Personal Update on the Accident

I'd like to provide a quick update on my post-accident injury recovery.  As a quick reminder, I was in a car accident just under a month ago.  My car was rear-ended and then hit broadside.  While I walked away from the accident, I was diagnosed with a mild concussion and experienced some internal bruising in the chest.

The concussion left me feeling stupid and foggy, and I had periodic headaches for a couple of weeks.  That seems to have fully worked itself out. I went to the gym this morning and was able to successfully complete my full strength training routine, though I will admit that I had to work up to my normal weight on bench press and lat pull-downs.  I also did fewer reps of each exercise because I've been out of the gym for almost a month.  What matters though is that full recovery is in sight.  I plan to run tomorrow.  My usual run is three miles in just under 30 minutes, but it's the first time I'll be running post-accident, so I'm going in with no expectations.  If I don't hit my normal time, okay.  If my still-stiff ribs can't keep up with the aerobic requirements, and I don't make three miles, okay.  But I'm cautiously optimistic.

As I share the news on my healing, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge what's made this possible:

-Time.  You're a cruel mistress who always insists that I do things at your pace, but I love you nonetheless.

-NSAIDS.  I'm specifically referring to Ibuprofen and Naproxen Sodium.  You guys frequently don't get enough love and recognition, especially when compared to the cool drugs like Oxycodone.  But Oxy is fleeting and needy.  You two are low key and always available.  I love you.

-Hot Yoga.  When I was unable to challenge myself like a stereotypical manly-man, you were there for me.  I've spent the last year dabbling with you in order to increase balance and flexibility, but you were the one exercise that met me where I was.  You were there when I needed you most.

-My wife. She's freaking awesome!  She encourages rest and recovery, without letting me be a b1+ch-@$$ helpless husband. 

Winter Wonderland and Family Time

 We had our first snowfall of the year this weekend, and it was a doozie!  When I measured the snowfall, we had received 10 inches of the white fluffy stuff, and it hadn't yet stopped snowing.  It was that heavy, wet stuff too, and I am still recovering from the car accident I had earlier this month.  Fortunately, a neighbor kid offered to help (for pay, of course) and I happily hired his services.

While the storm was rolling in, my older daughter called and asked if she and her hubby could crash at Evan Manor.  A cousin of my son-in-law passed away from Leukemia, and they're coming into town for the funeral.  Duh!  Of course they can stay here!  Their trip was kind of like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, without all of the wild mishaps.  They left on short notice.  The first leg of the flight was okay, but their connecting flight here kept having delays.  My son-in-law understandably wanted to get here, so they rented a car and drove the last four hours.  I'd like to reiterate that the weather sucked!  I've driven long distance in crappy weather, and it's no fun, so kudos to them for making that decision.

Once they got here, my younger daughter, who lives in town, came over to have some family time.  It was my bride, both of my girls, my son-in-law, and me, and it was great!  The girls stayed up late watching movies and TV shows they watched as kids.  Son-in-law, wifey, and I stayed up a touch late, but didn't pull an all-nighter.  As I drifted off to sleep, I heard the TV and my girls in the background, and I had one of those perfect moments of love, peace and happiness.  I know they're here for a lousy reason, but regardless, I'm glad they're here.  I'm happy they chose to crash here instead of at a hotel.  I'm ecstatic that my girls have such a wonderful relationship.  I'm truly blessed. 

My Only Comment is Probably Off-Topic

I saw this article about West Virginia Senator Jim Justice agreeing to pay $5.2 million in overdue taxes.  Based on my recent articles, you would logically think that I'm going to rage against the fact that this elected official managed to accrue over $5 million in overdue taxes.  After all, it's ridiculous that an elected official could unintentionally accrue this kind of debt.  It's quite apparent to me that we have another corrupt politician on our hands.  There's no reasonable excuse for this behavior, yet somehow, once it comes to light, his only penalty is apparently to pay what he already owes.  How's that for privilege of the elite?  And to make matters worse, I'll bet the constituents of West Virginia re-elect this guy... not because I believe that WV is stupid, but because I believe that we as constituents are collectively stupid.  Oh, but wait.  I'm totally digressing...

What I really meant to say is that when I read this article, I thought the guy looks like the illegitimate brother of Lindsey Graham.  And that's my only official comment about this article.

 

 

 

I Do Not Think That Means What You Think it Means

A  few days ago, several lawmakers got together to urge troops to disobey unlawful orders.  In typical fashion, POTUS said that people who told the military to defy illegal orders committed sedition at the highest level.  This is factually incorrect, unless POTUS intends to issue illegal orders; and even then, it's a dubious claim.

The general definition of sedition is the act of inciting people to rebel against the government. By this definition, it could reasonably be argued that our current Commanded in Chief engaged in seditious behavior, because his words had the net impact of inciting Americans to storm the Capitol on January 6, 2021.  Sorry, I'm digressing... back to my point.

It is NOT seditious behavior to tell people to obey the law, or more accurately to remind military personnel that they have the right -- nay, the DUTY --  to disobey orders if they are against the law.  In fact, sedition requires that the instigators cause rebellion against the government.  This would imply the government as a whole.  The president is not the entire government.

Furthermore, the Geneva Convention, American Law, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice (AKA military law) all state, very clearly, that military personnel are required to follow lawful orders.  In fact, we have a long-established history of refusing to acknowledge the "I was just following orders" defense if those orders were unlawful.  So, Mr. President, when you say sedition, I do not think it means what you think it means.

 

All in on AI

 I've got to admit that I was almost ready to throw in the towel on Artificial Intelligence.  With all of the false information and hallucinations, I was prepared to give up.  I'd like to clarify that I had zero intention of selling my stocks though... the fact that I was going to stop using it didn't mean I should stop investing in stocks that keep appreciating.  But I'm digressing... sorry... squirrel!!  Back to the matter at hand...

Anyway, as I said a second ago, I was just about to give up on AI entirely, because AI is an unreliable source of truth.  Imagine my pleasant surprise when I found out that Grok is perfect.  I assume this is because its creator, Elon Musk, is also perfect.  Take a look at this article and see yourself.  Yep, I'm now All in on AI!

Oh, But Wait... It Gets Better!

In a recent post post, I mentioned that the the legislation that ended the government shutdown included a rider that would make it illegal in most cases to obtain a senator's phone data without disclosure, and violation would allow impacted senators to sue the Justice Department for $500,000 per violation, plus attorney fees and costs.  Furthermore, the legislation was retroactive, providing several senators with the legal ability to sue the DoJ for previous action related to the January 6 capitol riot.

Today the House of Representatives unanimously approved a separate piece of legislation that stripped that rider, and it was subsequently sent to the Senate where, lo and behold, Lindsay Graham, one of the senators who would stand to personally benefit from this legislation, single-handedly stopped the bill in the Senate.

My summary is a gross over-simplification of the issue, but it's once again good to know that our elected representatives have only our best interest at heart.

Conflicts of Interest, Anyone?

 A recent news article is reporting the US President purchased corporate and municipal bonds in sectors that benefited from his policies.

I'd like to remind you, dear reader, that POTUS spent a LOT of time bashing on his predecessors and others in Washington for engaging in this exact behavior.