December?

Is it me, or did September, October and November fly by? I’m having a hard time reconciling the fact that 2022 is nearly upon us. 2021 had its highs and lows…getting to visit with our grandkids (and their parents, of course) was wonderful, but travel remains limited (though we enjoyed a wonderful 3200 mile drive up the East coast and down to Nashville) and our international plans were again postponed. So, we focused on home renovations and managed to replace furniture, renovate our master bathroom, upgrade our landscaping, install a new roof and kick off the kitchen redesign project. Covid has apparently infected appliances, too, so who knows when we’ll see the new microwave and cooktop??

But, as usual, my head is full of disconnected and, likely, incoherent thoughts that I’m delighted to share with you. As I type, I’m nursing a bum knee caused by a simple slip on the golf course. ?I’m hoping that it’s simply a mild strain (or is it sprain?) and nothing worse! But, at least, it’s a beautiful, sunny albeit cold morning here in North Carolina.

• That’s a good segue to thoughts about weather. This week saw record and tragic storms in the mid-west, persistent snowstorms in the Pacific Northwest and delightful but weird warmth in the Southeast (thus, my continued golf season). Climate change deniers must work awfully hard to convince themselves that rain in Greenland and all these other bizarre and extreme weather conditions are just normal patterns when nearly every scientist assures us that climate change is real and human-induced. The annual commitments to sustainability signed by most countries seems to be a predictable charade with little meaning and, in the meantime, climate conditions further deteriorate. Are smaller, nuclear power plants the inevitable solution? Coal is certainly not!
• I’ve read some interesting books this year. Empire of Pain depressed me as I read about that version of organized crime. That the FDA and DOJ, in cahoots with consulting companies and the despicable Sackler family could bring such harm to so many people was eye-opening and yet not surprising. The influence of the Trump administration to allow the Sacklers to walk away with all their ill-gotten wealth was particularly unsurprising and maddening. I’m reading the Lincoln Highway now and have mixed feelings about it. As for other entertainment, Dune was great and I’m glad we saw it on the big screen in a movie theater. But, I suspect that our attendance in movie theaters will be far more limited in the future. We’ve seen three touring Broadway shows (so far) and loved The Band’s Visit and Ain’t Too Proud. Tootsie was better than expected. We’ve also returned to repertory theater but had a hard time with Thornton Wilder’s “Skin of Our Teeth”. Acorn has been our salvation?for TV watching (when in doubt, British and Australian/NZ mysteries) but we’ve given Succession (season 3, fehh), Foundation (slowwww) and Invasion (Rod Serling had a better imagination) a try. Hard to believe that there’s so much content and so little quality on all those channels.?
• I’m still working on my newer writing project focused on the needs of businesses seeking to work with higher education. It should be ready for prime time sometime in the first quarter of the new year. In the meantime, if you still need a holiday gift for someone, there’s this other book I may have previously mentioned…
• Politically, I’m full of struggles. I want to support all the progressive causes and yet fear the consequences of leaning too far left. Winning a skirmish but losing the war could keep the likes of Greene, Boebert, Gaetz and the rest of that crazy, Trump-infected crowd empowered for decades. I just wish the Democrats had a better game plan, more organized communications strategy and more time to advance thoughtful and necessary legislation. The Supreme Court seems poised to wreak havoc with abortion, voting rights and gun control so I lean pessimistic likely for the rest of my lifetime. I will happily be proven wrong!?
• I want to give a hearty shout-out to several of my doctoral students who successfully defended this year. There’s nothing quite as gratifying as celebrating the completion of doctoral studies and dissertation and I’m so proud of the many students I’ve advised and learned from. Several others are well on their way to completion of their studies and I look forward to a number of defenses in the next few months!?
• I’ve planted kale, cabbage and cauliflower this fall which allegedly will survive through the winter. We’ll see…
• What about art, some of you are saying? Funny you should ask. Years ago, one of my colleagues suggested I look into invaluable.com to see if I could obtain a piece from an artist I’d come across in Israel. Long story short, I was able to purchase a piece by this artist at a very affordable price and last week bought my second piece (a different artist) through Invaluable. My fantasy is to obtain a piece by Australian artist John Brack, but his work is priced at rates well beyond my capacity. I keep checking the site, though.?

Maybe that’s enough for now. We may or may not sneak away this week for a local, driving trip (depending on my knee) and excitedly await a visit from our Nashville family the week after. We have a Florida drive upcoming for a Bat Mitzvah and will soon be planning another visit to Denver to see our family there. 2022 could be a great year (our niece’s wedding, potential trips to Croatia, Ireland, and Poland, and enjoying our renewed home) but Covid-19 and its variants refuse to abate. Get vaccinated!?

Merry and happy!!