COF 102 - dfs-archiver/dfs-archive GitHub Wiki

Prodigal son, and all that

I ran away from home 30 years ago, and I've stayed away since. Only visited twice. Being away from there is what I wanted, and it's been a good life, with not much I'd change, except the part where my wife died.

She'd brought me to Wisconsin in the '00s, and we loved it here. I still do. Everything in this apartment and everything out the window is a reminder of her — she cooked at that stove, sat in that chair, and we walked in that park, ate at that restaurant. It's marvelous, and I don't want to leave.

I'm old, though. The warranty has expired. When my health starts failing I'll need someone — and also I'd like to be there for my Mom and brothers and sisters as needed. They're my family, after all.

The idea came in the shower, like most ideas do. Madison is my favorite place of all the places I've lived, so I tried hard to talk myself out of this, but lost the argument.

I'm moving back to Seattle. Prodigal son, and all that.

Moving, though, is daunting. When I was young and full of stupidity and spit, I moved a dozen times, all over the country, but that ain't me any more.

Now I'm wrinkled, decrepit, and full of nothing but weariness. It's exhausting just thinking about packing, lugging, getting myself and my stuff across the country, finding a new place and a new job and a new diner. It feels like the biggest dare since I was 7 and jumped off a bridge… and broke my arm.

There's no deadline or timetable, cuz that's what organized people do, not me. I'll pack at my lazy pace, and it'll be months before I'm on the road. This morning I started boxing stuff up, though, so — here goes.

... Hmmm. Writing and posting all this was supposed to make it less of a worry, but so far it's not.

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Also there's this:

• Madison — 3° and snowing

• Seattle — 48° and raining

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Was Abraham Lincoln an atheist?

Sounds more like Lincoln was agnostic, but reticent to speak about it because he was, after all, a politician.

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Climate change: Forecast and maps show Boston going underwater

The damned fools of the world won't believe in climate change until they're wading to the garage.

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Michael Graves Design and CVS made the next generation of canes and walkers

I'm skeptical when a fancy-schmancy design firm makes disability-access products, but these do look like an improvement over the shitty and difficult-to-use products previously available, and at a decent price, too.

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"How could anyone object to saving lives?"

It's a visit inside one of New York City's supervised-drug-consumption sites — a brilliant concept. There should be at least one of these facilities in every county in America.

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Ottawa Police Chief quits (else he would've been fired)

Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Provincial Police take command of anti-convoy enforcement

Class action lawsuit against Ottawa convoy participants

“It’s time to stop,” [Attorney Paul] Champ said. “All the individual truckers who are still in downtown Ottawa, still causing mayhem, still causing chaos, still causing disruption to the residents and businesses of downtown Ottawa, it’s time to go home. And when you get home, I strongly recommend you get independent legal advice. Don’t listen anymore to the organizers. You’ve been led down a path that, unfortunately, is going to cause you some serious financial consequences.”

"Freedom Convoy" leader Pat King arrested live on social media

Ottawa police arrest over 100 as tense convoy standoff continues

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19 Austin police officers charged for handling of 2020 George Floyd protests, union president says

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DC Cop who provided inside information to Proud Boys gets suspended, with pay

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Rikers detainees seek half-million dollar fine after being denied thousands of medical appointments

All my life, I've heard about the hell that is Rikers, and American jails and prisons in general. It's sickening and unAmerican, and never gets fixed because nobody in power gives a damn.

While someone's in custody, for any crime, any suspected crime, or under any sentence, it is the government's job to keep that person safe and healthy. Denying doctor visits is outrageous, ought to be a crime, and the prison warden ought to be in a cell.

NYC's 'reform' DA is sending people to Rikers at the same rate as his predecessor, but with even higher bail

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Workers at Seattle Amazon Fresh store say they've formed a union

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NFL finally finds a black person they're willing to hire

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Black History Month — a celebration

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Under the New York Times, Wordle is watching you

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Republican senators push back against suggested 'no-fly list' for unruly passengers

Of course they're opposed, because the unruly assholes are anti-mask QAnon Republicans.

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Bite me, Nicholas Kristof

You can't live in New York and run for Governor of Oregon. And more generally, all your years of yakkity-yak yakking doesn't mean you ought to be in charge.

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Disney wants you to live (and die?) in its new master-planned desert community

They'd have to pay me to live there — and quite a lot. I'd be willing to die there, though, free of charge, because I understand you unavoidably poop when you pass.

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McDonald's doesn't care about sexual harassment

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93% of San Jose wanted no new billboards. They're getting new billboards, big and electronic.

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"I know a student was just murdered, but remember our handbook's policy on sharpies."

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Does it make sense for New York to be underwriting horse racing?

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"Whoever took my New York Magazine please return it. I was looking forward to reading it."
"If you stop playing your music so loudly!"

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Testing a prison

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Lucky meteorite

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One-word newscast, because it's the same news every time...

climate

climate

cops

cops

cops

cops

cops

cops

Fox News

Elon Musk

QAnonsense

QAnonsense

Republicans

Republicans

Republicans

Trump

Trump

Trump

Dead

Lars Eighner

uɹopǝƃɐH ɯᴉſ

Gail Halvorsen

Beverly Ross

Bob Wall

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Mystery links — Like life itself, there’s no knowing where you’re going:

—①—

—②—

—③—

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♫♬ Sing along with Doug ♫

"The Prisoner" — Ron Grainer

2/19/2022
Tip 'o the hat to All Hat No Cattle, Linden Arden, ye olde AVA, BoingBoing, Breakfast at Ralf's, Captain Hampockets, CaptCreate's Log, John the Basket, LiarTownUSA, National Zero, Ran Prieur, Voenix Rising, and anyone else whose work I've stolen without saying thanks.
Extra special thanks to Becky Jo, Name Withheld, Dave S., and always Stephanie...
Cranky Old Man

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