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 mid...

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 wel...

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 vote...

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. ...

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!