Pandemic Stress

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is entering its third year. The virus is persistent and merciless, spawning dangerous variants at a rapid pace.

If you are feeling stressed, anxious, frustrated, or overwhelmed, you are not alone, and you don't have to deal with this by yourself. Two years is a long time to have normal life upended. We're all feeling it.

I would urge you to please reach out for help if you need it. Call or text a crisis hotline. Reach out to friends and family. Starting a conversation is as simple as admitting that you're having a rough day and asking for a few minutes of someone's time.

We will get through this pandemic, but in order to survive the emotional strain, we need to be honest with ourselves about how we are feeling. That's not easy - society teaches us to put on a happy face and keep marching forward - but it's important. Please take care of yourself and be sensitive to those around you.

Math Jokes

Q: What is a mathematician’s favorite dessert?

A: 3.14 slices of pie.

Q: Why do mathematicians bake pies in four-sided pans?

A: Because pies are squared.

Q: Why does a mathematician’s oven cook twice as fast?

A: It’s coefficient.

Q: Why did the statistician bring a beer stein to a wine tasting event.

A: Increased sample size.

Q: What did the pastry chef get at the bank?

A: Cookie dough.

Q: What did Einstein and Tesla bake when they got together for the holidays?

A: One smart cookie.

Q: What is a mathematician’s favorite cookie?

A: Oatmeal radius.

Q: Would a sneaky statistician eat the last cookie in the jar?

A: Probably.

Pickup Strategy

If you’d like to pick up a woman

First pick up a guitar

Then if you find

You’re not musically inclined

Drive around in a really nice car

Fools

Sometimes

Being a man

Means being a fool

For a woman

And I suspect

That the reverse

Is also true

Making Art

If you want to make art

Make real what inspires your heart

Do this in small steps at first

And sort out the best from the worst

Consistently develop your skills

Until the work gives you thrills

Pursue this with all that you’ve got

And don’t try to be who you’re not

Don’t Try To Solve Every Problem

Don’t try to answer every question or solve every problem. I learned this lesson while working for difficult bosses. It’s one of the few positive take-aways that I gained from those experiences.

It’s admirable to want to step up and handle a challenge. No customer wants to hear, “That’s not my job,” when they need something. Responding quickly is a hallmark of good customer service, but it can come with risks.

If a team or process has been set up to handle a particular issue, but someone else jumps in, it can create confusion. The customer won’t know who to talk to when follow-up is required.

Further, not everyone has the expertise to handle all types of problems. Without a knowledge of the procedures that have been set up to handle a particular issue, a well-meaning employee could unwittingly create expectations that can’t be met. The client may be pleased when offered a solution, but if that solution turns out to be costly or infeasible, the relationship will be strained.

Another consideration is that clients don’t always act in good faith. They may just want to vent some frustration. If someone without adequate knowledge tries to help, it may compound the client’s frustration.

Finally, if you happen to work for a difficult boss, they’re probably risk averse. They won’t reward your initiative for trying to help. Instead, they’ll perceive your well-meaning efforts as misguided and problematic. If anything goes wrong, they’ll blame you for supposedly making them look bad.

Know your boss. If he or she is a jerk, don’t volunteer, and don’t be a hero.

Know Your Rights

In a Democracy, individual rights are protected and expanded.

In an Autocracy, individual rights are limited and abolished.

In a Kleptocracy, oligarchs claim that rights are too expensive.

In a Theocracy, zealots claim that rights are an affront to the Almighty.

Focus On The Positive

Stay focused on the positive things that you can do today. Nothing matters more.

Modest Accomplishments

It’s better to do something modest

Than dream of something grand

You’ll never reach your best

Until you’ve done all that you can

Are You Up?

I was relaxing on Friday evening after an intense twelve-hour workday. I had spent the day finalizing code changes that need to be deployed before the annual technology change freeze. These are critical deliverables with an unmovable deadline, so the stress level was high.

I was working on some creative projects and trying to wind down when, just after midnight, I noticed a message pop up on my phone.

“Daniel are you up?”

I just about fell off of my chair. “Who the heck sent this?”

It turns out that it was was one of my colleagues in India looking for help with some data that hadn’t arrived on time. I’m going to have to have a talk with him about how to phrase late-night requests for technical assistance.

If Musical Instruments Could Talk

For my musician friends

Guitar: I don’t like your tone!

Banjo: Oh, really? Well, maybe you’re just too high strung.

Mandolin: Can I play with you guys?

Banjo: Maybe another time, kid…

Bass: Would you three please stop whining up there?

Piano: Technically, they’re not whining.

Guitar: Nobody asked you, Keys!

Piano: Well! You don’t have to get all twangy!

Banjo: Hey, Keys! Get back to us when you can bend a pitch, will ya?

Guitar: Look who’s talking!

Banjo: Hey! I can bend!

Violin: Oh, my God! You’re all amateurs!

Viola: Thanks for the drama, Sis!

Cello: Can we please not squabble, just this once?

Sax and Trumpet: Hey, do you think you can use us this weekend?

Guitar: I don’t know. Can you play by ear?

Trumpet: Um…

Sax: I can!

Banjo: We’ll call you if we need you.

Guitar: Oh, like you’re so in demand!

Drum Kit: You know what? I don’t have time for this.

Bass: Yeah, man! They’re killing my groove!

Drum Kit: Let’s beat it!

Bass: Count me in!

Banjo: Great job there, Spotlight! They took off!

Guitar: Who needs them? I don’t need anyone!

Banjo: Oh, really? Are you sure that you’re still in tune?

Guitar: Hey, Keys, give me an A…

Piano: Seriously? Again?

Guitar: I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.

Banjo (mocking): “I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”

Mandolin: Can I play with you guys?

©️2021 Daniel R. South

All rights reserved

Happy Thanksgiving!

Someone once wrote: “Never stick a banana in the toaster. Put bread in the toaster and use the toasted bread to warm the banana.”

Actually, no one ever said that. I just made it up, but it sounds reasonable, and it works on many levels.

Happy Thanksgiving from New York City!

System Of Justice

Some of what we have witnessed in the past week:

- A man was nearly executed for a crime that by all reliable accounts he did not commit. His case raised so many red flags that his execution was commuted by a governor in a strongly pro death penalty state.

- A habitual violent offender and sex offender who was out on a thousand dollars bail after running over his girlfriend with his car, drove into a Christmas parade killing five and injuring dozens of people.

- A vigilante walked away scot free after committing a double homicide. His defense was that he felt threatened despite the fact that he was the only person on the scene carrying an assault rifle.

- The aforementioned vigilante traveled out of state to the scene of his crimes with a stated mission to “protect property and help people.” His destination wax the site of a protest over the point blank shooting of an unarmed man by police. The man was left paralyzed, and the police officers involved faced no disciplinary action.

People claim that we need to trust our justice system, but unless that system’s mission is to commit one grave error after another, it is in dire need of an overhaul.

The Wealthiest Man

Over the past year, I listed a number of items on Ebay, and I bought stock in Tesla. Thinking back on this I realize that I sold off my earthly possessions and gave the money to the richest man in the world.

Dangerous Precedent

Now there’s an interesting legal precedent. Going forward, whenever there is a protest or a situation of civil unrest, people will be permitted by law to shoot into the crowd at will. It won’t matter if the shooter is from out of town, out of state, too young to operate a firearm, mentally ill, etc. As long as they’re Caucasian and they don’t have and Arabic name, an active shooter will be able to dispose of a number of annoying protesters without the worrisome burden of being convicted of a crime. This is why the whole world thinks that we Americans have lost our bleeping minds.

Mexican Irony

Yesterday, President Biden met with the President of Mexico. This morning, Biden had a colonoscopy. Why does diarrhea always follow a Mexican trip?

