And I'm in the middle of it all.

 I've been struck by laziness today. That's it, that's the whole statement. Anyhow, this week's News. Frankly, it's been another easy week on that front. Monday and Wednesday were ruminations on Joe Biden's inauguration and what, if anything, the Trumpist dead-enders were going to do. Luckily, I suppose, they wound up doing much of nothing, not in Washington and not across the country.

 Friday we got on with things and looked into why this whole filibuster business is such a big deal. I hope I got it all right because, honestly, it all seems more complicated than it needs to be. That's Washington, D.C., I suppose. I'll say it again, I see this the same way I see the Electoral College. I don't have strong feelings one way or another but I'm not hearing a good argument for keeping it.

 For whatever it's worth, I figure the EC will last longer than the filibuster. The former would be a booger to get rid of, despite what people seem to think. Again, the last four to six years have proven to me how little most folks understand how elections and politics work, much less the actual to and fro of government. I'm guessing it's because they really haven't paid attention at all is why they seem to think things happen instantly with the wave of whoever's hand. It's getting tiresome and I ain't going to lie about it.

 So much for all of that. While it may not be as knee-slappingly hilarious while at the same time pants-wetting terrifying as the Trump Era, it's obvious there's a market for explaining to the Great Washed how shit actually works. Since I'm good at that, golden.

 I've been reading a pretty interesting biography of Hank Williams by Colin Escott with William MacEwan and George Merritt. I'm not familiar with the other two, but I've long been an admirer of Escott's music journalism. Anyhow, Hank Williams was a rotten bastard in addition to being the first Avatar of Country Music. It's sort of understandable, given his youth and the situation he came up with. He had spina bifida occulta which means he had serious back pain his whole life. I know what that's like, and my back's got nothing that seriously wrong with it.

 Apparently, he became a full-blown alcoholic at a very early age, and I know what that's like, too. Living with one, anyway, and that explains how much shit the people around had to put up with when he got on a bender. It's also an interesting insight into the world of country music, circa the 1940s and '50s. Eddy Arnold was bigger than Hank by the end of the '50s, for example, and the music was already moving towards that pop-friendly crooner style people seem to think only happens sporadically.

 It's also interesting how one song - in this case, "Lovesick Blues" - can turn a fanbase on to the extent that he's considered, well, the first Avatar of Country Music. Still and all, I love Hank's music and he's one of the few performers I can think of where everything he put on wax is killer bee. It's that intangible element, his way of singing with pure emotion so that you know he's been reading your mail, that made him so great and makes his songs still among the best pop music ever created.

 I don't know what else. Been messing with the Ultima series a lot, particularly the Lazarus remake and U6 Project. Ultima V was hard enough, but it's damn near impossible on the Dungeon Siege engine. I will say IX isn't as wretched as its reputation. It's not a great game, sure, but it's a perfectly acceptable late '90s third-person CRPG. It does wreak havoc with continuity but I hate to break it to you, Ultima's always played fast-and-loose with its own history. Again, assume it's a Many-World Interpretation deal and it's all good.

 In any event, according to Ultima Online, that's pretty much the situation. The smashing of Mondain's gem and all that. I say it means you can do with it and since EA owns it, fuck them, they're bastards. I've been piddling with the Ultima world. It's still a lack of ability to wrestle out a narrative. Worldbuilding is easy, telling a good story is a booger.

 Anyhow. It's 11:30 so I might as well post this and get on with the evening. Hopefully, I can shake off this muddy-brained mood I've been in. I know what the problem is. It's a lack of stimulation. How to fix that without being social or getting stoned, I don't know.

Wave that flag, hoss, wave it high. Do you know what it means? Do you know why?

 It was cold, grey, and rainy today, so I shut down and decided to ignore it. So I did. And, of course, not only did I pay attention such days make my brain a bit mushy. With that in mind, we'll just fiddle around until we hit word count.

 I did have something bubbling under but I don't think I should waste it here. It's fairly universal, though, so it won't hurt to sit on it. In short, there's a reason knowing how American politics actually useful and just hoping for a savior never, ever works. Getting stuff done actually takes a lot of work. In short, it's outlined on Twitter here.

 This is why I have such frustration with the American left. That is politics to the left of, say, Joe Biden but would be relatively moderate elsewhere. Instead of understanding what it will take to actually get stuff done - mainly, time and effort - they seem content to piss and whine that they're not given the keys to the kingdom based on their moral superiority alone. It's not all that different from the current temper tantrum thrown by Trumpists, actually, infuriated that the People would have the gall to think someone else should be president rather than Father Trump.

 Speaking of which, by this time tomorrow evening - hopefully as you're reading The News of that day - Donald Trump will no longer be president. He will be on his way to doing whatever the hell he does for the rest of his wretched existence. I personally don't care if he's held accountable for his actions. This is, after all, America and we do not hold the rich and powerful accountable for shit. I just never want to hear his opinion on anything ever again. It's embarrassing we had to for so long.

 Granted, I'm sure we're looking at at least four years of the sour losers whining that they didn't get their way and, no doubt, a certain amount of petulant violence from clowns who don't get the president isn't and can't be a king. Fuck 'em. The Klan once held outsized pull in the country, not just the South. Now they're considered a national shame and participants are considered worse for having even the briefest association with them. It'll be like that for MAGAs one day, hopefully, and sooner than later.

 Moving on. I've been digging back into the Ultima games, particularly the ones I haven't played (IX and the Underworld games) as well as the mods for the Dungeon Siege games. They turn the original into updated versions of V and VI. They're pretty neat if goddamn hard. Of course, V was pretty hard all on its own, but this is something else. At the same time, the mods expand the stories of both. For example, in VI the war with the gargoyles was sort of a background thing. In the mod, it's an ongoing thing you have to deal with along with everything else. At least at the beginning, anyway. They're a little on the buggy side but a hoot for long-time fans. Here are the links, Ultima V: Lazarus and The Ultima VI Project.

 Granted, that's fairly niche even though there's a strong community that still reveres the games. I never got into Ultima Online because I refuse to keep paying for a game after I bought it once. There's a spiritual sequel called Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues, but I haven't been able to get into that, either. It's a MMPORG like Elder Scrolls Online, and those things just don't move me. For one, two dozen random yay-hoos with ridiculous names all jumping around trying to do the same quest as you are takes me out of the game. I'm not one for "emersion" but I do prefer my games self-contained.

 Okay, that's good enough for now. We'll see how tomorrow goes tomorrow. I'm sure it'll be interesting.