I am feeling annoyed and disgusted that the university that employees me (and awarded me two graduate degrees and a teaching award) adopted a new logo for sports without consulting faculty or staff - a fierce-looking Great Dane with cropped ears. I am so pissed that they are promoting barbaric animal cruelty. The old logo had cropped ears too - but the new look is more realistic and severe and vicious - and this was an opportunity to embrace humane cultural change! Most of Europe, the AVMA, and enlightened vets in the USA do not condone the practice, and even the old fashioned, elitist AKC no longer prevents natural dogs from being registered or participating in events. Sign a petition opposing the abusive logo.

I am also pissed about the idiots in other states, and the dopes in my own, who refuse to wear masks. The big social gatherings alarm me too. Jerks. I have always known a large number of people celebrate ignorance and resent smart people. Unfortunately it is so in-my-face right now. Idiocracy = accurate.

A long time since I have written here. Still drinking from the work fire hose of email with barely a moment to spare. New York is doing fine, slowly re-opening. However other states, the ones populated by a-holes with bad leaders are now surging. I have dark thoughts on this that I won't share right now. I am still afraid to eat inside a restaurant and do not plan to do so. On Tuesday I got a haircut after 4 months! When I taught toleration (I don't any more, which says a lot), this would have been an awesome source for discussion. I wish I was "important" enough to sign -- because it reflects my views exactly.

I finished grades in my classes. It is a big relief. It was the most difficult evaluation experience I have
ever had to do. Afterwards I made the mistake of reading evaluations in one of my classes. Very few
students bothered to do it, and the evaluations were fine overall, but one student who was motivated
enough to complete it wrote extremely mean comments. What drives some people to be cruel? And why do I let it bother me?

I am in grading hell this week - deadline is Sunday night. We were told many times to be flexible and empathetic to students (I always am - and don't need someone to tell me this), but apparently faculty don't deserve the same courtesy.

I saw on FB that Greyhound racing closing for good in Florida - HOORAY. Another good thing about the shutdown and new normal. I assume that means this season or year, not forever - wish it meant forever - but regardless good news. May they all find loving forever homes.

I don't know whether to believe the news about violence and unrest. Really? Does media just gin this stuff up? What about no shirt, no shoes, no service? Isn't that an infringement on rights? I think I was controlled more in the before time. I was a slave to my job. Others were a slave to materialism. I am more free now.

YAY. Semester is over. Now - all grades all the time, starting Monday.

In my last post, I focused on a man who called me a coward on social media - unprovoked. Today a
colleague was rude to me (in a private chat message) during a Zoom meeting. It was a coffee hour
meeting we are encouraged to attend. It is right before one of the classes I teach and I almost didn't go
because I had things to do, but decided I wanted to share something important if given the chance. I
really wrestled with sharing what I did - it wasn't easy to do, it was real and honest, and possibly
uncomfortable - but I was given the opportunity, so I did share. The private message I received was
beyond unkind and it made me realize why I usually avoid meetings, why I hesitate to contribute when I do attend, and why I am doing something I disdain - wishing for retirement. I guess the stress of the situation is getting to people, and I am an easy target. I shouldn't let it bother me - but it does. I
responded to him with "thanks, really appreciate being scolded by you. Why didn't you share your note with the whole group so everyone could bask in your kindness?" And he messaged back "I apologize." As if saying I'm sorry inoculates one from responsibility for being a jerk?

It's a beautiful day today and I feel pretty optimistic, but I made sure to comment on the journal I'm writing about something that bothered me yesterday. Here it is: "I am not sure whether this is related to the pandemic or restrictions in terms of my feelings, because I always obsess when someone is unkind or irrational, but I do believe the individual I am going to write about was being influenced by the "open it up" sentiment some have been expressing. Yesterday a man attacked me on Facebook for no reason. He called me a coward and said I do not deserve to be in office (I am a very low level practically a volunteer elected official). We were not engaged in a debate and I do not argue about politics or anything else on Facebook. He was mad about the postponed elections and commented on the reminder I posted about it on my public group. When I asked him who he was addressing (as a coward), the governor or BOE, he said me! Then proceeded to spin out of control. I have heard he isn't a nice person, he's an abusive philanderer and a drunk, but I have no clue why I would be a target. If I was a young man rather than a middle aged / oldish woman, I would beat him up for calling me that name!"

