Thursday, September 19, 2019

 You know, getting these things started may be the most head-cracking thing about this. Particularly when you're life is as dull as mine & that's consider a positive. In any event, let's jump into it.



 Went to see the Main Doctor today. Got the green light on everything, so that's good. The periodontal disease explained some of the high white blood count that's been a curio lately. He gave me something to shoot up my nose to maybe deal with this never-ending congestion (also so I can utilize the CPAP to its full extent). Didn't get much of a reaction on the higher blood pressure occurrences.

 I don't know how to explain that except that was the best I felt before I found out I had hypertension, just a general muddy feeling & a constant light headache. Between Daddy's death & the stay in the hospital, it was good as I'd feel on any given day with the worse being, well... much worse. Getting middle aged sucks, man.

 Don't know what to think of my primary care condition. Once in a while the visit seems productive, but most times - like today - I get the impression I'm sort of wasting his time & he has people in much worse shape to get to. Which he in all likelihood does, being as this is Northeast Mississippi & they don't do "healthy" here. Still, I don't get the same positive vibe as I get from the Psych Doc or even the registered nurse I saw in New Orleans. Once again, this sort of makes sense, given that there's a medical school in NOLA & Mississippi barely gives a shit about its people.

 It was a pleasant enough drive to & from Tupelo. There's a blues-rock show going on on at Fairpark tonight, with one former North Mississippi All Star & one blues-rock jam band. I can go the rest of my without seeing another band that does "Allman Brothers-style jams", particularly one that has no Allman brothers involved. As for the other guy, Duwayne Burnside, more power to him but the "north Mississippi Delta blues" never grabbed me. That "hypnotic two-chord drone groove" beat doesn't work for me as well as the Chicago West Side stuff. That's just me, though.

 Anyhow, let's get on with the news. Completely when I wasn't paying attention, Houston is getting dumped on by Tropical Storm Imelda. Though it's not a full-on hurricane, it's being described as "worse than Harvey" by residents, particularly given the massive amount of flooding going on. I really feel for that town, especially since so many people who couldn't stay in New Orleans after Katrina relocated to Houston.

 When I find some places to donate to, I'll post 'em. Amusingly enough, mega-church pastor Joel "Gums" Osteen opened the doors of his ridiculously goddamn giant church to residents fleeing the floods caused by Imelda. Recall back to Harvey in 2017, Osteen caught all kinds of shit for keeping the doors of Lockwood Church closed until everyone told him what a hypocritical douchebag he was being.

 North Carolina's been a weird place. First off, we got this: Granville County Sheriff Brindell Wilkins was charged earlier in the week for trying to get a deputy bumped off. The reason? The deputy had had in his possession a tape with the sheriff using "racially offensive language". So the sheriff tried to get the deputy whacked & would use his position as chief law officer of the county to keep the cops off the hitman's back. Maybe I need to give Jim Johnson & Cecil Cantrill apologies.

 This one is a bit thorny. Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Education, the government is telling University of North Carolina & Duke University they've got until Monday to send a "revised schedule of activities" & described how the universities' programs for Consortium for Middle East Studies or lose government grants. Taking off time from pulling the legs off kittens, Betsy DeVos' department is saying the program spends too little time focusing on language & focusing too much on "the positive aspects of Islam", & that's bad.

 Of course, the government says their inquiry has nothing to do with program having a "pro-Islam bias" but their mostly concerned with - & I cannot make this up - "diversity" in teaching. This is all spurned on by North Carolina Rep. George Holding "expressing concerns" that the college was holding a conference with "severe anti-Israel bias & anti-Semitic rhetoric".

 Now. You might want to give either this administration, Betsy "Cruella" Devos, or Southern Republicans the benefit of the doubt. I am not. This needs attention, but when Republicans complain about anything anti-Jewish, it's due to a lack of sucking up. A little anti-Muslim bigotry on top is just icing on the cake.

 Speaking of this administration being full of shit, Trump got a federal judge to half a California law that would force the sleazy bastard to release his tax returns to qualify for ballot. Again, this may be what he calls "presidential harassment", but fuck him. He doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt, particularly on this topic. The White House is also trying to revoke California's ability to regulate emissions in the state & he's just being a shitass about the homeless problems, specifically in San Francisco. No one believes Republicans in general & Trump in particular gives two shits about the homeless or even the quality of life in San Francisco.

 I spent a couple days in California, driving from the Oregon state line to Frisco then west to Baker, Barstow & eventually Las Vegas. I'd love to go back to San Francisco & didn't think it was any nastier than any urban area, large or small. Plus, Northern California, around Mendocino & the wine country, is beautiful. Again, if you think Trump or the GOP really gives a damn beyond just screwing with a state that he won't carry in 2020, you are liable to believe anything that joker says.

 Let's rap this up. Here's a good piece by Parker Malloy on the nonsense Dennis Prager & his "University" peddles & YouTube seems to think everyone needs to know. It's entire possible Trump's general ignorance will get us in a "war" with Iran on Saudi Arabia's behalf. "Locked & loaded" from a country that's been bogged down & fumble fingered with Afghanistan for the past 18 years, sure.

 And that's enough, I think. Got a little more into Pathfinder: Kingmaker & wound up staying too late last night. Probably do the same tonight. It's a pretty good game. Long haul, though.