But I can't.
I know that folks who read this blog are bright and intelligent (and must love yoga, cooking & knitting... else you're bored stiff! Oh, and dogs!). So I know that you know the meaning of the word "nadir."
Let me skip around... I renamed my personal yoga page to include "wellness" in it, and I was digging through the thesaurus (the real one, the book) to find another word for "wellness" because, well...EVERYONE is using "wellness" and I didn't want to get on that train. I ended up using the word, but added another word to it, "essential." Kind of a play on "essential oils" which I use in my own wellness program.
I didn't look for another word for "nadir" because that's such a cool word that actually fits where we're at, kids. Funny enough - now roll with me here - when you look it up, you find that "nadir" derives from the Arabic word meaning "opposite."
So. The Hater-in-Chief, "Liddle Twittler," Mr. "All Thumbs," who endorsed a guy who held up signs saying that his wife ought to be raped, the reality star hack who's sitting in the most powerful seat on the planet... THAT guy - has caused us to hit the nadir. The very lowest point. "The lowest point in the fortunes of a person or an organization." The opposite of the word "zenith" - the highest point. By the way, the Urban Dictionary defines a "hack" as "a person who is a professional at doing some sort of service, but does crappy work." Well, there ya go. That just about sums it up, I think.
With his statements about countries and people who live in them, he brought us, a once-respected country, even lower down the food chain than we were when he took office. For Heaven's sake, even Norway is laughing at us...
Now, you have to understand this garbage. It's clearly racist. Because every single one of the countries he named or referred to? Hmmmmmm. They're all mostly brown countries. And he wants Norwegians. One of these things is not like the other. Hum it with me, if you remember the tune....There were a lot of politicians who were, rightly, up in arms about the "holes" they came from, though mentioning Ireland is probably irrelevant. Yes, the Irish were treated horribly around here. My grandparents told me stories that would make your hair curl (or straighten, depending on what you've already got). And there were stories about them... Polacks, hunkies, krauts, any slur you want to make about people whose English isn't great. Even though my great-grandmother was fluent in 3 languages, and English was really her FOURTH language, that she learned, on the fly, as an adult in a "total immersion" that even Berlitz wouldn't match. (Google that reference if you don't get it...) So xenophobia isn't necessarily a new thing. Neither is jingoism.
But now, it's living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And we cannot have that. Seriously, we can't. Historically, it hasn't ended well.
There are stories out there that say that perhaps this is effectively the end of the Republican Party as we know it. That, because they have appeared to collectively have lost their spine, their courage, their souls or their what-have-you... nobody will stand up and say, "Enough." And Democrats? Well, frankly, we're better at stepping on ourselves and miserable failures in "street fighting" - I don't mean actual street fighting, but in the sense that we don't fight dirty very well. We like to think that if we can just talk about it, everyone will see reason.
Well. They don't. Though I do find the New York Daily News cover amusing, it doesn't specifically help.
The categorical denial by Mr. Twitter is amusing, since several people who were there can attest to what he said.
And yeah - I know. Nobody's perfect, salty language happens, and there were of course Mr. Nixon and Mr. Johnson. Richard Nixon was a vile little man. And LBJ? Aside from showing his appendix scar and lifting a beagle up by its ears (enough in my book to have him horsewhipped...), he was a crude, crude man. But when he needed to be presidential, he was. We got stuff done - BIG stuff. And I'm talking about Civil Rights and the war on poverty and education reforms. Yeah, LBJ is pretty much "invisible" to Democrats now, but take a look.
We can no longer wait for Liddle Twittler to "become presidential." His expiration date has passed.
Here's a thought: how about we LEARN from history. That would be different. And probably effective.
Instead, we are once again watching Rome burn while Zero tweets. (Yes, I know it's "Nero," but I'm making a point.)
Retainers...
So I'm wearing the retainers about 20 hours a day. One can't wear them 24 hours, because one has to eventually eat and drink tea. I'm only allowed water while wearing them. I foresee another bout of weight loss, because they're kind of a pain to get in and out. They look like "invisible" retainers, and the other night I was seriously questioning my "purity" in not wanting permanent retainers glued behind my teeth.
But then I thought about it. Never biting into an apple. Never crunching on a carrot. Celery would also be off the list. Not that I'm that pure... I'd also be in trouble with my caramel addiction.
So. One month of "all day/all night" wear, then wear them only at night. And my dentist reaffirmed this, strongly. I know it's worth it. I've gotten compliments when people have actually noticed the braces are off.
But I still talk like I have a mouthful of polenta! Oh, and the orthodontist cut down the top retainer because for some reason he thought it sat too high, and now there are "spurs" on part of it... Thankfully, I still have orthodontic wax. I'll have to have him trim it a little bit, kind of bevel down the sides.
Knitting...
Well. All I have to report is - ZERO. Nada. Nothing. Nic. Nichego. Not a stinkin' stitch. It's been that kind of week. I set the Petty Harbour sock on my table. I swear I'm going to knit tonight. And then something else happens.
I need to get it moving so that I can work on another shawl, or a singleton sock or something - the February Lady Sweater comes to mind, as a UFO. Also that scarf that I started in that bulky alpaca - since it's bloody cold outside (again) and I'd like to wear it this year.
I need time. And of course, I know that all I have to do is settle myself and MAKE the time. It only happens if I get to the point of making it happen.
Reading...
Just finished a remarkable little book. Well, it's not little in the sense that you can shove it in your purse; it's a full-sized book. Called "The Chilbury Ladies' Choir" - it's a debut novel from Jennifer Ryan.
I really enjoyed the story and I loved how she wrote it. Taking a page (ha - see what I did there?) from "84 Charing Cross Road" (another FANTASTIC book, if you're interested), she wrote it in a combination of letters and diary/journal entries. It's really a charming story with multiple plots going, and spots where you just shake the book, and say, "WHAT??? What???"
I really like that. I don't always want predictable. Yes, there are times when my brain is tired, when I want to practically write the end of the story because it's so obvious.
But other times, I want the story to unfold. This was one of those books where I didn't want it to end. I could've used another 2 or 3 chapters, just to finish off some things. She resolved everything, but I wanted to know more about a couple of characters.
Pick it up. You'll love it.
Random Picture...Saturday, I made two things: a tortellini salad full of veggies (which I should have brought home; at least a portion!) and Chrism (holy oil) for a baptism at church. The bishop blessed the oil, which I was happy to have him do, and we baptized a new young child into the church.
And then we fed everyone. We feed people really well. We had sandwiches, meatballs, cheese, fruit, salad, more salad. Then desserts. LOTS of desserts.
Anyway. I digress. The oil, if you're interested in ever making it, needs to be stored in an airtight dark bottle, though the bishop's secretary told me she's seen it in a pickle jar... Anyway, it's extra-virgin olive oil, and I added Frankincense, Myrrh, Spikenard and Galbanum. This was an older bottle; it's not manufactured anymore - at least Young Living Essential Oils has stopped making it because they can't get the plant anymore.
See, this is why I love this company. If they can't get the real product, they don't go synthetic. They tell us that they can't get it. I was happy to get my hands on it, courtesy of a friend who wasn't using hers, but I know I can't get any more unless I find someone with a stash!
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