I'm not really interested in your opinion 3PO.
- Han Solo

I deleted my Facebook account in November 2021. I liked the fact that they would retain my account for 90 days in case I decided to return and reactive. I knew, however, that I had no plans to return. And all this time later, no regrets.

Why? As has been well documented and discussed, Facebook has evolved (or devolved) since the early days. Algorithmic updates and very smart ad targeting have morphed the feed into something that was just no longer enjoyable. I knew I would only see things “for me” and that bugged me. I honestly wanted to sometimes lap in the marvel at others and topics that Facebook deemed to be “not for me”.

And when I actively searched out for those subjects, wow! Facebook actively hid whole worlds from me - the existence of a multi-verse for stupid people. These other worlds occupied by ex high school friends and bitter boomers yelling at people to get off of their digital lawn.

So I left. And around that time, I created an account on Nextdoor. It describes itself as a “hyperlocal social networking service for neighborhoods”. And that is very accurate. It’s like Facebook, but filled with people that live within a 10 mile radius of you. You probably don't know any of them personally.

Nextdoor surely has an algorithm and fancy ad targeting as well, but it’s not as polished as Facebook. And that’s ok. But what struck me about the site is that such a large number of post are by people bitching about things. “Property tax increases”, “those idiots in the state capital”, “criminals aren’t arrested anymore”, “why don’t people clean up after their pets”, “has anyone seen this person who stole my package”, “this man looked suspicious”, “the neighborhood is going downhill”, “too many homeless people” - and on and on.

Very rarely is there anything posted that doesn’t’ follow this pattern. And with each post, Nextdoor enables the hundreds of replies that always side track into mini arguments around meaning, intent, and facts.

It reminded me of a thought I had years ago - that enabling comments on the internet is the fucking worst. Allowing people to comment on pretty much anything often brings negativity. It really brings out the worst in people. It encourages and allows people to just be assholes.

When Facebook began, we commented on each other’s experiences, pictures and shares - with people that you actually knew and probably liked in person. It had good intentions. Once the socialization expanded beyond our network of friends, it all went to shit. It’s a bit sad, but not entirely surprising.

And yes, I know there is a Disqus comment feature on this site. As of this writing, there has not been one comment on any post. My feeling are not hurt.

It's not the years, it's the mileage.
- Indiana Jones

I've been away, I know.

I also know that I've not been missed. And that's ok. I've been neglectful. I will try to make amends. Call it a belated new year's resolution. Though, one shouldn't hold one's breath.

Texas is frozen. For those still there, it's difficult. Shit gets hard when you have no power to heat your home. It's so interesting (and frustrating) to read Rep/Cons twist everything to their skewed reality.

There's the mayor that resigned either before or after a Facebook post bitching about people wanting handouts. I guess there are some areas in Texas where power is handed out. When we lived there, we had to pay for it.

And then there was the eye-patched rep who blamed frozen wind turbines. Again, so amazing. Let's just ignore the plants that were offline and frozen pipelines. That really didn't contribute at all. We'll just retweet and repost a pic of a helicopter de-icing the blades of a frozen wind turbine. Ignore that it's actually a 2014 picture from Sweden.

And finally, good ole Rick Perry. Stupid is as stupid does, I guess. Texans should be willing to endure powerless frozen nights to fend off the ominous reach of federal regulation. Oh the fucking horror of regulation.

Texans have voted for these three jackasses so they are the will of the people, right? They have energy operators that aren't too interested in investing in cold weather operations. It's deregulated. So it seems that everything is working as expected.

This is the free market. This is capitalism at work. Frozen Texans should wait for the market to work it out and produce some energy operators that give a shit. I can't imagine it's too difficult to build competition with wind turbines, coal and natural gas plants or even a nuclear power plant or two. Right? That seems reasonable.

You would be forgiven if, like most of the country, you forgot that a Democratic primary was in progress. The last debate seems to have played out about 5 years ago. But in this new bizarro world, it has only been 21 days. Three weeks ago. An audience-free debate that saw Biden and Bernie awkwardly  bump elbows. It was weird then. It's down right ridiculous now.

It's also ridiculous that there was a debate at all. Sure, technically, there is a path to the nomination for Bernie. But is it likely? No. Yet, Bernie persists. His surrogates continue to light up Twitter with negative post about Biden. I'm not sure what they're ultimate goal is, but they don't seem concerned with the consequences. Bernie is not a Democrat. He's an Independent. Much has been written about his "revolution" to remake the Democratic party. It's bullshit. The type of change he proposes doesn't happen over one election cycle - much less a generation. But you can't tell Bernie Bros this. It's all or nothing with them. If it's not Bernie, then it can't be Biden either. What does that leave us? Another 4 years of Cheeto the Impeached. That's not revolution. That's destruction.

