I’m not an alcoholic or participant in any 12-step programs, but the Serenity Prayer seems like a broadly useful sentiment.
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Representative illustration
Sparky the Brave squared off with a possum1 last night.
We needed to go out just before bed. Sparky wasn’t wearing a collar or leash, but he’d had a big day and was drowsy, so I didn’t think it would be a problem if I kept him on task. Sparky hopped off the deck, headed for the area that passes for his bathroom. I was still on the deck, but 10 feet from him when he spotted the possum in front and to the left. Sparky went to his alert-ready stance.
Have you ever stumbled upon a possum? It’s scary. Possums and raccoons are the bold thugs of the suburbs. It’s like taking an early morning walk in your neighborhood, and passing a couple of guys carrying obviously stolen goods. If you just keep walking, nobody gets hurt. If you want a confrontation, they will stand and fight, rather than cut and run.
I was afraid that if I ran toward Sparky, that would force a decision, and he would bolt and engage. I walked toward him, calling him back. Sparky cautiously approached the possum to figure out what he needed to do.
Sparky isn’t trained, but taught. He knows that I want him to come, but he views it more as a suggestion, rather than a command. He squared off with the possum, but the possum wasn’t running or attacking, so Sparky was circling.
Since the possum wasn’t taking action, Sparky came over to discuss our next move. I snatched him up. Sparky wanted to go back to resolve the situation, but didn’t know how we’d go about that. When I had him, he squirmed a bit, but that seemed performative.
Based on his response, Sparky doesn’t have much experience with possums. If he did, they would be natural competitors. Possums eat ticks. Ticks bring Lyme disease. Sparky likes having Lyme disease because he gets to eat peanut butter. Possums eat other insects, rodents and any other tiny thing. They are also excellent scavengers with a great sense of smell. That is a niche that Sparky enjoys. Although possums look frightening and repulsive, they are good to have around.
1 A possum and an opossum are not the same thing, but colloquially, we call them both possums.
US News: Biden to serve one term.
Top Democrats are trying to figure out what went wrong in the 2024 presidential election. It’s like watching a junkie explain that their problem is anything but the drugs.
I just checked in on the Teachers Forum on Reddit to see how they are holding up after the election. You would need a heart of stone not to laugh at this post.
Reddit: first_time_in_my_teaching_career
This is allegedly from a AP Gov teacher. It is long and fraught, and describes the reaction of students to Trump being elected. Let’s focus on quotes from her students.
So, to give my students the voice they so rightfully deserve; here is a list of quotes from our discussion today.
“He won,and I am terrified. But even if she won, I would still be scared.”- A sophomore girl who had been kicked out after her parents found out she was gay.
“I feel like the people who want to be protectors, are showing women why they have to do everything for themselves.”-A freshman boy,who frequently quotes Andrew Tate.
“I’m sorry Ms… this country has failed you.”- A sophomore boy who I have to gaslight into coming to class.
“I watched my mom hold my baby sister cry Trump won the first time. This morning, she held us both tight crying before she went to work.”-A sophomore girl of a single mother.
“I’m scared.”-Many Students
“Law and Order my ass”-A freshman non-binary student who LOVES playing devils advocate.
“I can’t even make a joke about this. I am so tired Ms… I dont even feel like making jokes.”-A sophomore girl, who I constantly have to tell to stop talking in my class every day.
“Ms…You as a woman have taught me how to be a man. I am so sorry you have to continue teaching about this, basically raising the children of American. And you will never be recognized for it because of your gender.”-A senior boy I had during student teaching, who I fed every single day because his family couldn’t afford to eat.
“Ms…Can I please stay in here today? I just feel safer here.”-A freshman boy who had been bullied for being ‘gay’…he wasn’t gay.
It’s funny because none of this ever happened. It isn’t plausible. Each one is a liberal trope. Somehow, there isn’t a tear-jerker about a girl afraid that Trump is going to cancel her abortion appointment.
The person posting this removed her name after posting. That also indicates that it’s fake.
Most of the comments are of two types.
The first type are the people calling the post “fan fiction” or otherwise indicating it’s completely phony.
The other type, are from other Gov teachers saying that their students didn’t mention the election.
