New Shoes in the Rain

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone!  We're almost there, ready to bid farewell to 2020. Seemed like we would never be through with this year, as this year has not ever indicated a willingness to be through with us! But most of us are still here, still trying to do the right thing, still trying to overcome all that isn't right with our world, whether right in our neighborhoods or at a higher level. I remain grateful that my family and I have all remained healthy throughout the months of the coronavirus pandemic.  I'm looking forward to the time when all of the adults in our immediate family can receive one of the vaccines that are now being circulated to frontline healthcare workers and others who need and deserve it.  Although I find it disappointing that there are people who are finding ways to game the system and move to the head of the line.  All of you know who you are.  Please use some common sense and wait for your turn to come, because it will. And in the midst of th

The big day is almost upon us, so I wanted to spread a little holiday cheer in this space before that happens.  I am very appreciative of all who visit here to read what's on my mind on a given day, so thank you and I sincerely hope that you have a Merry Christmas! I titled today's post as I did because, well, there are an awful lot of people who have not been so fortunate that they and their loved ones will have such a nice holiday.  I'm among the lucky people whose employer values the function of which I am part, and pivoted to allow me and several associates to change our working habits and continue to contribute.  I have had to take a few mandatory PTO days here and there, but I didn't technically lose a cent of my pay throughout. I also have to say that I only have a couple of friends whose livelihood has been affected by the pandemic, one being an enterpreneur who receives fees for regularly scheduled services.  His schedule was altered so his income was as well.

Looks like we may finally have some sense of resolution to the presidential election.  Most of us already felt that way, of course, but for a certain segment of the population, it wasn’t yet settled.  Perhaps now everyone can move on with their lives.   This whole sad affair has gotten me thinking about that most American of traditions—the sore loser.  The United States appears to have a longer and richer history of people who didn’t necessarily accept the outright results of a political contest where there was real or implied.  Or sports fans who believe their team was the rightful winner of a Super Bowl where the outcome was influenced by a controversial call by an official.  Or a baseball game that was going one way, then the other after a pitcher became incensed by the umpire’s strike zone and then allowed several runs.  And so on.   I think it’s safe to say that when you lose an election by over 70 electoral votes or by seven MILLION actual votes that you’ve lost.  Or at least it

Happy early December, everyone.  Or, as we like to say around here, "crunch time" for those of us who have loved ones to whom we ship gifts this time of year.  Every year, my wife and I plan our holiday shopping around completing the process for our daughter and her family, as they live two time zones away in Colorado. And this year, it's even dicier, what with all of the deliberate alteration to the process of collecting and distributing mail around the country.  There are many stories floating around about how long things have taken to reach their destination.  At the height of the public outcry about slowed mail deliver last summer, when it became clear that most states would add mailed ballots to the more traditional forms of voting, a couple of TV talking heads mentioned letters and cards they had sent.  One noted that he sent a birthday card to someone from one part of the greater Los Angeles area to another and it took fully nine days to make the trip.  Others sent

Happy Thanksgiving week, everyone! I don't know if that's a thing, but it seems more and more people that I know and do business with opt to take this entire week off. As is customary for this time of year, I've been thinking a bit of what I'm appreciative of, which is especially important right now.  So here goes: I'm most thankful for the health of my wife, my children, their families and myself.  Throughout the coronavirus pandemic we have all avoided any infections from COVID-19, although I think we all know someone who's had it.  With the rapid spread of cases everywhere, it seems that continuing to evade such problems will become more difficult, at least until the majority of citizens can receive one of the multiple vaccines that should become available sometime in 2021. I'm also grateful that I work for a company that has found a way (and then another and another) for me and my peers to continue to work and provide value, and to earn our normal compen

It's Monday, everyone, so hope you're able to make it a good week. 2020 has been such a challenging year for most everyone, with a worldwide pandemic that is still claiming far too many victims and a bitterly contested presidential campaign. The news came over the weekend that Jeopardy host Alex Trebek passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.  Trebek was 80 years old, and had been diagnosed over a year ago with this disease.  My wife and I had recently rediscovered Jeopardy via a streaming service, as they had many episodes of this thinking-person game show in their archives. That got me thinking about other well-known people we've lost in the past year.  One of the most prominent was the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who died at the age of 87 in October. She was a pioneer in the practice of law and as a judge and later a Justice, and certainly left her mark on the judicial establishment. Just before the news of Alex Trebek's death, we l

The question of the day. I hope that you did not miss your opportunity to vote early or to vote by mail.  If you did, Election Day is Tuesday.  Your county clerk or board of elections for your area has a website that can tell you where you should go to cast your ballot if you're not sure. Almost 88 million people have voted across the country already, which is just more than 60 percent of the total number of those who voted in the 2016 Presidential election. Make sure your voice is heard!  Make sure that you VOTE!

