Category: humor

Sunday’s Theme Music — Caring

Ashland, southern Oregon — Sunday, October 25, 2026.

A dull sky hangs on as the sun struggles with heating and lighting, product of the Earth’s tilt and annual trip around the sun. 56 F now, it doesn’t feel that warm. Most of the trees are losing their leaves in my area. The leaves which remain glow gold against the overcast sky.

We attended a party for a friend’s 90th birthday. Her sister came up from California and hosted the party. They rented a large house in the country where all the family members stayed. Very good time by all. The woman, Anne, seemed like she was about 74 years old instead of 90.

On the negative side of the daily ledger, two friends tested positive for COVID. He suffers from Parkinsons and broke his hip. After three pins were put in it to fix it, he’s convalescing in an assisted living facility until he’s able to get around on his own. She, his wife, tested positive after him. We believe he caught it form staff or a visitor, and she picked it up from him. Not a fun way for them to end October.

Your Trump Quote of the Day:

Just a reminder of Trump’s response to COVID-19 and the pandemic. Six years later, and COVID-19 is still here.

Over in politics, Trump is becoming more openly aggressive and partisan. Through DOJ, Donald Trump threatened to investigate Alaska’s election results if a Republican doesn’t win. Within a day, Donald Trump himself warned that he would probably not do anything to help South Carolina in his official capacities if a Republican doesn’t win there.

Bottom line for all this: Trump cares nothing about the law. Yes, already well established. Nor does he care about Americans, including MAGA and Republicans. That’s clear as well now, because he would obviously try to help Republicans and MAGA even if it’s not a Republican representing them. But with the same certainty that the sun is hot, DJ Trump cares nothing except himself. End of story.

As October ends, I fully anticipate an ‘October surprise’. What will Trump do? Declare another emergency? Launch another wave of ICE assaults on US cities and citizens?

Both of those possibilities are within his wheelhouse. Trump may also orchestrate another ‘assassination attempt’ on him in an attempt to garner some sympathy votes.

Just as likely, Donald Trump, who claims he’s a peace president, will attack another nation, or increase his attacks on Iran. I can imagine Trump warning that he’s going to go nuclear, too, just to distract everyone and get their attention. Because this is Donald Trump. He doesn’t care what happens to anyone except Donald Trump.

Sure. Trump is ‘unifying’ people by threatening states and lawsuits if they don’t vote his way.

I’ll keep saying it and writing it because there are still some out there who think that Donald Trump cares about them: Donald Trump cares about nobody except himself. Until everyone out there agrees, Trump cares for no one except himself, and states it out loud, I’ll keep repeating it.

In honor of Trump’s attitude, Les Neurons installed Phil Collins’ classic song about caring in my morning mental music stream. “I Don’t Care Anymore” in 1983. Some of the song’s lyrics beautifully reflect what I think when I hear Trump these days.

Sample Lyrics

I don’t care what you say
We never played by the same rules anyway

Of course, while I don’t care about Trump and his lies, I must care about what he does and how he damages our nation, and the world. It’s a matter of collective security and future wellbeing. I care that others have equal rights, freedom, and the vision of a functioning and healthy democracy. Closer to home, I share the anger and frustrations that my wife, sisters, and female friends express about women’s rights and protections being stripped away by Trump. I share, too, the anger that people feel that they’re expected to work at multiple jobs in order to just survive while Trump keeps handicapping them with his callousness, greed, hate, and stupidity. It’s just fucking wrong.

May you be surrounded by caring friends and family and enjoy a carefree day.

Cheers

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Saturday’s Theme Music — Gonna get wild

Ashland, southern Oregon — Saturday, October 24, 2026.

It’s a bright autumn day outside. Got cold last night, 32 F. Frost on the ground in places this AM. Up to 37 at this point. With high cirrus clouds, a bright blue sky, and sunshine slanting in from on high, a high of 68 F is projected.

As October closes, everyone is reminded to vote. My wife and I filled out our ballots and dropped them in the box on Wednesday. Oregon does all its voting ‘by mail’, although designation collection boxes are set in strategic locations. I used the one at the city library, beside the book drop off boxes.

Mom is angry. My sister, Gina, her POA is angry. It’s about spending, adult diapers, Mom’s sense of neglect, Gina’s resentment that Mom doesn’t appreciate her, etc. Mom’s birthday is next week. She texted Gina’s daughter that she’s looking for a lawyer. I should add, again. Mom looked for a lawyer a few previous times this year. I’ve stepped back from the fray. Gina dropped off diapers for Mom this morning but didn’t see Mom because Mom wasn’t in her room.

