The 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, was finally laid to rest in Plains, GA, today while the 45th (soon to be 47th) president (he who shall not be named) was sentenced without penalty in New York for his felony conviction on all 34 counts of a scheme to influence the 2016 election by making hush money payments to a porn star. 45/47 will be the first president in the history of this country to take office as a convicted felon. The differences between Jimmy Carter and the other guy could not be more stark. Carter had a problematic presidency but was, fundamentally, a decent, honest, empathetic and unassuming man whose post-presidency years were filled with international diplomacy, hands-on advocacy on behalf of the world's sick, poor and homeless, unshakeable faith, and a proven love for his fellow humans. The other...well, the less said about him, the better. His many, many vindictive words, his unspeakable cruelty towards his fellow humans, his utter narcissism and acquisitive nature, and lack of class and character all speak volumes about this man. For now, I'll waste no more words on him because, come January 20--a mere ten days from now--he will once again be inaugurated to the highest office in the land, and we will be stuck with him for 4 more years. There will be plenty of time to discuss the unparalleled levels of venality and corruption that are certain to accompany the upcoming administration. 

Meanwhile, Los Angeles is burning. With 60-80 mph Santa Ana winds blowing hot across the city, fires have erupted in Altadena, Hurst, Acton, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, the Hollywood Hills and along storied Sunset Boulevard. A large portion of the city north of Sunset is a conflagration with no end currently in sight for many areas. As of this moment, 10 people are confirmed dead, 200,000 more under evacuation orders, and tens of thousands of homes and buildings destroyed, leaving many Angelenos homeless. Aerial shots from TV remind me of photographs I've seen of 1945 Hiroshima in the wake of the atomic bomb. The devastation is unimaginable, horrific. Naturally, Republicans have already politicized the disaster by placing the blame on Democrats. Much like they did after Hurricane Helene's catastrophic rampage through the southeastern U.S. last September. 

It's early days yet--the 10th of January--and 2025 is already shaping up to be another rabid dog of a year. A couple of friends think I am being pessimistic even though they dread what's coming down the pike as much as I do. So be it, then. With all due respect, I think if you're an empathetic human being and don't feel some degree of pessimism at this moment in our history, you're purposely not seeing the big picture. 

Last night I had a dream in which an elderly man was standing in front of a chalkboard and relating the fable of the scorpion and the frog. Simply told, the fable concerns a scorpion who wishes to cross from one side of a wide river to the other. Trying to cross on his own would mean certain death by drowning so the scorpion approaches a frog and attempts to persuade him to cross the river with the scorpion on his back. "I won't sting you," the scorpion says, "because, if I did, we would both die." The reluctant frog agrees, and they start out across the water. Halfway between the shores, the scorpion stings the frog. Just before dying, the frog asks the scorpion why he would do such a thing, knowing he would also die if the frog went down. And the scorpion answers, "I'm sorry but I can't help myself. It's in my nature." In essence, the fable is saying that certain people are driven to hurt others, even when it's against their own best interests." A fable perfectly in tune with our perilous times--and one to ponder when it comes time to pay the piper. 

Still, in the first days of 2025, I have been well-loved and well-tended by my husband; reconnected with one of my best friends from college; enjoyed the company of our Wednesday Night Dinner Club companions; discovered a terrific new seafood restaurant with our dear friend, George; begun my oft-delayed reading of Clive Barker's 900 page, world-building, adventure-fantasy, Imajica; rewatched MTV's 1991 animated series Aeon Flux in its entirety; decided to give myself lessons in illustration; and scheduled yet another colonoscopy/endoscopy to take place later this month. When I start listing colonoscopies in the positive column of early 2025, it may well be time to skip ahead to 2028.