aged like wine, all right.

I'm trying to age like wine, but it's a struggle some days. Where do these aches and pains come from out of nowhere?

Oh, well. As long as I'm on the right side of dirt, I guess that's all that matters!

All of us could take a lesson from the weather.

It pays no attention to criticism.

Of course, there are many people who have made this their personal mantra (the President comes to mind, but I digress).

Criticism can be good in some ways, but can also backfire and just make people dig in their heels. I guess there's a fine balance in there.

I listen to criticisms of me because oftentimes there's a gem of truth in there, something I can learn. I try really hard not to dismiss it out of hand.

Unlike certain political figures ....

The mind is like a parachute.

It works much better when it's open.


This election cycle and this current government has given me a whole new appreciation for this. I've struggled mightily with reconciling my opinions of people whom I thought I knew well.

I've come to this conclusion: some people are downright mean and have no redeeming value. Others are willfully ignorant which makes them appear mean. And some people mean well but they're misguided.

The ones that have truly surprised me, though, are the ones who have no empathy for the poor or the disadvantaged or the mentally ill. I never realized how selfish or callus some people were. When it became socially acceptable to be boorish (as our President is), they revealed their true colors.

It has been illuminating, that's for sure. I'm trying to keep an open mind, but boy, it's hard some times!


 

Age doesn't bring wisdom.

Sometimes it comes alone.

I've been thinking about this as I watch the train wreck which is America's election season unfold. My main thought is, "How the hell did we end up with these 2 candidates?" and "WTF, GOP?"

If nothing else, this election has shown that the 2 party system isn't working. It's also shown how America is occupied by people who view reality in several different ways.

I remember a day when America was one nation, not the three or four that seem to be out there now. Maybe I was naive to think so, but I used to think that, despite our differences, we were mostly united.

Yes, I was naive, I realize that now. I have seen opinions and thoughts expressed by friends that horrify me in their justification of the candidate of their choice. I feel as though people have taken Crazy Juice and are now saying things that they normally wouldn't. Or maybe they were thinking these things but didn't say them out loud.

Whatever it is, I'll be so glad when this is over and we can deal with the fallout. Because there will be fallout, no matter who's elected. Let's just hope we can all cope for 4 years.

Make plans.

God laughs.

Yep, it's been one of those years for me. Here we are, April, and I'm just now catching my breath.

The Major Event went off almost without a hitch at the first of  March. Then I traveled to CA to be with my sister, who was recovering from surgery. While there, my mother-in-law fell ill, so I got home from CA and caught a flight to PA to be with the family after my mother-in-law's passing.

Her death caught us by surprise. She's been ill, off and on, for years, but all of a sudden: decline. I think it was her body's way of saying "enough!" Her death was relatively peaceful, and the funeral and visitation showed how very many people cared about her, which I think was gratifying for the family.

When I got back home I had to get caught up on work, then caught up promotion, then finally -- finally -- I could sit down to write.

So yes, God was laughing, that's for sure. My plans to get two books written this year have gone up in a poof, but that's okay. The only deadline is one in my head and I can adjust. The books will be written, in their own good time.

For now, it's enough to be home and relaxing once again. I just won't be making any plans in the near future for travel, because I suspect they might change....