Bernie lost, period. He failed to convince people in his cause and he failed to bring out people to vote for him. Where it counted, he lost big. Super Tuesday, a mere one month ago, was a disaster for him. The results validated Biden's continued optimism following his dismal results in the initial primaries. The results also exposed the scam in the "movement" that Bernie and his supporters have been pushing since 2016.

He lost. There is no point. Especially now, in this new world, where Cheeto the Impeached cluster-fucks the country and Biden carries on from, presumably some underground and undisclosed location, as the only viable option. Bernie should continue with his day job as a senator. The people of Vermont will ultimately decide his fate.

Dear Bernie,
Just exit. Throw your support behind Biden. You say he's your friend. Tell your Bernie Bros to support your friend. Remind them that now is the time.

VP Pence actually declared that he did not believe President Cheeto has downplayed the threat of COVID-19. As a grown ass man, he is certainly entitled to his opinion. But that sort of statement does and should cause concern.

It's no secret that Cheeto is surrounded by master level sycophants. Three years in to this term, I am still not quite sure if they truly believe the bullshit, play along for their own position, or a bit of both. Either way, it got us here. The behavior results in a good portion of the country (and world) not believing a damn thing that comes from the "administration". It's no wonder that fake news reporters attempt, day after day, to get answers for basic questions on cause or culpability. And with every attempt, the answers always deflect, distract or deny. It brings to mind the 5 D's of dodgeball.

Always remember the five d's of dodgeball: dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge!
- Patches O'Houlihan

Now, close your eyes for a second. Imagine a Cheeto, or any of his cultist, admitting the miscues, acknowledging the errors, owning the situation. Once the fake news reporters lifted their jaws from the press room floor, where would that leave us. Maybe we could start to trust again. Maybe Cheeto and the gang would earn back some credibility. Alas, it would probably be too little too late. But it would be so nice if, even for a brief moment, we could all just see the same reality.

For some time, I had been feeling that things had gone to shit. We successfully stumbled through three years of President Cheeto and, with an election on the horizon, there was a brief opportunity for optimism. Yet, one can't help but feel some level of sadness after scanning the daily headlines - regardless of which side of the aisle one falls.

So many segments of life have been corrupted by political leaders trying to retain power, CEOs trying to boost their stock price or bureaucracies trying to justify their existence. All the while, public trust and kindness slowly disappear. Sometimes, there are only so many cute cat videos that one can binge.

Then, slowly, Mother Nature gives us a wee nudge. And, since she's Mother Nature, her nudges happen on a global scale. She's not wasting time with a tornado in the midwest or a landslide in the far east. No, she deems a wee bit of protein to be her messenger.

And just like that. People die. Economies freeze. Societies slow. But also, air pollution drops and traffic eases. Some spend a bit more time with family. Others rediscover their appreciation for the workers lucky, or unlucky, enough to still be working. Either way, lives are forever changed.

Like I said, I had been feeling that things had gone to shit. I wished for a big reset button - "Well, we tried, but too many people just suck and it's too far gone. Better luck next time."  My most basic goal was to simply survive, with no real hope beyond that. Now, survival is a very real thing - but I feel there's a wee opportunity to be better. I just hope more people get Mother Nature's hint.

There are those that are completely at ease day to day - crossing every bridge when they get to it. I am, generally, not one of those people. First order thinking is easy and quick. It's no coincidence that I've been described as a "slow thinker". At the time, I was a bit irked by the comment. It wasn't until much later that I realized that I regularly dive deep down the rabbit hole of second and third order consequences. Oh joy.

So, am I a prepper? No, not really. But I promise that I've gone through many simulations in my head and planned on contingencies. Is it worth the mental effort? Who knows.

If it eases my anxiety then I don't see much harm in doing the planning. What else can you do when the world runs out of toilet paper?

People are just the worst. Different views shouldn't put others at risk. This shouldn't be a difficult thing to understand. Conservative cultists don't seem to get humility - they are toxic masculinity en masse. Such a jaded world view full of distrust and ignorance. They often feel no need to censor themselves in unknown company - either because of arrogance or blindness. No appreciation for irony or self reflection.

In pandemics, people die. Actions for the "greater good" don't need to be viewed as suspect. Don't be an asshole.

And speaking of assholes. What do you do with a coworker who openly shares his belief that the current pandemic is really just a hoax? That it's simply much ado about nothing.

I bite my lip, shake my head and imagine a Zoom feature that allows me to put a foot in his ass.