15 Films That Everyone Should See

15 Films That Everyone Should See

(with alternate selections)

Modern Times (1936) / Metropolis (1927)

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

The Wizard Of Oz (1939)

The Maltese Falcon (1941) / The Big Sleep (1946)

Casablanca (1942)

An American In Paris (1952) / On The Town (1949)

12 Angry Men (1957)

My Fair Lady (1964) / The Sound Of Music (1965)

In The Heat Of The Night (1967) / Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (1967)

Jaws (1975) / Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)

Star Wars (1977)

Amadeus (1984) 

Back To The Future (1985) / Ghostbusters (1984)

Boys In The Hood (1991) / Do The Right Thing (1989)

WALL-E (2008) / Toy Story 2 (1999)

Stage Name Scramble

Halsey’s real name is Ashley. Maybe The Weeknd’s real name is Ethen Dewk.

Random Thoughts - 20211109

Random Thoughts - 20111109

Does life need to have meaning? Maybe it’s enough to enjoy inspiring experiences and delicious goodies.

If there’s an elephant in the room, do you really want to sit there and talk about it? Move calmly toward the exit.

If you’re feckless, ask someone if they could give a feck. If not, you might have to go feck yourself.

I once dated a woman who was into S&M. I left her to her own devices.

Does “mostly cloudy” qualify as “partly cloudy”?

A beautiful day in Paris is the most beautiful day of all.

Legislative Agenda

Biden’s Legislative Agenda

Paid family leave

Childcare for working parents

Lower prescription drug prices

Vision and dental benefits for seniors

Repair roads and bridges

Replace lead pipes

Build tunnels and rail lines

High-speed internet access for everyone

Education benefits including universal pre-K

Clean energy infrastructure (to compete with China)

Charging stations for electric cars

Electrify federal vehicles and school busses

Free Covid-19 vaccine for anyone who wants it

Strengthen the Affordable Care Act

Protect the right to vote

Protect the rights of workers to organize

Trump’s Legislative Agenda

Build a wall

Give tax breaks to billionaires

Take healthcare coverage away from millions

Campaign Slogans For The Republican Base

Campaign Slogans Designed To Fire Up The Republican Base

2002 - Iraq has weapons of mass destruction! (They didn’t.)

2004 - Vote Republican or terrorists will attack again! (Republicans were in charge when terrorists attacked last time.)

2006 - Don’t let gays get married! (Ignorance is bliss.)

2008 - A community organizer isn’t qualified! (Why? Because he’s Black?)

2010 - Cut government spending! (The Black Guy spent too much while pulling us out of Bush’s banking crisis.)

2012 - Make him a one-term president. (Why? You don’t like healthcare?)

2014 - Ebola is coming to get you! (It didn’t.)

2016 - Immigrants are coming to hurt you! Build a wall! (Used to justify atrocities at the border.)

2018 - MS13 is coming to get you. (They’re still around, but Republicans don’t talk about them anymore.

2020 - Covid restrictions are bad for business! (700,000 dead people don’t buy products.) 

Boys in the girls’ bathroom! (Not a widespread problem.)

Angry Black People are coming to your suburbs! (Settle down, Beavis!) 

2021 - Election integrity! Critical race theory! (Ban books and bring back Jim Crow!)

Rape Statistics

Here’s an interesting statistic. In 2020, Texas had the highest number of rape cases reported in the US: 13,509. Vermont had the lowest number of cases: 213

The people who voted for Ted Cruz were 64 times more likely to rape someone than the people who voted for Bernie Sanders.

Political Violence in the USA

It would be foolish to dismiss the speaker as a lone crackpot. We need to reflect carefully upon his words. What he said out loud, others are thinking.

The man stood up during a question and answer session at a conservative rally in Idaho.

“When do we get to use the guns?” he asked earnestly. “How many elections are they gonna steal before we kill these people?”

Think about this carefully. Read the words again.

The speaker believes that the 2020 election was stolen. No evidence supports this conclusion, and all legal claims of election fraud were dismissed in court often by conservative judges, but this person believes that it’s true nonetheless.

The speaker also believes that “they” (the people who allegedly stole the election - which, again, was not stolen) are poised to steal more elections in the future.

Finally, the speaker believes that a reasonable solution to this imagined but unsubstantiated voting crisis is to “use the guns” and “kill these people.”

This is horrifying. An American citizen expressed in all sincerity that he would consider killing other citizens over an election dispute that is not based in fact or reality. The man assured the audience that he was “not joking.”

It’s not clear who the man wants to murder - election officials, politicians, his brother-in-law who voted for Joe Biden - but he is absolutely convinced that political violence up to and including assassination is justified and that the time to employ such violence is coming soon.

This is the United States of America, not Somali or Sri Lanka or El Salvador. Political violence of the most extreme, brutal, and senseless variety is on the verge of becoming a grim reality right here in the USA.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/10/27/2060573/--When-do-we-get-to-use-the-guns-TPUSA-audience-member-asks-Charlie-Kirk-at-Idaho-event

Department Of Injustice

When Wesley Snipes and Lauryn Hill failed to pay their taxes, the US Department of Justice prosecuted them swiftly and sent them to prison.

When Lil Kim lied to federal agents, the US Department of Justice prosecuted her and sent her to prison.

When it was discovered that Michael Vic ran a dog fighting operation, the US Department of justice prosecuted him and sent him to prison.

When Lil Wayne violated federal law by transporting a loaded firearm on a private jet, the US Department of Justice prosecuted him.

When Donald Trump led a violent insurrection against the United States Congress, the US Department of Justice gave the rioters plea bargains for light sentences and brought no charges whatsoever against the top level conspirators. Apparently, they reserve the long prison terms for Black people.

New York Minute 186 - Checkout Line

Last evening, I got stuck in a long checkout line at the grocery store. Only one register was open, and there were no self-checkout stations. Twelve people were ahead of me when I joined the queue.

The lady in front of me was wearing a mask, but she had a huge dog with her, and the dog was panting vigorously. The lady standing directly behind me (and way too close) was talking non-stop on her phone and NOT wearing a mask.

I was in line for ten minutes getting blasted by dog breath from the front and unfiltered phone breath from behind.

How can people can be so inconsiderate during a deadly pandemic? I would have left the store and come back later if a storm hadn’t been approaching.

Luck and Inspiration

Luck and inspiration will race to your side when your moving but ignore you when you’re standing still.

Morning Face

That awkward moment when you wake up and your phone doesn’t recognize your face.

Space Junk

Can we send Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Ted Cruz, and Tucker Carlson into space and leave them there?

New TV Shows - Fall 2021

Ghosts (CBS) 

The pilot was a lot of fun. The overall vibe reminds me of ‘The Good Place’. It’s a quirky but thoughtful ensemble comedy with a supernatural angle. We’re excited about watching this one.

NCIS: Hawaii (CBS)

Slicker and more dramatic than other NCIS versions. (Read: no head-slapping silliness.) The mood and production remind me of ‘Jack Ryan’ on Amazon Prime. In fact, one scene was almost a direct homage to a scene from the Jack Ryan pilot. The cast seems excellent. I’m hooked after one episode.

CSI:Las Vegas (CBS)

The producers took an interesting approach. Instead of trying to resurrect the CSI franchise with an all-new cast, they seem to be taking a “we’re getting the band back together” approach. I don’t know how well it’s going to work. The chemistry of the original team is what made the show special, and that magic is definitely back. It’s hard to say how well it will work with the new cast. One of the new folks did not seem to have the charisma that the role required.

Watching the pilots back to back reminded me of why NCIS continued while CSI disappeared. NCIS is fundamentally more entertaining. That said, the original CSI was one of the all-time great crime shows - the spin-offs were turkeys - but they have some work to do if they want to create that Vegas magic.

Verbal Consequences

I’m not sorry to see Jon Gruden get fired. His language was hurtful, unprofessional, and shockingly appalling. But consider this. No one died because of the words that Gruden used in his emails. How many publishers of lies about vaccines still have their jobs, or have their jobs because they are willing to lie? How many people who spread lies about the election are still gainfully employed? If people are going to lose their jobs for using hateful and insensitive language, there should be even bigger penalties for words that cost people their lives.

Hot Lunch

To put a Viagra in the preacher’s lunch

Was perhaps not a nice thing to do

But Mabel was lonely and determined

Therefore, she slipped him two

She prayed for forgiveness in advance

For this was a sin, she knew,

But the Lord helps those who help themselves

And this might help that preacher, too

She put on a dress with a low neckline

Nice shoes and her favorite perfume

The preacher remarked that she looked divine

As fresh flowers scented the room

She listened to every word that he said

Let her eyes and her warm smile flirt

The preacher said later that he enjoyed the lunch

But he fell in love with dessert

Doing The Laundry

I can’t believe I’m doing laundry

I really should hire a maid

After she puts all the clothes away

I’ll ask if she wants to get … 

.

.

.

… paid

Random Thoughts - 20210928

Random Thoughts - 20210928

There are things that I cannot explain, but that won’t discourage me from trying.

I might consider stopping my car at red traffic signals, but first I’d like to do my own research.

You might receive the benefit of the doubt, but doubt has no real benefit.

Better thoughtful than pleasant. Better prepared than clever.

Life is too short to debate propaganda. It’s like discussing the merits of a turd before flushing it.

Think of the healthcare workers who risk their lives each day to care for people who refused to take care of themselves.

The Beach

I want to drive down to the beach

And strip off all my clothes

Play a silly game

Of tag or Tic-Tac-Toe

Trace the X’s and the O’s

In the sand with my toes

While you sit and shake your head

And tell me I don’t know

How to win the stupid game

But the game is just for show

I win when I am with you

When I make you smile

When we laugh together

And spend this precious time

In the cool ocean breeze

And the warm sunshine

Or anywhere we go

Any season

Any time

No matter what we do

No matter what the weather

As long as you are there

The magic’s in the moments

The time we spend together

And every day I’m with you

That magic just gets better

And more special

Last Dance

I cried at the end of our dance

But I didn’t want to miss a chance

To be with you

To dream with you

To embrace the night

To take that splendid, passionate ride

With you there by my side

Movie Haiku

She walks in his bar

Could the Germans win the war?

Better let her go

-

Scientists, don’t play

With that dino DNA!

Something will go wrong

-

Town things we are nuts

But let’s get the bats and gloves

Time to play some ball

-

Now the beach is closed

Primal fear lurks deep below

Need a bigger boat

-

Try to do some good

Try to help this fearful kid

Who speaks with the dead

-

A princess kidnapped

Droids and heroes race through space

To save the planets

Don’t Recall

California just spent $300 million on a recall election started by people who don’t want to follow public health guidelines. The majority said, “Hell, no! We’re going to stick with the guy who’s trying to keep everyone safe.” Even conservative Orange County voted “No” on the recall.

Three hundred million dollars! Imagine how much firefighting equipment that would have paid for. Imagine how many homeless people that money could have taken off of the streets or how many school lunches it would have provided.

Norm McDonald

I was sad to read of the passing of comedian and Saturday Night Live alumnus Norm McDonald. He seemed like a regular guy and a really nice person, like your neighbor who always smiles and shares a funny, memorable story when he see you. His comedy was fun and insightful without ever being mean, gross, or tawdry. One of the greats.

In The Shadow Of 9/11

It was twenty years ago today ... that I needed to find a new place to go for work.

The company had a number of disaster recovery sites in the suburbs, but we were given strict, repeated orders not to go there unless we were officially notified to do so. There were a limited number of desks and computers at the site; they were reserved for people with the most critical jobs.

With no other clear option available, I made daily treks to the Midtown building where I had worked from 1995-99. On any given day, I would see quite a few empty desks, but empty didn’t necessarily mean available. 

In order to log in, I would have to restart the computer at the desk. In those days, people working remotely connected to a running desktop PC. If you rebooted a PC while someone was connected to it, you would terminate their connection. Many desks had “do not reboot” signs pasted on the computer monitors. I tried to avoid touching any machine that seemed as though it might be active.

