I don't identify with groups. Not really. I do identify with individuals and ideas. I don't agree with anyone or any thing about everything. I don't need that acceptance of a group over my guiding principles and sense of morality and ethics. Not to mention logic and truth. Since an early age I've had an overwhelming sense of letting things be as long as they don't infringe on someone's rights or hurt anyone. Sound lofty? Yes, it is. And likely undoable all the time. But so are the ideas that were the basis for AMERICA. The dream we should strive for every day. You get time during holidays like THANKSGIVING to reflect. My friend wrote me in an email this am that "It’s the best holiday." I agree. I never appreciated it enough. My Mom always made those holidays great and when she died, I just didn't think I cared anymore. But I do. But again, I didn't appreciate that at the time. And I'm a professional appreciator of sorts. Better word that curator. My memories may be idealized. They may be rooted in my love of the food. Of course, they are. I love the lazy Friday after. The leftovers. But it was the downtime, the unwinding, the thinking and conversations we would have that are the best part. I spent this year catching up with a close friend and talking about life. Our lives. But as I've gotten older, like most of us, we look outward. And that is where some of the sadness comes in. The world is on boil right now. A very sinister and ill-meaning leadership seems to be emerging around the world. Bullies, blamers, narcissists, criminals. They prey on the destruction of ideals and institutions to suit their needs in the guise of a common people. Government isn't easy. And there has always been corruption. And greed has always been a prime reason. The idea that every politician is bad, all government is broken and we need to smash it and its institutions to the ground is seeded in hate, resentment and self-serving stupidity. I don't know about you, but the current situation brings me great anxiety that I've never felt before. A sense of dread. And a complete disconnect from the common sense of decency I thought I shared with so many. Not causing, but fueling some of this discord is a acidic partisan media. I watch 2 shows on CNN. The rest give me ulcers usually due to the moronic pundit guests on both sides. I can't even look at FOX NEWS given the facts and stories they neglect. And trust me I try. I want a well-rounded view. The MERCER family supports BREITBART. THE KOCHS want to back a TIME, INC. takeover. It's not to say other media haven't been horrible too. Look at all they missed. Both sides give oxygen to nutters spewing hate in the guise of being unbiased. These new moves by radically controlling and powerful people who are adverse to change frightens me. Look what's going on in ITALY right now. No matter where you stand, the FOURTH ESTATE protects us. We should want it to be the best it can be. I have an agenda. Another friend pointed it out to me. The wish for "actual balanced news so these f***ing things don’t hatch. If things were balanced than the extremist views would never get the oxygen they need to live." Lofty, but worth a try. I'm sick of making excuses because the real and perceived sleights to a disenfranchised voter base hoodwinked by charlatans. Some may think they know me and all my views. They send me hate email with WHATABOUTISMS. Save it. I'm done with that. I get mushy this time of year. Even pollyannaish. I miss my Mom. I want some stuffing. And I want the world to take a deep breath and get rid of these evildoers that prey on division. Selfishly, I'd like to sleep more than 90 minutes without breaking into a sweat. My thoughts are all over the place. Yes. Because my thoughts are actually all over the place. But this is how I feel right this minute. You?... Tweeters are funny sometimes... MICROPHALLUS SYNDROME has spread to the OVAL OFFICE. Specialists are on the case... Looking for a quick, super-fascinating doc to watch today? "THE GHOST ARMY was officially known as the 23RD HEADQUARTERS SPECIAL TROOPS. From June 1944 to March 1945 it staged 20 battlefield deceptions, beginning in NORMANDY and ending at the RHINE RIVER." Narrated by the voice of ZEUS on earth, the great PETER COYOTE. On AMAZON PRIME VIDEO now.. I got my new IPHONE X yesterday. At first I was discouraged. Lots of changes. I quickly realized how out of touch I am with all the features that APPLE has added to this and IOS 11. Immediate reactions to change can be unsettling. And there is a lot to learn in terms of new functionalities. I recommend the TIPS app. I feel like BILL MURRAY and HAROLD RAMOS in STRIPES trying to read up and learn all the functions of the EM-50 URBAN ASSAULT VEHICLE... Happy Birthday to MICHAEL MONTGOMERY, KEVIN THAU, ERIC KIRSTEN, and SCOTT FEINER.