Happy Hump Day to all.  Sorry, old cliche. I don't know about you, but I'm very worried about our current situation relative to the coronavirus pandemic.  As regular readers know, I'm a resident of central Kentucky and can unhappily report that new positive tests for COVID-19 have increased dramatically throughout my state over the past two weeks. And that appears to be the case in many, many other states.   Our governor here is determined NOT to have to repeat the extreme measures he implemented in the spring of this year, closing all but the most essential businesses, as well as schools and other entities.  As it stands now, one can shop most anywhere he likes, dine out in reduced-capacity restaurants, have a drink in a reduced-capacity and limited hours bar, attend a high school or college football game, go to work, get a haircut (as I did earlier today) and so on. Incidentally, our governor is a Democrat and he was sued more than once by the Republican Attorney General

Probably no need to remind you, but in most places, you can vote NOW!  And you should! Here in central Kentucky, we have the benefit of multiple ways to cast our ballots.  We're permitted no-excuse absentee balloting, which my wife and I utilized to avoid the obvious risks presented by the coronavirus pandemic, and there are even sanctioned drop boxes to take them to if you're not comfortable sending them through the mail.  And what's more, we were able to verify with the board of elections that they arrived.  We also can do early in-person voting and, of course, in-person voting on November 3. But all's not joy in Mudville, so to speak, as our County Clerk (the office that oversees elections in Kentucky's counties) complained that they hoped for more absentee ballots to take the pressure off of in-person balloting.  This is the same man who objected to having these multiple alternative ways of voting in the first place, saying that he nor other clerks were not cons

Friends, I want you to indulge me today with a thought exercise about our country and the state that we're in.  Try to imagine.... That the President withdrew from numerous international agreements designed to maintain peace, order, economic prosperity and combat climate change.  And did so for petty and sketchy reasons. That the President decided to roll back virtually every regulation designed to protect our environment and assure clean water and air for future generations. That the President would undertake a damaging and prolonged trade war with China, implementing the ancient tactic of tariffs in hopes of leveling the playing field, only to damage the American economy and require a bailout for farmers, and that the ultimate outcome of this would be the highest trade deficit in 14 years. That the President would pursue a relationship with the dictatorial leader of North Korea and claim to have "fallen in love" with that murderous tyrant through the course of letters a

A simple message for everyone this morning....today is National Voter Registration Day in the United States.  That means that if you have not registered to vote yet in the upcoming election, you should! As regular visitors to this space know, I live in central Kentucky, and our state has done a pretty good job making is possible to vote in a variety of ways in response to the coronavirus pandemic.  In the primary election earlier this year and now in the general election, we have the privilege of choosing to vote via absentee ballot, which was formerly reserved for people with ongoing health issues that prevented them from being able to travel to polling places. And new for the general election are absentee ballot drop-boxes, or they will be, since they are due to be installed in the next week or so.  Because of the tenuous nature of mail delivery I'm holding onto ours until we can safely put them into a drop-box. I keep reading of various issues in numerous states, and it so depre

I don't know about you, but I really dislike it when public figures misstate things, whether deliberate or not.  And it seems that lately we're really having to work hard to score these errors as they occur.  This also goes for opinions held by one or more of our fellow Americans. So your erstwhile blogger has decided to devote a small amount of time and thought to this undertaking. Here goes: The coronavirus will not simply "go away."  Ever. Children and young adults are NOT fully or "nearly" immune from Covid-19.  That theory was never entirely proven, but now that we see what's happening with universities and school systems around the country resuming in-person instruction, I think we know that now. Stay-at-home orders are NOT akin to slavery, despite what the Attorney General might say. "Playing down" a national emergency is never a successful strategy, particularly if you're the President. People should not trust elected officials over

Yesterday's release of excerpts from conversations that journalist Bob Woodward conducted with President Trump revealed damning testimony by the President himself.  We already know that the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic has been lacking, but now we learn that the President knew and understood not only the gravity of the pandemic, but how the disease would spread in airborne fashion and not just by direct contact with infected persons and surfaces.  He also acknowledged that the disease affects more than just the elderly, and included children and young adults. It's hard to know what this means for the near future, since we're less than sixty days from Election Day (less if you consider the number of states allowing expanded mail-in or early voting).  I saw a few commentators saying last night that this will likely affect Trump like the Access Hollywood tape--some will be momentarily horrified, but that things will return to something close to normal in a few