My next post from Cornell study: I wrote this yesterday but was using a tablet and think it did not save. I am upset that people are pushing to re-open. Not that I am unsympathetic to business and unemployment, but I'm scared people will be careless, not social distance, and we will have a spike in cases. People protesting! Really? Also ignorance on Facebook - blaming the left or the right. Why are people so petty? I thought we were all in this together.

I didn't write this as an entry (yet), but Facebook "friends" who take the appalling Darwinist view that the vulnerable should just die are held to the policy displayed in the cartoon below. It's better than a sleepless night, or a commenting argument. (Although I am so tempted to respond to their cold, hearless views by writing inspired by Scrooge ("are there no workhouses?," -- "wouldt you be offended if I took the similar position of asking why I should care about unemployed people with money problems? I have a good job. I have a cushion. I can work from home. Why didn't the struggling get a better education, find more secure jobs, and be smarter about saving money?") Of course I would never respond that way, it's just a fantasy.

On March 1 -- I meant to post that it was the 18th anniversary of this blog. I didn't, which is no surprise, given my infrequent posting in the past few years. The Village election was postponed (at this point, no new date set), which was also no surprise, because we are in the middle of a pandemic. It's excruciating - both the postponement (two opponents and my need to get going!) and the pandemic, which has changed everything. I'm OK, but this is a surreal time to say the least. I have wanted to journal, wondered what Elwyn wrote in 1918 (diary is not extant, or at least was not available for transcription). But, for whatever reason, I didn't write here or privately, then a few days ago, I joined this Cornell effort.

Here is my first post: At first my job felt like I was drinking from a fire hose, there were so many needs. Now it has settled into a boring routine, although about 1/4 of my students are struggling for one reason or another. I worry about my very elderly parents, I worry about my siblings and myself, since we are all (young-ish) seniors. I mourn having to skip all our loud, large family gathering, I don't like not being able to adopt a new cat after Teddy died (by now in normal times I think I would have). I can't stand the blame game, the finger pointing, all the political divisiveness. I notice many young (20s, 30s, 40s) people in the daily count of people who have tested positive. Are they essential workers I wonder, or selfish jers who are not staying home and social distancing? I am happy it has been cold, since I suspect warm temperatures would encourage people to go out & about rather than to social distance & stay home. Plus, I've discovered masks are pretty hot! I'm glad no one is flying and there is less driving, our environment needs the break. It alarms me on Facebook to see people discussing the rescheduling of travel plans -- really? Not only am I afraid to restart - to go out in public, I am too vulnerable - but hello! All this wasteful business and vacation flying helped to spread the virus (and BTW as I already mentioned, it damages the environment).I hope the pandemic changes us - makes us utilize technology instead of planes, causes us to work from home (The Greening of America was 40 years ago!!), be more flexible, more appreciative, less materialistic.

 

Inspired to make this by the Facebook group 518rainbowhunt

Today is Rosie's 8th Gotcha Day!!

In other news...the professor who has the room after me is a rude b*tch. OMG, talk about "micro-aggression." This is just plain aggression. She was so mean today. She's been mean to me before, but today she was mean to one of my students!

Although I would like to get another cat right away, Rosie is old, and we have to be mindful of what is best for her. I know something perfect will come along eventually.

A very sad time. Our Ted passed away suddenly on Sunday. He must have had a stroke in the night. He was nearly 15, the best cat ever. RIP sweet Teddy.

I reviewed the rosters for my spring semester classes and one of them has more students with unpronounceable first names than I've ever had in a class of 25. As someone with a name that is routinely misspelled and / or mispronounced, I completely "get" the need to be sensitive. It's common to have some students with unique or unfamiliar names in class, but this list isn't mostly international students, or simply parents choosing clever phonetic spelling or culturally inspired monikers. Something must have been going on twenty years ago. Maybe it was the impact of the millennium or hanging chads or 9/11. Really hoping several save me when I am stumbling over Jxldyrr and Zjnlee by suggesting I call them Jo and Zee.

