Well, it’s finally here. Surgery day. Can’t think of anything witty to say. I feel a lot like I did last year when I jumped off the Oceanside pier (for a charity event; I’m not completely deranged). Made the decision, climbed up on the rail and nothing left to do but jump. That’s actually a great analogy, because the swim back to shore (in this case, the PT and rehab) was much tougher than the jump. Here goes…

I fully expect the summer of 2021 to be awesome. First, I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to travel again, by air, at least in the US. And, my repaired knee should be in fine shape by then. Get ready for some passengers, SW Air.

Second, Season 4 of Yellowstone is scheduled to start on the 2021 summer solstice, June 20th. Can’t wait.

I try hard to be an optimist, but right now it’s tough.

First, there was the horrific scene of 1500-ish unmasked people crowded together on the White House lawn last night for hours. This was pretty much the dictionary definition of a super-spreader event. And an historic Hatch Act violation.

Second, there’s this terrifying article from NY Magazine about the ongoing CA fires. Two quotes stand out:

“This past week, in Death Valley, a global temperature record was set, at 130 degrees Fahrenheit. The next day, the forecast predicted 132. That is the temperature of steak cooked medium rare.”

“In just five days, more land had burned than in all of 2019. And the number kept growing—well past a million acres to 1.25 million.”

2020 is a year unlike any other in my memory. It feels Old Testament biblical.

And then there’s our new friend, Asteroid 2018 VP1. Thanks, 2020!

Six million Americans officially infected with COVID-19 (that means it’s more likely 60M, given our incomplete and incompetent testing program).

Over 183,000 US COVID deaths, officially.

173 days since we started staying home and taking protective measures.

74 days until the election, in which we might get rid of one of our plagues.

127 days to the end of a wretched 2020.

14 straight days with the daily high temperature over 90 degrees here in Fallbrook, with most days setting an all-time record high (historically, should be low to mid 80s).

4 days (!) until I get my knee hacked.

Zero days since the Trump crime family committed a crime.

10 years ago today I was in Washington DC, lobbying the FCC to provide private spectrum for the utility industry. And met up with my good friend John Coble at a nice restaurant.

Well shit. Just saw this:
Amazon’s Culture TV Series No Longer in the Works

Clever lead-in from the article: “They did it. They canceled Culture.”

Ian M. Bank’s Culture series is one of my all-time favorite book series, by one of my all-time favorite writers. It would have made a fantastic TV series, along the lines of The Expanse.

Also, I hate the new WordPress block editor. It’s now forced upon WP users unless you spend $300 for a plugin that disables it. Something that would have taken me seconds (creating this small post) now takes me quite a while fumbling around in the new (worse) UI. Thanks, WP – a perfect lesson in how to disrespect your users.

Let’s see. Out of control wildfires. Record-setting heat wave. Energy shortages. Pandemic. Financial crisis. Thousands of lightning strikes around the Bay area. Apparent IQ loss in 30% of America.

Yeah, that’s about right for the end times. This may be a real thing.

Three-plus months ago on May 4th, I wrote this:

“The final US death toll from COVID-19 is very hard to predict, but one thing that isn’t hard to predict is the new minimum number.  We’re at about 70,000 today, and I sure don’t think we’re at a peak. IF we were at peak, we’d see about the same number of deaths coming down the curve as we saw going up. So given that and given that many states are now relaxing restrictions, I’d put the minimum 2020 death toll at 150K-250K. The minimum.”

We’re at 175K deaths today, averaging about 1000/day right now. So by mid-September, we’ll be at 200K official deaths. Unfortunately, my May prediction will end up being low. And to put this in perspective, the official death toll from the atom bomb dropped on Nagasaki Japan was 135,000.

This is a number that Democrats should hammer mercilessly into everyone’s mind as we approach the election. 200K US citizens died due largely to the Trump administration’s bumbling, ineffective handling of the pandemic. A large percentage of them might have lived if not for this criminal mismanagement. Most elections, “it’s the economy, stupid”. But not this one. This time it’s the dead Americans.

That grim scenario aside, here’s something I didn’t predict three months ago. I’ve been trying to get knee surgery scheduled all year, as my mobility and pain are pretty bad. I had absolutely no luck until suddenly, yesterday, a slot opened up in my preferred surgeon’s calendar for August 31. So now I’m scheduled for a new right knee in 12 days (!). Exciting but a little scary – this is a high stakes bet. And while yes, knee replacements have become common, all the fears of complications, bad outcomes and surgery in general are suddenly and acutely relevant to me.

Finally, with about 75 days left until the election and 138 days left in a strange and miserable 2020, I find myself busier than ever. A new proposal to write for one company. A new consulting gig for another. A novel to rewrite. Several big home projects still to do. And soon a lot of painful physical therapy to work through. I thought retirement would be different, but I’m grateful to have productive things to do with my time.

 

OK, this definitely won’t be for everyone, but one of my favorite authors/curmudgeons John Scalzi has said exactly what I’m thinking about the president’s declared war on the postal service and mail-in voting.

Here’s the tweet that is the non-profane statement. And here’s the amusingly profane blog post that expands the thought.

I read this today on the always-informative Heather Cox Richardson’s daily news report:

“Enthusiasm for the Biden-Harris ticket brought 150,000 new donors to the Democratic campaign. In the 24 hours after Biden announced that he was tapping Harris as his vice president candidate, the campaign raised an eye-popping 26 million dollars.”

That is great news, but Heather might reconsider the phrase “…Biden announced that he was tapping Harris…”. Just sayin’. And yes, it’s a sophomoric pun. Deal with it.

In local news, I received a nice sticker in the mail from a neighbor who learned I was from Kentucky. The sticker says it all. I knew there was a reason we bought property in Fallbrook. Gotta love it.

In “I wish I was traveling” news, I’m enjoying the Golf Channel’s coverage of the US Amateur Championship from Bandon Dunes, Oregon. I’ve been fortunate enough to play Bandon’s courses three or four times. It’s a golf adventure, par excellance. The picture below shows a water buffalo me teeing up on one of the holes at Bandon, maybe the Old Mac course (there are five courses). Not flattering, but memorable. Love that place.

Golf at Bandon isn’t smooth or easy.  The elements are against you – wind, rain, tall grass, gorse (the yellow vegetation in the picture above), and gravity. And you walk every hole – we walked 36 holes every day for 3-4 days on the latest trips, maybe ten miles per day. I can’t do that right now – I need to get my knee fixed so I can go back and play there again. Running out of time…I’ve got maybe 5-6 years left where it’s reasonable that I could play a course like Bandon. It’s back on the bucket list.

Finally, let’s just leave this for later, please. After the election.