I've been trying to put my finger on something regarding our current political landscape and believe I may have found some direction that partly outlines why we're in our current situation. I'm a big fan of Aaron Sorkin, the writer of such movies as "A Few Good Men" and "The Social Network," among many others, and the creator of television shows like "Sports Night," "The West Wing" and "The Newsroom."  I love that his characters seem to speak as real people do, imperfections and all, but there's generally room for some high-minded idealism in his characters and plot lines. This is never more true than in his screenplay for "The American President," directed by Rob Reiner.  It's about a widowed President of the United States (played ably by Michael Douglas) who falls in love with a lobbyist (Annette Bening) and their relationship is used for political gain by his would-be opponent in the upcoming reelection

Hope you're enjoying your Sunday.  And if you work from home, as I have since March, Sundays look a little like the other days of the week! I jest, there are no Zoom calls to attend, no endless outreach to clients and prospects, no reports to prepare.  And I say this with immense gratitude for the employment that I still have, despite the fact that it has little resemblance to what I signed on for last fall! But enough of that.  I've had some time to consider some of what's happening around us and am going to share a few thoughts, for better or worse. First, I'm fearful that eventually we're going to find out that a lot more people have died or experienced significant health setbacks as direct result of the coronavirus.  I believe the national death count just surpassed 170,000, with predictions from the CDC and elsewhere that the total could reach 200,000 by Labor Day.  In just a couple of weeks. We're doing our part at my house and within my family.  Only my s

I heard from quite a few people when I remembered a very good friend who had passed away back in March, so wanted to offer a brief addendum to my comments from that day. As you recall from the original post, golf was a central gathering point for this departed friend and several of my other friends--all of whom became friends of this fine man, of course.  We played an annual round of golf, when this friend would put aside his highly skilled golf game and play with occasional duffers, sharing a day of golf, fellowship and a lot of laughter. So another longtime friend and I decided that we should schedule a round of golf in our departed friend's honor, as he would certainly want us to remember him on the golf course, where he spent a great deal of time that he clearly enjoyed. Yesterday was that occasion, after a one-day delay due to weather (Saturday was the third day of occasionally heavy rain, unheard of in late July/early August in central Kentucky).  The group consisted of mysel

Happy Hump Day, everyone.  I suppose that's still something of a thing, even if so many of us are working exclusively from home these days. Looks like I will be for the immediate future, anyway.  I have a healthcare account management job that has me working in seven states under ideal conditions, and nearly every one of those states is considered a "red" status level state, meaning there is an uptick in positive cases.  So meeting the challenge of staying healthy and safe is certainly easier when remaining at home. I certainly wish that everyone felt that way.  I know that we as humans are social creatures and miss direct contact with friends whom we're not seeing in our home environments.  But people really need to think a little harder before going to bars or restaurants, where people congregate in close contact and wearing masks is not compatible with enjoying adult beverages. Think! I have to say that since our governor here in Kentucky instituted a mask order, m

Good Monday morning, my friends.  Today is my 60th birthday! That may seem a little self-congratulatory, but, believe me, I'm very glad to be here! For a couple of weeks I've been thinking a lot about an old song by Elton John (co-written with his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin) called "Sixty Years On."  Its main character is an old retired soldier, as much as I can discern, but the lyrics are rather haunting, starting out this way: Who'll walk me down to church when I'm sixty years of age When the ragged dog they gave me has been ten years in the grave? Senorita plays guitar, plays it just for you And my rosary has broken, and my beads have all slipped through That'll make you think a little. I have a lot to be thankful for, a wonderful wife who shared her two amazing kids with me over thirty years ago, plus five grandchildren and a very full life!  I have a core of good friends and many friendly acquaintances from my past professional and personal assoc

Happy hump-day, everyone. Is is raining where you are?  If you're about anywhere between Chicago southeast to the state of Virginia, the answer is likely "yes," as it's been rainy here in central Kentucky off and on for days.  And what we've had is a fraction of what has fallen in parts less than an hour away in several directions.  So hope that you've not experienced weather-related problems. Our current situation related to the coronavirus pandemic leaves one with time to consider a lot of things.  As in how we currently function, what we can change, etc.  I'm not immune, of course, so today's post will detail some of that type of introspective thinking. We still have a landline telephone account.  I know, that's so 1998, but we've kept it out of habit, I suppose.  And we've kept it for a long, long time, despite what I would call diminishing returns.  The cost continues to go up, and we've reached the point where all we have is local