Happy New Year! Didn't want to let January slide by without making a post. I've had several thoughts about things to write since my last post, but then never actually logged on and composed. The one that comes to mind right now: we watched two movies within the past few weeks. First, was Eat, Pray, Love. I can't believe we'd never seen it before. It is new to Netflix (I think) and it caught my attention in an email. It was entertaining (I guess) but also annoying. Why do we celebrate shallow things and act as if they are actually deep? The second is a fairly new movie, The Mule. Also entertaining, but seriously? Clint Eastwood is the star and yay to him still working, but why - even when a senior actress is cast in the role of his ex-wife - is there still a ridiculous gap in age - and she is the sickly, dying character?

Bob turned 60 a couple weeks ago. We always go to the movies for his birthday, because he likes going to a movie theatre. In the age of streaming I could skip it. Anyway, we couldn't make going to the theatre work for various reasons, so bought the Eastwood movie streaming on Amazon instead. I promised a rain check!

I'm not sure why it looks crooked. Doesn't appear that way IRL.
Here's a beautiful story, beautifully written.

Here's a beautiful piece of writing. And, I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately I don't think anyone is interested in toleration. That reminds me, I haven't taught it in a year, and probably will not be teaching that class again. I have not been annoyed by this change because it hadn't been fun to teach for a while. But I will be teaching ethics; that's a good thing.

Two steps forward, one step back. If animal abusers are permitted to walk free, get their animals back, or the shelters have to bear the cost...no words I can write here. I am so mad!

Now my university account is requiring a two-step log in. Seriously, the hacking situation must be at crisis level or something. The process wanted my cell number, and I thought, no way, even though that was the recommended choice. My cell is often not charged, and frequently is downstairs, far from my computer.

The past couple months, I have no luck logging into accounts I've paid electronically for years, I am forced to submit a forgotten password request, create a new password, verify the account, answer the security question - every time I log on. I don't even bother with trying to remember any more, because no matter whether ScReWuIhAtEdOiNgThIs7$ is correct, it never works. What is going on? Is hacking really this rampant? It's making mailing in paper checks seem efficient.

This is excruciating!! But I am glad to see another small Village was empowered enough to apply.

On Tuesday night, a house five houses away burned. It was a total loss. It was next door to a county-owned house (seized for taxes) that was condemned & unsafe, and that was demolished too. These two little row houses were similar to mine, which originally was in a row of 13 nearly identical houses built circa1900-1905 for factory workers, and now they have been torn down (three had already been lost when I moved here in 1987). It's so sad to lose old buildings, but a derelict structure that is too far gone to save is worse. It is the fault of bad owners, and a tax sale process that enables them.

I wrote in the DRI proposal that we only get publicity from fatal car crashes & sex offenders living in town, but apparently fires grab headlines too.

Imagine calling the police because you don't feel like being bothered with the public you represent! How dare someone FOIL! Sure the public can be obnoxious and loudmouthed and sometimes a little crazy but that's the job. It's truly amazing how entitled many elected officials become. It's shameful - but this story comes as no surprise to me.  I could say a whole lot more about background unrelated to this particular town, but still relevant -- but I won't.

Be bold! That's leadership.

I think he didn't mean to be offensive, but he should know better.  And - I still feel this way about the Times Union's obnoxious POV.

A rant. Everywhere on campus, the paper towels are being removed and replaced with air dryers. I am so pissed. Everyone knows those things suck filth from the floor and blow it on your hands. Also, how do you dry your face? Finally, I always use a paper towel between my hand and door knobs or elevator buttons. Guess what? I have not had a cold in ages, and I am already sick from this. I completely blame the University at Albany. (I hope there is a BOT scanning the web for mentions.)  I know the justification is being "green." OK -- my carbon footprint is quite likely less than anyone on this campus. My house is 900 square feet. I don't drive. The last time I flew in a plane was 1988. I am a vegetarian. I compost. I founded in 2017 and have organized Repair Cafe for the Village for over two years. Regardless, I call BS. The reason for the change is probably to cut janitorial staff. I WANT PAPER TOWELS IN THE BATHROOM.

We may get a frost tonight. I think I'll cover these beauties. They are right near the front door. I never have good luck with marigolds, but this year these yellow ones are fabulous.

