New View Askew

   It Doesn't Get Better with the Passing of Time Five years ago, almost to the day, Mrs Dear Leader and I were on our way back from FL when we were made aware of a tiny little change in our (by which I mean our country's ) lives. We had spent the night in Champaign IL and in the morning when I went down to take Prudie out and get MDL's morning coffee (our usual routine) the manager was there to greet everyone. Ominously, he said that there would only be coffee and a bagel, no breakfast; the governor had declared an emergency - now everyone go home!  Just like that o ur odyssey into the unknown had begun. Anyway, I thought it would be "fun" to re-post  a subtle reminder from that "unique" time. Here you go. Notes from a Prisoner in Solitary Confinement (Originally posted Apr 6, 2020) Home viewed pre-covid So here we are, trapped in our own homes – the horror of it all! You’d think that a guy who has been retired for a few years would be comfortable with ...

  AI for View Askewites Editorial notice: First an apology. A few folks did not care for my rather polemic post about our current political/government "situation." I'd like to think it's not because they disagree with what I said but simply don't want to hear about it. Whatever. It occurred to me, though, that even I can't face reading anything about this mess in the paper so a light bulb comes on!  I promise I will not knowingly share any of my own apparently frightening political views with you; I will do my very best to keep them to myself. That doesn't mean that any of us can ignore what's going on or normalize it but you're a smart person and can figure out what, if anything, you need to do given your own situation. (But if you want some suggestions just ask.) Enough said. Albert AI at your service Okay, I have to admit I was going to explain how cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin work but I changed my mind. Even if I could understand it - a task ...

  Shortly after the election my son told me all of this was going to happen, especially the new assault on the civil service (he works for the VA) but I more or less pooh poohed him; I thought that he was just being an alarmist or paranoid. Sadly, it is now obvious that I was wrong and he was right. Hopefully you have been paying attention to the news about the recent changes being implemented – or attempts at implementation – by the Trump administration. If not, don’t be intimidated by the flood of orders coming out of the White house, their intent is to overwhelm us, but check out what they are attempting to do for yourself. This may just sound like run of the mill politics but it is not and we must not normalize it.  Of course many (most?) of us will not be directly harmed by most of these things but that is exactly what thugs and dictators do – attack those with the weakest voice first. Whatever you may think about the desirability or efficacy of these proposed “improvem...

  AI Free January 2025 “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” John Steinbeck Cold enough for you, John? Ah, the nadir in our winter  of  discontent and Dear Leader is . . . bored. Make that cold and bored. We were supposed to be back in FL now but thanks to Hurricane Helene we are receiving winter's gift of sweetness. That said, I apologize in advance for dragging you into my ennui but I will do my best to give you some reason to keep reading (but no guarantees.)  So how are you doing with your resolutions - assuming you were foolish enough to make them.  Perhaps I can offer something that you can stick with, at least for a while, and hopefully you might even find it interesting if not entertaining. (And also helpful for the next four years.)  I mean, how often do you get to read about Greek philosophy, Ceasars, golf and self- improvement in a single short post?  Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Ceasar and by ...