Hello, friends.  Hope that you were able to spend time with the fathers in your life over the weekend. I was able to spend some time with our son and his family Sunday evening, but it required a little planning and then a little more replanning.  Here's how it went down: Our son contacted me Sunday morning to see if my wife and I would be open to meeting him and his crew at a local historic site with ample public grounds.  Not really a park, but he and his wife were married there and our middle granddaughter has had soccer practice there many times over the past two or three years. Anyway, we knew that there would be a place to set up food and that we could find a nice space to meet in a socially distanced way.  So we readily agreed, and then we watched the weather forecast throughout the afternoon.  This was a little tricky because, well, it's June in Kentucky, and we don't get spring rain, we get sporadic rain and thunderstorm activity this time of year.  That was Sunday

Three months ago today, we here in Kentucky entered our current state of limited activity and restriction.  And, yes, I'm fully aware that while so many places are "open," I am that many months overdue to have my teeth cleaned, I have to make an appointment to have my glasses adjusted, and I am still uncomfortable in shopping malls and other public spaces where so many others are walking around without face masks as though all is back to normal. But let me tell you a story that may wind up being symbolic of overcoming the coronavirus pandemic, at least in our household. My wife and I bought our smallish patio home over twenty years ago.  We live in southwest Lexington, Kentucky, in an area that's sought after because of the school district and proximity to shopping and other amenities.  We have always liked this location, and, even though we're empty nesters, find that the house is suitable for us even when family comes to visit for the day or longer. When we firs

Our country just experienced a remarkable and somewhat jarring two week period.  I don't think I need to replay all of the events in great detail, but the broad strokes are that the United States and a number of other countries are having the kind of open and thought provoking conversations about race and inequality that should have happened long ago. What started with the death of an arrested suspect at the hands of police officers in a major metropolitan city has evolved in such a short time into a stirring movement that has encompassed a broad cross-section of people of all ages, genders, ethnicities and backgrounds.  There are discussions at the city, state and federal levels of government about new laws and regulations preserving the rights of citizens and limiting the authority of police departments and other enforcement bodies. The protests that began with the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis were marked with anger, pain and outrage, and were colored by concurrent di

Friends, I've been thinking a lot about this lately, and many of you probably have, too. What makes a good leader? I ask because our current predicament probably illustrates more what does NOT make for a good leader than what does.  Yet we see a lot from people in positions of authority and responsibility, and a lot of it is pretty good. I won't make this a laundry list of who's who in American politics or state offices or whatever, but let's just think of things that have made you take notice for all of the right reasons. With the dual challenges of managing the coronavirus pandemic and now with many cities and states beset by extensive civic protests and unrest, we're seeing a lot of public activity.  Much of it is positive, as the current crop of governors and large-city majors all seem to keep their overall tones in the positive end of the spectrum.  And the common thread I keep seeing is that the ones I feel are most effective are the ones who are very

It's Tuesday, everyone.  And I almost said it was MONDAY. Just a few random thoughts about the world in general, as seen through our current state of seclusion. YES, I had a marvelous long weekend, as I added an extra day to it, but NO, I still wasn't ready to return to work today. YES, I managed to play a socially distant round of golf with friends on Friday, and NO, I'm not sore anymore because of it. YES, I'm a little tired of being at home this much of the time, but NO, I'm not that anxious to go out to a crowded restaurant or bar. YES, we're running out of decent things to watch, but NO, we aren't watching a lot of the absolute garbage that resides on Netflix, Amazon Prime and elsewhere. YES, we're enjoying cooking and eating at home, but NO, our trips to the grocery for supplies are still not complete, as there is invariably something we need/want that is out of stock. YES, we're ordering more things online, but NO, we

Good morning, friends.  Hope you and yours are well. The title of my thoughts today refers to a recent estimate by researchers at Columbia University.  They have studies the coronavirus spread in the United States and have determined that if our country had instituted a national program of social distancing a WEEK earlier, this many lives could potentially have been saved. I was fairly sure that we would see information of this type come to light, but didn't think it would be quite this soon.  Still jarring, regardless of the timing. While I regret the limitations we're still under, I agree with them for the most part.  Not eager to rush out to eat in restaurants, or to shop at the local mall.  I said to my wife yesterday that this is a little like being concerned about driving in bad weather---it's not me that I worry about, it's everyone else.  And we know that a large number of people have or have had coronavirus without even knowing it. I'm fortunate to