There are several other fantasy posts on Reddit that are similar to this.
It’s nice to see a presidential election that is wrapped up before the bars close. The 2000 Bush-Gore election, with the hanging chads, was so tedious. Just like the Olympics, it makes a difference where you watch. I like Real Clear Politics because they provide all the current information in a clear manner. Watching a news channel on Youtube or cable or broadcast, is so tedious. I’d rather watch a Jerry Lewis Telethon.
The rest of the time, Real Clear Politics aggregates polls from everywhere else and posts articles from a wide spectrum of sources.
This morning, I’m wondering what’s up with the states that can’t close the books on the election?
Prior to the election, here are the states that RCP considered to be battleground states.
Almost half of these battleground states haven’t been called at 7 am. No other states are still up for grabs. That is strange enough to warrant some attention. Here are the
Michigan has 97% of the ballots in, and a 1.9% spread. What’s the hold up?
Arizona has a 5.7% spread, with 63% of the ballots in. That is one of the lowest percentage of votes counted, of all 50 states.
Nevada has a 5.5% spread, with 89% of the ballots in. Surely they could count enough of the votes to call this one.
Sparky wanted to recreate this photo of President Johnson holding his beagle up by the ears. With Sparky’s belly, I’m afraid his ears would come off. I obviously can’t tell him that, so just said that I can’t find my suit.
Sparky wasn’t impressed by LBJ shaking hands with his dog. He thinks Blanco looks like a dumb ass. Sparky is envious and suspicious of dogs with luxurious fur. He likes how his seal fur lets him slide through brush and brambles, and thinks that slick dogs should get more acclaim.
Yuki riding on the back of President Johnson’s Cadillac has the twin virtues of being fun and dangerous. Sparky is going to talk about this photo for weeks.
After seeing President Johnson howling with Yuki, Sparky says that being president seems like a pretty easy job.
With the normal stupid stuff going on, it’s easy to lose track of the impressive work being done. SpaceX routinely launches satellites into orbit and occasionally demonstrates an impressive new capability, but the big picture isn’t addressed very often.
The Artemis III project is planning to get people back to the moon in two years. NASA is leading the project along with the space agencies of Europe, Italy, Germany, Japan, Canada, Israel and Dubai.
Humans haven’t walked on the Moon in over fifty years, and this time, we won’t be landing in an expedient contraption. SpaceX is building the lunar lander. The photo above shows the SpaceX HLS with other objects to show the scale. Notice the tiny Apollo Lunar Module on the right.
The last time we went into woods at the South Park trail, was the second time that Sparky was noticed by yellow jackets. Both times, a yellow jacket landed on his back, Sparky got frantic, I noticed his distress and slapped the yellow jacket off.
I don’t think that he was stung. Both times, the yellow jacket was trying to figure out if there was a dog underneath all of the seal fur.
Sparky no longer wants to go in the woods, and he’s gotten worse. Now, he’s reluctant to go for a walk up the hill. I’m trying cognitive therapy on him. Exposing him to the area, without going into the woods. Or entering the woods somewhere else.
Since I have been chronicling Sparky’s journey, this seemed like a data point that couldn’t be excluded.
Sparky pooped on Mr. Moose. Decorum compels me to mask the evidence. It was a walk on a dark night, so maybe I’m making too much of this, but that’s my main job, so I speculate.
It’s not uncommon to have a falling-out with someone who was once a cherished friend. I had a dear friend who had a vastly different political perspective. We had a disagreeable exchange on social media, and that was it. Sparky hasn’t expressed an interest in politics, but he would naturally have an affinity for Biden biting babies.
Mr. Moose has always been in the Bull Moose Party, supporting the formerly Republican, Theodore Roosevelt. TR has been dead for a hundred years and Biden isn’t running, but Sparky and Mr. Moose don’t keep up on current events.
Whatever the reason, Mr. Moose is out of the rotation until he gets washed.
Sparky is trying out some Halloween costume.
His baby seal costume isn’t very convincing, but is easy.
He really wants to be “Sparkle, the saucy princess”.
Sparky doesn’t want to go with the obvious. He thinks that Snoopy is kind of a tool.
Whatever Sparky decides to go with, Halloween might get him a car ride. That’s about it.