Today will be my last post for 2024, so a few thoughts come to mind about New Year’s resolutions. Somewhere I posted that I was going to dust and vacuum more next year. This goes along with a resolution I made a few years ago to cut down on acquiring stuff. Now I should attempt to further reduce the stuff by getting rid of old things which have no meaning. Unfortunately, that is the hard part. And somewhere along the line, acquiring books never stopped. As I type that line, I realize that I should just open a library and share my bounty with others. Anyway, let’s get on with my ramblings for today.
The most horrifying news I have been keeping up with is the fact that Musk has endorsed the far-right AfD party in Germany. First of all, the megalomaniac seems to think he has been ordained to run the world—NOT—and I understand that he has commented on quite a few other different governments around the globe before now. But the German interference strikes me particularly hard because I have been spending a lot of time watching all the Nazi-adjacent documentaries on Netflix. A free press is one of the first things to go. I was glad to read that the opinion editor of the paper where Musk posted quit her job in protest.
My morning hard cover book reading is now torn between finishing the Jobs biography or continuing the Musk one, both excellently written by Walter Isaacson; but with each man’s personality being distressingly obnoxious, I’m tempted to ditch them both. [As an antidote, I’ve been remembering Alexander McCall Smith’s wonderful tales, and I must get back to reading his latest. But that will probably be bedtime reading.]
And when I started researching on my trusty phone this morning, I found that there are even more reasons to dislike the tech bros, with Musk in particular. As so many rich people do, he started a foundation to shield his wealth. However, he seems to be afoul of the IRS requirement that he distribute a certain percentage each year. Please do your own research about this because quite frankly my Sunday is already besmirched by its beginning.
So I will wrap things up here with the fact that my plants are thriving, I was able to walk for 27 minutes in the rain yesterday to enjoy super delicious blueberry pancakes at Jake’s Diner, then I caught the bus home for my half-price senior fare of 85 cents. I once did a tiny cross-stitch that says “Love People, Use Things” and that’s what I intend to adhere to in the coming year. I will just be extremely selective about which people I choose to include by keeping concentric circles of my radiance wafting about—welcoming strangers and loved ones to join me in staying free.
RESIST ALWAYS
TTFN
As a long-time hoarder, I have started with the clutter that accumulates on my desk. It's a chore that never seems to get finished but I think I am making some progress.
As usual, Katharine, very nice postíng. I am in awe of your ability to remain positive and optimistic. On another suject, if you are not liking the Steve Jobs biography, I recomienda skipping the one on Musk. It will make your head explode! Musk is a liar and a hypocrite, and David Isaacson makes it very clear, but the part that made me angry was that Mr. Isaacson let himself be played by Musk an included “facts” that at best are suspect. Happy New Year!