Drastic times.

Listen, I really am trying not to interpret everything as signs of looming World War III/American implosion via class warfare/anarchy/eventual nuclear holocaust.  But suddenly preppers seem a lot less crazy.  (Don’t worry, I’m not building a bunker but our storage room may serve, so that is where we keep our bottled water and canned tuna.)

I’m not the only one freaking out:

Catchy new tagline.

I’m just very disturbed at how faithfully Orange Julius is following the authoritarian playbook.  The scapegoating of particular religious, ethnic, and non-heterosexual people, for instance, was an old standby for another thin-skinned dude who liked to yell and had bad hair.  (Ok, you caught me.  I’m not above a Hitler-Trump comparison.)  NEWS ALERT: Muslims aren’t killing us by the thousands (guns are), Mexicans aren’t stealing our jobs (automation is), and transsexuals aren’t grabbing your daughter’s pussy in the women’s room (she should watch out for our President though).  Picking on minority groups and the vulnerable may make some (miserable) people feel better, but it does not solve problems.  It actually creates them.  Stop me if I sound crazy.  Oh right, you can’t.

Here’s a problem created by the dogwhistling and hateful rhetoric that spewed from the Trump campaign, and now spews from the White House:

 

In case your preferred news source didn't cover this, vandals desecrated 100 graves at a historic Jewish cemetery in St. Louis this week.

As it turns out, bad people are empowered to do bad things when we do not actively embrace tolerance and respect, when we elect people who do not actively embrace tolerance and respect.

One of the most moving places I have ever been is the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague.  For over 300 years, it was the only place the city’s Jewish people were allowed to bury their dead.  The graves are stacked layers upon layers, making “ground level” something like thirty feet above the current street. Up to 100,000 people may be buried there.  Seeing these graves all crammed together sparked a major understanding in my brain when I visited with my family a few years ago.  The Nazis didn’t cook up anti-Semitism in the 1930s—it was hundreds and hundreds of years in the making.  Passive cruelty and episodic violence were the norms.  Europe was so primed with anti-Semitism that it required just one particularly evil man to twist prejudice into holocaust.

Photos can't really capture this place. 

I’m not saying Donald Trump is plotting to murder all the groups he recklessly scapegoats.  But I am saying he is too cozy with authoritarian methods of exploiting fear and prejudice.  People like David Duke, Milo Yiannopoulos, Richard Spencer, and cowardly grave vandals should not feel encouraged by the President of the United States.  But they do.

I’m still hopeful our nation's history has primed us to love and defend freedom.  But I fear this slippery slope we’re on.  I love you, America, but I don’t like you a whole lot right now.  We need to open our eyes to reality.  Democracy dies in darkness.

Under the Tuscan sun.

Please enjoy my current view.

Jealous? You should be. Will is reading nearby and my family is off exploring the town. I could happily spend the rest of my days here--reading, drawing, lounging, and sipping wine. It's been a good place to recover from our busy days exploring Rome and the Amalfi coast. We have walked a ton (~86,000 steps since June 8 by my phone's estimate), but have eaten enough pasta and gelato to offset any health benefits.  It's just all too delicious. 

It hasn't been all wine and roses though. We have had a few mishaps related to non-ADA compliant construction. The current count includes at least 4 major head bumps (3 by low clearance over stair and 1 by cabinet improperly protruding into walkway) and 1 major wine spill by improper grade change (AKA a small surprise step). We were able to clean the wine from the floor but the large splatter on the plaster wall has been very stubborn...goodbye Airbnb security deposit.

I have more to write about our trip, but I think I'll do it upon our return to the real world. For now I want to enjoy it while it can. Ciao!

In da club.

I find myself with a few hours to relax here at the glamorous Newark Airport United Club.  I was the last person to snag a $700 travel voucher by switching to a flight to San Francisco later this evening.  So I am celebrating with a gin and tonic and catching up on my Blob.  Let us rewind to last weekend…

The Days of Wine and Mini-Toast

By some happy twist of fate, almost all of my best friends from college also now live in California.  (Merrick, time to make the move!)  So last weekend, Ashley, Becca, and CJ (all former roommates of mine) joined Will and me in San Francisco for a wonderful visit.  Ashley arrived first on Friday, so she and I headed to Pier 39 to catch our ferry to Alcatraz.  In typical Clashley fashion, we missed the ferry we had reserved tickets for, but thankfully the ticket people were very gracious and got us on the next ferry.  Alcatraz was super interesting (also the second prison Ashley and I have toured together.  The first was Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin.  Apparently we <3 prisons.)  I’m really glad we got to experience the Ai Wei-Wei art installation throughout the different prison buildings.  (Nerd alert.)  It is a poignant commentary on freedom and incarceration, particularly of political dissidents.  Through several different media (Chinese paper dragon and kites against the stark concrete walls and pillars of the old work room, recordings of songs and poems played from individual cells, etc), he very artfully poses the question, how can one contain the human spirit?  I thought it was a really effective piece. 

All our time on Alcatraz made us very hungry, so, upon our return to the mainland, Ashley and I had a small feast and soju bombs at one of my favorite places to eat by my office.  We then met up with Becca, CJ, and Will back at home for a night of general debauchery and not allowing Will to express any opinions as “the only man in the room”.  (Is it necessary to say that we finished several bottles of wine?  I probably should explain about the mini-toast.)  I can neither confirm nor deny that there is video evidence of me passed out on the bed while everyone else is dancing around me and singing Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”.  However, I can confirm that “singing” is a generous description of the sounds certain people were making.

Somehow on Saturday, we wanted more wine, so we drove to Napa and wined and dined in style.  It was such a beautiful day.  As we drove from the first winery to the second, singing along to Johnny Cash and the Dixie Chicks with the windows down, I had one of those “I cannot believe I live in California” moments.  I LIVE here.  This is my life.  So weird. 

We took it easy on Sunday, starting with some mimosas in Dolores Park.  We then paid homage to our Gulf Coast roots and got a delicious Louisiana style brunch.  So much yum.  After that, we toured around Golden Gate Park and Baker Beach (where we unwittingly crossed over to the nude side), got Bi-rite ice cream and before we knew it, it was time for Becca to take Ashley and CJ to the airport.  Such a nice weekend with my buddies.  I’m so glad they are not too far away. :)