For those of you who may have lost track, today is Wednesday.  It is early afternoon in the Eastern time zone. Kidding, of course.  I hope that you and yours are safe and well at this writing, and that you all continue to be. Because I'm trying to be a model citizen and spend the vast majority of my time in my home, where I also work, I'm trying to take note of things that have given me at least a few minutes of satisfaction in the midst of what we're facing.  Here goes: So many of the guests who appear on news programs are doing so from their homes (logically).  I have taken an inordinate amount of amusement seeing the surroundings of so many of the guests who are not using background supplied by Zoom or their employers (I'll come back to something else about Zoom shortly).  My wife, too, joins in this occasionally, commenting at how dark someone's space is, or how sparsely furnished it might be.  Yesterday's Senate hearings on the coronavirus and the gov

Happy Wednesday, folks, in case you were having difficulty remembering what day it is.  I've heard a few folks say that the days of the week in our new normal are "yesterday, today and tomorrow."  Not far from right on that one! So my wife and I remain in our recommended sequestration, venturing out only occasionally for a trip to the grocery or to pick up carryout/drivethru food (we've done that a time or two a week since this began, just for variety).  I'm very fortunate to be working for a company and business unit that considers me "essential," even if I have to do my work remotely instead of in the customary face-to-face manner. Suffice it to say that we're consuming a lot of media around here to pass the time.  Here are just a few of the things that I have taken note of: Singer-songwriter-movie score composer Randy Newman has penned the anthem of the pandemic, called simply "Stay Away."  It's what one would expect from the m

Greetings to all.  I suppose my routine is now so far from what it was just a couple of weeks ago that I'm writing this on a Sunday morning, but hope you and yours are all well. We're hearing a lot about "opening up" our economy and our society.  President Trump has been saying for several weeks that we needed to open up.  He first said that he wanted to see this occur by Easter Sunday, which was one week ago today.  That obviously was too soon, and he eventually let go of that notion.  He began saying this again recently, implying that he wanted to see it happen by May 1. As has been widely reported, he then stated that he had the authority to order the country to resume its normal activities and to order approximately anything else he chose, there was pushback, and then he indicated that the governors of individual states would have that opportunity, but that he would hold them accountable if problems occurred. This past Thursday he released new guidelines for

Hello, friends.  Hope your time of being healthy at home (at least that's what Kentucky's governor calls it) is going well. It's just my wife and me here, so we're doing OK.  I think we've settled into some routines that are not all bad, and we're both getting ample rest. My work in medical sales has become all virtual, so can only make contact with people by e-mail and telephone, with the occasional videoconference meeting thrown in.  That's not too bad, but it can get a little monotonous.  And believe me, I am most grateful that my employer, the corporation that owns the medical facility I represent and countless others, considers me and my colleagues to be essential. So here are some of my customary observations about the lives we're leading these days... Meals are a highlight, as they represent an opportunity at least once or twice a day for some variety.  My wife usually doesn't take time for lunch (she normally cares for our youngest gr

Hello from the home office, where most of you will be reading this today.  I sincerely hope that everyone is well and that your families are, too. Interesting how much has changed since I last posted on our current pandemic that we're all facing and responding to with social distancing and working from home and no school and shortages of odd items like toilet paper.  And not so much for the better, either. I'd like to repeat my compliments to two governors, Andy Beshear of my home state of Kentucky, and Andrew Cuomo of New York.  Both appear to be doing a very good job of frankly and forthrightly speaking to the current state of affairs in their respective states.  Kentucky has not been as hard hit as more populous states, but I fear that our time is coming. As for New York and Governor Cuomo, they're on the brink of even more problems.  And they don't have the resources necessary to address the pandemic as fully as they would like. Which brings me to my next th

I lost a very good friend this week. He's been my friend for nearly forty years, but I rarely saw him more than once a year for the past thirty years. Let me explain, but I'll do so in keeping with my normal policy of not naming names. I grew up in a small town outside of Lexington, Kentucky and my first full-time job after college was working for the local radio station.  I friend whom I have known since childhood helped me obtain my initial part-time position there, and it morphed into something more a couple of months after graduating. We had the opportunity to broadcast a local high school sporting event and my friend, who also worked at the station at the time, suggested I go to see a man whom he was confident would support our broadcast by purchasing advertising (I worked on the air in the mornings and sold advertising to augment my income, which was pretty sweet for a 22 year old). I went to see this man, and learned a number of things about him right away: