A Creative Mess

If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.

Virginian American academic and politician, 4th President of the United States, James Madison, was born on this day in 1751. (d. 1836)

Fighting a foreign enemy? Or maybe a foreign virus?

Your mileage may vary. But it seems to me that every time I read them, I discover more wisdom from the founding fathers.

And no, I’ve not yet made it all the way through my copies of The Federalist Papers. But they are on my desk.

Styles and trends change. Principles and truths do not.

There I said it.

It’s Wednesday and currently 5:22 as I’m typing this out. I normally have these posts finished the night

Mugshots

before. But last night I went to bed knowing that I had nothing ready for today. The reasons aren’t important. I set my alarm for an hour early.

All for your benefit. Well, mostly for my being stubborn enough to make sure there’s at least something here every day.

Before I drifted off to sleep I was listening to one of my favorite gospel stations on Pandora. I love being able to set the timer so that when I wake up during the middle of the night (which I still do multiple times), I realize that I probably got through one or two songs before drifting off to sleep.

One of the songs last night made me think about traditions. Traditions from my childhood church and experiences. I actuallys sat up and typed a few notes into the phone thinking that was today’s blog post.

It was not.

It may, however, be a good basis for this Friday’s short story. Stay tuned.

As I was reading through my morning email before getting to this post, ?I read Austin Kleon’s message for today. Today is the tenth anniversary of his book Steal Like An Artist.

I’d post an affiliate link to the book, but Amazon has apparently changed the rules and I’m not figuring them out at 5:30 a.m.

I found Kleon’s book last year. Now I’m following his newsletter and last week just finished Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad.

It’s good stuff. An easy read that I need to get back there.

I don’t know about you, but I need constant inspiration.

Maybe what I need is a constant kick in the fanny to keep going Keep working. Keep doing the creative stuff.

The 100 Day Project is helping with that from the artistic perspective. Doing the daily drawings gives me time to think.

Never mind that a lot of the time I’m thinking “why am I doing this again?”

It’s simple really, the plan is to always be creating.

Maya Angelou said “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”

It’s true. By reading Kleon and doing The 100 Day Project, I’ve come up with the idea for another book.

Another. Book.

Maybe my creative process involves having stacks of unfinished books sitting around.

In my defense, I’m finally organized enough to at least know where they all are in this mess of an office.

Being creative can be messy.

Sometimes it involves putting notes in your phone in the middle of the night.

Sometimes it involves setting the alarm an hour early.

I’m thinking today it’s going to involve a nap.

Maybe I’ll dream about some new creations.

American singer-songwriter and guitarist, Jerry Jeff Walker, was born on this day in 1942. (d. 2020)


THINGS YOU SHOULD READ

Lazy Mainstream Media Lied to Virginia
Kerry Dougherty
There was a time when any partially sober editor would have thrown those “All-133-School-Superintendents” stories back at reporters and ordered them to make a phone call to confirm that every single superintendent in Virginia was on board with the letter. Read More.

Tesla Raises Prices Across Lineup; Cheapest Model Is Now $46,990
Bloomberg
Tesla Inc. raised prices on all its vehicles after Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said costs were increasing at the companies he runs. Read More.

With The Session Over and Budget Delayed, Virginia Dems Sense Blood In The Water
Shaun Kenny in The Republican Standard
The reaction thus far has been purely that — a reaction against the left. Saying no and winning feels good for a moment, but the institutions grind ever forward, which is perhaps what the lake Whittaker Chambers realized when he said he had left the winning side for the losing side. Read More.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, others sound off as Democrats block parole board nominees: ‘This is shocking’
Fox News
“This political stunt effectively ended parole in Virginia, hurting potential parolees, victims, their families, and our criminal justice system. I am confident Governor Youngkin’s nominees would hold the Parole Board to a higher standard, execute their jobs with professionalism, and serve Virginians well. The political games over the parole board must stop.” Read More.

Senate Unanimously Passes Bill to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent
CNET
The Sunshine Protection Act still has to face a vote in the House, but if it’s eventually passed that would mean an end to changing the clocks twice a year — and a potential end to depressing early afternoon darkness during winter. Read More.

Hunter Biden, Joe Biden Included In Russia’s Sanction Package
Daily Caller
The sanctions prohibit several U.S. top officials from entering Russia, including former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and were taken as a “response measure” to U.S. sanctions on Russia. Read More.