F You SNL. If you ever had any relevance at all, it was lost 25 years ago. How about you keep your snarky snottiness in the NY metro area and stop riding the train or Thruway up here. #elitistaholes

A very sad week. It almost goes without saying that September 11 is a solemn day, but this year something else happened: Gary died on Sunday. Typing it is surreal. He had myelofibrosis for nearly  20 years, and it started getting worse about two years ago. In the spring it was decided that it was time for stem cell transplant, which he received on June 28. It engrafted, but he did not have enough healthy bone marrow for his numbers to go up. He received a booster on August 30, but developed pneumonia. Here is his obituary.

Classes start tomorrow! I am ready...I guess.

This is maddening. Heslep (1996) assets in The Moral Presuppositions of Multicultural Education that because of multicultural education’s limits on tolerance, some of its advocates have tried to restrict hate speech, politically incorrect speech, and other “linguistic modes of cultural disrespect.”

According to Heslep, cultural respect is a virtue in multicultural society. Cultural disrespect is a vice because it is the opposite of cultural respect. Disrespect is also bad because it is offensive to individual members of targeted cultures; being offensive, it also is antagonizing, thereby encouraging cultural discord, another vice for multicultural education.

He argues that the use of a linguistic sign of cultural disrespect might offend members of the involved cultural group regardless of the innocent intention of the user of the sign. Such is the case with youth - sometimes they absorb elements from popular culture and don't understand the context of the words they casually use.

Then, some cultural groups have language of cultural disrespect as one of their features. Teaching intolerance of the language of cultural disrespect might be self-defeating in that it might promote cultural disrespect. Outsiders may judge users of those linguistic signs as being offensive, when the insiders do not mean each other harm. Heslep writes that multiculturalists answer that such intolerance is simply a necessary socially therapeutic act. A multicultural society cannot exist in harmony if any of its cultural groups are inclined to speak ill of each other.

How to remedy? It is not enough for multicultural educators to instruct their students to be intolerant of linguistic signs of cultural disrespect, explains Heslep. We must learn discernment - how to determine what the user of a linguistic sign actually intends in using it. Both speaker and listener are important. It is one thing to be intolerant of ethnic jokes whose users intend to be culturally disrespectful in telling them; it is another to be intolerant of such jokes when their users do not mean to be culturally disrespectful. They may be innocent, or ignorant, or mean-spirited.

Heslep is being generous - two decades later we tend to believe that what the speaker said hardly matters. What the listener heard is what is important, and if someone feels uncomfortable, those sentiments are valid and should be respected.

Yes, Chris Cuomo overreacted and his language is not what I'd use, but there is no question that the guy who said Fredo to him intended it as an ethnic slur. And who cares whether wop means guappo or without papers? You're really going to cite Google? It is also intended as an ethnic insult, no matter its origin. Maybe Casey Seiller & Rex Smith have never been called an ethnic slur or been close to anyone who has been insulted. But they shouldn't have to be to understand they are defending a wrong and being insensitive.

BTW, I have never seen or read any of the Godfather, nor have I watched the Sopranos.Not sure why that would invalidate a point of view.

And for something completely unrelated that I haven't bothered writing about here this year (although I do address on Facebook, to the (I suspect) chagrin of a (small) group of so-called "friends:"): It is animal abuse season, that disgusting time of year when the Capital District media, including the TU, gushes about how glamorous horse racing is and ignorant, plastic people can't wait to go to Saratoga. >:-(

The best thing about summer!

Still lots of things I can't write about. Finished the show I wrote about in the last post. It got better as the season went on and had a strong finish. The actors were strong and that helped.

It is hard to write here, because I have so many things I cannot share! Then there are several I could share - but it's probably better if I don't. This is one of the advantages to the old, pre-tech, private journal model. Summer is rolling along. Lots of basil growing. Tomatoes aren't ripe yet. I don't want to go back to campus next month.

We've been watching a new Netflix series called "Tales of the City." It's actually the fourth season of a show from 1993. Every few years, they made another season with some of the same actors. They re-released Season 1, but did not release season 2 or 3. That is extremely annoying. My takeaway, Season 1 was WAY better than the latest season.

