Monday

There's a 50% chance of rain tonight around ten, and a 40% chance throughout the night, but I am taking advantage of this noontime clearing of the weather and letting the cats go free. They were going a little stir-crazy, and it will be nice to not hear that constant whining meow. If they are back in the house tonight, maybe they won't be so restless and frustrated. ... ... Collecting the mail, I see that Pop has received a voter's registration card. Wow, that's a surprise. Has Trump really inspired him to go out and vote - for the first time in his life? That makes me feel worse about not voting, as though, at the very least, I should neutralize his folly. I'm not sure if my registration is still active. ... ... Catching snippets of election coverage on MSNBC during my reading breaks, it occurs to me that I haven't seen the Russert boy in a long time. Did something happen? He was the heir apparent after his father's death, the somewhat legendary Tim Russert. It would have to be a big scandal to sack that career, or was there an other untimely death in the family, his. Googling on Bing, I see that he has apparently withdrawn on his own. It's hard to believe, as not everyone is practically gifted a career as a major media figure, but here is his statement: "It's fair to say my broadcast career began in an unusual way after college graduation and the death of my father. As a result, I threw myself into the work and never took the time to reflect, to travel and to experience many things that would have given me a clearer sense of what my future should be. Now at 30, I look forward to taking some time away from political reporting and focusing my efforts on other endeavors that I've long wanted to pursue." [Wikipedia] It's hard to believe that this was strictly voluntary, that he was not encouraged to retreat a little. It must have seemed grossly unfair that he should have enjoyed such a big leg-up in the industry just because he was Tim Russert's son. ... ... Speaking of news personalities, this is the first time that I have seen Tom Brokaw looking so old, like he has already crossed into decrepitude. Googling on Bing again, I see that Brokaw is 76, and he is worth 80 million dollars. It's all Monopoly money up there. In this I can feel something of a symbolic sympathy for a Trump victory, not because Trump will change this, but because Hillary won't change it either. ... ... Cripes, was that really a cockroach!? I've never stepped on a cockroach before that was so rich in squishy guts. It looked and felt a little like I squashed a small mammal.