One day, the manager from a team that I didn’t know walked over and chastised me for using one of “their desks.” My response was polite bewilderment. You’re seriously going to complain about me trying to find an empty desk when my office was destroyed and I had no designated seat at a DR location? Apparently, for the first three days after the attack, a group of traders took over the floor. This left this particular manager feeling vulnerable. I assured her that I would be respectful with their gear.

Over the next 6-8 weeks, the company leased new space out in Jersey and set up more emergency work stations. After two months of foraging for a desk every day, I was directed to report to a bland box of a building in a suburban office park. They had reserved a desk for me there. It was convenient, but dull. I hated going there, even though it wasn’t far from home.

I missed the city. I missed the crowded avenues and the snarled traffic. I missed stopping for a moment of reflection at the makeshift shrines at the firehouses. I missed the look of shock and sadness on the faces of every person that I passed on the sidewalk, the pitiful look in their eyes as you and they wondered silently whether the person on the other end of that glance had lost someone. That was the first question that you asked when you talked to anyone. “Is your family okay?”

The answer was usually yes, but everyone knew someone. Every person in the city was impacted in some way. We felt each other’s grief. It was constant. It was heavy. It was inescapable. 

Remembering Richard - Twenty Years Later

Remembering my colleague Richard Rosenthal. Praying for all of the families who have carried on these past twenty years with an empty chair at the table.

Reason

Everything happens for a reason. Be one of the reasons why good things happen.

Constitutional Authority

Have you noticed that anything that people DON’T want to do is “unconstitutional,” and anything that they DO like is “protected by the constitution”? What an amazing system!

Texas Abortion Law

The Texas Taliban have enacted an anti-abortion law pushing women back into the Stone Age with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest, while simultaneously institutionalizing a Soviet-style spy culture where citizens are PAID to sue their neighbors without absolute impunity. Anyone who is thusly sued cannot recover legal fees, even if the court finds in their favor.

The US Supreme Court has refused to intervene.

On Poetry

A poem does not need to rhyme

But the breath of the poet

Should tingle your skin

And their soul should reach into your bones

Ice Cream Dream

I could eat ice cream

Every day

But I shudder to think of

How much I would weigh

Before You Flirt On A Flight

Before you endeavor to flirt

On a trans-Atlantic flight

Think about how your face will look

When you’ve been traveling all night

Joy And Warm Hugs

Sending joy and warm hugs

Freely your way

And wishing you

A most passionate day!

The Platypus

A most curious creature

But it would seem to me

That the Platypus

Didn’t have a plan

For what it wanted to be

Thoughts on Moving Forward

Forget about Afghanistan. Rebuild Louisiana.

Avoid far-off conflicts. Take better care of our veterans.

Don’t prop up corrupt governments. Invest in our infrastructure.

Don’t chase after foreign terrorists. Defend against domestic extremists.

Forget about the Taliban. Prosecute the insurrection.

The Next Seven Months

The Next Seven Months

September

October

November

December

Freezember

Sucktober

Whenwillitbeover

Rained-Out Concert

Yesterday’s rained-out concert in Central Park was analogous to the pandemic that it intended to commemorate.

Humans: We’re back!

Nature: Not so fast!

Magnitude

A week ago, Americans expressed vociferous outrage over the behavior of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. They demanded his immediate resignation, threatened to sue and prosecute him, and considered rebranding the bridge bearing the name of his father.

Since then, a country the size of Texas was taken over by armed zealots who beat, rape, enslave, and murder women with impunity.

To understand the magnitude this tragic event, each of us should each consider an uncomfortable question. Would you rather work for Gov. Cuomo for a year or live under Taliban rule for a week?

If Americans had focused their outrage on dangerous threats like the Taliban instead of trying to ostracize someone’s creepy but otherwise effective boss, the women and girls of Afghanistan might have a future.

Global Entry And Political Retribution

I got caught up in this mess. I applied for Global Entry to avoid long lines at the airport. I filled out the form, paid the fee, and waited six months to schedule an appointment. I had to wait another two months for the appointment date to arrive.

Two days before the appointment, I received an email informing me that because I was a resident of New York State, I was no longer eligible for the program. It was the first time that the federal government had ever denied me a service based on where I lived.