I have really, really, really big exciting news that has to be kept secret...extremely hard!

There is so much I could say about this article (besides that it is too long and repetitive, like most NYT pieces). I don't have time to address every point, but it strikes me as sour grapes. He's not satisfied with the millions he made and is jealous that the company is now worth even more. It also has a personal vendetta flavor. OK, I get it. You don't like the CEO. You're smarter, better, more attractive, nicer, more moral, more self-actualized, more deserving than he is, why is he so much more influential than you are? It's not fair. 

There are many outrageous assertions in this manifesto, but this one is scary: [there should be a new government agency to] "create guidelines for acceptable speech on social media." I cannot believe this dude is calling for censorship! He must be a conflict theorist - or at least on this issue. He wants "his" elites to control the "other" elites - those big, bad ones. His elites are more benevolent, and would take care of the little people (as long as they agree). He makes a lame effort to justify his attack on the First Amendment with the tired "you can't yell fire in a theatre" argument. What is he, in junior high school? 

I have a personal page with a news feed I carefully craft through hide, mute, un-follow. Us peons are perfectly capable of managing this ourselves, even if Chris Hughes is smarter, wittier, more clever, richer. I also administer three pages, one private and one public group. I am a member of several public and private groups too. I resent Chris Hughes having a loud, elite megaphone like the NYT. He drowns out other voices. I want him to shut up and stop advocating for government to tinker with my social media.

Yesterday I filled out the tax forms and mailed them at 5. I had done background work weeks ago, but did not bother finishing. Why, when we had to pay? The process is filling out the forms is awful, although at the Federal level, it is much simpler than it used to be. But to be clear: That does not make it better when you have to write a large check at the end, especially having paid thousands in payroll deductions. So I am more angry than ever before, and I've never liked tax time. I don't get into political debates with people, and don't plan to start now, but since this is a low traffic spot, will openly admit how much I cannot stand DJT and all his rude, idiotic comments. Not that I admire the dems, because I don't. DJT and all the rest of our so-called leaders make me want to puke. They are scum.

I have a little Timex clock on my desk on campus that I've had for over 20 years. Twice a year when I have to change it, the display cuts out for a few days. I used to think it needed a new battery, but now I know that it hates springing ahead as well. It will start working again after a while.

I absolutely hate springing ahead. It will take several weeks for me to feel normal again. I want my hour back - and I don't want to wait until November!!!!!! What idiots thought tinkering with time was a good idea?

March 1 passed with no post, but it was my 17th blogversay. I'm not inclined to do a review of this blog, as I did in some past years, but I wanted to note the milestone.

I have been seriously contemplating becoming vegan. I finally made the change to vegetarianism 40 months ago, and it has been easier and more rewarding than I imagined. I didn't want to be a "carb vegetarian" (surviving on pasta, sweets, bread) and I haven't. The challenge is eating out (which I love, but choices on most menus are limited). So I know veganism would be even more difficult in that regard.

It occurs to me that a reason I haven't been writing here much is because for the past four years, I've been keeping an off-line journal, as I did pre-Internet.

The first post of 2019. Will I post more than last year (30)? No idea, but since 2018 was my least active year since I started in 2002...how much lower could it go?

Something I've been thinking about: changing the novelette into first person. Would that make it better?

This year's tree

I think because we recently watched the entire nine seasons Waltons series, all three sequel movies, all three reunion movies, the pilot movie, and Spencer’s Mountain, I have been thinking about writing. And just now I started thinking about the novelette I wrote. I didn't read it again; maybe I will soon. But I was turning over in my mind what the redeeming quality or lesson would be. It's such a tragedy. I’d already identified her sense of humor, love for cats, and artistic talent as her best qualities. I asked myself the question, “was she a good friend?” I think she wasn't, and eventually I wasn't a good friend to her either. 

I tried to remember times when I would have called her a good friend. When we were kids, don't remember whether it was in high school when she lived with us, or if it was later, when I was in college and she was living there without me most of the time, she organized the secretary. I remember she left  notes to me in there after she straightened it up. I thought it was nice of her. I had one of my usual messes going on in the desk, and I wasn't annoyed, but I did think while nice, it maybe was an overstep. She tended to use cleaning as a way of showing affection, or as an apology, or perhaps she felt fearful and believed it would prevent something negative, like an argument or direct questions, the kind of stuff that was routine in her family. 

