Charlie is my darling.

  We have to drive to Memphis this evening. Little Brother's coming for a visit and we have to get him at the airport. His plane lands at 10:30 p.m. local time, so this is as good an excuse as any to get this done.

 I haven't seen him since the Thanksgiving before this whole COVID thing started. He and his wife live out in Oregon and they don't get out here much. I don't blame them. He's had this trip planned and booked since before the whole Delta surge started in on us, and by the time things go out of hand, it was too late to get a refund.

 He's had the shot and Oregon has put more effort into not letting the jackasses run things. Hell, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the head of the State Department of Health, is getting threats and people are claiming his getting kickback from the World Bank. So I'm more worried that he might pick up something here, even being on the airplane is safe than just walking around Mississippi.

 So there's that there then. It'll at least give Momma someone else to fuss over for a couple of days. He's got me a hook-up in the works, too, so that's nice. I'll say it again, I don't understand how or, more importantly, why people do this on purpose.

 Anyhow. I'll probably save it for tomorrow's News but according to the White House, over 70,000 people have been airlifted from Afghanistan. The goal is to be over and done with by the end of the month and they say that looks to be doable. It's still unknown just how many people, Afghans and Americans, are in-country, but for the most part, it seems to be going fairly smoothly. The Taliban isn't making too much of a fuss about things but they seem to have noticed a "brain drain" going on, and I don't know what they expected. It's not like they're known for fostering freedom of thought.

From all I can tell, the evacuation is going as the White House claims. This is from both national and foreign news sources, but everyone agrees that folks are getting out if they want. It's pissing off the GOP and Trumpists, but fuck them, they're scum anyway. I still find it laughable that all this is dropped on Biden's lap after 20 years and that anyone truly thought it would go off in some fashioned other than harried. I also find it laughable that either the press or the average American wants people to believe they've given Afghanistan a second thought in 15 years, particularly conservatives.

 Charlie Watts died today. He was 80. Tom T. Hall died this past Friday. He was 85. Venerable years, especially in the music business. I haven't heard what the Stones are going to do but I really can't see how they go on as the Rolling Stones without him. Bill Wyman quitting took a chunk out of them and there's no shame in calling it a day after spending nearly 60 years as The World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band.

 That's good enough for now, I think. Nothing earth-shaking but it's nice to be able to put something down without having to pull teeth. If something interesting happens between here and Memphis, perhaps I'll come back.