New York‘s Attorney General sued the Trump Administration, calling the policy change “political retribution,” and eventually it was reversed. My appointment was never rescheduled, and of course my application fee was not returned. I didn’t bother to apply again, because I’m not traveling during the pandemic, but the whole experience left me with a chilling feeling. Imagine what other autocratic policies the last administration would have cooked up if they had remained in power.

https://www.cntraveler.com/story/new-yorkers-can-enroll-in-global-entry-again

Government Surveillance

“Don’t get the vaccine. The government uses it to track your movements,” said the person with the mobile phone, EZ Pass and LoJack in their GPS-enabled car which they drove to a mall full of security cameras to withdraw money from a banking machine and buy items with credit cards while streaming live video over the public WiFi.

Somewhere You’ll Never Go

Your mistakes live far from you

Imagine them squatting in Timbuktu

Botswana or Ghana

Or Texarkana

Or somewhere you’ll never go

There’s a good reason 

Why they’re so far away

Forget all about them

And let them stay

In the slums of Managua

Or somewhere you’ll never know

6 August

6 August is the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. Pray that mankind never again uses a weapon like that against its neighbors.

Open Doors

Audacity opens more doors than patience.

Utilize Every Resource

Utilize every resource that’s available to you. If someone or something can help you, explore that possibility with enthusiasm.

Your ideas are important. Your life is important. Don’t let your dreams stumble and stagnate because you were too reserved to take a chance or ask someone for help.

All Natural

Neighbor 1: I won’t take the vaccine. I only put natural things in my body.

Neighbor 2: How lovely! I can fix you a dog dirt sandwich with a side of rhubarb leaves.

Favorite 2020 Olympic Performances

There have been so many memorable performances at these Olympic Games, and I’ll mention several, but will start with the one that impressed me the most.

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands was tripped by another runner in a qualifying run for the Women’s 1500 meters. She fell hard to the track, but she got up and not only finished the race, but WON it. Later that day, she won Gold in the 5000 meters. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Hassan will be running the 1500 meter and 10,000 meter finals in the coming days. Highly recommended viewing.

Other great performances:

Athing Mu, the 19 year old from Trenton, New Jersey, became the first American woman to win gold in the 800 meters since 1968.

“Steel sharpens steel” - The dynamic duo of Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad win gold and silver for the US in the 400 meter hurdles, smashing the world record in the process.

In the men’s 400 meter, Norway’s Karsten Warholm edges out American Rai Benjamin in another record breaking race.

There is exactly one Olympic-sized swimming pool in the entire state of Alaska, but that didn’t slow down 17 year old Alaskan Lydia Jacobs, who won gold in the 100 meter breast stroke and picked up a silver as part of the US relay team.

Valerie Allman’s first love was dancing. The American’s gold medal winning discuss throw was perhaps the most beautiful ballet that you will ever see at a track and field event.

David Rudisha of Kenya followed up his awe-inspiring, world record-breaking run in Rio by gliding past the competition to win a second consecutive gold medal in the Men’s 800 meters.

And how about Texas-born Marcell Jacobs winning the men’s 100 meter race for Italy just moments after Italy and Qatar tied for gold in the high jump?

Florida’s Caeleb Dressel said that he didn’t want to be “the guy,” but when you win five gold medals in swimming, you’re definitely “the guy.”

Rebeca Andrade fought back after a string of knee surgeries to win Brasil’s first-ever Olympic medal in gymnastics, the silver in the all around competition.

Finally, what can you say about the depth and resilience of the US Women’s Gymnastics team, thrust into what could have been utter chaos when their biggest star, and arguably the biggest star of the entire games, suddenly withdrew from the competition? Without missing a beat, they won the silver medal in the team competition. Suni Lee turned in the performance of a lifetime to win the all-around gold. Jade Carey won another gold medal with her spectacular floor routine. MyKayla Skinner won a silver on vault, and Simone Biles took bronze on the balance beam despite downgrading the difficulty of her dismount.

Those are some of my favorite events and performances. Who have you been watching? Which events have been the most meaningful to you?