Much later, when I got my Master's Degree and invited everyone over for a party, she agreed to be here to meet the caterer. She went to my small graduation ceremony the day before at the downtown campus rather than the big one at the Knickerbocker Arena. Being here to meet the caterer was a very nice thing she did. But then it was ruined afterwards by her behavior once everyone was here. She pulled me outside in the yard and confided through tears that she felt trapped, like she was in a box. I was distracted, preoccupied by having all of my and Bob's families inside. I am reminded with this story of Anne's wedding eve nightmare. A similarity. She wanted to be the center of attention whenever I had something else important going on, I guess to validate my affection for her?

She shoplifted gifts for me when she worked in Woodstock. I'm not sure whether that was nice. I guess it was, in a screwed-up way. She gave me a favorite mug of mine. It says something about preferring to be sleeping. 

That's about all I can come up with under the heading “good friend.” Still a tragedy…

In the words of Burke, the founder of trustee representation - that I owe the village my enlightened conscience, and ought not to sacrifice it to you, to any man, or to any set of men living. Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.

The most astonishing thing has happened. Out of no where a nurse who cared for Donna contacted me. For three years, she'd been searching for the sisters or anyone who knew and had a relationship with Donna. She came across the high school yearbook photo in my Facebook album that was labeled with Donna's name. She was careful not to violate HIPAA, but she told me about the last months of Donna's life.

At one point she wrote:

"She finally became well enough for discharge and almost immediately went missing."

That sums up the last 25 years of her life. I feel as if I have received one of those phone calls I'd get every couple years & Donna is filling me in on what she has been doing. She never changed. To the end she was having adventures. And she managed to suck the nurse in and haunt her to this day.

It's primary day today!

First week back on campus! It's good to be back, but it signals the looming end of the growing season, and that makes me sad.

They are even more beautiful in person. The best hanging baskets to grace the front porch, ever. Golden Harvest Farms rocks! They must be the new variaet that doesn't need deadheading. And, they are not sterile! Small plants that are now blooming have sprung up in the little triangle patch of purslane and grass near the sidewalk below them.

I will be teaching toleration again this Fall, after taking a break from the class during the Spring semester. I'd taught it every Fall and Spring semester since 2005, so was glad to skip last Spring, but I think the class is important and I'm looking forward to teaching it again. I'm going to make it a blended class. I also plan to emphasize how much *I* find myself thinking of the theories and applying them in everyday life. For instance Domain Theory, which I referenced in this blog twice recently. Good examples of the two domains are students calling me by my first name without asking first or making assumptions about my marital status (Mrs., when my surname is my patronym) or level of education (Ms. rather than Dr.) -- these are violations of social convention; there are no intrinsic consequences from the action, but it is a rule that is socially agreed upon; and animal or child abuse -- breaches in the moral domain (where intrinsic harm is caused, regardless of the social norm).

I was reminded of toleration on Facebook recently; there is a meme image being shared that begins something like "I am not the tolerant left. I am the appalled left" and continues listing items. I didn't comment (I stay far away from controversy on FB) but the meme lingered on my mind. It's true that both the left and the right are not tolerant. It's the moderate who are tolerant. Tolerance takes compromise. Vogt's book was written over 20 years ago - and we are even more divided today.  

I have been to Howe Caverns once (20 years ago?) and while I'm glad I went, I remember feeling anxious -- with my clothes on. I had a scary experience in a cave 35 years ago. No desire at all to go there again, whether clothed or naked.

