OK. as much as it pains me I'll admit it: Trump is
brilliant. Look at what he's doing to Comey -- the same thing he did to
Clinton. Hillary became "Crooked Hillary" to everyone because he and all of
his minions refused to call her anything else. Comey is now "Comey the
Leaker" because he shared his own memories of his non-classified meeting(s)
with the president with other people. As someone pointed out on
Stephanopolis this morning, the very worst you can call him is a whistle
blower, but I wonder even about that. But by
Trump and all of his minions using "Comey the Leaker" in every statement, it
is going to be burned into the minds of people who don't follow the news and
he will forever be branded as the Leaker.
I remember Watergate. I remember my father glued to the television watching the hearings, keeping voluminous scrapbooks about everything that was written. Sam Ervin was his hero. We threw the scrapbooks away when cleaning out his house after he died. But sometimes it seems like I am living my father's life all over again.
What I really need is a break from the 24/7 news and from the depressing thing that is visiting my mother regularly (no longer daily....she never knows if she's seen me an hour before or a year before).
And so this new reading regime has been wonderful. The sound of silence in the house, no more "breaking news"....and not even NCIS, Criminal Minds or SVU reruns. I don't even have the sound of turning the pages, since I am reading most things on my Kindle. I finished reading three books I had been reading simultaneously this week, including "Silent Footsteps," a book about a woman living in Zimbabwe observing elephant behavior for several years. I started the book about a year ago and then set it aside to read something else. But I've now finished it.
Though I found it fascinating it had the unexpected "perk," I guess, of making me realize that I don't really want to go to Africa after all, so I have removed that item from my bucket list. Reading about the heat, the bugs, the dangers, and how tourists are talked about by the natives made me realize that living my African safari vicariously is good enough.
But a new reading adventure was presented to me this week. For all the years I have lived in Davis, I have wanted to belong to a book club. Though friends and colleagues often praised the wonders of their respective book clubs, and though I always commented that I'd like to belong to a book club, nobody ever invited me to come to theirs.
I did, briefly, join Char's book club, which met once a month about an hour's drive from here, but having the opportunity to be in the middle of a book discussion was great. However, then Char moved farther away and it's too far to consider joining her new book club.
But yesterday I received this email from my daughter-in-law, Laurel:
Having just finished "Silent Footsteps," I am now reading through "The Magician's Nephew" and finding it an easy, quick read. Apparently Brianna wants to be discussing Book 3 by July, so we're all going to have to hustle to keep up with her!
Decidedly a more pleasant prospect than watching the news.
Anybody see US Attorney Preet Bharaha this morning? Apparently his
interactions with #45 were similar. Two innocent phone calls from
president elect Trump, which he described as an unusual attempt to forge
a friendship, which made him uncomfortable and then a third call
following the inauguration, which he did not return because he reported
to the attorney general's office that Trump was "trying to cultivate
some kind of relationship" and that he felt it would be inappropriate to
return the call. He was fired two days later.
From CNN: Bharara explained it was important for him to stay at "arm's length" from the President given the then-US attorney's jurisdiction over business interests, including the Trump Organization's, in New York.I don't know about you, but my head is spinning these days as the nightly news reports yet another busy day in Washington. I don't know how the reporters and talking heads are staying sane. It is unrelenting. It just never stops...and each new day brings some other revelation or some other tweet or whatever.
He also argued that Trump knew such outreach was problematic.
Bharara said 22 hours after he declined to return the call, he was asked to resign along with the other US attorneys.
I remember Watergate. I remember my father glued to the television watching the hearings, keeping voluminous scrapbooks about everything that was written. Sam Ervin was his hero. We threw the scrapbooks away when cleaning out his house after he died. But sometimes it seems like I am living my father's life all over again.
What I really need is a break from the 24/7 news and from the depressing thing that is visiting my mother regularly (no longer daily....she never knows if she's seen me an hour before or a year before).
And so this new reading regime has been wonderful. The sound of silence in the house, no more "breaking news"....and not even NCIS, Criminal Minds or SVU reruns. I don't even have the sound of turning the pages, since I am reading most things on my Kindle. I finished reading three books I had been reading simultaneously this week, including "Silent Footsteps," a book about a woman living in Zimbabwe observing elephant behavior for several years. I started the book about a year ago and then set it aside to read something else. But I've now finished it.
Though I found it fascinating it had the unexpected "perk," I guess, of making me realize that I don't really want to go to Africa after all, so I have removed that item from my bucket list. Reading about the heat, the bugs, the dangers, and how tourists are talked about by the natives made me realize that living my African safari vicariously is good enough.
But a new reading adventure was presented to me this week. For all the years I have lived in Davis, I have wanted to belong to a book club. Though friends and colleagues often praised the wonders of their respective book clubs, and though I always commented that I'd like to belong to a book club, nobody ever invited me to come to theirs.
I did, briefly, join Char's book club, which met once a month about an hour's drive from here, but having the opportunity to be in the middle of a book discussion was great. However, then Char moved farther away and it's too far to consider joining her new book club.
But yesterday I received this email from my daughter-in-law, Laurel:
So Jeri and I had an idea when she was here visiting so we could all talk books with Bri. A virtual book club! Anyone is welcome to join, and we thought July 1 would be a good day for our first meeting since many will be in town for the BBQ. If not, we'll Skype it!What fun -- a book club with my granddaughter! Also participating will be her mother, Jeri, Walt's sister, and his sister-in-law.
Our first book (series in this case) is the Chronicles of Narnia, but you have to read it in the order Bri did. C.S. Lewis reissued the books in the order he wanted them read, starting with The Magician's Nephew, so that's what we are starting with (hoping we can catch up to her because she is already on book 6 of 7!)!
Having just finished "Silent Footsteps," I am now reading through "The Magician's Nephew" and finding it an easy, quick read. Apparently Brianna wants to be discussing Book 3 by July, so we're all going to have to hustle to keep up with her!
Decidedly a more pleasant prospect than watching the news.
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