Like Mom, Trump is angry. Mom is also frustrated, and I think Trump is as well.

Trump has been bulldozing his way ahead, only stopping when absolutely forced to. It’s a struggle for the courts because Trump, as leader of the executive branch, is supposed to enforce the court’s findings. Declaring emergencies, diving for loopholes, Donald Trump speeds ahead on his reckless courses, challenging legal systems, lawyers, and opposition to stop him. As we’ve seen with SCOTUS rulings, the conservative Roberts Court remains ‘reluctant’ to rule against Trump until the damaging is clear and demonstrated. Trump counts on that.

Trump is also counting on distractions and whatever financial ‘dividends’ he can find to boost his standings. Trump’s WH announced a ‘rebalancing’ of the tariffs on goods from Canada. They’ll take effect on October 30.

Just like Trump’s deal to for Russian diesel, it’s another bit of too little, too late, as the impact won’t be felt until after the election.

It’s funny. Trump always insists that Americans don’t pay for tariffs. Yet, there he is, suspending tariffs on beef to help consumers (while hurting ranchers) and rebalancing tariffs on Canada to help Maine and the New England states. It’s like Trump may have been lying…

As Trump goes, so goes the GOP and many of their candidates. It’s laughable to hear the local Republican candidate, Brad Hicks, talk about “making things affordable again.” His solution is to cut regulations.

Yeah, cut regulations. That will do a lot to reduce the immediate costs of food, shelter, electricity, health insurance, healthcare, gas, oil, and diesel.

We have a fascinating local example about that. My wife belongs to the local Family Y. Her fees have gone up roughly 20% a year for the last ten years. This is supposed to be due to wage increases, renovations, etc. The larger note is that this is one of those things which keep increasing. BTW, people who work at the Y scoff at their pay and the increases they’ve seen.

Next month feels like it’s shaping up as a wild week. BCG washes end for me. Election day. Mom has several doctor appointments. I’m waiting to see what kind of surprises are handed out.

The Neurons responded with Quiet Riot in my morning mental music stream. They’re a pop metal band, I guess. The song du jour is “Cum on Feel the Noize”, a Slade song which Quiet Riot covered in 1983. Yet, when I hunted for a video to share, I stumbled over an Oasis cover and went with it.

The sample lyrics explain why it’s in my morning mental music stream.

Sample Lyrics

We’ll get wild, wild, wild
Wild, wild, wild

I expect it to get wild.

Hope, though, that your day is chill, free of wild swings, and rich with satisfying moments.

Cheers

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The Toes & Elephant Dream

I was at some kind of crowded business where I was – again – a young man.

Nobody familiar was with me at that point. A hectic atmosphere surrounded me as people rushed around, doing things.

I was rushing, too. I’d just sealed an envelope. I needed postage to mail it. I stepped up to the postage area as a young woman finished using it. Fumbling through what to do, I pressed buttons to get stamps. Streams of paper spewed out. I thought, are those stamps?

No, I saw, those were someone’s receipts. That woman was gone and I was in a hurry, and others were waiting, so I tossed those aside. Now – ah, I needed to weigh my letter. That done, the machine asked for payment. I pulled out a credit card and tapped it against the machine, amused that I’m using a credit card to pay for a stamp, but that was quickest and easiest

That done, I crossed the wooden floor past knots of people. My wife was sitting on the floor. Beside her was a young French woman I’d previously noticed. Short, she had curly short brown hair. I was barefoot, and so was the woman.

I spoke with them briefly, then went off to get something. Jumping up, the French woman offered to join me, which pleased and flattered me. We crossed the wooden floor again.

I spotted a small fuzzy creature crawling across the floor. Thinking it was a kitten, because I knew there was a clowder of kittens in the room, I picked it up.

It was a small pink elephant with gray ears and a gray belly. So small that it fit easily into my palm, it put up its trunk and released a squeaky trumpet. I talked to it, reassuring it that I didn’t mean it any harm, telling it, “I’m going to put you back to where you belong,” which was some kind of baskets with towels on the floor.

After doing that, the French woman pushed her toes up against my toes and gave me a flirty smile. Grinning, I told her, “You have beautiful toes.”

The dream ended.

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Wednesday’s Theme Music — Spider webs

Ashland, southern Oregon — Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

We’re in the grip of a cool but sunny autumn day. 69 F at this point, they’re telling us our temperatures will climb to 75 today.