I could cite this as an example of questionable behavior leading to career success, but since I believe truth is always stronger in the end, I won't. She was one of two people in a pick-up truck who pulled up after Riverkeeper Sweep and hassled Bob. They represented themselves as Amtrak employees but would not give their names. We got their license plate number. After the train accident, she posted sensational and inaccurate stories on her TV-10-branded Facebook page. I believe they also aired on the news, but did not see the stories myself. By then I had already figured out that the guy in the truck was an Amtrak engineer. He and some of his associates had been giving me guff on the Village and Friends Facebook pages. Once the reporter's first story was posted on Facebook, I was able to ID her as the passenger in the truck. So I sent her a FB message protesting her stories and setting the record straight. Did she have the courtesy to answer? No. I considered reporting her behavior to TV-10, but decided against. I probably should have done so, but I know truth will be the victor in this case, too. A sort-of aside, a recent news story she posted on FB had a Saratoga horse racing theme. That crosses my moral domain (my prior cartoon post is also about the moral domain). The only acceptable story on the horse racing  topic is how cruel it is - not whether whichever horse is winning should come to Saratoga to break his or her leg. It reminded me, when I am done with public service and river access advocacy, back to other bucket list (a term I can't stand, LOL) items.

The days-long extreme heat waves and frigid cold snaps are a collective bonding experience for northerners.

Hot topics in social media administrator-land: Over on the Friends of Main Street page, there is lively (to the point of having to be watched) commentary about the proposed Amazon fulfillment center. At the Village page, on a post about even/odd parking for summer street sweeping, there is a polite hijack about excessive speeding on Village streets. Meanwhile the department's page is quiet, after receiving a hand-slap from the university's social media police. My co-administrator posted the verboten "SUNY Albany" (rather than "University at Albany" or "UAlbany") several times in a post.

This will be incredible, if it happens. I had heard rumors that amazon was the tenant. I view the opposition to the project as NIMBY at its worst. That area lost the battle to stay wilderness or farmland when the Berkshire Spur went in and then Route 9 became 5 lanes. Newsflash: Don't buy a house in a development anywhere and expect it to stay rural. I also believe philosophically that consumers should have to host necessary services they use in their communities -- where should it go, if not in areas where lots of people shop amazon? Should Amish farmland be used instead of the suburbs 15 miles from Albany?

I hope the suicide-themed warning posts are over on social media. Yesterday I even got an email from the university on the topic. Two famous people kill themselves and the web goes haywire? Don't misunderstand, I feel bad that they took this action, and I have always been concerned about the incidence of suicide, but I'm not sure whether the attention is helpful or harmful.

I think one of the reasons I don't write here as much as I'd like is because now that I'm an elected official, it would not be right to share specifics that might reveal who I am writing about. I've always had this restriction because I teach, but it is way worse now that I am a trustee. Hardly anyone reads this, but some do, and the risk is too great. Suffice to say, people can be extremely irritating.

Then there is another situation of a personal nature that has been going on for a few months now, and I can't write about that either! See the last sentence of the above paragraph.

Exciting Times

Yesterday, I read the most delightful thing Mimmie wrote - in 1972. What a treat. Have to type it up.

It's hard to believe it has been twenty-five years since she died. I wish I could have a cup of tea, piece of danish (heated up in the toaster oven, of course) and a visit with her, but my memories will have to do. Miss you, Mimmie! This year, I know Uncle Buddy is with you.

We had an election in the Village on Tuesday. Bob and I were running for our second terms. No one filed petitions to be on the ballot, so it was a big relief that it was an uncontested race. We didn't do a lot of campaigning as a result, although we did have 100 brochures printed and bought 100 buttons.

Then on Friday, we leaned that there was a secret write-in campaign for Mayor by the former mayor (whom Bob beat in 2016) going on. It's silly to think that a secret like that could be kept, and it wasn't. But the clock was ticking. The strategy was clearly low turn-out -- the only way he could win was if few people voted except his organized supporters, and it was a safe assumption that turn out would be low, as it always is in an uncontested year. I am not sure if he was aware the No Bob, No Gina - No Gina, No Bob policy was in force again (meaning I would have declined the seat if Bob didn't win). It is quite possible he didn't care, and hoped his strategy would knock us both off the board.

Some say his tactics were clever and smart. I say they may have been legal, but they were not moral or ethical. And they didn't work, of course. We got our strong network alerted, I printed 700 flyers on my marvelous printer, and Bob kicked his you know what. How did he think he could ever beat Bob? He must be living in an alternate galaxy.

What is appalling to me is not his vindictiveness, which comes as no surprise at all. It's that the people who did write in did not care that he has no platform. No plan. And did very little during the six years he was in office. I guess the supporters are either stupid, are comfortable with a decaying village, he made empty promises, or they share his bad character. Sad any way you slice it.

Final thought, why would you want to win that way? Our slumbering supporters would have been furious. He would have faced open revolt -- lucky for him he can now crawl back into a dark corner like all sneaky creatures.

I'm not a big fan of walking out of class at any time, and when college students have done it to demonstrate over an issue (usually rising tuition) I have not been pleased, but I do appreciate the political and speech aspect of protest and I like student initiative. If I was a guide for the walk out participants, I would have advised them to ask teachers to have a lesson related to the issue (varying based on subject) and organize a mass demonstration on the weekend or evening. I hate to be cynical, but I will. It's easier to ask students to join if academic time rather than personal time is being sacrificed.

I had the 16th anniversary of this blog last week.

So far this March really is coming in like a lion. Why is it when we are getting a nor'easter or have lost electricity, all the a-holes (many of whom have retired south with their public sector pensions that us northern tax payers funded) chime in on social media to gloat about the weather in Florida.

I have never seen a northerner make a snarky comment when they have a hurricane and their houses have been destroyed. I feel like writing this when I see their insensitive remarks, with a parting shot of "good riddance to you, please don't come back even for a visit" but of course I never would.

Uncle Buddy died! :-( Here is his obituary.

I made a campaign website.

Having a new computer is awesome, but getting everything to work the way it should (printer, software, passwords, etc.) is such a hassle!

My computer crashed on Wednesday. It wasn't completely unexpected, since it had been acting up for the past several weeks. It was six years old and didn't owe me anything. Because it was not working properly, I backed up my files in late November, so the data loss was not extreme. A new computer was delivered today! I have been working on my laptop, so it hasn't been a really big deal except that I don't like typing on the laptop keyboard, and I don't have my files readily available without swapping in and out flash drives. Also, programs work a little differently on the laptop, a slight learning curve but I don't feel like investing time to customize it or enter accounts.Waiting until I have set up my new computer for that!

In other news, the first Repair Cafe of 2018 is tomorrow!

I think I have never missed posting for an entire month before! Oh well...my first post of 2018. We dumped Spectrum because they wanted us to get a set-top box and pay $11.75 per month to rent it. When it came, hooking it up didn't work, and after hours on the phone, they wanted to send a technician. So instead we canceled, got a new Roku (the old one owed us nothing) and a digital antenna. Bye Spectrum! You suck! (A new annoyance from them -- they call all the time pitching something. Time Warner did too, but Spectrum ratchets it up by insisting you need a service call because there is a problem.)

I finished fall grades two days ago, but didn't enter the grades untul this morning. And then Winter session begins today! There are 10 students in my class. I already got one email with a student who is "confused," asking what is due today. Always funny, as blackboard reveals student has put in zero time exploring class, which of course has several documents that explain everything.

I had a memory today of Mimmie and her old house on Whispell Road. I have never written about it before. Upstairs there was a small bedroom where we slept when I stayed overnight. The toilet (there was no bathroom) was in the downstairs bedroom where Grandpa and eventually Uncle Bud slept. Mimmie had a chamberpot upstairs for us to use (for pee only, LOL) during the night. I wonder how many people my age have had this experience? I think I had this memory today because the bathroom in my old house is three flights down from my office and the bedroom. I was thinking how handy that chamberpot would be!

Don't really know what to say about this story. It's scary that someone would have no common sense. There should be a penalty for such absolute stupidity, but I'm not sure jail time is the appropriate choice.

I am amazed by the #metoo phenomenon. It's not that I am exactly surprised, especially by the appalling behavior of those in the media and politics. For years we gave Roman Polanski and Woody Allen a free pass, rather than shunning them for the creeps they are. What is more shocking is that it is so widespread everywhere. Personally, I can't say I have had this type of experience often, except on a couple of occasions, and it was not extreme or serious; it did not rise to the level of a #metoo. On the other hand, I have sometimes been targeted over my religion, and especially over my ethnicity -- or should I say, my half ethnicity. The latter happened to me all the time, and in every setting. It still happens on occasion. I can only shake my head.

On a completely different note -- my classes are over today. Yippee!!