Ashland, southern Oregon — Saturday, May 2, 2026.
Clouds rule our valley this morning. It’s an almost unbroken sea of white and gray but thin enough to let sporadic sunshine sneak in and out. 59 F now, we’re anticipating a high of 77 today. Again.
Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! has recommenced. After Trump successfully grifted Republicans in Congress into believing that Trump’s Iran War is over, Trump has turned his sights to Cuba.
To recap:
- Eastern Pacific/Caribbean – killed 181 to 186 people while destroying 40 ‘drug boats’
- Venezuela: abducted the nation’s president and first lady
- Greenland: threatened to take it in the name of peace
- Iran bombed it twice
- October 2025, to ‘obliterate’ its nuclear capability
- February 2025 to now, because of its nuclear threat
- Now — CUBA!
Donald Trump says US will take over Cuba ‘almost immediately’
Yet, the Epstein files remain unreleased.
Trump’s approval ratings are dropping, and his disapproval ratings are falling.
High food, gas, and oil prices challenge US shoppers.
It’s all so Trump. He can’t solve problems, only create them, then lie about what they are, and insist that only he can fix it.
Your Trump Quote of the Day:
“Mark my words.”
Yes, we marked your words, Trump.
“In a February 2016 interview with MSNBC, Trump said the wall would go “probably 35 or 40 feet up.” The height reduction was short-lived, however. Later in the same interview he said “And I heard [Mexican President Vicente Fox] said that we will not pay. Guess what? The wall just got higher.” At rallies in early 2016, Trump repeatedly said the wall gained 10 feet everytime Mexico rejected paying for it.
“At the Republican presidential debate in March he reverted to his earlier claim that “the wall’s 50 feet high.” Later that month at a MSNBC town hall he stated the wall would be “a good 35 feet. It’s getting higher all the time” and reiterated Mexico “will pay in one form or another.” At the same town hall the price of the wall jumped to $10 billion.”
Repeat after me: you can’t believe anything that Trump claims.
Now tell me, who is going to pay for the ballroom? And how much will it cost?
Today’s theme music came as I went about lazily doing things this morning. Papi had been fed and was outside, washing, being a cat. I was lost in thought about a dream and realized, damn, time! So I told myself, “Get it together. Let’s go. Move.”
Hearing that, The Neurons hooked up with a U2 song, and delivered it to my morning mental music stream: “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of”.
Sample Lyrics
You’ve got to get yourself together
You’ve got stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it
The song came out in 2001 — before 9/11. Yet it feels like a perfect summary of our political situation in the US since then, with war, Trump, the Great Recession, etc.
It feels like a moment we’re stuck in, and can’t get out.
I hope the end of today finds you better off than the start of the day, and that you can stack good days upon good days.
Cheers
Michael Seidel, writer 
I can’t tell you how many times I have wished I could just “turn off” the news/crap about Trump and simply focus on my own little part of the world. Some people (like my other-half) are able to do this –and I envy them for it– but so far, I haven’t been able to follow though. Perhaps if I discontinued the various emails that I subscribe to? Perhaps if I would quit looking at “Google News”? I don’t watch TV news, so that’s a plus.
I tend to think part of my problem is that I don’t have any other interests. Kids are grown, grandkids live in other states, I can only read a book for 30-60 minutes at a time, gave up knitting years ago … the computer is pretty much my sole activity. And any “games” only hold my interest for a limited time.
So … what to do? What to do? Go live in a cave???
(Sorry to unload … but your listing of “his” activities triggered my frustration. Not your fault.)
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No apologizes for the unloading, please. Hearing your complaints help me quantify and understand myself and my choices. We have very similar circumstances. I don’t want to be too broad because my needs and desires change by the day but I generally seek more information. I try to remember what was said, what has happened, and then gain updates and clarification.
Part of my listing was to remind people and trigger them, though. I don’t want them forgotten; this is WHO HE is. Your frustration and venting is exactly what I hope to trigger.
Really, then, when you unloaded, I felt justified and vindicated. My writing did as intended, and I confirmed again, I am not alone.
Hope your day gets better. Cheers, my friend
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