Despite cloud layers, I do believe it’s possible. We never got out of the sixties yesterday despite a forecast for a high in the mid 70s.

I had a blizzard of texts and phone calls this morning. Mom was responsible for eight of them. I spoke with her on the phone for 30 minutes. She wanted to vent about her situation at the nursing home, how other residents have family visiting her. Mom also complained about my sister, Gina, and her frustration with getting various supplies. A lot of it was just having an outlet, I think. I talked her down a bit, but it won’t last long. Frustrated, bitter, angry, lonely, she needs to spill it with someone.

I have “Spiderwebs” by No Doubt in my morning mental music stream again today. It started with thoughts about the web of phone calls, texts — and relationships.

Then there was the Vee incident.

This is Vee.

Vee is a friendly little feline visitor. In this photo, she’s sitting on our bathroom sink. She comes every day and often sleeps in our backyard. Despite this, we sincerely believe she has people. I think she lives in the nearby apartment building but has people who work and/or go to school. Vee usually shows about 9 AM and hangs around until about 8 PM. Some days, she shows later. Other days, she doesn’t show at all.

Vee is short for Visitor and is but one of her names. My wife observed that with those eye markings, Vee could also be called Cleo, short for Cleopatra. I also call her Bandit and Mooch. With her sweet nature, she responds to all of it.

The other day, though, Vee was visiting in our home office where my wife was busy on her laptop. My wife witnessed Vee watch a spider dash across the floor. We have a strict no-kill policy, so spiders aren’t unusual.

Well, Vee’s tail dropped and she took off. Later that day, she refused to re-enter the office. That went on for several days. She finally crept in, looking all around for signs of a spider. We figure she must have had some nasty spider episode that shaped her behavior.

Secondly, adding to my spider web thinking, is politically. We’re in a web of hate, corruption, and grift with Trump. Every day we hear Trump spinning more lies. Trump gets completely tangled up in them but lies about what he said, bullying and threatening anyone who reminded him of what he said.

With that stack in my head, “Spiderwebs” was put in the morning mental music stream.

Hope your day goes without any shitstorms and you eat well, sleep well, and live well in peace and joy.

Cheers

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Trump – Rolling Out the Oldies

Donald Trump is desperate. The signs continue to accumulate. Assistance programs, bribes, and ‘dividends’ spring out of Trump’s mouth on a daily basis.

Then, though, came a Donald Trump Golden Oldie:

Donald Trump made this announcement yesterday, October 20, 2026, at a rally in Texas.

OMG, how I laughed when I read that. Who believes it at this point? I easily found an article that pointed out that during Trump’s first administration, Trump made 32 announcements along the same lines. None of his announcements about a healthcare program advanced beyond Trump’s claim that it was coming.

Well, I imagine that Trump will trot out some of his other promises now. Like, “No new wars!” Or, “I will end the Ukraine war.”

Perhaps Trump will roll out his ever-popular MAGA chant, “Lock her up!”

Or he’ll boast — again — about ending the national debt, which is climbing fast on his watch, or lower prescription drugs by “thousands of percent.”

Trump is already on again about Somalis.

Trump, 80, says Minnesota now has fewer lakes thanks to Somalis

And in that speech, of course, he deprecated Somalis without quoting any facts, just feeding hate and anger.

Then Trump went off in another text rant.

Trump, 80, Unravels in Bizarre Typo-Riddled 1:37 A.M. Rant

This one had him claiming that he, Donald Trump, MANDATED that data centers must blah blah blah. He claimed a power he didn’t have with no plans to enforce it — unless, probably, those companies are willing to pay him a ‘dividend’.

The WTF has gone on for so long, the WTF Meter broke. But expect more, because Trump is spinning with desperation. Donald Trump’s blizzard of bullshit is going to intensify.

Please. Vote Blue in 2026.

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Tuesday’s Theme Music — These Days

Ashland, southern Oregon — Tuesday, October 20, 2026.

Last night felt wintry cold outside. Today sits at 66 F under clouds mixing it up with sunshine. The clouds are a chaotic shapes in blues, gray, whites. We expect a high of 75 for this autumn day in the valley.

Mom launched a new barrage of texts and phone calls at me last night. I’d just returned from my third BCG wash and was feeling this one. My energy level was plundered and I was nauseous. Had some burning urinating, and many sudden urges to pee that ended with weak, short trickles. Nuts. Price to pay to get better, of course, and preferable to the alternative.

But that left me ill-prepared for Mom. Just wasn’t up to it. She was texting and calling again about how much pain she’s in and how mad she is with Gina, going into the details of why she’s mad at the only one of her daughters willing to help and visit. Mom finished with the now classic, “If none of the three daughters who live near me want to take me to the doctors, then I don’t want to go.”

Mom has employed that line so many times over the last year, it sincerely *cringe* reminds me of Donald Trump declaring, “We already won the war. I can end it any time I want.” The repetition dilutes their claims’ impact.

I sent Mom a text and basically excused myself from participating due to how I felt, but sent a text to my sisters as well.

And this is life, isn’t it? Sometimes you want sunny skies and get pouring rain. And I shouldn’t complain. It hasn’t rained much in my life. Many, many others have endured much, much, much worse.

Thinking about my childhood much frequently. I attribute it to a combination of Dad’s death last year, Mom’s declining health, my own health matters, along with my wife’s, but also, to history.

Back in my youth, we lived under the threat of nuclear war with China (PRC) and the USSR (Soviet Union, Warsaw Pact). Then the Berlin wall fell. We were supposed to enjoy a peace dividend. That never really came. Much of our foreign policy approaches didn’t change much. Russia replaced the USSR as a major threat and the PRC was still out there.

Now we find Donald Trump aiding Russia. Trump is shaping foreign policy based on his polling woes and fears that he’ll lose the upcoming elections.

Meanwhile, in our schools, children are shot and killed. Few do much about it except dissect what happened and put a spotlight on the killer, victims, and heroes. Then we move on to the next crisis du jour.

With Donald Trump orchestrating matters, there’s always a crisis. His solutions are often short-sighted. They frequently focus on symptoms. They rarely correlate to facts, truth, and history.

These are the days in which we now live.

With all that churning my thinking, The Neurons responded with a Queen song. “These Are the Days of Our Lives” was released in 1991, one of the last songs Freddie Mercury sang with the group before his death.

Searching for a suitable video today, I came up with one featuring Queen with George Michael and Lisa Stansfield.

Sample Lyrics

Sometimes I get to feeling
I was back in the old days long ago
When we were kids, when we were young
Things seemed so perfect, you know?

The days were endless, we were crazy, we were young
The sun was always shining, we just lived for fun

Sometimes it seems like lately
I just don’t know
The rest of my life’s been just a show

I hope the weather accommodates your mood, and your spirit carries you to happy times.

Cheers

3

Predictable Trump

A few predictable stories about Donald Trump and his health and desperation rose through the political news.

One was the story about Trump wandering away. He was supposed to be getting into the Beast. Instead, he passed the open doors and drifted to the limo’s front, vaguely drifting from security. Realizing he was drifting, SS rushed to protect him and herd him back.

Were this President Biden doing that on video in 2024, Trump, 80 — or a surrogate — would have been on X and Trump’s texting app, screaming, “Sleepy Joe Biden” in all caps, piling on to the episode to show that Joe Biden is unfit.

With Trump doing it, there’s mostly crickets.

To no surprise but with the usual Donald Trump fanfare, Trump announced a new program to bribe voters.

Trump announces $8 billion in diesel relief for US farmers

Honestly, this is like those stories about someone starting a fire, showing up to put it out, and then wanting recognition for being a hero.

Without Trump’s support of Russia, enabling Russia to attack Ukraine, and Trump’s war in Iran, diesel fuel prices would be much, much lower.

Republicans, however, are heaping praise on Trump for the move — as expected.

Of course, with extended droughts affecting land, water levels, and cattle herd sizes, this bailout temporarily mitigates the problem. The Super El Niño is coming. We’ll see how much Trump’s policies helped after it’s finished.

Trump Appointees Asked a Federal Cybersecurity Agency to Secretly Acquire a Voting Machine — and Hack It

As with many of Donald Trump’s unhinged directives, it was based on flawed reasoning. More importantly, several people involved with the effort thought that Trump’s people were trying to find ways to skew results or declare them wrong and then show receipts how that would be possible, even if it didn’t happen.

Then we ended up with more Operation Epic LOOK — SQUIRREL! distractions.

Again, it was about the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Trump took a functional and beautiful historic monument and trashed it. Now he’s raving on about how wrong his US Attorney’s Office is and shoot a scattergun of threats about vandals. Again.

I must say, all this Trumpmania drives me nuts. Please Vote Blue in the 2026 midterms. Help preserve what little sanity remains in me.

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