BORN ON THIS DAY

1906 – Henny Youngman, English-American violinist and comedian (d. 1998)
1912 – Pat Nixon, First Lady of the United States (d. 1993)
1926 – Jerry Lewis, American actor and comedian (d. 2017)
1941 – Chuck Woolery, American game show host and television personality
1949 – Erik Estrada, American actor
1949 – Victor Garber, Canadian actor and singer
1954 – Nancy Wilson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actress

WHAT I’M READING


 

BENEDICTION

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

 

Tuesday: Beware of Downtown

Julius Caesar was assassinated on this day in 44 BC.
The assassination of Julius Caesar, painted by William Holmes Sullivan, c. 1888 (Public Domain)

When you’ve got worries all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help I know
Downtown

Petula Clark
Lyrics by Hatch Anthony Peter

I’m sure Petula meant well, but I suspect she was never downtown on a Monday like I was yesterday.

After two years of exile, I went downtown. Oh, no. We’re not back on a regular basis. But I needed to do a substantial amount of printing, and my work laptop needed repairs.

The technician came in mid-morning to replace the screen on my laptop. Unfortunately, the “new” replacement was more badly damaged than mine. So, she reinstalled the old one and we’ll try this again.

Never mind that I’d already had a less than stellar weekend. Details aren’t necessary, but it was one of those

The Write Side Shop
(click the pic)

weekends when you say to yourself and your offspring, “Do not, under any circumstances, ask what else may happen.”

Not to worry. Nothing that happened was major. Just a lot of little stuff that kept adding up.

Like my missing the exit on the expressway which took me several minutes, and a good amount of gasoline, out of the way.

But I made it.

I spent the whole day in the office because I needed to drive north of town to pick up an offspring after work. It made no sense to drive home and make the whole trip again.

It was weird being in the office. As it has been every day that I’ve gone back during the pandemic. I think altogether that might be more than five, but less than ten days in two years.

Two. Years.

There was a time, during the riots and destruction of 2020, that I was literally afraid to drive downtown.

I’m a large, old, white man who drives a pickup. You do the math.

But all of that seems to be over for now and the only sign that it ever happened is the destruction on Monument Avenue.

I digress.

So anyway, the technician to repair and then unrepair my laptop, I gazed out the window a bit. I really do have one of the best views in the city. And even though I’ve adapted to the home office, sitting there with the view of the river just feels more worky.

But it’s still not the fun Petula was talking about.

It’s also far from normal. But is life ever really normal?

I am of a certain age when I am looking at retirement. I have a date in mind. No need to spell that out now. For one thing, it may change again.

By the time we actually finish teleworking, assuming we ever do, it’s possible that I will have spent more time in my home office than the amount of time I have before receiving that golden watch.

But wait, there’s more.

The technician was unable to repair my laptop because the new screen arrived broken. But she found she had another. But by the end of the day neither the new screen or the old screen would work and I got sent home with an external monitor which is only going to serve to take up the desk space I cleaned up this weekend.

In theory, the new part will be here Thursday. So, I’ll be back in the office.

I love you Petula. But sometimes downtown sucks.

Just ask Julius.


THINGS YOU SHOULD READ

‘This letter is a gross misrepresentation of what superintendents believe’: Gov. Youngkin
WJLA
7News is now learning the state’s 133 superintendents were not advised of the letter before it was sent to the Governor’s administration. Read More

70% Disapprove Of Biden’s Handling Of Gas Prices, Inflation: Poll
Daily Wire
On Sunday, a new poll from ABC News/Ipsos showed Americans blame Biden for just about everything. “On inflation, President Biden has a 70 percent disapproval rating, compared to 29 percent who approve. On gas prices, 70 percent also disapprove, while 28 percent approve,” ABC reported. Read More.

Ukraine war may lead to Middle East and Caucasus crises
The Washington Examiner
Unfortunately, what happens in Ukraine does not stay in Ukraine. Russia created the earthquake — the tsunami may now be about to strike. Read More.

Rand Paul Proposes Replacing ‘Dictator’ Fauci With Three Institutes
NewsMax
“We’ve learned a lot over the past two years, but one lesson in particular is that no one person should be deemed ‘dictator in chief.’ No one person should have unilateral authority to make decisions for millions of Americans.” Read More.

Sea Creatures Looking Forward To Wearing Discarded Masks For Next Few Million Years
The Babylon Bee
“While the billions of masks being dumped into the Earth’s oceans will prove to be one of the worst ecological disasters in human history, this calamity has been offset by the reassurance that liberals could constantly wear masks in public and private and virtue signal that they were good people.” said the paper’s lead author, Dr. Eugene Daughterson, Ph.D.  Read More.

BORN ON THIS DAY

270 – Saint Nicholas, Greek bishop and saint (d. 343)
1767 – Andrew Jackson, American general, judge, and politician, 7th President of the United States (d. 1845)
1933 – Ruth Bader Ginsburg, American lawyer and judge (d. 2020)
1935 – Jimmy Swaggart, American pastor and television host

 

 

 

WHAT I’M READING


 

BENEDICTION

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26